Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-25
PRESIDENT LAUDS COLLEGE
Declares Institution Better Today
Than Ever Before.
DEAN JONES Is A SPEAKER
Describes Conditions Prevailing at
University Today-Commends
Students as Aid.


Students as Aid.
President Taft, Yale man among Yale
men. greeted the Washington Yale alumni
at the thirty eighth annual banquet OF
the local association, at the Raleigh Ho-
tel, last night. In his speech he con.
graduated Yale upon its progressiveness
declaring that the institution is better
today than ever before. In his public ca
reer, he said. he had called upon Yale
and upon Harvard men, and in every in
stance they had responded
When the President entered the banquet
hall the Yale graduates leaped to their
feet and gave him the long Yale cheer
with three Tafts on the end. Their loyal
ty to him and their desire that he again
be elected to the highest Office in the
land was much in evidence, and when
Dean Frederick s. Jones Of Yale College,
at the close Of his address, declared that
Yale men were at present imbued with
the second term idea,'' there was round
after round of applause.
Except for Dean Jones' reference to the
coming election, politics were omitted
from the speeches of the evening. how
ever, and Yale, the alma mater, was the
topic of it's discussion. Huge Yale ban
ners decorated the banquet hall. The
guests were seated at small tables break
ing up the formality of the usual lengthy
banquet board. An orchestra was screen
including the famous 'Boola," during the
dinner. Among the guests of honor be-
sides the President and Dean jones' were
Secretary of War Stims0n, Lee McClung.
United States treasurer; A. A. Adee.
second assistant secretary of state, and
Charles p. Rowland Of New York.
Dean Jones First Speaker.
George X McLanahan, president of
the local alumni association, was toast
master. He gave a brief history Of the
organization of the Washington Yale
Alumni Association back in 1874, and
of the first president Of the association,
Peter Parker. who was not only doctor
and distinguished diplomat, having
represented this country in China.
GU may call him anything you like
except general" said Mr.. McLanahan.
Dean Jones Of the academic department
OF the university was the first speaker.
vail at Yale today among the students
was revelation to many of the older
graduates. He began with a discussion
of the changes which have been made in
curriculum, pointing out that in "Sheff,' .
the scientific department of the univer-
sity. the requirement that Latin be
studied before admission was possible,
studied before admission was possible
for students to enter Yale University to-
day who sought only a broad education
along modern lines
The competition offered by great west
ern universities, he said, had been one
Of the compelling reasons for this change
In the academic department, he said, the
policy had been to develop not only a
broad, but also definite curriculum, with
end. g
Dean Jones declared that the innova-
tons made In curriculum and the dis
cipline; of the students in the academic
standard Of scholarship generally.
He referred to the rule under which a
student who does not maintain a standard
of at least 2.2J out Of a possible before
he is warned" and declared that while
five years ago there had been twenty
class, last year only three had received
and while five years ago twenty
nine students had been warned in the
junior class. last year only four had been
was far better, he said. than In the past.
Senior Council an Aid.
The discipline Of the students was in
large part left to the students them
council, consisting Of seven members
elected by the senior class. has been Of
great assistance to the faculty in deal
ing with student problems. He referred
to the fact that the senior council had
handled the saloon question with skill,
and also to the voluntary abandonment
Of proposition to open q billiard par
Tors at the University Club by the stu
dents, after consulting him.
There is no other Institution where
the life is more wholesome" declared
Dean Jones emphatically.
The old method Of Suspending boys be-
cause they failed to keep up in their
studies or because they got into trou-
BILE has been abandoned. he said Now
he must drop the first recitation OF the
day, SO that he may be able to catch up In
his other courses. This means that he may
not be able to graduate because he can
not complete all the hours required by
the curriculum, and he soon sees the
error Of his ways.
''This is my second term here in WASH
ington," said Dean Jones in closing, re-
ferring to the fact that he had appeared
In Washington before But my excuse
~
are at present imbued with second-term
idea," turning to President Taft.
In introducing the President. Mr.. Nc
pointed out that the Washing
ton Yale Alumni Association had had the
foresight to organize in the very year
that future President of the United
States had passed his examinations and
entered Yale.
II congratulate Dean Jones upon his
work at Yale" said the President. land I
hof he w ho ho
brought about at the university have been
only after hard fight"
Then the Taft smile appeared and broad
ened as the President burst into q laugh.
Of the moral tone at Yale and compare
1t to what 1t was In my day. is an In
dication that we are progressive at Yale
To go to the dean and ask II 1t Is proper
to play billiards on Sunday certainly Is
some.
The President repeated the views he
expressed at the Harvard banquet Fri
day night, that the educational side of
college life should be emphasized as
against athletics and other student ac-
tivitfes. He said that he was gratified
to have heard from Dean Jones Of Yale
College. and President Lowell of Har-
ward University. that scholarship was
coming more and more to the fore.
University Life Improving.
Il am glad that my boy was not ex-
posed to the same temptations during his
college course as was l." said the Presi-
dent. But am deeply grateful, and will
always continue to be SO, for my college
training at old Yale"
The President said. however. that there
could be no doubt that the university life
at Yale and at other American institu-
tions of learning was improving
Ubon the President had ended hic nd
dress. Mr.. McLanahan read to him q