New-York tribune., 1922-06-09
Columbia and
n. 7. L. Said to
Bar Out Jews

1 fconfrUeo fror pass ea,l
Russia end Poland into the United
states. They had not the same cul.
tursl background as the German Jew.
ish immigration; they came from the
/ gnettos OF the Pale; the tradition Of
/ persecution and discrimination, even
! of pogroms, ran red in their veins.
We ct them heap up in our dineiest
tenements and tolerated exploitation Of
them in our darkest sweatshops. Their
own efforts. their readiness 70 toll
night and day. have brought them
little OF this worlds goods. and they
are now sending their sons 10 college.
/ With all their hunt Cor money they
/ have retained an extraordinary re-
spect for learning. A larger proper
| tion OF Jews 20 70 college than Of any
other race IN America. They are. sc-
cordingly. flooding the universities in
/ the cities where they have eongre
gated.
"The College Of the City Of New
| York has become an overwhelmingly
/ Jewish college-morc than 90 per cent
| Of It's students are Jews. Columbia's
Jewish percentage crept steadily up
ward until. in 1919. the freshman class
entering the college was more than 40
per cent Jewish The Wharton School
OF Commerce, the largest department
/ OF the University Of Pennsylvania has
! p per cent Jews, and the medical
school is reported 10 have even more
/ L.. II 4k~ ~,btrk q
wears ago was between 3 and 10. has
reached 20. And these Jews. coming
/ increasingly from poor immigrant
! homes are often unable 70 live in the
/ college dormitories or 20 share in
/ undergraduate life-even II they were
wanted. Many of them live az home.
eat a pocket lunch on the college cam
pus. and leave the university grounds
/ 70 earn the money for their tuition by
night work. Many retain the gregari-
/ business born Of life in the Pale and
remain only half-assimilated.
1T is natural that university off,
c!als should attempt 20 stem this tide.
/ As M J. p Gavit put IL in The New
York Evening Post there are colleges
which are simply young gentlemen's
/ country clubs FOR the pleasant pro-
/ longation OF the period Of adolescence
There is also the genteel tradition at
Harvard, Yale and Princeton Gradu-
alton from them has in the past carried
/ with il rather elementary but still
real degree Of social prestige. The in
filtration OF a mass of pushing young
men with q foreign accent, accustomed
70 overcome discrimination By sclfas-
sertion. would obviously change the
character Of undergraduate life at any
Of these institutions and lessen its
social prestige.
Many SubterfuSes Adopted
$50 the discrimination has begun
Some colleges have appointed local
alumni committees which meet and
pass upon candidates from their cities.
method obviously open % abuse
Others have adopted tests o. character,
or a system Of Psychological tests. It
is widely charged that the psychoiog-
ical tests have been used 20 discrimi-
nate against Jews; certainly the drop
in percentage Of Jews which has fire.
quently followed their application is
extremely suspicious IN view OF the pre-
vious complaint that the Jews ran away
with oil the prizes and scholarships.
Columbia College has combined with
mental tests a study o. the applicants
record.
"Not only are his outside school
activities considered, but the principal
Of his high school is asked 10 mark
him upon series Of character traits.
including fair play public spirit
interest in fellows and leadership
traits in which a school principal OF
old American stock is likely 70 rank
low the boy from an immigrant home
who is excluded from some of the
social life Of his fellows b. prejudice
and By the need Of earning his own
way Other colleges have definitely
limited their total attendance. thus
creating a waiting list-and, as the
director Of admissions of one Eastern
college said TO an editor of The
Nation with a waiting list you can
do almost anything This kind Of con-
cealed exclusion. Of course. disgrsees
any university which adopts It. II
college is 20 exclude Jews or 10 limit
them. let il state the fact and give its
reasons.
Changing Conditions Faced
"With a full realization Of the COM
plex and tragic nature Of the problem
we 20 further-we say that the college
or university which wishes 70 be the
alma mater Of the leaders Of the
America Of tomorrow can make neither
secret nor open exclusion on the
cround of race or creed. The char
acfer Of our universities is changing
already; 10 will be still more changed
bv this infusion OF strange blood.
Some Of the beauty Of the aristoerstic
tradition will be lost But America IS
changing: il is no longer a nation OF
Anelo-Saxon stock; Il Is q nation
nodded By that stock but perpetuaiiy
being transformed by the later comers.
The American university must
change. too. either moving with ,he
country or in the reverse dliectlVni;
Titber II must become a limited soeiai
i-s.;.n4;on living on memories Of
n.ber davs-snd q university which
nerseeution- SCARED race cannot
Loen alive the traditions OF intellectual
integrity. Of noblesse obhge, and OF
.ssontisl democracy which have MADE
o,,- elder universities play so great
81. in American life-or u must open
80 doore frankly and fairly 70 al VINO
c., meet its requirements Of schoiaf-
sb;p. The social unity Of undergrad
yate life may suffer, but IN inteiiec-
,usi vigor there will be gain
"a rniversity. like a preparatory
s,booi will. il II wishes prestige as
.ncisl club. exclude or discourage
,he newer Immigrants: a university
ub,eb dedieates itself 70 the pursuit
| ~ truth and which wishes 20 ma nsul taII
itself as a hesrthstone OF tne nllnu
can make no such dlscrimi nst tlohs.
0nlv the Russia Of the Cars dio "n@'
our universities are beginning 70 ~,
oniv Poland Rumania and hungary 20
- today. America cannot aroro 70
| ~ 80 ~.ref kafkWlT0 III