Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-04-30

a.
up and down. The social life OF the
two lower classes presents such a pic
ture as would a layer OF iron filings
over which a magnet Is passed, form
ing groups now here. now there. and
keeping all In constant confusion. In
the words Of President Wilson, the
sideshow had swallowed up the circus:
Nothing could be more un-American;
nothing could be more opposed to the
true principles Of education.
b We approach now one Of the most
dramatic, as 1t is one Of the most In.
volved, chapters in the life or any
American institution OF learning-in-
deed, Z chapter. II it could be rightly
told, not often excelled in interest In
any story Of American life.
A circular setting forth In outline
President Wilson's "quad" proposal
was sent to the various clubs and was
generally read there on the Friday
night before commencement, 1907.
Princeton alumni, particularly those
from the eastern cities, come back in
large numbers to their alma mater and
usually put up at the clubhouses, where
the Friday night preceding commence
ment Is given over to jolly dinner:
The quad" proposal, it was instantly
seen, contemplated the doing, away Of
the clubs. .a- - =
It was even said that President Will
son proposed to cOnfiscate them. The
wrath Of the alumni jollifying that
night in Prospect avenue was instant
~ aroused. and the shout Of battle was
raised. No decent consideration was
ever given the new idea. The grieved
graduates went home to spread stories
of the attack on Princeton's favorite
institutions and rally the old boys to
their defense.
Old Princetonians got busy and wrote
distressed letters to the Alumni Week
~, expressing their grief and aston
ishment that Princeton president
should so far forget himself as to try
to make a gentleman chum with q
mucker."
The trustees, who had voted the
plan through with but single dissent
ing voice. now frightened by the alum
nj howl, were persuaded to reconsider.
On Oct. II the board requested Presi.
dent Wilson to withdraw the proposal.
The inalienable right of the Ameri-
can college youth to choose his own
hatband land compel other youths to
wear untrimmed headgear) was thus
triumphantly indicated. But the
saviors of the club system were not
generous in victory. They continued
to hurl insults upon President Wilson.
It was now discovered that he was a
domineering, brutal, bigoted, 1nconsid-
crate and untruthful demagogue. The
preceptorial system, which had been
in operation for two years, with every
body's approval, was now also at
tackled.
President Wilson was even charged
with having inaugurated it over the
heads of the faculty. Various classes
among the alumni withdrew their sub
scriptions for the support Of preceptors.
1t took only a few months of this sort
of thing for the board of trustees, the
faculty and the alumni to find them
selves divided beyond compromise.
Lifelong friendships were broken. The
chasm deepened, and passions so vio-
lent that it would not have been deem
ed possible for collegiate to possess
them were aroused.
1t Is little difficult to see why the
question should have provoked the as
tonishingly bitter fight which now
broke out at Princeton. To find the
real cause Of it all one must 60 deeper
than the issue presented on the sur
face, much deeper than the mere per-
sonality Of the president AS to the
latter, it is quite possible that DR.. Will
sons positive character, the certainty
of his convictions and his aggressive
ness in expressing them may have
been distasteful to men long accustom-
ed to other methods. 1t is even posi-
BILE that the president was not as gen.
tie in his manner; perhaps not always
as tactful, as he might have beeA, as
he has since become. Undoubtedly a
man Of exceeding charm Of personality,
he had his grim side-no man descend
ed from line of Scottish Presbyteri-