The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-09-17
TELEPHONES EDITORIAL ROOM. s64. BUSINESS OFFICE. Sss1.
THE WEEKLY JOURNAL. Issued Thursday. One Dollar q Year
SIN AT KALE.

We regret to learn that anotHer at tack has been made upon the moral life of Yale University by local clel- gyman, first because there is nothing in the social life of that educational institution which justities the sweep Ing statement that 1t is heavy with sin, and second, because the ooly ef- fcot O. such an assertion from a mem- Der of the cloth is to injure both the university and the city. This can hard ly be called the purpose of the pulpit
 A good many years ago a very es- timable lady. whose instincts are Of the kindest and most generous nature. declared in a moment of frerfulness, caused by the discovery of dark al- leys in the Yale area, that she would sooner send her son to the warm place than to Yale. This sensational declar- alton was finally received with good nature because the statement of pref erence was in itself quite amusing. It might have done serious harm had the good lady chosen to illustrate her disturbed condition of mind in lottier thoughts. A few years later a prohibi- tion journal with culpable delibnra- ton charged in its columns that Yale undergraduate life was one unirrer- rupted round of excessive drinking, that 1t was a common sight to see drunken students on the public street at all hours of the day and that usual- ly they were accompanied by fallen women, themselves equally filled with the refreshment which inebra,es but does not cheer It was horrible story and 1t did harm, but in time it's rltliru- lousness became understood, and the storm passed over
 There has never been any reason to misrepresent the undergraduate life of Yale University from any point or view, whether from that of it's friends, who would color the truth, or from that of it's enemies who would exag. gerate the actual facts. The under graduate life of Yale University has improved steadily and impressively during the past fifty years and most  notably during the past fifteen years The one charge that cannot be brought against the bigger Yale of to-day is that it has by mere force of its num- bers lowered the moral tone of the in- stitution. On the contrary 1t may per- haps claim to be responsible for the improvement, for certainly the higher moral tone is coincident with the ap- pearance of numbers. There are stud ents in every department of the uni versity whose room would be vast improvement upon their company, but one will look in vain for them among the great majority of students or among those who have been given class room and social Honors.
 The facts are so susceptible of proof that it is difficult to understand how a local minister could be led astray in the manner indicated Any graduate of the university would tel 1,ty,, %I,a+ 1naea bo11i+e nco ,,o4 4aJa..a4 ed by the college world The boys there are like the boys who are found elsewhere, even in big Sunday schools if we may be pardoned the alluslon but as a class they are not steepeC in sin. For the most part they are self-respecting industrious and we'll bred youngsters who are not unknown to ways of harmless mischief but are not the slaves or victims of thing! misehievous and later degrading. The real wonder of men who are most familiar with college life at any on, of the big universities of the country is that with the freedom they hay, and necessarily have, the student. maintain such high standard of up right living. It has never been claim ed by the student body that 1t is mad, up of white-winged angels and W, have no understanding of its ever be coming so, but it has been claimed with justification that it is representa- tive of the best American quality youtl ss capable of.