Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-16
THE UNIVERSITY IDEA.
Has Greatly Changed Since a Few
Poor Ministers Founded Yale.

The notion of the proper SCOPE and
function of a university has somewhat
changed since Cardinal Newman In
his perspicuous and stately English
set forth "The Idea of a University
Still more has it changed since the
day when a few poor ministers at
Saybrook. Conn, collected handful
of books, held prayer meeting, and
started Yale College; or the day, some
Ga wears earlier, that Massachusetts
parsons highly resolved to start
school at "Newtowne," that they
might forfend an illterate succession
to the New England ministry when
1.-The present generation shall I've IN
the dust" How the founders OF Har-
ward would have scowled through
their iron-rinirf1ed ,spectacles to read
tine newspaper announcement OF the
twentieth century that the fame OF
philosophy and grove of Academic was
promoting an aviation meet; that the
Young idea was being taught not no"
to shoot. but how to fly. Truly there
are more things in heaven they might
saw. than were dreamt OF In oui
philosophy"
In seventeenth century Harvard they
taught Latin and Greek and Hebrew
and he who could hold his own in de-
hate against all corners, pillorled on
commencement day, won his degree
There were furies if freshman wore
his hat in the college inclosure, Oh IL
any student went "on skatns. oi
shooting, or swore, or got drunk' VI
went upon the roof. 1t was leareo
that he might plrloin the lead cutters
to make bullets for his nefarlous FOWL
ing niece. Breakfast consisted Oh peer
and bread and supper of bread allo
beer-and it was small beer at tia'
which is to say it was as weak DIS liie
butterv hatch dared to make II. Wile'l
forks were introduced, after tRree-
score and ten years they We're useo
to min slices of meat to the undcr side
of the table. The faculty passed.
vote of thanks for gifts of "a rev
SPOONS and an upholstered clair lor
the library.
Those were the days of plain nVihs
and high thinking. when fresioeh'
D,,nster was thrown out OF MS own
house in the dead of winter LOT re-
sisting the notion of totally suphiers-
ing infants in the rite OF paptisii'
Nowadays there are automobiles, mex
el-pIated needle baths. bull terriers
and high and mighty tutors to 90 al
their work for the matricuiates' anu
enable them to burn the midnight TAN
talun lamp of the Boston theater IN,
stead of the pale candle of Nathanael
Mather, which outshone every othei
light in the silent village. And II Is
these naissance- steele Harvard men
who are promoting meeting VIII
prizes bigger than the total proceeus
of the lotteries which used to sustain
the Auttering life of the infant college,
oh. the changed times and the deSen-
crate customs! Pegasus is petroil]eo
and there flows in his veins not the
ichor of the gods, but the sputterihs
and noisesome gasolene. the Sahuais
of Mercury are discarded for the WIN
ring propeller of the monopiane' anu
where formerly students in sober garr
reasoned earnestly Of spiritual mat
ters is heard the throb and strum Oh
the enginery of drigibles, and inc
black shadow of the wings of oiled sllh
comes between the sun and the green
sward. and the spirit of Plato is I'M
sphered in the whirling emulatlon o'
winged men-Philadelph Public Led
ger.