New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-20
POPULAR OBSERVATIONS.
CAN THESE THINGS Be-
GREEDY COMMERCIAL SPIRIT AT YALE, ACCORD
ING TO MR.. d. CADY EATON.

A GREEDY COMMERCIAL SPIRIT AT YALE, ACCORD
ING TO MR.. d. CADY EATON.
TO he Bdftor or The Tribune.
SIR With your permission, want to make through
THE TRIBUNE short address To the Mothers and
Fathers OF the ROys al Yale.
There IS something existing, and fear Increasing,
at Yale that you can't know mu,h about for II you
did you would put yourselves In opposition to II and
help to stop and cxerninate 1t. Your boys have of
tOu'Se told ypu If Z" Inc Yale LiL;' of >" The Yale
Rccorl,' Courant,' and News :" of the Gee Club;
Of the Nine,' the Crew. and the Eleven' of the
Junior Promenade Committee, etc, etc. They have
also told you Of The honor Of being selected 20 repre-
sent the class he college ono of these inst
tutlOns and trust you have had opportunity OF re-
1ocing with them on tLc!r selection. But have they
told you that of the chief reasons why these posi-
tions desirable because they pecunlary profit
able No, fancy that this particular part Of the
honor they instnctvels silent, feeling that you
would not approve
Examine a copy of The Yale Lit Of any other
of the college publications. You will find lots Of
space devoted to advcrti ments. The majority OF
these advertisements obtained from .cal trades
men by personal solicitation. Your boys 90 about In
twos threes representing to butcher. baker ard
car stick maker The advantages of advertising In
The particular college publication with which they are
corE,cied Nor Is the soliciting always OF the gentle
nature the term implies. At times 1t Is aggressive
impertlnent and threatening. had no notion OF the
thing till a while ago 1 met a pair Of seniors at It,
If had been the particular tcadesman would have
kicked the fellows out Of the shop. wondered at his
patience and forbearance; for to Tho ordinary cock
lofIness Of certain seniors they added the insults and
threats Of professional boyeoters. If you destine
your boys for trade this training be valuable But
what injury must be wrought to the finer sentiments
Of youth and sdoleScng manhood Think Of gentle
men doing such things, and that TOO amid the cain
shade, ot sdemic culture and e Lni1gl How much
they make out of their varions positions; Nv much
they "diey up before handing tho machine aver to
their SUCCESSORS n Office is Of course have
had sums mentioned that seem fabuous-hundreds and
hundreds of dollars the fruit of skilful buldozing.
Emolune ns OF ills Kid are not mined to students
whom Literally distinction clcvacs to editorial dignity
Those Juniors whom their classmates select, as repre-
sentative gentlemen hay. charge OF the Promenade
have in college slang very fat thing The moro
tickets they SELL the money they clear the meanei
tho supper the IcTci the caterers bills. There Is
that fc shmen shall attend the bali but there
is custom that they shall not buy tickets. On tho
contrary the freshmen to the representative gen.
tIemen Of the junior class Whit the town tra'lesmon
arc to the distinguished literary members of the various
classes that prey If freshman can be bued Or BAN
boolled buying half zen ickcls the bully, or
bamboozler, who has accomplished the feat Shines
forth among the other representative gentlemen with
special ustre No freshman cscaIeS and in such
does he stand of junior that he meeAy delivers his
'lnss large AMI small EOr &C nsOlalOn hc IS tOId
that IN two years he may bo doing The same tlunS hIl
self and I'm that case VIII haVo *iancc to lecoup
THIS IS all vey true There Is not paftice Vi eAds
Up to last year The balls were held in the theatre
now known by the odd name HypclUn,' near the
college and capital place for the ball Now they arc
held in down town armOry. There Is more money
in the armory. All about the hail are erected pens
called boxes. pen IS necessary to avoid the crush
and to have safe place for wraps so inc pens prIs
large prices But let not the artless soul who pays
sl5, $50, or even go magiae thai lie has teiormGd
all the requisites for entering and enjoying his PEN
not a bit Of IT, without purchasing additional ehfanGe
tic kets at full prices for himself and friends he VIII
get no nearer his than the front door OF The eu
nee master stroke of fndncel Tho would sup
pose rel sentative junior gentlemen endowed with
such brancy OF economic wiSdOml Darcing cald5
for gcntlemen-fhy cents; for lades-seyenty, i've
the expense Of the excluded freshmen
Have not written enough to call the attention OF
parents to the evil! For years past has been grow
ing slowly but SO surely and strongly that now the
atmosphere of Yale IS saturated with H. The spirit Is
unhealthy and degrading 1t confrOniS courtesy,
kindness, generosity and selfsacrhce In all depart
monts of the Students life and is getting the better of
them 1t is the spirit of the advertising agent and Of
the professional athlete. Open trade and fair traffic
I'm them But Yale College was not established for
tho purpose of encouraging commerce. Moreover,
robbery IS robbery though the vctir be freshman and
custom forces him to smile cOmpacenty at the felony
II would be better for sport at fale as at every oher
college. IL not penny could be- made by " Nine'
Crew. or" Eleven The idea Ot gate-monoy or or n
subsidized railroad Is foreign to the instincts OF gen
tcman To play ball before crowd OF paying Specta-
tors cannot 10 Cnnobng The hOnOg and the victory
should be fullest npensatlOn SO Jet the actlvlTeS
pc cnar to bill poster and tcketvender be known no
moro at Yale. I}ettcr leave uHdOnc what cannot be
dOnc without lowering the tone of college membership.
The theme IS too unpleasant for detail or eXpalsOt
The boys don't know wlat they are about They are
the victims Of custom and have realization or how
deeply they are injurrc the best and Modest
part Of themselves. DO explain to them and help stop
the mischief d. CADY EATON
Neic- HGcen, Conn, January Il, 1883