Evening star., 1909-05-30

where the Yale men were in session.
In discussing how the alumni associa-
tions and the central organizations can
be most beneficial in furthering the inter
csts Of Yale University, the President
said:
Il see by one of the papers that the
object OF my being here is to make Yale
q national university. The truth Is. Yale
is q national university: the truth Is that
have wider distribution OF members
and alumni than any other university
in the country. 'TtS well that all other
universities must struggle with this fact
in view. The national spirit Is strong
at Yale. 1t is true the university is To-
Gated at New Haven. but that Is because
IL had to be located some place. Had our
forefathers foreseen the setting aside of
reservation for the National Capital,
have no doubt that they would have
set a particular section of that reserva-
tion for Yale University
From the meeting the President was
escorted to the Union station. where he
took a special train to Sewickely. all of
the Yale visitors accompanying him. The
President drove to the Rea residence.
while others of the party lunched at the
Allegheny Climb. Then came the base
ball games, the return to town and the
banquet tonight.
Prof. George f. Vincent of Chicago Uni
versity a Yale man of SO. was the toast
master at tonights banquet and brought
out q gale of laughter by his references
TO the legislators at Washington, who are
celebrating. he declared. as to whether
they should do their country by duty.
or do their duty by their country.
Taft Lauds Roosevelt.
President Taft was the first speaker
and confined himself almost wholly to a
eulogy of Yale and of the Yale spirit. The
President also took occasion to pay a
striking tribute to former President
Roosevelt which was loudly cheered. :,
reunion of Yale clubs each year is greatly
to he commended. / have had the honor
now to attend three. and / believe that
the spirit which is aroused at such a
meeting far exceeds that which we were
BILE to arouse at city and state meetings.
Whether. IL the prosperity of the coun-
try does not continue. we shall be able
TO maintain these meetings is an eco
able 10 solve after the tariff bill has been
passed ard after the conditions which
are to follow that tariff bill are fully as
certained. Certain it is that in no city
have We had a more cordial welcome
than in the city of Pittsburg.
The Yale spirit is elastic and capable
of spreading itself over and influencing
q great many other similar institutions:
and what l feel is that every university
and every college In this country has In
its heart desire to emulate that which
it recognizes as the Yale spirit. and to
make it, as well it may, part of its in
stitutionS.
Roosevelt's Tribute to Yale.
Now. the last President was Harvard
man. He said, when he was made Yale
man. that he had never undertaken any
great work in his great career that he
had not found Yale man behind him to
help him on.
And what I wish to say of Theodore
Roosevelt. I know. and those within the
z,1o
him. know it well do. that he inn
hued into the government at Washington
that spirit which we call the Yale spirit,
on the one hand and which you may call
on the other. the universal spirit of
America. and that he put into the hearts
of all the college men of America a de-
sire TO lend themselves to public service
and TO elevate the politics Of this coun-
try.
And | am glad to be able to testify
that that result of his administration is
prominent element in life at Washington
and in the politics of the United States.
II have not counted up what the coll
lege complexion of Mr.. Roosevelts cabi-
net was. I can only say that in the
present cabinet there are two Harvard
men and two Yale men, counting Brother
Knox as one of the most recent but one
of the most valuable acquisitions that
Yale has made
IF I did not have to make a speech
every time i came to a Yale meeting 1
them.
Il find it difficult to express the feeling
of gratitude that you have that you were
permitted to live under the elns of dear
old Yale and look to her as your alma
mater.
President Hadey of Yale and Judge
Henry Z. Rowland of the class Of 81
were the other speakers.
President Hadley's Address.
President Hadley spoke the topic
The Western Federation, and What 1t
Means He said. in part:
We always like to think of Yale as
having two distinctive features: Its en-
phasis on public service and it's essenti-
ally national character. We can speak
of these things with all the more salts
faction now that we have Yale Presi-
dent of the United States coming from
the Western Federation itself, who so
conspicuously exemplifes both in his own
person. The two have been intimately
connected.
The fact that Yale has been a school
of patriotism even more than a school
or classics or mathematics. of theology
or law, has attracted men from all over
the country. For this reason / regard
fales western constituency as its most
distinctive and it's most important
of us. realize how clearly Yales char
acter stands out in this respect
The two places with which we most
naturally compare ourselves are Har-
ward and Princeton. Harvard in her
graduate and professional schools is
national university, but in her under
graduate department she is to an al
most extreme degree a local one
Princeton's conditions seem at first
sight more like those of Yale.
"She has no larger proportion of under
graduates from New Jersey than Yale
has from Connecticut. But even at Prince
ton more than two-thirds of their enroll
ment comes from the three adjoining
states of New York New Jersey and
Pennsylvania.
In the present condition of the country
believe it to be most important that our
undergraduate life should be national
rather than local. AS things stand in
america today have other foes TO
fight that are quite as dangerous as ig-
norance. One of these foes is provAci
ism.
The more localiZe our school sys-
TENS the more dangerous there Is that
the boy who has learned one set of opin-
ions i'll one school will think that he
knows everything worth knowing. This
Is always a dangerous state of mind.
ut Is "A particularly dangerous one to-
day, when the railroad and the Telegram ph
and the developments OF steam com
munication have brought US into such
close political and industrial contact with
distant places that we are sure to give
onense unless we have a corresponding
breadth Of Intellectual understanding
This is no time to discuss the different
things which YOU can do for Yale Lut I