The Washington times., 1929-05-02
STANDARDS
HIGHEST
EVER,,HE
FINDS
By JAMES L. KILGALLEN
Copyright. 1920. by international
News ssrvtce.)

Copyright. 1920. by international
News ssrvtce.)
NEW HAVEN, Conn, May
2.-American colleges have
their problems, but the ef-
feet of the so-called jazz age
on students is not one Of them.
Nothing to get excited about, :"
sums up the attitude of Robert
Maynard Hutchins, hoy DEAN Of
the Yale law school who, at the
age of 80, has been appointed prest-
dent of the University of Chicago,
the sixth largest university in the
United States. When he takes
charge in Chicago he will be the
youngest college president in the
country.
Student Standards High
81 think the standards and ideals
of the rank and file Of college boys
and girls are as high as they ever
have BEEN" Dean Hutchins de-
clared in an exclusive interview to-
day.
THE young people are all right.
I'm not at all alarmed over the
effect of this so-called jazz age on
students. We can bank on our
young folk"
A tall, slim, handsome, dark
haired chap, exceedingly popular
at Yale, the young college president
elect leaned back in his swivel
chair in his office overlooking the
campus and smilingly laughed off"
suggestions that perhaps the pres,
ent day crop of college students is
going at too fast a pace.
mot at ALL" he said, flicking
the ashes from his cigarette.
In appearance and demeanor Dear
Hutchins is wholly unlike the op
ular conception of the dignified
college prexy.
"A Chicago girl student testified
at a recent homicide trial that to
be popular with the boys nowadays
girls must drink, dance and keep
late hours he was reminded.
How about that?'.'
Well he replied, 81 confess ]
may not be right up on the times.
1 am 10 years older than that
lad. But her idea is. untrue as far
as my experience has indicated. l
think the average coed is q pretty
level-headed person"
men who were tried in Atlanta re.
Gently in what was described as
murder for a thriIl?'" he was
asked. "And also that Leopold
Loeb case in Chicago some years
back?"
That doesn't reflect on college
life or university training in the
slightest" Dean Hutchins answered.
1T may show some significance as
to the state of modern society. /
think the so.called thrill murder
was made big news because it was
unusual. You rarely find college
man doing anything like that
Check On Suicides
College suicides were then brought
up. This reporter asked the youth.
ful-looking dean. If over.study,
fear of examinations or any other
factor was responsible for the wave
Of student suicides some time back.
II am not a psychiatrist, but I
will say that no feature Of college
life tends to cause suicides" Dean
Hutchins replied.
Suicides are not, Of course, con.
fined to colleges. In fact, there is
the same increase in the number of
suicides among shop girls, bankers,
clerks and people in all walks of
life. The high pressure that many
people live under has something to
do with it.
There has been an important
development in mental hygiene deal.
ing with this problem. Yale now
has four or five psychiatrists who
are attached to the department Of
university health. Men are refer
red to them by teachers, deans or
by the university physician. Or they
go Of their own accord.
Asked how he stood on college
boys owning their own cars, he
said: I'm not excited about that"
Asked If he thought colleges should
be more strict with students, he
declared:
mo. The tendency is to get away
from forcing students to educate
themselves against their will. What
students need is more educational
opportunities and less compulsion."
Dean Hutchins assumes his duties
as president Of the University of
Chicago on July 81. He Is married
and has one daughter, Frances,
three years old. His wife, formerly
Miss Maude Phelps McVeigh, Is a
graduate Of the Yale School of Fine
Arts. The "boy dean himself
was graduated from Yale in 1921.
He served with the ambulance corps
in Italy during the World War and