216 YALE ALUMNI WHEEKLY SPRINGFIELD DINNER. G. S. Merriam Speaks for More Mod- ern Language Teaching, The Yale Alumni Association of Central and Western Massachusetts held its annual meeting and banquet at the Nayasset Club, Springfield, Mass., Tuesday, Mar. 7. Before the banquet the election of officers for the coming year was held with this result: President, Philip W. Moen, ’78, of Worcester; Vice-Presidents, James Tracy Potter, ’94, of North Adams; Edward Branch Lyman, ’95, of Green- field; Edward M. Mills, ’58, of North- ampton; Charles C. Spellman, 67, Springfield; Secretary C. W. Saunders, - ’94, of Worcester; Treasurer, Dr. W. T. Souther, ’73, of Worcester. Notwithstanding the severe snow storm over fifty members and guests were present. Harvard graduates paida graceful compliment to the Yale diners by sending a great mass of red tulips with this inscription attached: “To Good Old Eli, with the compliments of his friend Johnny Harvard.” The week be- fore, Yale had sent to the Harvard Association, then holding their annual dinner in Springfield, a bunch of violets marked “To Our Friend the Enemy.” Major S. B. Spooner, ’53, presided and Prof. Andrew W. Phillips repre- sented the University. The speeches were exceptionally good and were listened to with close attention. Prof. Phillips paid a high tribute to Pres. Dwight, saying that the keynote of his administration had been the university idea. | In speaking of the elective system at Yale, George S. Merriam, ’64, said in art: ‘ “T wish to speak of what I believe to be the greatest single obstacle in the way of a living and ardent interest of the undergraduate body in their studies. That obstacle lies in the very nature of the subject matter on which they are chiefly employed. Consider it for a moment. When a boy begins his spe- cial preparation for college he is set to work on Latin. He studies Latin for four or five years before he goes to col- lege, and for two years after he gets there. Not long after he begins Latin he is set to work on Greek. Greek, too, he must study until he is half through his college course. These two languages, it is safe to say, require fully half of his working hours during the greater part of this long period. They monopolize the heart and strength of his collegiate education. Now, for what purpose, under any ra- tional system—I had almost said under any conceivable system,—does a person study a language? Surely, that he may speak it, read it, write it. Now, can our collegiate student, when he has completed his long study, either speak, or write, or read either Latin of Greek? Most certainly the average student can do nothing of the sort. * * * Do you suppose there is one in ten, that there is one in fifty, of the graduates of Yale, to whom Latin and Greek are not in very truth dead languages, in the sense.that they are utterly un- useable for the ordinary literary pur- poses of language? And yet, it was to the study of Latin and Greek that we gave the best years of our youth. “The whole business is so preposter- ous that it is not easy to discuss it calmly as if it were an open question. And truly it is not an open question. Year after year, and decade after de- cade, the doors seem locked and barred in the face of reform. A few years ago Charles Francis Adams in his Phi Beta Kappa oration at Harvard, upon “A College Fetich,’” made an audacious and brilliant assault upon Greek as an essential requisite in a collegiate edu- cation. His attack was so widely and vigorously supported that it actually won a victory—in appearance. But it was ‘only in appearance. Greek was nominally withdrawn from the requisites for admission to Harvard, but the path of substitution was made so thorny and ‘the institution. difficult that it remains practically un- traversed to this day. And meanwhile we at Yale go steadfastly on in the good old way that our fathers trod. “Against his tenacious and tremend- ous conservatism,—conservatism not of Yale alone, but of the whole body of colleges,— it sometimes seems useless to argue or protest. To simply de- nounce or declaim is a most ungracious part. Let me simply indicate what seem the rightful lines of reform. First, it seems reasonable that for the pur- poses of collegiate education one of the great living languages should count as equal to one of the great dead lan- guages; and, secondly, any language, living or dead, should be taught pri- marily and mainly for the purpose of enabling the student to at least read it with ease, if not to speak and write it. KEENE: ah “To sum up: It seems to me that the ancient languages should be dethroned from that central place which they now occupy in our collegiate education. That place is a usurpation and a tyranny. It is a relic of medievalism. Our so- called classical education, as the panoply of one who is to do a man’s part in the stirring and splendid activities of to- day, is as inappropriate as a suit of ancient armor on a modern battlefield. “Tn saying this let me not be thought to disparage the classic languages and literature as great features in the total sum of human knowledge and of liberal study. Of the tree of knowledge they are strong and beautiful branches; only, they are no longer, if they ever were, its main trunk. There should always be the amplest opportunity, incitement, assistance, to those students who choose to pursue them. Indeed, it is for the highest interests of the classical studies themselves that they should no longer be imposed by a Procrustean standard on the whole body of students, but should be reserved for those who will pursue them by choice and taste, with ability and with ardor.” , Rev. Edward M. Chapman, 784, of Worcester, in enumerating the quali- ties the next. President of Yale must have, said: “The next President should have a plan which he is not afraid to carry out. know I have opponents in this thought, but I hope the next president will be a student. He must also be a money-getter, although this has not been one of.the characteristics of Presi- dent Dwight. He must keep alive the University spirit and draw students to In regard to the tradi- tion that the president must be a minis- ter, I believe that it is on the whole a good thing, but I speak for many clergymen when I say we don’t want that tradition to bind in the choice, to the detriment of the institution.” Other speakers were: Dr. T. M. Balliet of Springfield; Charles F. Aldrich, ’79, of Worcester; Charles C. Spellman, ’67; Jonathan Barnes, ’85; Dr. W. T. Souther, 773; Rev. H. C. Meserve, 794; Charles W. Bosworth, ’93, and James F. Hooker, ’95. A glee club quartet composed of Messrs. Douglas, Porter, Sheehan and McGee, furnished excellent music. THE GUESTS. The following were the guests in attendance: Prof. A. W. Phillips, ’73S.; James Tufts, ’38; Samuel B. Spooner, ’s3; Samuel H. Lee, ’58; George S. Mer- riam, *64; Charles C. Spellman, ’67; Charles S. Walker, 67; Albert Warren, 67; Mase S. Southworth, ’68; George C. McClean, ’71S.;: Wm. B. Walker, Je; 20, .- Glaspow; 7735. Wim. T: Souther, ’73; T. N. Birnie, ’76; W. H. Dean, ’77 M.S.; Chas. F. Aldrich, ’79; F. A. Osborn, ’80S.;_ Frederick H. Stebbins, ’81; C. A. Bowles, ’83S.; Robert Ramlet, ’83 S.; Joseph A, Skin- ner, ’83S.; Edward M. Chapman, ’84; Chas. M. Kirkham, ’84S.; Jonathan Barnes, ’85; Everett A. Bates, ’86; Alfred Leeds, ’87; Jas. H. Keefe, ’89; Edmund D. Scott, ’89; Frederick H. Baker, ’91; Richard G. Eaton, ’92; A. C. Williams, ’92; H. C. Collins, ’92 S.; Chas. W. Bosworth, ’93: Wendell G. Brownson, "93; Orland R. Blair, ’93 S.; Frederick S. Chapman, ’o4; H. C. Meserve, 94; James T. Potter, ’94; C. W. Saunders, ’94; Walter Birnie, ’94S.; P. W. Carhart, ’94 S.; F. W. Kilbourne, 94 S.; Jas. F. Hooker, ’95; Fred F. Bennett, ’96; Chas. F. Spellman, ’96; Geo. P. Morrill, ’97S.; Robert Cal- lender, ’98; Jas. L. Thomson, ’98; Thomas M. Balliet, Sp. i “5 dee 49 OTS Harvard-Yale Track Officers. J. M. Magee, ’99, Manager of the Track Team, and Captain T. R. Fisher, 799 S., met Manager F. R. Nourse and Captain J. T. Roche, representing the Harvard’s Athletic Association in Springfield, Saturday, March 11th, to make arrangements for the dual meet. Officers of the Harvard-Yale Track Association were elected for the com- ing year as follows: President, G. B. Morrison of Harvard; Secretary and Treasurer, J. M. Magee, of Yale. May 13th was chosen as the date for the dual meet at New Haven, and H. S. Brooke, ’86, and G. B. Morrison, of Harvard were appointed to select offi- cials for the games, subject to the ap- proval of the captains and managers. It was decided not to have a two mile run this year, but to make it one of the regular events hereafter. ><> LBS 6? Complete Baseball Schedule. The baseball schedule for the season of 1899 shows that Yale will meet Princeton at New Haven, June 3 and at Princeton, June 10. Should a tie result, the game will be played in New York, June 17. Harvard meets Yale in Cam- bridge, June 22, and in New Haven, June 27. Should a tie result it will be played off in New York, July 1. The schedule follows: THE EASTER TRIP. Wednesday, March 297—Manhattan at New York. Thursday, March 30>2—Georgetown at Georgetown. Friday, March 31:—Hampton at Hampton. Saturday, April 1—Virginia at Richmond. Monday, April 3—Virginia at Charlottesville. Tuesday, April 4—Georgetown at Georgetown. THE REGULAR SEASON, Saturday, Apr. 8—New York League at New York. Wednesday, April 12—Wesleyan at New Haven. Saturday, Ap1il 15—Lehigh at New Haven. Wednesday, April 19— Williams at New Haven. Saturday, April 22—Amherst at Amherst. Wednesday, April 26—Holy Cross at New Haven. Saturday, April 2g7—Brown at New Haven. Wednesday, May 3—Lafavette at New Haven. Saturday, May 6—Dartmouth at New Haven. Wednesday, May 1o—Columbia at New Haven. Saturday, May 13—Brown at Providence. Wednesday, May 17— Wesleyan at Middletown. Saturday, May 20—Orange A.C. at E. Orange, N. J. Monday, May 22—Georgetown at New Haven. Friday, ee 26—Newton A. C, at Newton, Mass. Saturday, May 27—Andover at Andover. Tuesday, May 30—New York A.C. at New Haven. Saturday, June 3—Princeton at New Haven. Wednesday, June 7—Ambherst at New Haven. Saturday, June ro—Princeton at Princeton. Saturday, June 17—Princeton at New York (in case of tie), or Orange A. C. at East Orange, N. J. Thursday, June 22—Harvard at Cambridge. Tuesday, June 27—Harvard at New Haven. sane a July 1—Harvard at New York (in case of tie). in, di» ie AP gD The Freshman Crew Squad. The practice of the Freshman crew squad has been kept up steadily in the tank, with only the recent change to the use of sliding seats; but it is expected that the men will be taken to the har- bor early this week and be given train- ing in eights, with as much pair oar work as possible. Although the squad has been reduced to thirty men, even this number is much in excess of the number in training at the same time last year, and another reduction is contem- plated. The men in general are not so large and strong as last year, but they seem tg have taken hold of the stroke fairly well, and work well together. R. M. Patterson, 1900, who has been coaching the crew has laid especial stress upon the body work. The men have experienced less difficulty than usual with the sliding seats. The general order of the first two crews has been: First boat—Stroke, Phipps; 7, Low; 6, Hooker; 5, Swan; 4, Kunzig; 3, Blagden; 2, Lincoln; bow, Laws. Second boat—Stroke, War- moth; 7, Wright; 6, Judd; 5, Hunter; 4, Ackley; 3, Holt; 2, Abbott; bow, Troxell. Shirts IN COLORS. The sooner one chooses his colored shirts for the season, the better pleased he will be. We have just received seven hundred and fifty different designs in Madras, Cheviot, Oxford and the com- bination Silk-and-Linen. We will have the pure silk ones in a few days. Many graduates send to us from all over the country. We can send you samples and make you shirts wherever you are. SSHASE « 8420; New Haven House Block. FRANK A. CORBIN, TAILOR TO THE SLUDENTS OF YALE ‘AND TO THE GRADUATES in all parts of the country Address: 1000 Chapel Street, New Haven, Conn. The Gymnastic Exhibition. The gymnasium teams of Yale, Princeton, and Columbia held an exhi- bition in Columbia’s new gymnasium on March 10. While dual meets have been held before, the intercollegiate meet is a new departure, but judging by the success of this first one, it is an innovation which is likely to be re- peated. The program consisted of exercises on the single and double horizontal bars, double and flying trapeze, rings, side horse, and parallel bars, club swinging, pyramids, tumb- ling, and pole vaulting. The Yale team consisted of R. G. Clapp, ’99 S., captain; W. K. Shépard, P.G.; W. L. Otis, 1900; M. J. Whitely, 1901S.; A. H erry, 005.9" "R. “i> Sligson shor: ty. > Fe Whipple, 1900; L. H. Schutte, ’09; and S. Peterson, P. G T= a a. ae 4 Seventeenth Century Banquet. Professor W. L. Phelps’ class in Seventeenth Century Literature held a rather unique banquet at the Tontine Hotel, Monday evening, March 13th. ‘The class consists of twenty-seven mem- bers, twenty-one of whom are advanced undergraduate and the other _ six -graduate students. All quotations on the menu cards were from authors studied in the course. Professor Phelps acted as toastmaster and the following men responded to toasts: G. D. Graves, ’99; B. B. Moore, ’99; L. D. Armstrong, ’99; and A. K. Foster of the Graduate Department, H. C. Robbins ’99, read an original poem. :