Morning journal and courier., 1893-03-21
THE WEEKLY JOURNAL
 IS PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING. One Dollar Per Year (In advance) Single Copies cents.
AN APOLOGY.

Sometimes, in the course of events, we
 feel obliged to mildly criticise what eeems
 to us lack of proper action in those who
 should act properly. We hate to do it, for
 we feel that everybody means to set properly, especially those shose high posi- tion and serious duties lay upon them great obligation to go act. But we do it when
 we a,s burdened with the duty of doing it, and we do not mean to be mistaken in our perception of the duty and the need. If, however, we find that we have, in any case, been mistaken and have thereby done any brother or brethren wrong, we always hasten to do what is possible to atone for the wrong.
 We feel bound to make confession and an apology now, and we will make them as openly and as publicly as we made the cause for them. Our readers will remem- bar that we have felt little doubtful about the earnestness of the Yale faculty in looking after the moral welfare of the students. We have, for stance, thought that the pool room, located only few rods from the big school, needed more attention than they have given 1t. But in shame and contrition we freely admit that we have misjudged them. We have taken only partial view, while they, with their broad, far seeing and com prehsneive minds, have taken in the whole situation. While we have been eye. ing the pool room and asking them to turn their spectacles toward 1t, they have been looking forward to time anc situation which they knew would require all their moral vigor. They would not have been wise to waste any of it in attacking the pool room, when they knew that the dangerous and insidlous vice of topspinning would. room become epidemic among one whole class of their young charges. And they didn't. But behold the directness and the forcs and the good judgment displayed in the attack upon the tops and those who had weakly fallen prey to their whtrling fluctuations. No hesitation in that. No fear of couse- quences. No looking seven, CT even two ways, for Sunday. Even as the good Israel- ites were wont to swoop down upon the wicked Hittites. the Hivites or the Jebus- ties, SO the high-souled agent of the moral forcs of the management of Yale uuiver- sity swooped down upon tho heathenish top-spinners and smots them in the name of the faculty. It was grand and inspir- ing deed, and should be comme morated by some artist capable of doing it justice.
 Those who have ever been tempted by top spinning and hava yielded to the temptation will know how necessary it was that such blow should bs struck ct 1t as has been struck by the Yale faculty. Top-spinning does It's disintegrating work rapidly. It breeds idleness, bad temper and betting. It disappoints its votaries SO that in despair they may take to driuk or to the pool room. The whirling top encourages whirling mind, and, saadest of all, some of those who have been top epinners while at Yale are now dead. The recent outbreak of the destructive vice has been of pe- culiarly outrageous and contagious char acter, and the summary action agsinet it was just what was needed. It will do much good. Parents who have hesitated to send their boys to Yale on account of the low moral tone which some have said exists there will have faith now. They will know that their boys will be safe under the guidance of those who have
 such conception of duty and such zeal in doing 1t as has been shown in this case Yes, old Yale is all right, and we have
 been all wrong and chumpy. Plenty of | moral force left in tue big school, after
 all. Perhaps by and by, after the terrible
 vice of top -spinniug is wholly eradicated,
 the faculty will take more interest in the
 minor vice of "playipg the races" A
 moral house cleaning which begins at the
 top ought not to stop there. It should be
 thorough from top to bottom.