The Washington times., 1912-02-24
COLLEGE YELL MAY
HAVE TO GO, UNDER
BAN OF PRESIDENT
Executive Expresses His
Disapproval of Noisy
4 Demonstrations.

College presidents, cheer leaders, and
student bodies may have to seek some
mode of expressing appreciation other
than the ''Rah, rah, rah" so fondly
and familiarly known as TIE stamp
of the college youth. President Taft
and A. Lawrence Lowell, president OF
Harvard, at the Washington Harvard
Club dinner at Rauscher's last night
dlsapproved of the famous college yell
in no uncertain terms
Cheers, yells, and whoops greeted the
Presidents entrance into the hall last
night at II o'clock Several speakers
had been heard previous to his entry
and President Lowell rose to speak
after brief Introduction. Songs and
cheers of Three Times Three had
hlled in between each speech, but fol-
lowing the brief Introductory remarks
made by Toastmaster Beekman Win
throp, President Lowell shook his head
at the cheer leader. making known that
ne did not desire the cheer to be given.
Raps College Yells.
There is one reform that / under
stand President Lowell was going to
Introduce into Harvard" said President
Taft. Il was going to use my influence
to carry it into Yale, where the defect
Is even greater and sharper and that
Is the abolition of this rah, rah, rah.
admit that the longer note, or sound.
is less maniacal than the shorter note
that we have at Yale, but wish there
was some other method of expressing
your approval, your welcome, and your
hospitality"
The President said that the newer
SlateSunlycrsitics 9eemed to have out
hn ,nI1 1.Nf. fFngf
lberS. "
There have been peric1s when gchol-
arship has been frowned upon" said
PRESIDENT TAFT. when good fellowship
tasseball and other associations and
athletic excellence have all been ra-
eardCd as of much more Importance
than scholarship. It was supposed TO
show that those who succeeded in tho
management of associations and other
Things. were giving some evidence of n
hetter chance of success in life. l
think 1t is very wrong rule to ignor.,
scholarship. and the standard of schol-
arship as a means of Judging what y
man Is to make of himself afterwards
The man who is first second, nth.
or eighth in his standing in class
scholarship said the President, Should
he known as we'll as the fact that he
was ono of the eight in his crew.
freS1dent Lowell. who preceded Presi-
dent Taft. dwelt upon the aims of the
college proper.
Not a Rich Mans College.
III you saw the poverty that exists at
Harvard said President Lowell, "you
could not say that Harvard is a rich
mans college. The tone of athletics is
better and purer than it was, and our
aim is to make students take a more
serious view of education. Rigorous
training of minds, bodies, and morals is
essential, but the training of the mind
comes first and should be insisted upon
and unless we do this we have failed
OF our purpose"
Gathered to meet President Lowell
we're many prominent men, and with
the exception of President Taft all were
Harvard men. Addresses were made by
secretary OF the Navy, George Won J..
gressman A. p. Gardner of Massa chu.
sets. Congressman Nicholas Long.
worth, and Percy Haughton, head coach
OF the Harvard football team
Secretary Meyer commended the Post.
office Department for its splendid rura1
free delivery system as a medium OF
education for the people of the country
courses could be arranged TO fit youne
men for public life. The national col
Ieges of the army and the navy as char
acterized in the academies at West
Point and Annapolis were praised for
the men they are sending out into the
world eVerV year.
General Porter told many humorous
stories and kept the diners in contin-
uous applause during his speech. Mich
olas Longworth, who followed General
Porter, told how his life had paralleled
that Of Congressman Gardner in that
he had been known as Aunt Maria s
nephew before he arrived in public
life and since that time he had been
known as the son-in-law of distin-
guished Harvard alumnus.
The committee on arrangements con.
nf TncknrmDn n
John w. Davidge, James F. Curtis
Franklin II. Ellis, and Charles r. Tit
man. Songs and cheers filled in between
speeches.