The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-22
PRINCETON REVIEWS
ITS FIGHT ON LSON
His lnsistence on Equality in College Life
Never Has Been Forgiven by the
Social Set

| becoming active in opposing him In
|; his presidential ambition. The feeling
has been smoidcriny ever since the
end OF the famous controversy over
/, the plans for the Princeton Graduate
. College.
+, II IL recalled that Adrian II. Jolinc,
| VIII" made public Woodrow Wilson's
/ letter expressing the wish that Will
| liam j. Bryan might be- Knocked into
"A cooked hat WAS one Of DR.. Will
sons opponents In the Graduate Col
! lego dispute Tho divulEcncc OF Pres
/ idcnt Wilson's application To the Car
ncTic Foundation for II pension, which
Z was dIsapprovcd after the comm ttcc
had changed its rules, is said to be
another manifestation OF forces i'm
mediatcly connected with Princeton
life that are working secretly against
his candidacy. There are other In
locations. his friends say. that the
Governors career at Princeton is be-
3 ing searched for ammunition to he
used before the assembling of the
National Democratic Convention at
baltimore.
The controversy At Princeton has
never been perfectly understood by
, the public Indeed II had been kept
under cover from June, 1907. until Feb
r'iary, 1910, when it came TO light In
the announcement That tho gift OF
100000 offered by William Cooper
Proctor for the Graduate College of
the university had been spurncd by
Woodrow Wilson. To this gift sup
elemental offer of $500, 900, making
total of 100000 was conditionally
made by some of the chief alumni men
who three years before had prevailed
upon the Princeton board OF trustees
Ia reverse its vote and defeat Pres
ident wilson's proposal for the So
called quad" system
Opposed b! Exclusive Set.
lhese alumni were the champions of
the arisiocratic clubs ut Princeton. Thu;
town mas many wealthy residents, and
IL is said greater pi oportion of rich
mems sons arc matriculatcd In tho col
ieSe than at any other university
ffincetons president, who had brill
!i"ntly conceived and executed eduCa-
tiohal reforms that developed into the
famous preceptorial system. had At
commencement time in 1907 outlined
proposal Tor the social co-ordina-
ton OF the univcrslty"
q scneme of tho ruadrangles or
nuads was proposed to bring all sec
tons of the college body into the
same res dental halls and common
aininE-rooms, the intent being to make
'he younger classmen minglc freely
win the older students and their nro.
lessons In their life spent outside the
S,ussrooms. In this way, President
wilson argued. friendly and natural
associations would be formed undar
entirely democratic conditions. ~ ~
huencc OF the older upon the vo,frg.
men would be stimulating and inspir.
me and the points OF bencticitl con.
tact would be multiplied The hoard
or trustees. with hut one dIsson,ina
vote and two ahsentees OUT OF its
~ mem nerehip of twenty -eeven, en-
ENTHUSIASTICALLY adopted the proposal.
ihen IL was realized by the alumni
VINO attended the 1907 commencement
That this fascinating plan broachcd h,
.heir popular president would razo to
the ground the elaborate social struc
ture represented by twelve handsome
ana sumptuous clubhouses which
inning Prospect Avenue. and costins
upward OF 100000. divided the two
uppes classes In halves. according TO
principles Of social selection. The
ciuos' averaging thirty members each.
mace delightful homes for one half thc
students. the other half that faiIed "a
quarry being deprived of decided ad.
Vantagee- Freshmen and sophomores
looked lonGingly upon the fair pro
portions OF the Cap and Gown" Tho
niger Inn" The Colonial" and the
other clubs. and the fateful day o.
erection or ostracism was one OF
mingled triumphs and bitternesses
me aiamni OF the club arstocracy or.
posed with might and main President
Wilson'S programme, anu the meeting
OF the trustees in October saw II
broken and cast out
ilson's Idea Democratic
II was then that L. b. Seymour
trustee. who had been sent to reason
with Woodrow Wilson and alter his
opinions, returned with the report tina,
the president had diagnosed what he
conceived to be national and not
merely a local collegiate disease. Mr..
Seymour said:
He felt that in this country at tho
present time there wac too strong 3
tendency 10 glorify money merely
that with the Increasing wealth OF the
country this tendency would be &C
centuatcd. In short, he feared Thai
we would rapidly drift into a pluto.
cracy. To meet this condition he felt
that the corrective of an education
along purely democratic lines should
be given to our boys in our institu.
tons OF higher learning. At Prince
ton. whittier me many sons of mil
iionaircs, he felt we should so inprcss
these boys with ideas oil democracy
and personal worth that when they
became. In the ordinary course of ma
tniS masters of their fathers fortunes
they should so use their undoubtcd
power as to help not hurt. the Com.
InoHwcalth
Then followed the Proctor dispute,
Mrs Josephine y. Thompson Swami,
by her will In the beginning of 1907,
placed the sum OF s25O.OOO at the dis
posal Of the trustees for the Princeton
Graduate College. Prof. Andrew +.
West, dean of the graduate school.
had in 1908 written a prospectus OF
this residential college. to which,
President Wilson contributed fore
word. saying that the college was
designed to be placed in the midst of
our campus and seated at the heart
of Princeton" He complimcntcd Prof.
West for having got at the Sist OF
the matter. the real means by which
group Of graduate students arc most
apt TO stimulate and SET the pace fol
the whole university" When, seven