The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-01

President PATTON said very truly, In his
address on temperance to the Princeton
students last Sunday, that there Ia q ten
dency to the more moderate use Of alcoholic
beverages in social life. At all formal din
ners and at social festivities generally the
consumption Of wines and liquors Is very
much less han 1t used to be. Temperance
in their use has become much more the rule
In clubs, and in this community as a whole
there is less drunkenness, the drinking Of
mild beer having replaced very generally
the consumption of ardent liquor.
President PATTON was also justified In
saying that the tendency to excessive In
diligence in stimulants at Princeton has
been greatly exaggerated, and his remark
applies to college communities generally.
The prevailing tone Of our college life is
serious and studious, and for that very
reason the youthful spirits Of the under
graduates find and need an outlet in vigor-
Gus demonstrations of animal vitality and
elasticity. When they play football Or
baseball or take part in exercises on the
water, when they shout and kick up their
he els, they are simply giving to their nat
ural impulses a wholesome outlet after the
restraint of the routine of studious intel.
lectual application.
These youthful spirits Of college students,
however, are abundant enough naturally
to make their artificial stimulation wholly
unnecessary. When they are further excited
In the few who use alcohol Unexpectedly
the result Is all the more offensive on that
account. Under the artificial exhilaration
the boys pass beyond the limits of tolerable
b~oisterousness and bring reproach on the
whole college community.
The truth is that in our climate and
under our social conditions It would be
better for college boys to drink nothing at
all in the way of alcoholic beverages. They
do not need them, and abstinence from the
use Of them would serve the interests of the
physical and intellectual health of the
youth. For the most part, however, they
must be left to put this restraint on them.
selves, for the mere prohibition of drinking
and the taking of drastic measures for Its ZEN
forcement as q matter Of college discipline
might tend only to give to drink the ire
sistible attraction which belongs t for.
hidden fruit in youthful minds especially.
Like the social circles to which DIR. PAT
TON referred, they feel the influence of the
present disposition to frown upon breaches
of temperance IS inexcusable offences
against good But. as we have
intimated, IL they let alone stimulants
they will be better of.
President PATTON did not refer to the
example set the Princeton students by the
Rev. DIR. SHIELDS, one of their professors,
in actually throwing up the Presbyterian
Church because 1t objected to his signing
an application for q license for a taproom
provided for their use. If DIR. SHIELDS was
justified In 30 doing, the provision of q
semi-oficial taproom for Princeton Univer.
sity rises to the dignity Of a great religious
principle, and the drinking of beer by the
students Is a right of Christian liberty
which annot be infringed upon by the
Presbyterian Church or by the university
authorities without violating the injunc-
tions of Scripture.
Moreover, IL DR.. SHIELDS is right in aban-
doning Presbyterianism because It forbids
his signing applications for liquor licenses.
should not all the Presbyterlans in the
faculty of Princeton go out with him, in
order to assert their devotion to the princi-
pie which he thus raised to foremost i'm.
portancea If the Presbyterian Church has
not the right to restrict DIR. SHIELps's
liberty to sign license applications, 1t has
no right to restrict thus any of Its minis
ters, and the taproom of the Princeton INN
should now be open instead Of closed.