The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-12-25
W.R.CASTLEJR.
ADDRESSES
ALUMNI
CTR Wednesdays Advertiser)

W. hslit, JE., IllHue Out VI
most ii'"e esting of his many interest
ing tai since he has been in Homo
lulu du ug his present visit, at the
dinner given by p. L. Horne, principal
of the Kanehameha Schools, to the
Harvard lub in his honor last night.
Speaking as he was to alumni of the
college ne which he is also an alumnus
and the present assistant dean, Mr..
Castle vas able to speak in a more
chatty ard informal way than is pos.
sible from platform, and his always
pleasing delivery was at its best in
what ore might term an informal
monologue; in which he told of what
had been doing recently at Harvard
and broupht back to some of those to
whom college life is rather long
memory. close recollection of the
"bcst DAYS of our life"
f. A. Mott-Smith acted as chairman,
in the absence of the president of tho
club, and in few words of explana-
tion called on Mr.. Castle for talk,
saying that the latter had a message
from Harvard to deliver.
The first and perhaps most interest
ing point that Mr.. Castle spoke on was
athletics. He said in part: "Of ath-
letics generally at Harvard l shall not
speak, hut the position of the faculty
with regard to athletics is something
in which ! am personally concerned,
and 1 wish to make that position
clear.
nThere has been criticism of the
faculty for the stand they have taken.
But. after all, the faculty has right
to do as it has, for its members are
there to conduct the course of educa-
tion and see that all those students
get the education they are there for.
Neiher is it with the athletes them
selves that there is any trouble on
this score. You may not know it, but
IL is fact that members of the teams
and crews are always wei up in their
studies. They are working hard at
their athletics and they find time also
to work hard at their studies. With
them we never have any trouble.
"It is with the students on the
bleachers that we find a falling off in
work. Every time there is match,
they lose day. You can not get
them TO attend q lecture when there
is n match on, no matter whether 1t
be n major or minor event. They
have to be very busy all the morning.
They all have girl TO take and they
have to see about getting seats, buy
ing flowers, arranging for lunch and
thousand and one details that the
average undergrad. would no more
think of overlooking than of trying to
fly.
"The president took a stand in the
matter with which /, personally, DIS
agreed. He favored the reduction of
the number of matches. He argued
that the rowing crew had two races
wear and therefore why not let the
football and baseball teams have two
matches a year. We do not need less
matches-we need more, if anything
and we need better generalization Of
athletics.
InThe faculty is very much in favor
of athletics Of all kinds. They be-
Iieve that they are part of an educa'
tion: but they do not want to see 30
much specializing and the number OF
players who take part reduced. In
ihis matter the new. graduate athletic
director is doing a good work in get
fling more men out each term for the
different games. He inspects eacf
freshman class very carefully and gets
out all he possibly can.
nHarvard has always stood Tor th'
principle of winning games if possible
but not at any cost. To go IN anc
do the best you possibly can to VIII
nv NIL fair means. but to go not al
inch farther. General interest in attn
letics is what we are now working Tor
more games and better chance TO
everybody to play.
Mr.. Castle then spoke of the fallin!
off of entries to the university iron
the eastern states. He stated that thu
wear there were eighty less freshmen
than the year before. He attributes
this in great part to the hard times
Harvard, Yale and Princeton all fe
off while Columbia gained, which prov
ed that New York parents who woui
otherwise have sent their sons to or
of the above.named institutions, ma
sent them TO Columbia so that the
could live at home.
OF Dartmouth college and its wo
derful increase during the last re
years, he also spoke and told of tn
as he expressed it, "Almost house
house canvass which the gradual
of that college had made. He point
out that Dartmouth provides maj
teachers for the public schools so tn
their influence was being felt amol
those who were preparing for collee
while Harvard men who took to teac
ing, nearly all went to colleges or III
versities.
Mr.. Castle is one of committee
five that has charge of the admissi
examinations and he spoke at sol
length on the high standard requir
by these examinations and the nee
sity of maintaining il. He paid hi
tribute to President Eliot and told
humorous story in connection with
recent resignation.
"Not one of the students or fac
ty,u said Mr.. Castle, chad the lie
suspicion of the coming resignation q
it was a great surprise to us all.
was talking to freshman in my roc
when the news arrived. The pr
dents secretary opened the door {
said, THE president has resigned.
freshman looked at me blankly ;
said, 'Who does he mean, Roosevelt
Taftf'"