New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-27

DEFENDING HARVARDS MORALS.
AN ELOQUENT PLEA BY PROFESSOR J, p.
COOKE
EVIL NOT PREVALENT IN THE CoLLreE-MAN.
Illness AND EARNEST STUDY CHARACTER
IsT1c or THE STUDENTS. RATHER THAN
THE BoYIsHNHss OF FORMER
YEARS.
(sY rxLEoaArH TO THE rzmuSR.)

tSY TELEGRAPH TO TIE rRrBUSE.)
Boston, June 26.-At the Harvard alumni dinner
this afternoon, Professor ]. p Cooke, who has been
professor at Harvard for forty years. eloquently de-
tended the reputation Of the students. He said in
part:
the discrediaole stories which have been so widely
circulated about college have brought upon US
the scrutiny of whole army Of reporters, and what
Of truth fasehood there may have been their
reports, Of this an sure that few societies Of men
could have borne the scrutiny &C well. (Hear
hear and great applauseJ When have indig-
nantfy repelled the scandals, have beeh told that
know nothing about that phase Of college life.
Thank God, I Dc know nothing about 10: and am in
constant association with hundreds on hundreds Of
young men who know IS little about II ss I do. We
do not expect to solve the problem OF evil at Har-
ward In this generation but there Is tbs to me that
many Of oue friends have Of late been crittcsing
alma mater much In the same spirit which
students showed to fbntr teachers In ttmss
not loag past exaggerating her failures and
minimizing her successes. In community Of
nearly 1000 young men, IL must be that offences
will come laughter,, and he can have known little Of
human nature in opening manhood who thinks that
by any system OF restrictions he can build q wall
around the college high enough to keep ev out (grcat
applsuse), and however much he may dread the con-
fct who docs not know that no force Of character
can be won and no manly virtue attained except BY
meeting the enemy and Staying him.
marked difference exists between the evil Influences
of to-day and those Of only q few years back. Then
the evil everywhere pervasive. Tho classes were
so small that all the members were brought into
or less intimate association and could not avoid meet
ing the hateful forms OF vice, however greatly they
might be repelied by tho sight. Now. associations
are determined to far greater extent by mutual tastes
and afnnities. The bad influences arc confnee to q
limited class and the great majority OF our students
In passing through college sec as little OF degrading
Woo as they would at their homes
"My friends, can assure you that the great danger
Of our dear college at the present time IS not over
dissipation, but everwork. Applxuse) Sixty thou
sand dollars cannot be distributed in prizes every year
without producing an enormous strain, and those OF
US who are directing the work know how intense the
activity is. Applause.) We may know little Of tho
evil around us, but We do know
great deal OF the good. We know Of
lofty purposes and Of earnest endeavOrs We know
Of perseverance, undor great discouragcments We
know OF victories won against heavy odds We know
Of selfcontIol and self.devoton. We know OF Chris
tan characters formed and Of truth and right man
fully upheld, and claim that the character OF
community of scholars 10 TO DO established BY such
traits as these and not BY the occasional lapses OF
It's weaker members. tAppiauss)
ain the last twenty-five years the life ~ the uni
vcrsity has besn rendered safer and moro healthy In
every respect by q greatly increased enthusiasm for
In this large Institution. In NO ono respect has the
Improvement in the college been moro striking than 10
this probably oflcer Of the college has had better
opportunities Of observing the change than myself
For forty years have lectured 10 the successive
freshman classes applause, beginning will
The class which entered IN ls44. and
many Of those around me we'll remember tho
boytsh prsnks which not infrequenty amused the
class and greatly tried the temper Of ht teacher.
(l.aughterJ The lecture was always an uphill work.
Q duty to Be done on one SIDE task 10 be endured
On the other. The lecturer was always waiting on
disturbance, the class always waiting on deliver.
ance. Not only thore vas general en'husfasu'.
bot tlss suspicion Of sueh blng In college
lsctureroom would have bean regarded as danger.
Gus precedent QLsughtcr) Now, although tho
classes have outsrown the accommodations that
not only all the seats, bat all the approaches TO my
ccture-room sre crowded almost to suAocaton, a
orderly attentive, or q more enthusiastic
audience cannot be found. This change Is duo not
simply 70 our elective system but far more TO the
putting away Of those petty restrictions which were
formerly constant menace, and erected impossible
barrier between the teacher and tie taught. We no
longer, Like the Irishmsp, go abou, In our dignity
with chip on tho shoulder. aud dare any one 10
knock It Of. But We invite confidence and
receive H. and our relations with
the students Is not that Of tsskmsster and toIlcr,
but that Of teacher and friend. Had our worthy
president done no moro than break down that old
middle wall Of partition, be would for this great
feature OF Obs administration alone deserve the
everlasting gratitude of this community great ap'
plause) and lot cntreat yUu my brethren, NOT
TO allow any one TO renstste this wall or even to
lay the first brick Ia It's rcoonstruc ton Most OF
dyhoydom still Only q few days ago, one Of
our distinguished graduates, highly , valued
professor IN another New Engl college, said 10 me,
Cambridge men do not appreciate the advantages
they have gained by setting their students free nom
petty restraints. Treat a boys and they VIII
act as boys. With tho boyishnoss first breaks
IN the chapel, and tlen extends to all the class
rooms. II beittIes all work and dampens all our
enthusiasm.'
my friends, in Institution OF learning like this
you cannot prize too highly tho ennoblDg virtue OF
enthusiasm. To awaken II Is 70 mako the boy man.