Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-11-19
College Troubles.

College Troubles.
The disturbances at Middlebury college
calls to mind The fact that college boys are
liable to act foolishly and the further truth
that they are sometimes outdone in want of
wisdom by "the faculty." Not that the
Middlebury affair is of itself an illustration
but that it sets one thinking of the general
subject.
Our colleges are of two classes, each
with its subdivisions of course; the ono
composed of those institutions largely en-
dowcd, largely attended and set in or near
great centres of population; the other sit
uated in what are by comparison called
country places" Each class has its
advar tages and drawbacks. The govern
ment in each is based on different founda-
tons.
Take Harvard for instance. 1t is u
concern of such mighty growth that no
combination against it's government on
the part of its students can jar it. So
rebellion cannot flourish. nor cln the
students have any outdoor riot Of the
noisy sort without coming in contact with
an overpowering civil law represented by
healthy policemen. The danger to the
student in such an institution is that when
he wants singly or in company to do those
things that ought not to be done, he viii
80 to the neighboring city and engage in
the vices that should be at least confined
to older and worse men. The faculty
cannot catch him at his tricks in one case
out of twenty.
Michigan university may perhaps yet
be placed in the second class. Its ways
evidently belong to the college of the
country village though its size is getting
such as to make it exceptional. Lately the
students have been engaged in II downright
riot with citizens at the post office and for
their own good as we'll rs that of Ann
Arbor the citizens were too much for
them and had number arrested. The
Michigan boys must learn to obey laws
like other people but after all their "row y
is great deal cleaner and less burtful
lhtn the performances of students who
lily to The secrecy of n great city to do bad
thin.s which are apt to form themselves
i1lo IA chain of habit. The Ann Arbor
youthful rioer will not be engaging in
that sort of business II d, Zen years from
now.
The smaller colleges are apt to have
their troubles in combinations of students
that grow out of some ruling of the faculty
that seems to the boys unjust. And while
students do succeed in doing things that
are foolish in the highest degree il is true
that many Of the college rebelIons are
primarily traceab!e 10 tne want of COM
mon sense on the part of the men who
have the ordering Of the college.
Our largest colleges have endowments I;
the money which they have procures
things that keep up their reputation and
largely their value. But the small colleges
above all things need men. Money they
have not and cannot get. So much the
more they need men Of recognized charac.
ter, will and common sense. And no per-
sons arc quicker to recognize these charac-
tcristics than college students.
Whether the blame at Middlebury is
wholly on the students or partly with the
faculty we do not know. If the former
no doubt the trouble will blow over and
the boys go buck to their business. Now
however us near as we Can make out all
the students are suspended. A rule was
made prohibiting football kicking in GER
tain places and the president finding
Young Leavenworth Of the sophomore
class doing the forbidden thing gave him
dement's.
Afterwards the whole class received de-
merits for cane row and these added 10
what he had, gave Leavenworh enough to
suspend him. His class then "suspended'
themselves, and each of the other classes
followed their example. The faculty pro.
pose to expel them unless they come back
and there it rests. The boys may be the
ones to blame but when in school no
larger than that at Middlebury II general
disagreement .takes place between the
students and the faculty, all growing out
of regulations controlling nothing worse
than Il vigorous outdoor exercise, there is
wholly found among the boys.