The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-21
OVERsTUDY AT YALE.
Two Suicides and One Collapse the
Alleged Results of 1t

Alleged Results ssf IL
NEW HAVEN. Conn. Jan. 21.-The
deaths within two weeks of three bright
young YsIe men from causes generally
believed 70 have originated in overstudy
have aroused persons both in and cut Of
college TO enquire. rs the course Of study
in Yale TOO hard2"
on January . Robert Calender. of the
class of -9S. living at Providence. WAS
found dead in lonely spot with bullet
in his brain He had wandered away
from home several days before while in
an unsettled state of mind. His reIa-
tives said that he had injured his health
by grinding study at Yale For weeks he
had been unable to sleep. He had no
bad habits, entered in sound health. but
left school a wreck After a hunt Of
week he was found lying in quarry GA
the crest of q HILL a revolver beside
him.
Only few DAYS after this occurred the
death Of Arthur Edgar Ely, of East Riv-
er. Conn Particularly pathetic was his
ending, for he had watched the progress
Of his disease and medical student as he
was. had correctly diagnosed his own
CsSS' just BtlOIS ne uiSt II the new
Haven Hospital he declal ID that he was
suffering from a tumor on his brain A
pos--mcTtem examination showed that he
was right.
Ely was young man of good moral
character. He was working his way
through The university and intended to
fight his way to the top. He was a brill
liant scholar in the academic course, and
graduated last June. He entered the
medical school and had started Well He
not only waited on tables and ran er-
rands. but tutored less brilliant scholars.
| While he was at his studies one day he
fell in a 1T II was said by the physician
who attended him that he was studying
too hard. Painting spells followed, and
he lied soon after. Dr. H B. Ferris. pro-
fessor of anatomy at Yale. made the au-
topsy- re found there had been a hem
orrhage of the brain about the tumor,
which might or might not have been
caused by overstudy-
Everyone in Connecticut knows the de-
tails OF the suicide of handsome Harry
Root, who drank carbolic acid on Thurs
day night and was found the next morn
ing under the snow. His excellent record
in college, his hard grinding work over
his books. his good hours and generally
fine character ali speak for him. The
pathetic little note that he left in his
room Thursday night informed his moth
er that he was sick, discouraged, and tired
! of the everlasting struggle, that he was
+ dying just 10 get rest. He had studied
himself into temporary insanity
1t was the death of Root that finally
caused people TO enquire If the course Of
study al Yale is too hard President
1adIey said:
y viii rot say that these three young
me- did not die from oyerstudy. No
dc9 ~ they we're ambitious and strained
10 heir uttermost to lead in class and
inc vidual work But I viii state square
" that the university course is not too
hard 1t is not harder than the average
! young man ought 70 be able to master.
+. The average young man does master il
without any injury TO his health II
three young men broke down out OF many.
| it is sad. but does rot prove that the
course is too hard"