New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-18
YALE HOLDS CLASS DAY
President Had|ey Discusses En-
trance Examinations.
w. B. HORNBLOWER SPEAKS
Professor Donaldson Addresses
Medical Graduates-Alumnl
Hold Reunions.
nv TeleEranh 70 The Trlbuns ]

ance with all the traditions and customs OF
the past The seniors listened TO the read
ing OF their class history and their class
poem, planted their class ivy In due ana
ancient form. and finally wound mp the day
with the customary senior prom. On the
more serious side Of the days programme
were the annual report Of President Had
ley. the address OF William 3. Hornblower
to the graduates OF the law school ana the
address Of Professor Henry RI. Donaldson,
of the Wlstar Institute Of Anatomy ana
Biology. al the medical school exercises.
The alumni. too held a prominent place
i'm the days activities, hundreds OF them
pouring into the city to be present at their
class reunions and enjoy the other feat-
ures of commencement week
President Hadley in his report discussed
the question Of the character and amount
OF entrance examination requirements. he
was Of the opinion that Yale had not kept
in close touch with the public schools, ana
said that the primary necessity was to keep
up the character OF her product This
would result. he declared, In the best boys
in the public and preparatory schools going
t. the best college rather than to the
easiest" college. Or. Hadley continued:
Inc ale man VINO goes lnto lle id
ward Law School or the Johns Hopkins
Medical School and measures himself
against the graduates OF other colleges
| finds that his education serves MIN wen
/ and that he meets this competition win
a positive advantage on his side. The
advantage which he has gained from his
college training Is partly intellectual; IL
is partly moral; a good deal of II lies on
the border line between the two
This advantage we attribute 10 three
things: First that the students are adj.
mitted under general rules and governed
under general rules long as they stay
here; second, that they are admitted on
! examinations and held up to the examna-
ton test wherever that test is practicable,
and third, that they have been required 10
have as a result OF their school work a
rigid training in Latin or mathematics. or
both.
Continuing his criticism OF Yales pres
ent methods. Or. Eadley said that while he
believed the university was right In prln-
ciplc IT had carried the principle out In n
great many ways that were wrong. lie
said the entrance examinations had Gov
cred too many subjects. and IT had been
required that boy should do moderately
well In all Of them or else be conditioned.
An Unfair Disadvantage.
In other words, the test had been con-
Quoted in such way that hoy who was
in all probability good scholar and able
To go on with his work was often put at an
unfair disadvantage. Dr. Hsdley then
said
OF course We cannot permit serious want
| OF preparation I'm subject which a hoy
| is going TO need a basis for his college
| studies. We cannot admit any one 10 the
! engineering course who does not know>the
necessary mathematics. no matter how
| good he may be- I'm French or In history.
! We cannot allow any one 10 pursue an adj
yRnCcd course In language or In history
who is deficient In the elementary knowl-
/ edge Of these subjects.
| But with this reservation ! believe that
J We should do we'll to admit men 10 college
whose average Is we'll above the passing
| mark. even though there are some subjects
| In which they are deficient. Vt present
We admit man who Just passes on all his
! subjects. while We condition the man who
does brilliantly on thTee-quarters Of them
/ and has not prepared himself on the 9TH
| ers Yet in the majority OF instances man
! OF the latter type IL likely Ia prove a better
! student than q man Of the former type.
Tho attempt 10 make the academic and
scientific departments as much allke as
possible I'm the length Of their courses and
| The character Of their entrance require
ments seems to me TO he move In the
wrong direction. II Is undoubtedly true
that the sharp division Of our undergrad
uate He into two departments produces
some incoEvenienCes and evils. Those look
particularly large To the outside observer.
The man whose hoy has a taste for
science and not for Languages thinks II
hard that he should he compelled TO 60 10
one department with one KIND OF society
attend another department with another
kind Of society system
THE Pedagogical Standpoint"
n We could look at secret societies or
! athletic managerships as being the chief
objects around which n college course
revolves there would he much to be said
for this view But II We look az tho mat
ter from the pedagogical standpoint and
ask what arrangement or studles VIII Keep
tho bows a, work and give them the things
they most need To know. think We shall
reach a different conclusion.
Dr Hadiey said that what was needed
was not an attempt to make the scientific
school like the college or the college like
the scientific school, hut rather a clearer
definition OF the purpose Of the different
courses, and better understanding Of the
pedagogical means by which those pur-
poses could he obtained.
In closing he declared that the value NJ
an education did not depend primarily upon
the time spent or even upon the place
where that time had been spent II did not
even depend upon the amount Of knowledge
acquired, hut it depended upon the utility
of that knowledge toward the ends the
student had in view.
Mr. Hornhlower in hts address to the
law graduates had for his theme The In
dependence Of the Judiciary" According
TO his view. the self-styled progressive was
not necessarily the true progressive. huI
might. on the other hand. be a reactionary
Of the worst kind. TO set back the clock
OF time" he said. is not progress, but re-
rress civilization rests upon law. Law
rests upon the courts The courts rest
upon popular respect" II for law and for
| the courts are TO be substituted the voice
| of a temporary majority Of the people he
said. then are We abandoning the achieve
ments Of civilization and drifting back to
barbsrism.'
Futile Scheme, Mr.. Hornbower Says.
He commented on the futility of the
| scheme advocated by an ex-Presdent OF
the United States for the recall Of judicial
decisions OF the several state courts while
leaving free from recall decisions Of the
Supreme Court, which may and often do
affect tn. same statutes as those OF the
state courts
| 1ne law ScnOoI graduating CLASS contained
| hfty-two members. and the graduate class
fourteen. The following prize awards were
announced in the afternoon:
| For first year men receiving highest
marks in examination the Foster prize to
J G. r. Bentley. Rochester. n. Y; the Jewell
prize to II. S. Trous. Elkins W. Va, and
the Townsend prize for the best Grafton
to 4. J. Aldridge. jr, Arcola. Miss. The
/ Joseph Parker prize for the best thesis on