The sun., 1916-12-24
SOME NEW BOOKS.
How Yale Began.

How Xabo Began.
A lasting and fitting memorial OF
the b~icentennial anniversary Of Yale's
coming TO New Haven. which will be
read with interest by all who care for
New England as well as ~ Yale men.
has been erected by EDWIN OviArT In
his entertaining book The Beginnings
Of Yole (Yaie University Press, New
Haven). In It he tells chiefly OF the
dihlculties and the struggles In bring
ing the college into existence. and only
at the end does he leave II established
in the course IL was to follow. He has
made use Of the accurate Information
that modern historical research has
ferreted out. but he has clothed the
dry facts with flesh by turning upon
the pictures OF places and periods and
on the portraits Of the men all the
light that contemporary documents
provide. His descriptions suffer In
no way from his allowing his sense OF
humor At times to blend with his SYM
pathetic Judgments.
The reasons for the existence Of
Yale are interviewer inextricably with
the settlement Of the New Haven col
ony and with John Davenport's crav-
inG for a college that should impart his
own IDEAS. Tue irony OF the Puritan
attitude in striving against the intol-
crane OF Laud and the Church OF
England. only to show more bitter in
tslefancc among themselves when
ooce they were free to worship As
they pleased, II shown most distinctly
In The car o. Davenport. A short
stay In Boston convinced him that he
min there. neither could he tolerate
the moro moderate men who Ned with
him from England and settled Connec-
ticut, so he led his adherents TO settle
his own theocratic State, of which he
should be the head. at New Haven.
There he held sway, in constant dissen-
sion with men who did not agree with
Inn fully. many Of whom found It bet
ter to 30 elsewhere. ill the more mod
crate ideas. which In spite OF him per-
meated his colony. drove him in his
Let days back to Boston. n fine. un-
compromising figure to the end. To
Inn the spiritual shortcomings Of
Harvard College. at whose birth he
was present. early became manifest.
and In consequence the establishment
q q school in his " colony. which
should send out right minded preach
e9D, became necessary. Mr.. Oviatt
tells clearly the story OF his many
efforts and Of the occasions when they
might possibly have been successful
had Davenport been less uncompro-
missing. 1t is clear hat in his day
Connecticut and New Haven showed
little enthusiasm for education. The
pictures Of the early days In the COL
onies and Of the pioneer worthless are
licelike and brilliant.
The second stage N the evolution
q the college is more exciting.
though the many details are some
times a tribe confusing. This time is
the end Of the seventeenth century
md the chief actor James Pierpont.
the minister at New Haven. 1t IL the
real beginning. The need Of a college
has become greater. the times more
tolerant and Pierpunt stirs his fellow
A1nisters TO work for IL. IL In n
struggle between them. turning on
religious differences. and even more
On sectional rivalry. not untainted
vsth neyson.l ~eaIousies When the
minis.er. M lac, a1r.. ,b.v ni,ch on
0evbrook "a a comnnomI.e Tor m.
~ ~ thu COLLEGE I'm, ,haro q, On ~
- money that sor tho nr., ,ow y.ar,
a. 4. heid a, Rec,or p~,erron's bouse
IN Ktuingwortb Tb.v 90, a ch.r,.y
from the secular nox,.r af,.r mrch
dtsc,,s.iop among ,h.ms.,yn. hu,
NnsnciaI a,a 4. m,,c, .,ower In .om
inr. The ear IToI NJ ov,a,t ,c.
cont. a. The correc, dat. Tn. .tor,s.
~ /. d,v. A. savhroox vh.n ,h.
nsw college came r..r .xrir,ng .nd
~ ~. hitter egb, a.. .. wno,har ,hs
hartford ar the Nev Haven men
.Aouid d.,.ru,n. a.. er., Ioc.,,or a.
srtremelv sntartairirg because Tho M.
tNs .ocia, Iifa NJ ,bo tima ond ON