New-York tribune., 1907-04-15
"COLLEGE CUSTOMS.s

Whatever the legal grounds may he which
justify the management OF the Majestic Theatre.
or Boston, In seeking an Indictment against the
Harvard students who recently disturbed per
formance in that playhouse there is morally a
crying need Of administering a salutary lesson
TO such pampered ruffians When Brown Of
Harvard was played. q crowd of Cambridge
students invaded the playhouse armed with
senile fruit, vegetables and eggs. which were
projected toward the performers with ieers and
college yells Had the play been an Irish take.
on aud the disturbers "A band Of rghteously
indignant Hibernians, the latter would have
been promptly jailed, If caught But when a
college student amuses himself thus, n gentle
admonition and a microscopic fine are usunuy
deemed punishment enough. II Is high time
that this class distinction should be wiped ont
II Is not only unjust TO the acgrieved parttes
but 1t AZ surely encourages in supposedly elu-
Gated young men a spirit Of superiority to law
and order, thoroughly false and contemptIhIe
Kind OF aristocracy which. under the diapbouous
mask OF "frollcking' or "mcant-no-harm." works
rights.
Nobody is more willing than we are 70 ovc,,sa
many rather irrational collegiate practices. We
disbelieye in attempts TO reform the college man
by taxing away his pipe, bulldog and college
yen; but there Is neither wisdom nor iustica in
cldSslhg with such frivOlities those escHp,des In
witch established private rights are infringed
lhat II Is unjust TO tolerate iniustica ;e eole
evident; that it is unwlSe may be soon r,o,,, =
consideration Of the chief aim of all coiIooa
educatlon young man should 20 IA coIIa.ra
10 learn citizenship in the broadest sense of tho
terIl' Ana he should not only learn what II is
Dut should learn to practise IT, Failing this no
mas practically proved himself n fzzIe bovavar
a1 10
be in football or Greek. '
In learning citizenship the hardest Iaseon 10
the rights or other persons and the Limitations
which these impose upon mans own nrIvi
reyes. Inc thou-shat-nOts' are aIWnvs harden
TO practise than the "thOu-shalts". and for this
reason the lesson must be pounded in unAinch
iagly. what makes the task particuIarlv hard
Tor college man is the fact that our schools too
seheIaIly keep alive a curious survival of savage
ire known as elan morality" Every student
OF antnrop0iogy is familiar with the striking ro
semDlance between primitive tribes and modern
colleges in respect to their attitude toward ont
siders. Within the clan peculiar code az ous
toms holds undisputed sway over the clonsmap
ana IheSe usually treat the barbarian" &c az,
Outlaw without rights. The savage thinks II no
wrong TO XII foreigners on sight or to steaI n
foreigners goods. The college man orIv TO-
often Is unconscious OF wrOngdoing when bo
steals poor tailor's sign, ducks a policeman mr.
paints a town boys face with iodine.
In dealing with such offenders Americors
have inconslstently abandoned the excellent
maxim that ignorance OF the law is no excuep
Worse yet they have ignored the true quality ne
''acts done with full consciousness OF the 9ttI.
"tude Of the laws and public morality toward
them" But worst Of all, they have eatedlv
allowed offenders to beg OF on the ground of
college customs" As soon as the State recog-
nlzes college customs" as a fair plea, the col
lege assumes the rank Of petty kingdom. and
the case becomes one Of international law en- .
small way. Quite apart from legal impronrie.
ties, however, pedagogical considerations de-
mand that students should feel the force OF law
and deeply rooted moral compulslons as early
as possible; and also that young people should
never hs encouraged In their Instructive BELIEF