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NEW HAVEN, CONN., SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1898.
Price Tun Cents.
YALE'S IDEAL HERO,
Nathan Hale Should Stand in Bronze
Upon the Campus—Dr. T. T.
Munger Presents the Case.
When the newsboys in City Hall Park
in New York have nothing else to do,
and that does not happen often in these
days, they gather about the bronze
statute of a man whose hands are tied
behind his back, and discuss his case,
with as much accuracy probably as the
“extras” they have been selling de-
scribe the last battle of Cuba. The
boys are fortunate if one of their num-
ber has been under some teacher in
the public schools who has taught him
what the histories do not teach, and
thus enabled him to tell his fellows who
Nathan Hale was, and what he did that
brought him to this pass.
Nathan Hale was a son and soldier
of Connecticut, but the statue in New
York has made him better known there
than he is in his native State. He
spent four years in New Haven and
never a day in Hartford, but every boy
in that city knows his story because
it has two statues of him. New Haven
has no memorial of him save the ruined
fort in the harbor that bears his name.
There was a time when every stu-
dent in Yale was familiar with his his-
tory; I fear that many could not to-
day pass an examination upon it. Both
city and college have lost sight of him
for the two-fold reason that the his-
tories barely name him, and no statue
makes up.the lack.
Ane SLORY OE: WIS LIFE.
The story of his life is short because
his life was short, and because he did
only one thing worthy of mention; he
died for his country. He was born in
Coventry—a town twenty miles east of
Hartford, where he grew up in a farm-
house and family of the better sort, and
went to school to the parish minister,
Dr. Huntington, who prepared him for
College. He was a fine lad—strong,
could run, leap, wrestle, throw and lift
better than any of the boys about him.
Well-bred, sweet-tempered and hand-
some, he was greatly loved and admired.
He came to Yale in his sixteenth year
and entered the Class of 1773.
But little is known of his college life
except that he stood well in his class,
made a famous leap on the Green that
was marked out and shown for years,
and that he was a devoted member of
Linonia. So long as Linonia lived,
Hale was a household world in Yale.
“Statement of Facts” is almost for-
gotten even as a tradition, but Yale to-
day offers nothing worthier and finer
than the lining up of “Linonia” and
“Brothers,” each with their chosen
orators, who made a “statement of
facts” as. to the claims of their respec-
tive societies. The partiality of an old
graduate must be pardoned if he ven-
tures the opinion that “Statement of
Facts” in the second week of the col-
lege year, on a day set apart by the
Faculty for the purpose, was quite as
dignified as “bottle night,” quité as
academic as “tapping for societies,” and
as intellectual as the “class histories”
of Commencement week. Some things
are better than they used to be, and
some things are not.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY CREW: TIME 23:48.
Dajzell, Bow. Bentley, 2. Wakeman. 3. Bailey, 4. Moore, 5. Beardslee, 6.
Colson, Cox. and Capt.
Savage, 7. Briggs, Stroke.
Photographed at Ithaca June 12,
“TWO SPLENDID SOCIETIES.
One of the things that was better—
far better than intercollegiate debates—
was the existence of those two socie-
ties —“Linonia” and “Brothers in
Unity.” They comprised the whole
body of students, and existed side by
side in enthusiastic and healthful riv-
alry; they taught their members to de-
bate and to write essays and poems;
they discussed public and national ques-
tions—especially slavery—from Nullifi-
cation and the Missouri Compromise
down to the Emancipation. Their
weekly meetings were conducted under
parliamentary rules. To be a president
of them was a coveted honor;—there
was none higher in College. They
fostered patriotism and made it intelli-
gent; they trained men to take part in
public life and to conduct public busi-
ness, and above all they fed that
democratic spirit which makes Yale
what she is and gives her the right to
call herself the American University.
It is a calamity that these societies
were crowded out of existence by a
swarm of minor societies, whose useful-
ness is strictly guarded from public
view. Now Nathan Hale was a mem-
ber of Linonia, and at every “statement
of facts” half the college cheered his
name to the echo. He was and he is
to-day Yale’s ideal hero, but the cheers
have died out along with his memory.
In 1853, when Linonia celebrated its
centennial, Judge Finch read a poem
on Hale that has become a part of
American literature, but the speaking
bronze is needed to keep alive his
_ glorious story.
_ After graduation Hale taught school
in East Haddam during the Winter,
and in the Spring took charge of a
_ grammar school in New London, where
the people went on loving and admiring
him just as they had in New Haven
[Continued on 5th page.]
“YALE BATTERY” RECRUITING.
More Fine Yale Names Added—A Few
Vacancies Are Left.
Within the last few days, Light
Battery A, First Connecticut Volun-
teers, better known as the “Yale Bat-
tery,’ having received orders to recruit
to the full strength of 173 men, has
opened a recruiting station in New
Haven. Lieutenant Weston, ’o8S.,
Sergeant Twitchell, ’98, and Private
Cheney, ’98S., have been in charge of
the recruiting station.
The order to recruit made fifty vacan-
cies in the Battery, and it was the desire
of Captain Honce, and indeed of all
the Battery, that the number should be
made up as largely as possible from
Yale students and graduates, as the
Yale Platoon has proved an exceed-
ingly valuable and popular part of the
Battery. The recruiting office was
opened at a time when College was
about closing and a large number of
men had left for the boat race. Yale
names, however, began to come in
rapidly, both from New Haven and
from other parts of the country, appli-
cations coming from as far as Washing-
ton. With the Yale men other excel-
lent applicants have been received,
including two or three New Haven
members of the Second Regiment and
an ex-member of the Sixth United
States Cavalry.
About ten more Yale men have al-
ready enlisted in addition to those
whose names have been published in the
WEEKLY.
While applicants of the first class
from any quarter have been received,
a large number of applications have
been postponed until word could be
send to a number of Yale men who
were known to be anxious for a chance
[Continued on 12th page. |
CORNELL THE VICTOR.
Wale Takes Second Place in the Tri-
angular Race at New London—
Mr. Cook Satisfied With
His Men.
For the second successive year Cor-
nell has proved that her University
Crew is superior to the crews of Yale
and Harvard, and she still holds a clear
title to the American intercollegiate
championship.
It was a great race that was rowed at
New London on June 23. There was an
element of uncertainty to the last mile,
although the figures do not show
that the time was fast, as the tide had
barely turned and a strong breeze up
stream held the boats back.
The official figures for the distance
are as follows:
Cornell, 23 m. 48 s.
Yale, 24 m. 2 s.
Harvard, 24 m. 35 s.
The postponement from Wednesday
to Thursday at noon was almost uni-
versally condemned and was certainly
most unfortunate, as thousands who had
taken long trips to see the three Crews
row were obliged to return home dis-
appointed after two disheartening
changes of hour, and an afternoon of
great discomfort from bad weather.
Yale University endorses the work of
her Captain, Coach and Crew, calls it
a well-fought race and_ cordially
acknowledges the superb work of Cor-
nell. Mr. Cook said after the race:
“I am well pleased with the work of
my men. They were beaten by a faster
crew whose superior age and experience
told in the four miles.”
The election of Fred Allen, 1900, to
the Captaincy meets with universal ap-
proval.
The crowds began to reach New Lon-
don on Tuesday evening and before
