109 



III Miltlitioii to tlic'sc coMsidovatiuns. tlio State, throu^'li its courts, will iiot 

 i(«c(i;;iiizt' the If^'al staiidiiii,' of a body of studoiits. Tlu' resitonsiltllity for 

 proiH'i'ty, for tlio use of funds, and for tlio ^'cnoral wi'lfaro of the colloj^o is 

 vested in trustees ami faculties. Student authority is therefore, at best, 

 delejiated authority, with a stroni,' reason to doubt whether the constituted 

 authorities have any ri.i.dit to delegate to students. The whole situation lacks 

 j'lMUiineness. The stiidi'ut is a temporary resident for a six'citic ituri>ose. which 

 is not fiovernment. Imt iiistru<-tion. lie is there voluntarily, with no <lelinite 

 or assui'ed tenure of iiosition. It seems irrational, therefore, that he should take 

 into his li.inds the tiMnporary administration of policies and interests of which 

 he is neither the creator, the ■-upporter. imr the iruardian. liut wholly the 

 beneficiary. 



This is not to say that a student or a body of students should not he con- 

 sulted ; it may be the hii^hest wisdom to advise with such bodies. It is im- 

 portant that all available facts be known; that there be a clear understanding 

 of all conditions and problems: but I object to the policy <f fooling or trying 

 to fool a student by leading him to think he is governing the college, where, as 

 a matter of fact, the college is governing him if it is doing its duty aud admin- 

 istering its trust. 



111. — .M)MI.MSTK.\TIVK (iOVKKNMK.NT. 



The third metlu)d may he described as administrative government. This is 

 the method steadily ct)nHng into use in all our colli'ges. I'nder this concep- 

 tion there are some things to be assumed — among them ( 1 ) that the college 

 is a public opportunity. (2) that the i»roperty is a public trust, and (:!) that 

 the faculty is an organized agency for cooperation and leadershii) and the stu- 

 dent a responsible party whose privileges are to be measured by his willing- 

 ness and ability to make protitable use of the opportunities. 



These concei)tions banish at once from the minds of all the old notion of 

 antagonism bi>lween student and professor, and put the college life on a natural 

 and rational basis. The faculty is therefore naturally and properly the legis- 

 lative body, and the iiresident and other ollicers — such as deans in our larger 

 schools — are the administrative officers. The whole government becomes one 

 of princiide. The modern college steadily approaches the si)irit of democracy, 

 where all students stand on a level of equal rights, with no favors. As soon 

 as students come to understand this situation the sobering effect of responsi- 

 bility is manifest. There can be no trifling with principle: hence the offenses 

 against good government are serious. This view holds out that a student is 

 not in college as an acconmiodation to the fat-ulty or to the public: the faculty 

 and the institution are there for his acconnnodation if he will use it prop- 

 erly. Colleges are steadily going out of the nursing business. Students must 

 go elsewhere for their health or the indulgence of their whims. The college 

 is for business, and a very serious and important business at that. The details 

 of a student's life are important to the college chietiy because they help or 

 hinder the great cause for which the college stands. I believe we have often 

 weakened the cause of education by leaving the im])r(>ssi(in that discipline is 

 an important issue. The truth is, it is only an incident. If the student can 

 not understand this, he should be given to see that his preparation for col- 

 lege life is yet incomplete and that he ought to go elsewhere and com])lete his 

 preparation. I believe thoroughly in a large and liberal si)irit which locates 

 responsibility, and in a system of government that has the courage and firm- 

 ness to proiiiptly say to students that their privileges as students cease when 

 they fail to be good citizens. 



The best test of a student's right to be in college is his satisfactory i>erfonn- 

 ance of the student's duty. The acadennc reiiuirements should be insisted upon 

 firmly and even rigidly. Insist upon it that education — the re(iuirements of the 

 curriculum — shall be" promptly and regularly met. This attitude neither 

 accepts nor makes apologies. The average student will soon see the force of 

 this law and the justice of it. If he is not fit for such a school he will soon 

 drift to his proper circle ; but he will do it with increasing respect for the insti- 

 tution of which he was not worthy. That in itself is a valuable result to reach. 



I believe, therefore, that the whole question of college citizenship slxjuld be 

 defined l)y a few fundamental and important principles. These should be inililic. 

 The student should be face to face with the law of the college, just as the citi- 

 zen is face to face with the law of his land. These laws are made by properly 

 constituted authorities and administered by properly constituted officers. In 

 State institutions the force and power of the State is behind college administra- 



