The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-06-27

AiiOAC lAlAIlllIlCuL anu COIlSLLluGGS q SOUGI-
ling motive. Yet, even in these later
years, the student cannot do his best
work without good deal o personal
| supervision and personal contact with
instructors. The ideal system, from the
students standpoint, is perhaps the one
| adopted at Princeton, where so large
number of perceptors have been ap-
pointed that great deal of instruction
IS given, not in the recitation room,
but in the study of the instructor, and
not to the conventional division" but
to groups of three or four men taken
by themselves. The American colleges
aer watching with great interest the re-
suit of the experiment at Princeton.
The thing which seems to stand in the
way of it's general adoption is that it is
uneeonomical. Not only does it in
crease the cost about seventy-five dol
lars apiece for each student, but it en-
ploys the energies of a large number of
good teachers in helping a relatively
small number of pupils. The former
difficulty would be met by an increase
| In tuition fees-though it is doubtful
| whether the loss due to making a place
a rich mems college would not outweigh
| the gain obtained from superior in
struction. The difficulty of getting q
sufficient number of competent precep-
| tors to deal with the great mass of
American college students seems a more
fundamental and insuperable one.
| Another essential point for great
university is that it's undergraduate
students should be in the main self
governing. I do not mean that we
should necessarily adopt any formally
organized system of student govern
ment, These systems have worked
well in some places and badly in others.
mean rather that the students should
be so far animated by the spirit and
habit of self-eontrol that they should
take off from the faculties the duty Of
watching over the details of student
morals. Fifty years ago the time Of the
professors and tutors was largely oc-
lcupfed with detecting and Furnishing
student violations of a somewhat arti-
fetal code of faculty morals. To-day
three or four electric lights do more
work in behalf Of public order than four
times that number Of tutors could ever
accomplish; and single policeman, If
endowed with a reasonable measure of
wisdom, can do as much as ten profess
sors for the maintenance of decorum.
The reason for this is that when you
have electric lights and a policeman,
instead of spies and overseers, khe gen
tlemanly instinct of the students can,
as a rule, be trusted to assert itself. 1t
is, however, an unfortunate fact that
students, especially those who have re-
Gently come to college, suffer strange
lapses of conscience, which sometimes
bring disgrace uron them and discredit
upon the institu. On which they repre-
sent. 1t is one Of the most difficult pro-
blems of the college authorities to pre-
vent this state of things without re-
turning to the old and discredlted sys-
tenn Of faculty. supervision over minor
morals.
The college periodicals furnish great
help in this respect If the chairman
of the Yale News Board is man of the
right type1and he almost always is-ht
| 10 lllO llOSl ClIAlC1ll ulSSAlAllIcNly OkilSCl
in the university. Professor Wright and
Professor Chittenden not excepted
The athletic organizations also serve g
most useful purpose in the maintenance
Of college order,
In the admirable report on athletic:
read to the university rouncfl by com.
mittee composed of Professors Wool
sey, Prison and Lewis, the report o.
the committee, while recognizing clearly
many Of the evils connected with attn
letics, uttered the following significant
and truthful words:
"The real value of athletics to YALE
university is in their good influence OF
the student morale. This influence
works chiefly in two ways; first BY
stimulating inividual energy and en-
thusiasm, and second by Strengthening
the sense of unity and solidarity In tn
heterogeneous student body.
"The so-called yale spirit is largel.
due to these causes. The benefit
which Yale student derives from hi
social environment are incommensura
BILE; but of the highest value among TIL
latter are strenuous enthusiasm 70
individual achievement and a deeI
sense of regard and responsibility 70
his fellows. These things were wei
known before athletics became a salien
: feature Of college life; but athletic
: have been probably the chief agent il
preserving the virtue of the small col
: lege through the complex expansions o
recent years,-and not only in preserv
ing but in strengthening it. This spir
it,-a force which often goes astray
but in the main works for manlines
and integrity,-are among the mos
, valuable assets of the university
1.-THE long-standing policy of the uni
versity, namely, to leave the control 0
1 athletics in the hands of the students
and to interfere only when interference
| is necessary in defenc of curriculum
: standards,-has amply justlfid itsli
: Control by tn students, in consultation
l with graduates rather than instructors
: is at the bottom Of the spirit alread
referred to. Under faculty control som
1 of the evils could be cleared away
= though by no means all, but much Q
= the good would go with them"
An unusual number of changes in tn
= permanent teaching staff of the insti
: tuition takes place at the close of tn
} present academic year. Two of tn
ablest and best members of our univer
l sity have been taken from us with dis
tressing suddenness: Professor Ste
S vens, of the Divinity school, and Pro
, fessor Ely, Of the Medical school. Fac