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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 1899)
132 YALE ALUMNI WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION, - $3.00 PER YEAR. Foreign Postage, 40 cents per year. PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. For rates for papers Single copies, ten cents each. 7 fy orders for. papers in quantity, address the office. should be paid for in advance. Checks, drafts and orders should be made payable to the Yale Alumni Weekly. All correspondence should be addressed,— Pyale Alumni Weekly, New Haven, Conn. The office is at Room 6, White Hall. ADVISORY BOARD. H. C. Roptnson, 58. J. R. SHEFFIELD, ’87. W.W.Sxrppy,’658. J. A. HARTWELL, '89 S. C. P. LINDSLEY, 7% S. L.S. WELCH, ’89. W. Camp, ’89. E. VAN INGEN, ’91S. W. G. DaGGeEtTT, 80. P. Jay, °9. EDITOR. Lewis 8. WELCH, ’89. ASSOCIATE EDITOR. WALTER Camp, ’80. ASSISTANT EDITOR. E. J. THOMPSON, Sp. NEWS EDITOR. FrrEpD. M. DaviEs, ’99. ASSISTANT. PRESTON KuMLER, 1900. BUSINESS DEPARTMENT ASSISTANTS. O.M. CLaRK, 798. BURNETT GOODWIN, ’99 S. Entered as second class matter at New Haven P. 0. NEW HAVEN, CONN., JAN. 12, 1899. All material for the WEEKLY, which 1s not of the character of late news, should be received not later than Friday morning, for the issue of the following week. Arti- cles of a general nature can always be pre- pared so as to be received by that time, and alumni notes should all be in the of fice at that time. ; In the case of record of late news, it is possible to handle a limited amount of very important matter as late as Monday after- noon, but its use can not be guaranteed at that time. Se THE TALK OF LEGISLATIVE TAX ACTION. Since the complete defeat at law of the attempt to increase Yale’s tax list about 800%, there has been some news- paper talk of an appeal to the Legisla- ture for a change of charter which should allow the assessors to accom- plish what is now impossible. Of the legal possibilities of such a step, we have not made a study, be- cause the move itself seems the most highly improbable thing. We cannot believe the State of Connecticut is go- ing out of its way to deliberately attack Yale University, when the officials of New Haven have discovered at con- siderable expense that all the law is against them. With taxation laws and principles in their most discreditably confused state, it would most certainly be a remarkable thing, that the State should begin an alleged reform by a direct attack on the rights and resources of its most famous institution. The rest of the State, of course, had nothing to do but stand by and watch the contest when certain New Haven officials tried this means of geting a few thousand dollars more of revenue. If New Haven should ask the rest of the State to be- come a party to any such proceeding,—- well, we doubt that anybody would ven- ture the undertaking in the name of the city. I ers THE PRESIDENT’S CONSTANT GIVING. While we have not yet been: ready to review in detail the administration which will close next June, we cannot allow to pass, without a word, the statement of the Corporation in the resolutions accepting the President’s resignation. The array of figures: does YALE ALUMNI a not so much impress us. The material expansion of the University is a patent fact and constantly offers, to the most casual observer, its testimony of the progressive spirit at the head of the in- stitution. Even the vastly more im- portant increase in the educational staff is quite apparent, although not as con- spicuous as the other features. But the point in which we are espe- cially interested is that item of per- sonal generosity. which has been kept » stream has been flowing on, the ‘Treasurer’s reports have said that ‘a friend’ has given $100 or $1,000 or $5,000 to carry some department through the year, or to ap- ply to some very. necessary fund. No one has read the Treasurer’s report without noticing the constant flow of small benefactions, generally name- less, by which the University has been carried along over rough places. Al- though it was common knowledge that the President’s purse was constantly open, it was not known that he spent so much. It is an indication of the kind of spirit by which Yale has been made and carried forward. The loyalty of her alumni is proverbial, and again and again the loyalty of her instructors and officers has been demonstrated. This is one of the best illustrations of it. But even in this list is not included a very large total of generosities, in behalf of Yale education, which have been strictly personal in their nature, and by which many individuals have been placed under personal obligations of the strongest kind, to the head of the University, who has taken time to consider their individual cases and has liberally met their needs. quiet. While the Barescsh tae Hees 6/005. A TIME TO BE GLAD AND TO BE SERIOUS. It is a time for joy and a time for reflection. Yale has won her great tax suit. The Supreme Court of Errors of the State of Connecticut has ‘‘advised” the Superior Court to order the Board. of Relief to strike from the list all items added by the assessors, with the exception of a single residence of one of the Faculty and possibly one or two other insignificant items that would come within the same general descrip- tion. The main contentions are splen- didly and without exception main- tained. The attempt to place Yale on the tax list of New Haven, at a figure which would begin at about half a mil- lion and which would undoubtedly go up quite rapidly from that point, is de- clared to be inconsistent with the let- ter and spirit of the law of the State of Connecticut as expressed in statute and charter, and as defined by invaria- ble construction from the earliest point down to the present day. Thus the hole is closed before it is opened.. The University will not be obliged to spend the income of about $200,000 annually in paying taxes. For this fact, which is established by the unequivocal and unanimous decision of the Justices of the Supreme Court, Yale is as she should be, in good spirits. Indeed, it is a time for joy. It is even more the time for reflec- tion. Next to the decision itself, on the main points of law involved, the Su- preme Court, speaking through Judge Hammersley, made no _ deliverance nearly so important as that touching the collegiate policy of the renting of rooms. The decision is printed’ in full elsewhere in this issue, but we beg leave to reprint here these passages to which we refer: . | “The argument urged by the defend- ant (the Board of Assessors of New Haven) in support of its claim that the dormitories assessed are practically WEB KLY used for the purpose of trade, is sub- stantially this: The College is intended primarily for scholars who are poor and the great majority of. foundations express this purpose more or _ less clearly; no one shall be prevented by limitation of birth or means from the full development of his capacities for the service of the State; an essential feature of the College is equality; no special privileges or honors can be se- cured except through personal worth. When, therefore, in the apportionment, the students are practically divided, on the right hand and left, according to the marks of wealth and, as the find- ing shows, the poor student is relegated to the unsightly discomfort represented by seventy-five cents a week and the rich student promoted to the compara- tive luxury represented by ten dollars a week; a rule of apportionment is adopted which violates the essential conditions of college life and the build- ings or portions of buildings apnvro- priated to the rich student cease to be College buildings, because the poor student is excluded from their occupa- tion.’ On this contention, which, *in its statement of specific facts, as the Court observes, is supported by the finding of the Committee of the Superior Court, the Supreme Court, through Judge Hammersley, makes the following ob- servation: “There would be force in this argu- ment, so far as it is supported by facts, if addressed to the College authorities. We do not care to minimize its force for that purpose. It goes without say- ing that the most costly gifts cannot compensate for any loss of that spirit of independent equality which is the ufe of the University and which has heretofore especially characterized this plaintiff.” The natural caution with which the Court uses its facts does not detract from the significance of the deliverance, which is, in a measure, aside from the main argument, and which need not have been introduced with such force. It seemed to the Court an occasion which, in its quasi-advisory capacity, it could not allow to go by. In other words, the Supreme Court of Connecti- cut felt called upon to give Yale a warning as to their internal policy. We are bound to admit that the warn- ing was in order. Re-enforced by this high authority, we cannot but reiterate, in plainer’ language than we may have yet used, that the general policy of the Corporation, in the treatment of its dor- mitories, has been inconsistent with the spirit of the place, with the common if not the unanimous desire of those who have furnished these dormitories, and, though clearly within the law, as the Supreme Court has said, is without and against the higher law of this place. It NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. SN TTI JOHN A. MCCALL, PRESIDENT. This Company has been in successe ful operation since 1845, and has now Over 300,000 policy-holders and over $200,000,000 in assets. It offers the most privileges and on the most favor- able terms, of any Company. Under its new system of classifying and com- pensating agents, it offers to young men continuous employment and a life income. Its policies and agents’ contracts will interest all students. & a NEW YORK LIFE "NSURANCE COMPANY, 346 & 348 Broadway, NEW YORK. has threatened the best asset of Yale. and, proceeding on a purely commerci2: basis, has finally reached the point where it has also threatened most seti- ously those visible and material assets of the University which it was supposed to foster. If Yale had gone so far in this direction as to force the Supreme Court to say that its dormitories were handled purely on commercial lines and for purposes of trade, there would have been no disagreement over the proposition that the Corporation had taken a very expensive way of increas- ing its revenue. We are duly thankful that this point had not been reached. But, it is neces- sary to have such a point reached, in order to arouse the Corporation of Yale to the point of realizing the danger into which it was bringing the best thing there is in Yale, the democratic spirit of the place, then the price would have been cheap. We hope the warning is at last clear enough. The community of Yale has so far, in its own life, held up its standards in the face of a ma- terial policy of the Corporation. It still places things immaterial above things material,—character above dol- lars and men above buildings. How long it shall seem fit to test the endur- ance of this spirit, by an application of the opposite spirit in the material en- vironment of Yale, we do not know. When the Corporation dares to say that Yale democracy shall not only be [Continued on 135th page.] Yale Law School. For circulars and other information apply to Prof. FRANCIS WAYLAND, L242. Guaranty Trust Co. of New York. NASSAU, CORNER CEDAR STREET. CAPITAL, - = = $2,000,000 SURPLUS, = = ae $3,000,000 ACTS AS TRUSTEE FOR CORPORATIONS, FIRMS AND INDIVIDUALS, AS GUARDIAN, EXECUTOR, AND ADMINISTRATOR, TAKES ENTIRE CHARGE OF REAL AND PERSONAL ESTATES. INTEREST ALLOWED ON DEPOSITS subject to cheque or on certificate. DRAFTS ON ALL PARTS OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE AND GERMANY BOUGHT AND SOLD. COLLECTIONS MADE. TRAVELLERS’ LETTERS OF CREDIT AWVATI- ABLE IN ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD, AND COMMERCIAL LETTERS OF CREDIT ISSUED. WALTER G. OAKMAN, President. ADRIAN ISELIN, Jr., Vice-President. GEORGE R. TURNBULL, 2d Vice-President. HENRY A. MURRAY, Treas. and Sec. J. NELSON BORLAND, Asst. Treas. and Sec. JOHN GAULT, Manager Foreign Dept. DIRECTORS. Charles R. Henderson, Adrian Iselin, Jr., Augustus D. Juilliard, James N. Jarvie, Richard A. McCurdy, Alexander E. Orr, Walter G. Oakman, Henry H. Rogers. Oliver Harriman, H. McK. Twombly, R. Somers Hayes, Frederick W. Vanderbiit Harry Payne Whitney. Samuel D. Babcock, George F. Baker, . George S. Bowdoin, August Belmont, Frederic Cromwell, Walter R. Gillette, Robert Goelet, G. G. Haven, LONDON BRANCH, 33 LOMBARD STREET, E. Q. Buys and sells exchange on the principal Cities of the world, collects dividends, and coupons withon: charge, issues travellers’ and commercial letters o# credit, receives and pays interest on deposits syb- ject to cheque at sight or on notice, lends money on collaterals, deals in American and other investmen: securities, and offers its services as correspondent and financial agent to corporations, bankers merchants. anc Bankers. BANK OF ENGLAND, CLYDESDALE BANK, Limited, NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK OF ENGLAND Limited, PARR’S BANK, Limited. Solicitors. FRESHFIELDS AND WILLIAMS. _Lendon Committee. ARTHUR JOHN FRASER, CHAIRMAN. DONALD C. HALDEMAN.
