The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-23
THE VIEWS OF DR.. M'COSH.
PRHosToN's OLD PREsIDEEr TELLS
HoW HE WOULD REFoRn <THLEIICs.

ne Thisks Tat shs Matters whieh Fresr
se.t Etst &c Hsrvsrs To-ehes Upou r.
His Report she-is BE setties By = Co.-
veutios, sns. " Neees.arr. bT the stude-t-
| The.-rtvss-A TsIk with mr.. Pattern
Ths resii.s At wssi.ys, s-s Tsie.
PRINCETON. Feb 22-Dr James McCosh. the
distln Ruished ex-President Of Princeton Uni
versity. was Just starting out on his daily walk
under the interlockinR branches that roof
McCosh avenue to-day when . suN re-
porter asked him whether he had read Pres
ident Eliots report OF athletics in Harvard.
| Il have" replied the old Scot kindly. Come
into the house. I was thinking OF writing an
article on the subject. but will tell II to you
instead" The gentle old man. who for twenty
years lsbored we'll for the university. then be-
gan to retrsce his steps toward his house.
psusing often to lean on his cane and rest.
College gymnastics are q good thing" he
went on. In my first lecture In Princeton !
recommended gymnastics for all the students.
and exercise was not as popular then as II 10
now. The young men had their sports. but
they had not been encouraged In takin q exer-
else. l believe that It was q good thing for the
students and good thing for the college
While was President-you know I am not
President now-the boys did not go too far
In the line OF competitive sports. for I re-
strained them. l fully agree with Dr. Eliot
that the young men ought to be restrained as
far as is consistent with their perfect liberty.
The President OF Harvard Is doing right to
consider seriously this subject. He intends
we'll In what he says In his report but do not
think he has taken the wisest course. and do
not agree with him altoRether."
By this time DR.. McCosh had ushered his
visitor into the cheerful study. which looks
out across the garden and over twenty miles
Of beautiful blue country. A long Gat-top desk
occupies the centre OF the room. and tho walls
are hidden by shelves OF books.
The evil OF college gymnastics" he contin-
ued, "is that one student in ten neglects his
studies In order to give too ouch attention to
his bodily exercise and most OF the other nine
neglect their bodily exercise what 10 needed
Il Is now, the strongest men. who need phys
weak ones. who need It most get none
II cannot lay down rules Of gymnastics for
OF correcting all the evils now complained OF
would be 70 call convention Of Iepresenta-
tSs. Of M the and let them
ident OF PRINCETON. l called meetings Of this
character in New York city. each college being
failed Of their object because two OF the col
leges refused to take part in them. We must
hd to Join oi sueh %Sve
,n,iT don't think H.Eyard ought I, to attend to
in all the colleges to make these rules. Any
college would G be welcome; to Join in the con
more eminent p the colleges should all be
field Of athletics this year.
have pe2psua BODY q men DV to
the department OF outdoor sports. to restrain
Ind t to sss, saS ssCaa
consist Of the President OF the college and two
adss !; "a the sus. IS as% a sSSi e
What would you think OF having REPRESENT
this committee In each collsgeT asked the re-
am perfectly willing. indeed" DIR. Mccosh
replied. Il think It is an excellent sueRes-
ton. You must carry the students with you.
eg%nastcs as they do II the faculty f A 4SIs
Opposed to II should appeal to the parents Of
the students and to them. every college ofiicer
is ultimately responsible"
the eSS.s Of III Ra % al
There should be no. outrageous play and no
neglect OF study. As to combining all the games
You can't make . rule q that kind. but
nGs large towns rsow thss Ssa
conduct goes on there sometimes when the
students feel free from restraint Ny stGdsnts
s ,s;Nn. + could tell yGu some very bad
the Students themselves"
He thought the rule excluding profess |
o good one. and the rule limiting a. student to |
one sport within year on the whole good, but
plan to restrict intercollegiate contests in any
one sport to once In two years. He would like
to So ss. sgeh contests year but always
An these rules" he said. would be taken
rules u Tor ali It the so.Sss TbeIs a you'd aoHa
different faculties, together. and / Know that
: course should be adopted. Even i one 1 or
two colleges would not restrain themselves |
very likely get along perfectly well without |
them. What We want 10 for all the students to |
ence il has ON their health and manly Develop
said i Was largely because q theiT intsre.t IN
IN sight Of the study window. When the Doc
smiled a sorrowiul smile. and said: There 10
nothing wrong with me but age; am going
retired from the Presidency. but am not even
lecturing this year"
Of frssideat ESts report as teoss opinion
The Committee, on Outdoor sports at
Princeton. OF which Prof. sloane Is Chair
man. 10 a very able committee. and Is
Teal acquaintance with the questions in
yolyed. and are devoted TO the best in
terests of the college. They dou BIT ess feel as
do. that while there IL reason for some q the
been recently subjected. much that has been
said was uncalled for" DR. Patton is IN favor
Of such notifications of the Regulations re-
gardinR intercollegiate games as to Il ne and
place. and also as to mode OF play and eligi-
billy OF players as may be deemed necessary.
Prof sloane says that the measures ad-
yocated by President Eliot apply more to
Harvard than to any other college because OF
their opposition 10 the undergraduates rule
when first proposed. lie fAyors freshman con-
tests because OF the incentive they offeF the
men to work for their class teamG As regards |
men in the professional schools. Prof. sloane
thinks that they should have no place in any
team ana heartily tayoIs the undergraduate
leans the same year. he thought that matter
should rest entirely with the man himself
md that IL was unfair as long as he main |
Iained his standing in his classes not to allow
him 70 take part In both spring and fall con-
tests-
The playing OF all games in college towns
Prof SlOaua m al |