Bisbee daily review., 1913-03-27
CHAPTER VIII.
Democracy or AristOeraeyf

~ ER. WlLSON nad served nVe lO years as president of Prince SsE.rS ton university before he kss reached the point of irrepres- sible conflict So long as be confined himself to the strictly educational workings of the school he had been allowed to have his way without much opposition. But now, when his con structive mind reached over to the students social life and undertook to organize that and bring it into proper relationship with the other elements of university life. he found that he had put his hand upon what the guard ians of the ar1stocratic institution were really interested in and what they were not disposed to see changed
 In brief. his idea was the organiza- tion of the university in a number of colleges" or "quadrangles les'-practical- ly dormitories-each of which should harbor q certain number of men from every class, with . few of tine younger professors.
 President Wilson secured the ap- pointment of a committee consisting
  the merits of the quad proposal. and at the June u9OJ meeting the com mittee reported on the social oo-or- dination of the university" indorsing Mfr. Wilson's plan. The report of this committee was accepted and its recon mendation adopted with only one dis senting vote. twenty-five of the twen- fu.G q. June meeting
 What was amiss with the "quad'' proposal?
 This-that it cut into the aristocratic social structure which the dominating element in Princeton had erected for it. self.
 If. visiting Princeton, you will pro ceed to the top of a street known as Prospect avenue and pass down it you will see something which probably is not paralleled at any seat of learning in the world. Prospect avenue is lined with clubhouses, twelve of them with handsome buildings. beautiful lawns and tennis courts and, in the case of the more favored clubs on the south side of the street delightful view across the valley to the eastward Some of the clubhOuses are sumptuous comparing very favorabIy with tbe best city clubs. Their aggregate value must be much more than S1.0O0OO0 The clubs house on an average thirty members each-ffteen juniors and if teen seniors. about $50 in all. juniors and seniors alone being eligible. Three hundred other members of those class es can get into no club From this idea has grown up this dominating feature of Princeton life. estranged from the university and yet having more to do with the real forming of its students than any other feature of the college life.
 No one can reflect for a moment upon this club system without understand ing its essentially vicious character.
 The trouble is that the clubs neces- sarily constitute an aristocracy in the midst of a community which should. above all things. be absolutely demo cratic It may be ell very well for the 300 youths who enjoy the delights of the Ivy. the Cap and Gown, the Colonial. Tiger Inn and the rest fthough such luxury is of questionable value to a boy who has yet to make his way in the world. but what of the 300 young men who have not been able to make" one of themf They feel themselves ostracized and humiliated. and the seeds of social bitterness are sown in their souls There is DO pro vision for them outside of common boarding houses. Not a few leave the university.
 Worse yet. rivalry for admission to the clubs Is so great that it injures the work of the freshmen and sopho- rores. The first term of the sopho- more year especially is considered to be entirely wrecked by the absorption of the students in candidating for the club elections held that spring. So highly is membership in a swasger club regarded that parents of pr spec tive students have been known to be- gin visits to Princeton Q year or two before their son entered college with the purpose of organizing a social cam paign to land him in the club to which he aspired.
 It may easily be seen how the exist ence of these select coteries ministers to snobbery. how they foster toady- ing. how they introduce worldly. material and unnatural element into what is natnraily one of the finest things in the worId-a democracy of boys: how they set up at the outset of a students career mistaken ideal. an unworthy aim. and how they divide students along unnatural lines. Over and over again Princeton sees a group of congenial fellows of the incoming freshman class eravitate toward each ..H el.