Morning journal and courier., 1885-05-28
VALE ALUMNI.

President Porter's Talk to the Hart- ford Graduates About Yale College, Its Aims and Uses.
 President Porter talked to the Hartford Yale alumni at their meeting in that city
 Tuesday evening as follows:
 President Porter after pleasant allusion to what had been said and to his early inter est in Hartford, said he proposed to speak about the college in a very informal way. Probably persons in the audience knew much about the college that he did not know, and with this feeling in him he was often afraid that he should overstate or understate. He could however, speak with some confidence as to it's aims, theory and practical influence. lie agreed with Judge Shipman that the col iege was better than it used to be. It was
 not so much because of the direct influence
 of the instructors as on account of the prog
 ress of the whole country in moral feel
 ing. There is a better understanding of the
 need that a young man who is to be
 anything should be developing his character in college. Young men are gaining in man.
 ly and sober views of life. They spend more
 money, perhaps, and lose more time in ath-
 Ietics and secret societies than some of us
 would choose, but there is an undercurrent
 of sober conviction of the value of college training. This shows progress The general result is to make them men, sober, earnest, despising humbug, hating sham, contending honorably with one another. There is also more reasonable conviction of Christianity All this contributes to the improvement. It is not instructors or apparatus or a library that makes college, but menin the wide sense. Incidentally President Porter remarked that it was good for boy to leave home and go to college. It is the college atmosphere, the life of their own, with it's separate interests and it's care for nothing outsids that make the college such 8 powerful educator. Its in huences are never forgotten. A college that is good for anything must make the boys
 study and be prepared to recite at
 certain time on a definite lesson, not
 because it is so important that they shall
 have the Latin and Greek paradigms at their tongues end, but that they may learn to work at once on the spot and do their best at the time. This is what fits them for the actual work of life. The regime must be rigid if it is to do much for the student. He did not believe in self-government for stu dents in these things. This threw enough light on the question of elective studies and there was no need to discuss it separately. In conclusion he spoke of the strength, endur- ance and value of college friendships. Bonds like these are of great consequences. ' He believed that any body of 500young men associated on terms of intimacy and in a common pursuit would be exposed to more dangers anywhere else than in college.
 l When Dr. Porter had finished speaking those present were invited to come up and meet him and there was a general shaking of. hands and interchange of greetings. Afterward ice cream and coffee were served in the adjoining room, and there was sing ing aad social time generally.
 About 200 people were present at the meeting, about 100 of whom were ladies. Judge Shipman. Charles Dudley Warner, Rev. J. H. Twitchell, Hon. H. c. Robinson, ' Dr. Butler, and Dr. J. H. Trumbull were among those present. Judge Shipman in l troduced President Porter.