Evening star., 1932-06-12

Is years ago. For the depression has
touched every one; there Is none ex-
empt, and 1t has heaped its burdens
and wounds by slow accretions, whereas
the war was selective and quick and
spectacular and even exhilarating.
1t is difficult, though, to characterize
the modern collegian in standardized
terms. An official at Harvard who has
also served at other universities said
to me: "One thing is the inability Of
American undergraduates to cooperate,
to act in body. In the English Cam
bridge a student movement will develop
spontaneously and almost unanimously.
Here in America it is almost hopeless
to promote any corporate action aside
from athletics, and the spirit there has
sadly slumped in recent years" A few
days after he told me this there was
the student strike at Columbia, and a
little later Harvard had its riot of sew
eral hundred students.
Hibben Sees Change.
At Princeton 1 talked with President
John Grier Hibben, who is retiring this
June after more than 40 years of uni
versity service-years during which
Princeton has grown from a small pro-
vincial college into a foremost univer-
sity.
Yes, a change has come over the
er-graduate campus" said DR.. Hib-
ben. There is more seriousness of pur-
pose. more hard, persistent work done
and less OF that cynicism which char
acterized the years Immediately follow
ing the war-though what has come
and is coming is probably the stronger
and more secure because Of this period
Of criticism.
Indeed, one must admit that much
has been gained by this frank attitude
1t may be put in these words: I will
not be told what must believe or how
/ ought to act. l will Lot accept any
idea as true unless IL is true TO me-
The younger generation has certainly
brought us face to face with reality
by this new Declaration of Independ
ence.
The attack has been all along the
line-upon hypocrisy inconsistency and
upon Pharsaism, not only in religion
but also in business, in society, in
politics. There has been a stout pro-
test against the use Of words without
Signiflcance-political shibboleths am
biguous phrases in party platforms,
moral maxims couched in high-sound-
ing phrases, theological formulas whose
guage. Finally, the spirit of university
youth has an lnveterate distaste for ex-
preston of sentimentality without sense.
Knight errantry is out of date. The
younger generation repudiates heroics.
Students resent particularly the device
to arouse feeling which does not pene-
trate and command the reason as well.
With the passing of the 1920's this
critical attitude has seemed less vocH-
erous. There is evidence that the
cynical mood has waned. and that we
have entered period of creation and
reconstruction Of the ideas we live by"
What evidence, for example, in the
university?
We'll. for one thing, a quickened ap-
probation on the part of students of
cation. Perhaps the depression is
partly responsible for this. but also
there is the clearer facing of facts born
of the critical attitude. This is shown
by the more serious application to work.
as indicated by the greater number Of
students graduating with honors."
Specialized Colleges Urged.
A while ago Dean Max McConn. of
Lehigh University. humorously sug-
gested that a new type institution-a
"gentleman's college"-be created to
accommodate students whose primary
interest is athletics, clubs. papers and
other extra -curricular activities. Dr.
David Snedden, of Teachers College,
Columbia, extended the idea. He said
there was need of three specialized
types of college: in addition to the
"gentleman's college" for the drones. he
would have separate college for the
bread-and-butter student who is per-
spiringly preparing for business or one
of the professions, and third type of
college for the serious seeker after
learning. Is that a suggestion of what
Higher Education is coming to?-I
asked that question of Dr. Hibben.
Il can't believe So" he answered
Certainly I should not favor any such
segregating movement. The truth is
that the bread-and- butter student needs
the cultural effect Of associations in
liberal college, the scholars are broad
ened yrubbing shoulders with the
other groups, and those more socially
inclined do catch glimpses of higher
values and often are turned into more
serviceable and satisfactory ways of
ened by rubbing shoulders with the
practically minded and the scholarly"
Ten years ago, when Princeton was
considering the establishment of its
upper -class plan" of Instructions
plan under which each of the upper
class students Is dealt with individually
by a precepter-it was suggested, DR..
Hibben told me, that only men with
high grades be admitted to these privi-
leges. He continued:
The argument was that If We let
everybody in, the mediocre students
would drag the better men down. Well
We did not adopt the restriction. We
made the plan open to all members of
the junior and senior classes, and re-
suits have been just the opposite Of
those predicted by advocates of restric-
tion. The average Of the c'ass has been
lifted in each case, low-mark men have
been quickened and have stirred them
selves to better work, and no brilliant
student has been held back by his
slower classmates.
Il recall one boy who at the end Of
his freshman year was in the lowest
rating of his class. and was seriously
thinking of dropping out OF college.
The only interest that touched him
keenly was The Princetonian.' the COL
lege daily for which he was actively
working as candidate for the editorial
board. In sophomore year he failed In
1dIlIl. dIlU IL WdS OlllS Wy SAdS Va q
special dispensation that he was ad-
mitted to the junior class. But arriving
there, he came under the operation Of
the upper-class plan, his ambition was
awakened, the idea and method Of
scholarship was seen and grasped. To-
day he is graduate student, an6 a
brilliant and promising one"
Wants Restriction at Gate.
The place at which there should be
restriction, in DR.. Hibben's judgment
and experience, is at the college gate.
The trend away from the written
factual examination and toward the
comprehensive examinations vital ele-
ment in the system which DR.. Hibben
rates so highly-has been marked.
The trend toward Limitation of en-
rollment Is also significant Of feeling
that many universities are getting too
big. Dartmouth. Swarthmore. Lafay-
ette and others have joined Princeton
in policy Of restricting the incoming
class to the number that can be accom-
mOdated without croWdin1 the teach