Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-24
HazIng nj Vale,

The practice Of hazing at Yale has received a
check, from which it is not likely TO recover for
year OF two at least. The landlady of board
ing house a few days ago focnd some sophie
mores tormcnting freshman, one of her board
ers, and at once sent for the police, who arrest
ed the offenders. The case OF the young men
received from the police court just such consid-
Grafton as would have been giyCn TO any other
charge Of similar conduct, in no way mitigated
by the fact that the defendants were students,
and not clerks, mechanics or laborers. Per
haps the influence of the timC-honored practice
Of hazue on the education of the actors or
sufferers in it was not adequately brought to his
honor's notice. The New York World thinks
hazing essential to keep the freshmen from be
coming "not only the most supercilious and
offensive, but the most lawless and unman.
agelble subjects of the scholastic dominion" and
that the sophomores deserve praise and thanks
for their energetic system of training in to
college life these dangerous freshmen, whom the
faculty cannot control and the older classes are
too busy aui too dienifed to take in hand. This
seems TO be said IN all seriousness, and it curl.
ously illustrates the capacity of that journal to
iect, even of those which to ordinary observers
seem 10 have but one. 1t did not occur to the
New Haven magistrate, however, to regard these
young men as public benelactors or as occupied
in enforcing the legitimate discipline of the uni
versty; but he imposed the usual fines and
costs tor disturbance of The peace or assault and
battery or whatever the formal charge may have
been.
This, though not pleasant, was comparative
ly an unimportant matter; the probable action
of the faculty was viewed with more apprehen-
sion. l t was assumed that the Young gentle
men concerned in the raid would be dismissed
from college, yet, as the college paper puts it,
'the athletic interests of Yale imperatvcly dc
handed their stay" which means, we suppose,
that some Of these irregular discipinarians
were mighty at the bat or the oar So the col
lege boys came together, and after some ex.
hbitions Of class jealousy, it was agreed that
the sophomore and freshman classes should
join in petitions to the faculty, asking that
no action should be taken against the offenders,
and pledged themselves to refrain from haziug
in the future. The language of the pledge was
''We solemnlv promise that during our course.
we VIII ABSTAIN from street rushes, hat-steaing
maltreatment of the person or property of the
members Of the college and from hazng in any
form, and that we will use our Influence to dis
courage the same"
Although the final action of the faculty has
not yet been announced, it is supposed they will
undoubtedly overlook the present offence in
view Of the suppression of hazing in the future.
The class which enters next year will have no
personal experience of this practice, and prob
ably viii not revive it in their sophomore year,
after 1t has lain in allegiance so long. II is
an suspicious circumstance that the beginning
OF President Porter's Official servceis signalized
by the abolition Of what the Yale Courant very
properly calls "barbarous and execrable Gus
tom"