New-York tribune., 1876-12-25
npAnE oE PRINCETON COLLEGE.


A REPLY 10 COLDER ALUMSI"-THE FACULTY AN
EXCELLENT ONE-THE STANDARD OF ADMISSION
AS HIGH AS All HARvARD-GIFTs TO THE COL
LEGE.
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: find in this mornings issue or your
excellent paper that tho trustees OF Princeton Coee are
roughly handled by one calling hmeelf Zone OF INC
older Alumni" He processes to wnte in some represeh
tatiye capacy but have serious doubts as TO his rlsht
TO assume that position The great body OF princeton
AIuul are too well trained 20 write faeetotsy on so
grave subject as the higher education of our country
too cousiderate the feelings OF their friends 10 dau
"explanation" "defense," viDdcaton &C. OF eoarEeS
without any foundation, and too much attached 10 'e
foscrmother to hold her to shame for what she IS nO
guilty.
can confidently say that board of trustees can be
mora courteous TO undergraduates and alumni or more
ready TO listen to any suggestions that may DC mac o
the benefit of the college than that OF Princeton iy
are gentlemen, onchGn OF them graduates W 'o
college, and anxious TO put that Venerape IIs'iu0 "
the front rank OF American ird other COLLEGES "'
the vioWs of writer that cOndescenGs TO Apply epc's
like friends of the latter-day policy and such face
tiousness as "EOr wealthy maiden whola nc has iio'
visited TO remind that Princeton only heeuS OnoS
to be made worthy Of the Sons she "ouiu nav 81"
there had she only married and had some VIII ba'e
very little weight with them. The charges ID the
test from Old Alumni" as groundless as tne
atteupted Wit is out Of place There is not the shghes
foundation for any of them 1t is OF the SAD features
Of our times that men viii publish i'll the dly Joullas
charges against individuals and bodies OF men Witou
finding out whether they can be subslantated or NOT
olIeye that the writer OF the Protest cannot suo
staptiate single charge brought AGAINST the trustees
of princeton College / am "a volunteer ard not an
officer Of tie college whose zeal is quiceBcd by sense
NJ duty but In position however that enables mo TO
know whereof speak
The frat specifcaton under the charge Is that the
trustees have given their time 10 selecting the Nicts
and then the President has been pointed to the pursuit
such language applied to % prominent men IN the dHei
ent professions by alumnus does not reflect mucn
credit on tic past training Of the college But TO answer
the charge The Committee the Curriculum mas ooc-
pied far more of the time Of the board ana spent more
DAYS in Princeton than the Committee on Finance dn'
the last six years The great bulk OF the money received
by the college since the Inauguration OF Dr. hcCOsh
came from one man. and he not graduate OF the college
He said in my hearing that he gave 1t at the suggestion
and request OF his own brother" member Of the Board
NJ Trustees The other liberal donors were induced 10
remember Princeton by their friends IN the board ana
| not by Dr. McCosh. As member OF the Committee on
the Curriculum, know that the President OF inc coege
has not omitted lecture neglected recitation iof
the sake Of raising money 10 eudow the institution; ana
vet we are told by calling himself Representative
f the larger pafi the alumni TINT he has spent W that
way onc-fOurth Of his time. Nay lnOTe-Dr McC0sh
hos mover asked any one directly for money He has LEFT
that duty the trustees ana alumni Inc Ltct OF ms
/
| has no doubt had much to do with the flowing III OF
| money. -,s..,, &, ,,,,, ao.t - time ~ tbe
! President has been gwen tO the sth hunt 10 get
students after the manner OF thrifty proprietor OF
nrIotc school" It has been thrown up IN other quar-
ters that Princeton has not, like Yale ana Harvard a-
pointed examining committees at points %,
patrons that other colleges have Inc ffrLhl Oi tne
college has been able 10 attend mauy OF the schools
recognized as feeders OF the iusttuton az he urgent
request Of the principals, much less run dlot hiucrs h
mothers who had sons at school. The charge Is smpy
| On n IN
Alumni" are not calculated Ia increase the zeal OF e
| dent IN building up an institution.
The third specification Is tie low standard OF adms
sion poor scholarship, ana lack OF instruction. II may
standard o! almsiO almost exactly the rs that
OF SALE aud Harvard. The difference amounts to moth
ing The chief reason why there is any dhtreHcc S ihe
lack of high schools all over the region from which
Princeton draws tie students The Examining commit
t0ns for the last three that more than 40
were too heavily conditioned or pI9hGulced uhIt
to enter one year aud more INN - llo t4I N,ion
srances have been received by the trustees rom toc
tho best teachers and most highly educated PaIeAtS
against the length ana rsldhess OF nc Ca'iDINatio
| papers. / namo three Iauo VINO iIi!cu 10 ch'ot
Princeton two yoas ago that entered Yale the same year.
IAe same thing might occur the phCI MaS Sh,"A
that The require mens IN tho two colleges amer but IA e
IDENTITY say 10 the Older Alumni" that II s ineompara1y
higher than when thcy were nemDrTs OF college Inc
| mdrs T2gid and complete. McCosh, Guyot Atwa-
! Ter, Alexander Scheick, Packard, BracEett, Muir
Miclean Henry, McCu!lOh, Forsyth. Iouey, ana Hope
ana are equal 10 the number III any oi our IN
their chairs u some OF best institutions before they
came to Princeton. The two chairs OF classics WI nc
filed In few months with men who stand in the irOh
| rank as scholars and iusructOfs.
Icar that the anims OF this unwarTaned protest IS 10
be found In the secret society question Under that head
too the writer j. all wrong as TO the proportion OF c
aIumpi OF Princeton In favor OF them. lie alleges tGat
The majority them OF that VeW The trustees hal
occasion to know something about thB curing thc us
that small portion OF them arc OF that opinion Ihat,
however open question that needs something more
than prejudice and buster 10 settle 90 the satisfaction OF
all th5riends aud patrons Of Princeton 0nd the New
| England colleges. Old Nassau Hail Is In flir way OF
becoming II indeed not already equal TO any instituiOn
OF learning this land. II Der OF tOse WHO know
but ttlo OF her doubt it, let them 60 there inquire and
| find out for themselves. H.
EIizlbelt, n. d., Dec. 10, 1876.