New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-03-03
For The y J. 1nhuns
Wore nhonf CoIleEe GoYernmtnf.

For The n !. Thsuns
More about College Government.
Mr.. EDITOR: have read the remarks o. yogl
correspondent b. on College Government and viii
your permission, viii offer few IN return, though they
not in.snded a studied reply There Il no doub
that " Colleges are 10 some extent fountains 81
wckodnes. as well as Of learning" becsuse students
human beings, and human nature is frsil and al
our systems and inventions are imperfect and viii
continue Notwithstanding "the advance Of Intellect
and Art until men themselves become perfect The
grand difficulty with the Colleges in this country loi
truly B. asserts in College Government, tho
discipline Of the Students yet the cause is not the
employ ment OF force but the iaIfy Of discipline In
this cnuutry and especially in large city the difficulty
lies primarily ia parental education young men having
received at their homes erroneous notions 81 life
having learned indulge their passions d prefer Idle
10 industry vicious dissipation to virtue. and the
qualification Of sGtr in every conceivable manner 20
order and the better career Of so5r.ey snt subOrdi.
nation
Soomon's welLknown maxim is verified every re.
curing year notwithstanding the advance Of Intellect
and Arr aud the converse IL equally proved BY facts
train up child aud he will sssurcdy depart by
way that he should not When such young men, who
have never been trained up At home, become voters
they are it s true hard To manage and they puzzle,
and will puzzle, many wiser head than BIS or Col
lege Professors They are Of the sort who bert
upon educating the mseyes snd the Colleges had better
make short work OF H. by allowing them full freedom
In doing co. and retaining them enligaen with
their pranks the dull fellows who 30 green %
study or the "od ioges who teach them.
The writer believes there Is middle ground upon
this subject wherein stand foremost mildHess aud
kindness behind which are 20 be found irmness and
"unbendng severity" toward those who are equally
unbeDding in their pursuit Of mischief And there are
such there those whom not the long continued
for bearance the kndest oxhoraiiOn and most friendly
advice Of their Professos check 10 career Of in
fanny, and against such Colleges must protect their
good students Society protects Itself against thieves
by shutting them I'D away from all intercourse with H.
The great fault that perysdes Be- Thoughts how
ever IL that his objections TO the prevailing meth eds Of
College government are so very oog~e In th r charae
ter He does present facts for consideration
and draw from them ncontrovcItibie deductions. The
most sovereign aembic for dissoving the hard sub
stance Of upon this subject he will Ind 10 be
little practical experience In teaching young men
Therein all hne theories soon evsPors,e. What he
in his comparison Of the Colleges OF our eye and
country to those Of hundred aud thy years sgo, Il
not very apparent Our Colleges have no tagging, 10
logging very little Of rewards and pnDishments aod
no means o, governing young men except BY moral
suasfon" appoaas thcis uu1n any OF men,
by ong series OF repeated acts OF disorder may have
given evidence OF such peryerslty that more injury
would result from retaining than from dsnssing them
Oar College syssem is vastly more simple than I'm
AGNES. College 10 organized-thst IL, epdowed-so
that IL will furnish education al fogt Of rs actual
cost a President 10 appointed, and IS the different
branches of learning be most successfully cultiva
ed by Just division Of labor various Professors are Sc
lected and then-What do they do Why they take
The vouny men each into his lecturs-r ROOM aud simply
attempt teach them and influence them for good Just
as any human being would influence others OF 81. spe
cies and If the waters rebel the learned Professor
Is in hot water-he 10 badgerct almost TO death and II
he have pluck enough to survive IT, he yet 70 receive
fire in the rear of all this from indignant and ndui
gent fathers and mothers
The real difficulties in most OF our colleges are-hrst
tina, the students are for four years herdod together in
the College buildings, remote from the Influences OF
home second, an Efficient police OF College or otner
officers is sustained in these Institutions third and
chieest College officers are AFRAID 10 40 Aer dny-to
do steadily and al ways and abide the consequence
In conclusion let request your corresponaen NJ 10
procure a small work by Francis Wsylsnd ID OF
Brown University In which this subject IL ably discuss
ed and he will doubtless find there more truth upon IL
than will be elected by the efforts of either b. or C.
Another correspondent sends US long extract from
an Address on Collegiate Education by Prof Haddock
of Dartmouth College The following paragraph con
tains the substance of bis arguments In favor Of the
morals of College life
College society 10 not fsultless College morals
not pure Is any other society auluessf Are morals
perfect snywhefei We have, unfortunately, rowdies
smokers Of tobacco and drinkers OF wine. Are there
none elsewheref The social fesst sometimes grow.
noisy and the stiffness Of night Ia Interrupted by the
,ope and the shout of the reveler Does this never
happen out Of classic hslsi Mschies are done. dep
relations committed upon public property and distur
Dances OF the public peace. DO tuca misoelneauoIs
disgrace no other places speak upon reflection and
am clearly OF opinion that the department OF young
men in College Is harmless as quiet IS becoming, as
viruous as that OF the same number OF persons CT The
same age In any pursuit or place or cireumstances
Their recreations are AZ innocent; their mirih ss
chsste; their fun a. harmless their whole lie "a gut
less 40 srable az honorable. You hear - oudlaosh
ter songs 40 cen,ious shouts as senseess snt as bois
ferrous from the fathers we DO from the sons Nor
would IL BE- quite just academic life 10 leave The com
psrison here The advantages are decidedly, 10 my
Judgment in favor OF the College Ia point OF intelec
uai and moral discipline. every other sphere OF
occupation for the period of life Here 4 should
be remarked that the unfavorabe changes Of chsrac
ter developed In College, not all 70 be sscroed 10
the induerces there exered. They have, In majority
of cascs-I think il much 10 say. majority OF
cases-An earlier origin. Again IL should be rctnorn
be red that the period OF lie usually fpent IN College
the very period in which the most remarkable changes
of character are exhibited 10 just when the natural
ears ard peculiar restraints Of youth are beginning to
be thrown OF and before reflection and experience have
supplied their place with msny principles From 10 10
20is critical period In oar hiatory-the period IN
which the question oitenest settled whether the man
/. ever to lsy aside his childish things"
AMERICAN OFFICERS IN THE GERMAN NAVY
The URox has the following remarks on the runor set
on foot by paper of this City that the German Navy
WAS 10 have several American offcsrs;
Commodore Foxsn Parker returned from Germany,
nv WAY of Liverpool, In The Europa, ana arrived IN
mi. CITY on Sunday. He leaves !; tas evening Tor
Boston He has been appointed g. The command q The
home scuairou-of seven i-at vessels-tO relieve
Commodore Wilkinson, who Is compelled BY temporary
irdsposon 10 rcDq lsh Il be expects % De - Nor
folk by The 10Th March. 10 raise his leg N me hariAn
l,is not probable that he viii resign his eouulsion IN
- ..s..an rsvv M rpturn Il Germany, although be