The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-20
NEW PRESIDENT.
,u,11 DIR DTIGHT'S SUCCESSOR BE
s"I CONGREGATIONAL MINIsTERS

rA.,0el Purpose OF the AnhI1NuNAon Hlnuo
UWn Founded Two Hundre Years AGO.
yrv HAVEN, Nov. 1e.-The resignation OF
,.sident Timothy Dwight naturally causes
~ DISCUSSION at Tale. 1t had been known
ns.ons time that re intended to retire. but 1t
-. believed that he would wait until the eom-
~ Lcentennial Of the university to take that
~ n, resignation. therefore, was a sur
~. n graduates and friends OF the uni
S..,Itv and to the corporation itself.
s.ror,l men have been suggested as his sue
-...or In the faculty itself Prof. Hadley and
~, pspry T. Wright have perhaps been re-
r,sI.A "a the men upon whom the mantle OF
S...,1spt Dwight was most likely to fall.
uo,y the graduates Buchanan Winthrop OF
a. y,rk. now "a member OF the Yale corpora
Nv, bas been suggested. The corporation
~. until next May 10 make a hoice. Even
49,. interestinE than the choice OF President
nights successor is the discussion as to the
-, n, man that that successor will be. There
-. Indications Il a continuation Of the lively
I,,rssion precipitated at President Dwight's
,,,nruratlon concerning the advisability
- making an ordination into the ministry OF
N. congregational Church a sine qua non OF
Al ideal Yale President. At that time It was
rrsdIcted that Timothy Dwigh would be the
',, clergyman who would be elected to that
,mnor,ant post. There is q numerous body OF
ysis men who believe that the time for q new
ordsr Of things has arrived. They favor fol-
having in the footsteps OF Harvard. Columbia
and other modern universities in selecting for
,bs chief officer Of the institution a man Of az
,airs They want a layman. and a yuung man
,,Uel. This feeling is expressed in an article
in tbe November lumber Of the Yale Literary
Magazine -.
'sactarianism. >" says the writer. lis q thing
that should have no part in the control OF one
Of the ]country's great institutions OF learning;
n university ought to be ruled in the interests
Of religious hody But the ministers Of one
sact. notorious Tor the restrictions. OF Its ideas.
have almost a pred"minant voice in governing
Tae. governing IT, from q sectarian standpoint
As ID 10 bygone Puritan. times. narrowly and
short. sightediy. not seeing that II the Yale
which they Will rule is to be in fact as in name
university. that is. 4 centre of the coultry's
culture, she must break with q dead past and
with the Puritan narrowness of New England.
tssIrg Oh a hitherto unknown breadth Of view
and preAIth OF policy, a breadth that means
Advancement in the highest culture"
Similar views are expressed among the un-
dsrgraduates and the graduates OF Yale. A
graduate who represents the feelings OF the
I ssn ss i .Gs mex, . p gSadds ano Of O Saie exDrss assi
his views as follows to the SuN correspondent:
IT is Il every way an opportune occasion to
sor to President Dwight brings clearly into
light a very important fact WHICH probably the
tSs fest E n Of ~ 9 Yale AS are practically Gai in the
hands Of eleven clergymen. not only clergymen
but Congregational clergymen, and not only
cergymen living in the State OF Connecticut.
There are, as 1t is at present constituted, nine.
teen members OF the Yale corporation. Two OF
these are ex ofRcio. the Governor and Lieuten-
aat-Governor OF Connecticut six are graduates
oTYale. selected BY a vote, Of Yale alumni of
gregational ministers. The, clerical mem
bers are, selected. not by the gradu,
Iself. Inasmueh. Therefore, as these. eleven
minister's constitute a working majority and
G as,s so sh , Of EVA tbs sp SSfysfsliy. sh Sor soye eG the
charter can be changed only by the, permis-
sou Of the corporation in other words. by the
permission ofthe eleven Connecticut clergy
men under consideration. 1t seems to me, as
II seems to hundreds Of other Yale men. some
thingoi an anomaly that 2 university osten-
should be. controlled in such a cast-iron secta-
Ran way. The most absolute political boss
Construct a more. Perfect machine than by fol-
p%oraton,. 1t is absolutely selt-perpetpating;
making elaborate preparations for her bi-cen-
ficn9Iial which will occur during the fall OF
has changed and broadened in every WA. The
object OF her foundation has been changed
from the original idea of educating promising
more comprehensive purpose of educating
them for the various walks OF life. The spirit
o. the place has undergone q radical trans
last thirty. years. has tended toward liberal
Ism. both in religion and culture. Through
the university have remained nominaiIy the
same, The. corporation has been. practically
unchanged for 100 years: The original char
lated that the Governing Board should consist
Of eleven Connecticut Congregational minis
object OF establishing The college was to
ut the young men Of the colony for
public employment, both in the church
serve. having the Precedence. According
. the statistics recently complied by Prof.
ssnwab; moro than Is per cent. OF the gradu-
etes Of Yale during the early years entered the
t.ongreGational ministry. The religious aim OF
he establishment was illustrated in other ways.
meeting at Bradford were all works orthodoxy;
literature and science were not represented.
Gai?e 5SfN tbat tbs o Pr tae J hew i faiSawT tnta arso a Tsi
professors should be obliged to subscribe to the
"ssTInlnNter Confession.
Though this original charter has been
somewhat broaden"d By the admission OF six
tSymen 70 the corporation, the eleven clergy
t uyI SUI SUI nave ne majority and III haye prac.
mmemoers Is manly VI an advisory order. and in
,Fbs capacity, their assistance has been valu-
., the services Of many Of her most distin-
tSSisg graduates, such As william NJ. byarts.
TIE present lay mem6ers are +. ], KiSssbIry.
VINO has served since 1881 Thomas q. Bennett,
mo was first elected In 1884: ChaunceY NJ.
nepeW, elected in 1888: Buchanan Win
.hrop', elected in 1891: Edward q. Mason.
Syssted u 1871. and Henry Rowland. elected in
a. me experiment Of engaging the ser
,peso these graduates has been a complete
,Hceess 1t has been so successful. indeed.
.mst mere : a general desire that IL be FIX
pnurq further, and il has seemed that the
t,esa"hcy ot the university would be one OF
"s nos use'll posts a. be held by a layman.
Ills argued thar the present government
20 instituted 20 accommodate a state OF affairs
,rnth 20 longer prevails. The college was in
hSsteH q the care u congregational ministers
trIause ia main reason for existence was TO
SSss.n yoGng men for the Congregational min
~ and because IL played a principal part in
- seheme OF an ideal Christian common;
trnbsteat4aiy New Haven, had in mind. Ii was In
Ins,i,tn Intended, primarily as "A Connecticut
rLsutution that it would become q ma
RIA aHair did not occur to its founders.
nv present government was a desirable
sgSnRtment Tor an institution OF limited
Vengeance. Both these purposes. however.
hnosaoIg ago yutgrew. 1t is no longer n the
itIsTai school Tor Congregational ministers:
ieiontSsl zen Congregational college; No re-
iSscnVPttss qualifications are now demanded from
CoratLy Or student, and upon the faculty are
SSds es1tlona,i-ts Episr6palians. Catholics,
hsvanA eItes, me religion OF the professors Is
c,I'VL inquired INTO. As 20 the Yale Theologi-
al scRool, "e have had many indications
re- IA u ) q hOthod Of n new theology. The
nacvHHEs VISIT N DR. Budde has brought promi-
fsss.' ihlo View The attitude Of Yale upon tho