The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-08
THE SUNDAY EXODUS.

gate ways and means to prevent the |
regular saturday Sunday exodus Of |
The students, Such happening is in |
itself proof that the situation Is SER |
ious, But It has not become so sud |
denly In fact the tendency for a
large proportion Of the students in the |
academic department to leave New
Haven on the first train after the close
Of rceitatIons on Saturday, not to re-
turn until late Sunday night or even
Monday morning on the paper train
from New York in time to get to
chapel, has been growing for years.
Evidence of II was shown In President
liadleys comment upon the proposed
reduction Of athletic games at Har-
ward, when he said nothing of the kind
was contemplated at Yale because the
saturday afternoon games were look
ed upon as commendable inducements
to the students to remain in New Ha-
ven over Sundays, other evidence of
the true situation Is apparent on ev-
cry hand. The Yale Daily News has
discussed the situation edItoraly; The
Yale Record has joked about It: and
The Lit has had its little shy at II,
too. The Junior fraternities have rec
ogniaed the situation and have tried
TO stem the tide with Sunday after
noon teas in their houses and. at
least in one case, the plan has been
adopted of having n special supper
for members on Sunday evening.
What to do In the situation is pro-
hlematlcal. That action should be
taken, especially by the faculty. after
very careful thought. is most certain.
The tendency Seems to he growing IN
American universities for the students
to narrow down the sphere of action
Of the faculties as near as possible to
the classroom. The outside activi-
ties of the students are looked Upon
by the latter as being their own af-
fair. Perhaps the extreme Of this
feeling was reflected not long ago
when the boys Mt Columbia university
We're advised to enjoin their faculty
from forbidding them football, It be-
ing argued that such matters did not
come under the proper control Of the
professors President Wilson. Of
! Princeton. has made up his mind that
the society systems are at the base Of
all trouble between faculty and stu
dents, basing his belief upon the fact
/ that nowhere does Princeton faculty
4 interference meet with greater OBJ
lection on the part Of the students
than when It concerns the secret So
cieties. Consequently he has taken
steps to do away with every vestige
of these societies at Princeton. But
the real reason why PrinCeton's pres
ident was met with the greatest
amount Of opposition IN this regard is
undoubtedly because there he inter
fered to the greatest extent in mat
tors which, II would seem, are not
for faculties to interfere with.
At Yale the secret societies are, on
the whole, left by the faculty to work
out their own salvation, The only
natural result has come with the de-
sire on the part of the students in
these societies to cooperate with the
faculty In every way possible, 1t Is tc
be hoped that in this Sunday exodus
matter the faculty will likewise see
its way clear not to tako steps tc
actively interfere. Much more car
be accomplished in such a situation
by having student cooperation thar
otherwise. If a student sentiment
against leaving New Haven at the
week-ends can be established in any
way. shape or manner it will accom-
pish far better results. The las
few years have seen q great chang,
in the use Of illegitimate means t.
pass the semester examinations a
Yale. But the reform has been en-
tirely due to q certain esprit dc corp
/, ON the part of the students in TIN
matter. They have learned them
selves to play the man far better tnal
! the faculty could have compele,
, them to do. Even an honor system
, as at Princeton, has been rejected a
savoring Of artifeiality. If the sam
! undergraduate realization Of what III
, sunday exodus means, not only TO tn
9 students as individuals, but to tn
& development pl lnelF beloNeu Rlln
q Mater as we'll there will no lonee
/. be any more such problem. 1t wi
g solve itself. The fellow who habit
= ually absented himself Sundays fror
+ New Haven would be looked upon a
S lacking in that fndescribable some