YALE ALUMNI
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YALE ALUMNI WEEKLY
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
