New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-07-06
gTTDENT HONOR
cession.

Is the American student lacking IN honor :?
The question is inevitably suggested by Prince
tons wholesale rejection for "cribbing" of cam
didates for admission prepared at Andover 1t
is evident that the 'cribbing' spirit preva-
lent in that particular class Of boys, and they
came from one of the best Of preparatory
schools and from families which might be ex-
pected TO produce the highest type OF American
youth. This may be rare and isolated in
stance OF cheating in examinations, but we fear
It is rare only in having been found out. OBJ
servers of college affairs have not infrequenty
complained of the low standard of student
opinion on this question, and not great while
ago an eminent teacher publicly expressed
doubts of the success OF the so-called honor
system" owing to the habit of the boys OF
beating" the faculty whenever they had the
opportunity.
More or less "cribbing' probably goes on in
every school and college. and the extent and
wickedness OF it depend very much on the ira
ditions of the particular place and its artificial
code of honor; for no body of persons, not even
duellists, have more artificial code OF honor
than students. Conventionalites may change
but it is not likely that healthy American boys
are any less manly than their fathers were
Most of those fathers who went to college and
have memories can recall a time when crib
bling" was considered breach Of minor morals
1t was smart to beat a professor. He was a
natural enemy, and all was fair in love and
war. A Yale graduate recently, speaking Of
sentiment on this subject thirty years ago, said
that "cribbing" did not make a man lose caste
if it was merely an expedient to stay In college
or avoid the penalties Of forgetting ones books
for some college sport 1t was considered dis
tinctIy dishonorable. however, when used to
~ fcgb OH lin no
moral standard would seem to be that a man
must play fair with his fellows and not sail
under false colors and build up an undeserved
reputation while deceptive strategy is tolerable
in dealing with the authorities.
A suggestion Of the same standard occurs In
a recent incident at one Of the New England
colleges where self-government prevails. The
faculty handed down TO the students who We're
the corporate body of the Phi Beta Kappa the
list of men whose standing entitled them to adj
mission to that society. Ordinarily the election
is a mere form. In this case however, the
students refused to elect one of the number for
the reason that he had been notorious crib
ber' and they did not think it right to give an
honor which meant high scholarship to one
whose scholarship was known to all his com
panions to be a sham. Yet so far as his ordi-
nary relations went this student was in good
standing among his classmates. Even those
who rejected his claims held out the promise
that he might be chosen at the second drawing
in the following year IL he would thenceforth
earn his high marks honestly, and he would
probably have won the honors had not an I'M
wise champion-and, curiously enough. a mem
Der of the faculty-made public scandal of the
matter by insisting that the "cribber'' be ac-
cepted on his marks, Notwithstanding their con-
fessed dishonesty
A West Point cadet until recently would
have taken pleasure in breaking rules against
hazing, but would have cut his dearest friend
if that friend had failed, through favorltsm, to
report him for any dereliction in the line of
military duty. That was his conventional code
Undoubtedly ''cribbing' is a serious evil, and
the student code ought TO forbid it as in a high
degree mean and dshonorable. In some schools
it is so regarded. and we think that in that
respect conditions are improving just as they
are undoubtedly improving with regard to stu
dent standards of sObriety and moral cleanli-
ness. "Cribbing" certainly should not be toler-
ated, and perhaps teachers give too much lee
way to boys, trusting to the honor of uniformed