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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1899)
YALE ALUMNI WHEKLY > YALE ALUMNI WEEKLY SUBSCRIPTION, - $3.00 PER YEAR. Foreign Postage, 40 cents per year. PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Single copies, ten cents each. For rates for papers in quantity, address the office. All orders for papers should be paid for in advance. Checks, drafts and orders should be made payable to the Yale Alumni Weekly. All correspondence should be addressed,— Yale 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,’65S8. J. A. HarTweELt, ’89 8. C. P. LINDsSLEY, 75S. L.S. WELCH, 89. W. Camp, ’80. E. VAN InGeEn, ’915. W.G. DaaazTT, ’80. P. Jar, °92. EDITOR. Lewis §. WELOH, ’89. ASSOCIATE EDITOR. WALTER Camp, ’80. ASSISTANT EDITOR. E. J. THOMPSON, Sp. Entered as second class matter at New Haven P. O. New Haven, Conn., OCTOBER 4, 1899. INAUGURATION INVITATION TO GRADUATES. The officers. of the University in charge of the Inauguration of President Hadley, which occurs Wednesday, Octo- ber 18th, particularly desire that all alumni understand that, by virtue of their graduation, they are the guests of the University at the Inauguration pro- ceedings. Invitations have been issued to a special list of officers of other uni- versities and to some others whose pres- ence is desired on account of some spe- cial circumstance, but it is expected that all alumni, who can attend, will be on hand, and the more there are, the better it will be. They will, as usual enter the Chapel in the order of graduation and have seats on the floor. They are also invited to the President’s reception in the Art School from five to seven in the afternoon. The collation will be served at six o'clock and the arrange- ments therefor are on a practical basis, as well as satisfactory in other respects. As already announced, the procession | to the Chapel will form at Dwight Hall, where guests are invited at two o'clock. The exercises begin at Battell Chapel at three o'clock. th Li —— THE GREAT GIFTS TO HARVARD. “We shall receive,” said President Eliot, at the Harvard Alumni Dinner at the last Commencement, “in cash gifts this year, not counting some of the prospects which I have mentioned, more than $1,250,000. And similar was the addition made last year to the endow- ment of the University. The Corpora- tion will only say to you and to the com- munity ‘Keep right on, keep right on,’ for you may be assured that every dol- lar of these great gifts can be made im- portant use of for the University and for the furtherance of the highest interests of the American community.” Anyone should be glad to hear such a report from Harvard and there should be no envy in the feelings of one who is truly interested in the cause of Amer- ican education. It is, at the same time, quite appropriate to remind the sons and friends of Yale that these gifts have come to Harvard, not under the infly- ence of any special event or special cam- paign, but in the usual course of events. Yet the Yale Bi-centennial Fund last Commencement, after several months of very hard campaign all over the country, reached less than half a million dol- Jars. Yale and her friends do not yet fully realize what will be required for ‘the work which is ahead. It is not a question of competition with any other institution. It is a question of meeting a peculiar opportunity that lies before a peculiar American institution. Presi- dent Eliot was right in saying that every | dollar of the great gifts that come to Har- vard could be made immediate use of for the University and for the furtherance of the highest interests of the American community. Do not we of Yale believe at least as much as that concerning our University? a v y= \ TY A YALE BENEFACTOR. In fullness of time the University will, in some formal and fitting way, make record, with sincere expression of keen regret, of the death of Cornelius Van- derbilt, who so generously gave to Yale. It is proper now to point to the per- fection and the academic dignity of the gift, by which he made memorial here of a well loved son. He was glad to build for this memorial where a building was desired by the Administration. He made no money offer, but placed the - work in the hands of the best of archi- tects and builders and bade them make their work perfect. cost of the Hall. The giver did not care to have any one measure in coin his gift to the memory of his son and to Yale. But when it was complete, there was not upon the campus of any col- lege, the world over, a building more perfect of its kind, more academic, more dignifying. And in humbler ways and after the same full measure of gen- ,erosity, this friend gave to Yale and aided her. Cornelius Vanderbilt’s rec- ord here seems very characteristic of the man, of which the world has learned so many good things since his passing from it a few weeks ago. a THE CHANGE AT COMMONS. » the change in the system of service at the Yale University Dining Hall was announced last week and the reasons given for it and. the arguments against it were set down at considerable length. The matter is important enough for full- est consideration. A step which reduces the opportunities for self-support at Yale is one that ought to be challenged and refused endorsement unless it can give a very satisfactory account of itself. It will; we think, go without saying, | that the College authorities have not taken this step without considering: all the questions involved, with a great deal of care. It cannot be denied that they have put off the change as long as they thought possible and have tried every resource which they saw before them to preserve the old system. It9s 16t known just who the officers are who finally decide these matters. Mr. Tilson, the steward, does not have authority in such questions, but is only supposed to report facts. Mr. Farnam, the Treas- urer_of the University, is, of course, much interested, as the expenses of the Dining Hall are paid by, and its receipts turned over to, the Treasury Depart- ment. A committee, however, of the Faculty, acts with the Treasurer in such important matters as this, and it is on their vote that the change has been made. Mr. Tilson, the steward of the Commons, who carried himself through College by different methods of self-sup- port, has tried hard to carry out the sys- tem which he found in operation when he took Commons four years ago. That much we know, and we are also sure that neither the Treasurer nor those who, act with him have been anything but sorry to take the new step. The question of the possibility of re- taining the student waiters is a question “of method of management, not alone of the steward, but of the organized sys- tem under which Commons is conducted. If any criticism can fairly be brought _ No one knows the to bear on the method, it seems to us | that it rests with that organization. In the first place, we do not believe that the interests of the students have been well represented by those who have been supposed to act for them on the com- mittees. It must have been a fact known to them that service was unsatisfactory and that the possibility of the change to professional waiters was continually before the authorities as an unwelcome necessity. That the steward was at- tempting to secure the cooperation of the waiters in retaining the old system, and that he did not seem to be successful in his efforts, must have been also known to them. As representing the student interest they represented the interests of those who waited, or, in other words, of the self-supporting class at Yale, and they ought to have taken it upon them- selves to cooperate with the authorities in such methods as would have given the present system its best and final test. We confess that we doubt that it has been given all the test which it needs. Methods of discipline have been un- popular. - The discharge of student waiters has resulted in unpleasant dis- cussions and a good deal of hard talk about the management of Commons, and the trend of management has been away from measures of this kind. We do not wonder that the steward himself did not desire to place the thing on a basis of military discipline without the very warm cooperation of all involved. If he had done this, he would not only have ex- posed himself to a storm of criticism, but probably would have so failed of sup- port, that the effect on the system at the end would have been to make it worse. Of course, above the student commit- tee, as well as above the Steward, are the University authorities. We say, as we have said before, that we believe they have made the hardest and most sincere efforts to preserve the opportunity of self-support to students in waiting, and, at the same time, to make sure of the efficiency of the whole. But it still seems to us that, as in so many other things in Yale, there has been an un- willingness to try the heroic in order to save something that is worth saving. The committee of students and of Fac- ulty, who would have dared to set up an arbitrary iron-clad system of hours and rules of service, and, with the cooperation of competent supervisors, carried it out with all the stringency of football training or military life, would have had a very upleasant task, but would have been doing a very good work for Yale. We believe that the condi- tion of things of the past year or more ought not to have continued, but we confess that we are not satisfied that it was impossible to retain the student waiters. : + a HS Yave Law Scuoot For circulars and other information apply to Prof. FRANCIS WAYLAND, Dean. In doing business with advertisers, please mention the WEEKLY. THE WHITE CANOE AN INDIAN LEGEND OF NIAGARA By WILLIAM TRUMBULL. Holiday Edition, magnificently illustrated, By F. V. DUMOND. Price, $2.50. G: P, PUTNAM’S SONS, 27 West 23D STREET, New York. An Essay on Blanket Tossing. [From the editorial columns of Silyer & Gold, of Colorado University.] The past week has found the Univer- sity wrought up over the blanket toss- ing events of last Saturday night. The President has been intentionally or ac- cidentally misinformed and seen fit to act in the matter. A prospective stu- dent has left the University. The ques- tion in this instance has been divided under two heads. First, the broader subject of hazing, as exemplified by blanket-tossing, and naturally growing out of this the question of entering pfri- vate houses, in the search for Fresh- men, against the will of the inmates. The latter part is easily disposed of. In no case have upper classmen entered a private house contrary to the express wish of its inhabitants. As for blanket tossing, it is the mild- est possible form of hazing, if it be rightly so called. Hazing to many people is inseparably linked with cruelty. It walks hand in hand with the bully and the coward. Exulting in a superiority of numbers, it tramples down personal feeling and destroys self respect. There was no trace of this spirit to be found Saturday night. Blanket tossing in itself would hardly hurt a confirmed invalid. But even while recognizing this fact, the greatest care was taken that no one physically weak should be disturbed. At the first sign of this custom developing into rowdyism is should be stamped out; if it should ever begin to bring out the baser nature of those taking part, then it is that it should fall under the ban of the University. Then again it is argued that it is a poor way to receive a new comrade, who, in seeking a higher education, chances to cast his lot with us. Ob- stacles, trials and sorrow, together with happiness, make the more perfect man. When knighthood was in its flower the young novice guarded carefully. through the long time between the setting and rising sun, the armor which he was to don as the sign of his knighthood. The student passes a hard examination before he receives his credits. The citi- zen is declared physically capable be- fore he is admitted as a soldier. And the. Freshman who passes manfully through the ordeal of the blanket feels that he is a part of the University and grasps the hand of an upper classman with a fellow feeling which says “‘I too have been there.” wt o> University Council. The plan of carrying on a good deal of the Government of the University by plan of Council, which was announced in the Commencement issue of the WEEKLY, has not been since any more definitely elaborated. . It may be said, however, that the Council will consist of the Deans and other representatives of the several Faculties concerned. Professor Samuel Howell of Mel- bourne University, Australia, Secretary of Students Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, was a visitor in New Haven during August, and went through the more important buildings here. In doing business with advertisers, please mention the WEEKLY. Memorabilia from College Days. Every college man needs a scrap- book to preserve the many souvenirs of his college days. Why not have one bound in Yale blue, with your class numerals on the cover. Attractive, Durable, Convenient for Reference. Send Geo. B. Lovell, 1901, our New Haven representative, a postal, and he will call and show you the book. Ralph S. Mighill, : Publisher, (O Fifth Avenue, - New York City. Successor to Geo. Taylor Pearsons.
