Morning journal and courier., 1883-11-17
COLLEGE soCIETIEs.

This weeks Nation contains a letter from a member of the class of '84 at Yale, in which he discusses the evils of the secret societies in the Senior class. The evils he mentions are incidental rather than fundamental. He says the societies have suppressed the free dom of the college press. "We have here,' he writes, "three daily papers, two bi-week- lies and monthly magazine, and all are con- trolIed by the societies. Not a sentence which reflects upon the societies is permitted to be printed; not 8 joke, not an item of news can appear in connection with their names" He says: "Again, the evil worms itself into our religious life.'' He complains that cIass deaeons "who belong to the soeie- ties associate with their fellow members rather than with the rest of the class, where ss they ought to be class oficers.' This, of course, means that the n-society members of the class are deprived of the walk and conversation of the class deacons. This may or may not be an unmitigated evil. We are inclined to think that it will not be regarded, either by the graduates or the undergrad uates, as an absolute demonstration of the injurious effect of Senior societies.
 The writer then discusses the question es to whether these societies are an injury to the college as an institation. And here he remarks that there are several rich Yale men who ''have determined not to give her dol lar" SO long as these societies exist. This does not go great way towards proving that these societies are evils. It simply shows, If true, that some people who most likely were never members of the societies think so. The writer comedies that it is useless to ap- peal to the faculty, for they are half of them members of the societies, ''and that it would be hard to convince them of the evil or persuade them to act against these societies." Perhaps the opin- on of these members of the faculty would ioount for quite as much as that of the rich men who will give the college nothing be. cause the college boys maintain class societies.
 We are afraid the correspondent of th @ Nation has failed to throw much light on a question which is really of con- siderable importance to the college. He has confined his observations entirely to the Senior societies, while there is quite as much question, to say the least, as to whether the Junior societies are not also an evil. This will probably give rise to suspicion among his classmates that the correspondent of the Nation was member of 8 Junior society who failed to be elected to Senior society
 The real question, of course, is whether class societies tend to promote or ebstruct the accomplishment of the purpose for which the student enters college. One fact which appears to us quite decisive of the question is that they are not literary societies at all, with the exception of those of the Freshman class It is well known fact to the gradu- ates of Yale that the student after he passes the Freshman year has actually fewer oppor- tunities to practice public speaking than the average town boy. We have heard many of the graduates of the University bitter Iy complain of the lack of this opportunity left college without having acquired the power. so common even among unaducated Americans. of thinking upon their feet.
 The present ambition of the average Yalen- sian is to belong to class society. There are no college societies and apparently little desire for any among the students. Now small class societies consisting of from fif- teen to thirty members, could not, even if they were literary societies. furnish the stu dent the opportunity to learn to face an au- dience. In order to learn to speak the speaker must have an audience. He ought to compete with all the best minds not only of his own class but of all the classes. Years ago, before the class societies were founded, there existed two great University societies, Brothers in Unity and Enonia. These socie- ties held debates and other literary ex- srcisss which were attended and participated