New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-02-10
Thoughts on College Government.

! All human systeIns ana 'AfeLLDl8 are imfcr-
feet. And those which Of enc time seem nearly
perfect, require continual improvement m modii-
cation 70 adopt them 70 the advance OF lnte. ect
and Art. This rule applies 70 all systems Of po-
litical or moral government, precisely as msch as
% scientific theory or mechanical continuance
1t is thon hardly supposable that - stems Of Ed
ucational Government are now perfect There IS
20 reason why our predecessors exceled Us In that
respect, more than 10 any other. Aud If durable
defects be shown exist Ia present systems Of
College Government 1t IS not absurd nor QGizouc 10
| wish and attempt their removal
Systems Of College G0rerHmeHt apart from the Edu.
| cationsl Course, have rarely or been animal.
verted upon This i partly because the true science Of
Government has only lately begun 70 be Understood
II begins only 10 appear that Governments must
depend for their power upon Opinion, not Force More
over public opinion long IN favor Of our old Col
leges, has COMPOUNDED their discipline with their
| instruction and has long approved them both TO-
zether and for this precise reason the finding fault
| with them IL difficult task
| But can defects and removable ones. be made to sp
| pear Let see
Colleges are VIGOROUSLY fountains Of wickedness as
| well of learning This every man knows. But no
one who has not resided there sod mingled with the
students, have adequate idea OF the amount Of
| vice therein existing and multitudes Of young men
leave College ruined, both for this world aud the next
as the mouTnings Of many mothers will bear witness
| This cannot be owing 10 defects In the Educational
4 Course L-to ana creek DO not make men wicked. IL
must be- then, because the dregs Of the country
there gathered tosether-Or because young in
general have uncomfortable tendency q wckedDess
or because there are detects In the d scipine The
first and second Of these Will probably
defend And only the third is left So that according
10 the argument there Is something wrong shout the
| Government OF Colleges.
Let us look Al these institutions.
NneteDths of the men who are eminent or bhuen.
| tsl ia country are graduates OF one another
College They are the nurseries ofesrnns and intel
.f 1a.
refned elegance hangs around their walls. We look
to them for lawyers ministers rulers. for 10 al
all stations which demand mental discipline well
mental power. high attachments as well as natural CO
pscty do look in vain. Their influence
through their alumni thus Overspreads all the country
Their administrations fortified by the public opiD
ION and the public prejudice Of many genershons-
They stand defended by great crowd OF associations
and memories which, ike the magic iOg around
chsnted castle, hide al within from the view OF the
Sehoder.
Itis taken for granted that the Faculty Of College
just about rsht; that. certainly who know so
much, who have studied Lsrn and Greek and Msthr
acs I'll their lives. must be nearly perfect IS poor
human nature Will aio~-that only presumDtuous aod
| impudebt ignorance would Suggest that
suy faults EXIT In their application OF their
doubleday immense infuence--an influence which they
| exert tue flower Of the youth OF our country
during four of the most important years Of their lives.
Talk any steady old gentlemen of the faults Of
Faculty" Pooh No such toing The young men
m1s be severely governed The Faculty OF - Col.
ege know much better than you !, what 10 right
&c. &c. But IL be msttr OF that mem.
oeTs OF Faculty are the beet judges OF proper gov
eminent.
Let US glance at the origin and character OF College
administrations.
All, or nearly ALL Of the influential Colleges of this
country administered upon similar principles.
Graduates or ofacers of the older institutions
called or seat TO found ones. Imbued with the
principles OF Alma Mater, they inspired them into the
College aud the spirit OF Is Tie spirit Of al.
But the old Colleges were founded hundred hun
bred and hity years since. Public ard domestic feeling
then very different from what they now. The
u Puritan element had yet lost Its prepOuderancs
In the characters of their defendants Parents ruled
in their families with solemn strctness which would
not be endufsb!e now. Moral suAson was unknown
Children were not allowed to De covered % BE-
seated, In presence of their parents. And stl aud
unreasoning subordnaton to public AMI private rulers
marked the spirit of the time. In the midst Of such
feelings ard such preiudices the older Colleges
planted. parental authority the youth entrusted
10 their charge delegated by the parents 10 the
instructors and their exercise of H. however harsh.
would hardly surpsss The severe discipline OF home
| But neither old men young VIII endure 60
| much government now as then snd II Is upon Opn.
ion rather thsn Force that governments must
pend for authority and stability But 60 far AS can be
| discovered he Faculties govern now exactly as they
did then. The old severe maXims Of discipline fol-
lowed out 10 a their stcl sratness. The Faculty 10
| not see Why young men should no. be punished az
severely then They claim exercise parental
authority sn1 fail TO temper with mere than very
| small share Of parental kiniu Any graduate Of
College mus; have been convinced OF this And II Is 5y
| no means strange that young men, 81 the time when
pride aud Independent feelings 80 the highest when
they bear with difficulty the kind government of
parents, should rebel when thew this authority
transferred 10 other hands when !, Is used thorough
| ly snd when the parental kiadasss IL gone
To all this the old gentleman supposed above would
| probably reply" Humph II tue young men would
only conduct themselves properly there would be 10
dhcuity II - their fault, entirely TIE Faculty would
| cot punish them, unless they did wrong. They put
| themselves IN the way oil punishment
| An very true. II little boys never did wrong. they
| would not be whipped But students not httc
ooys-N least the great majority Of them and though
II may perhaps be necessary and practicable 10 coDsSn
infant into obedience without its knowing why Il =
! very difficult force the conduct of young
many OF them voters 81 capsule OF reasoning There
| are two ways OF applying punishment night aud
wrong II does not follow that the method which
right hundred and hity years ago, is rghi nov Be
| side, the argument did not apply 10 those who do
| right Government Is for offenders The majority OF
men do wrorg-t 10 only reasonable 10 conclude that
the same Is uue OF tue majority Of students and 10
their control and direction the government should Be
| adopted
Afsrther portion Of this unSendns severity OF gov.
eminent arises from the in which the iniuen
tal College officers chosen. and their usual charsc
ter. The Professors sud President OF College the
men who WELD It's authority not chosen Tor their
knowledge OF human nsture-their hsness 70 govern.
The most accurate schoar-the most learned man, Is
selected. Bat how is person who has passed his hie
among books lifted thereby for the active control and
direction OF perhaps several hundred young men 81
every conceivable variety Of character and disposition
1 The world appears 70 him translated into Greek
Lstin-or transmitted into 8 great mathematical Tor.
muls He Is lifted from his den OF huge books into
Professors or Presidents chair having been absorbed
| 10 study. perhaps from his boyhood-Or hsply being
one OF those good young men WAC never do anything
sroDs he hss 10 possible sympathy with, nor compre-
oensi0n Of. the imPulsiye and hescssrong natures
which he 10 expected 10 govern. He makes no slOS-
for the rossisn love of mischief the tooash,ess
| jo!;ty which be neither enjoy understand i
all appears TO aim malicious wicsedness lie pun.shss
away stoutly. righs and left Snd wonders hist the
| young men grow no better. And be consoles himself
II indeed among hs studies be be disturbed about IL ~
al. by the calm reelection that be has done his duty
| tie has Thar Is. he bss done well be knew ho~
No more could be expected. But ought not such
government o. be entrusted 70 those WAC know hOs h
govern
Ats future time. other points viii Be tresed Of B