Yale University - Banner / Pot Pourri Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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the graduates of the ancient EngHsh universi- ties who Founded Harvard, as vc ha ' e re- newed it since their time throiij h our own graduates lor the institutions ot learning rep- resented here todav . . . Thev brought to us a living shoot from the tree of learning, whose shoots reach down through western culture to the lore and learning of ancient Greece. Following President Griswold ' s introduc- tion, Lord Halifax brought to Yale the greet- ings and good wishes of his own universitv. Then, launching into a more serious vein, Halifax stated that the experience of the last few years had irretrievably shattered the dream of any easv or mechanical character of human progress. On all fronts, he said, where half a eenturv ago, security seemed to be fullv entrenched— pohtical, scientific, philosophic, economic— it now only survives as a memorv ol what it once was, and evervwhere in the world, dragging its old anchors, it is moving at headlong speed through new and uncharted waters. If, he went on to sav, our social order todav shows signs of disintegration, this is. I believe, less through the destruction of war than througli the slow attrition of its rehgious and cultural foundations and through the im- pact of intellectual forces which have created a ' acuum without ha ' ing the capacity to fill it themselves. It was fairly clear to all that Halifax v as worried; worried that the old order and system might not be able to withstand the onslaught of new menacing ideologies unless, as he put it, this can be met bv the universities ' capac- it ' to turn out men who are educated and equipped to fulfill their functions as the intel- lectual leaders of society. President Conant of Harvard spoke next and proceeded to amuse the crowd by stating that it was with a considerable feeling of diflSdence that I address this thoroughly Yale audience. With the exception of the Goy- ernor of Connecticut, he remarked, I am perhaps the only Harvard man present. He explained that Yale had been founded bv Harvard alumni in 1701 because at that time alumni who found fault with their own colleges organized another instead of turning around and reorganizing their own. IIvuIk ' ii I lohloi hciirs Iviu ihuimd iilc unice. svtiibol of nciiilciiiic aittlioritr

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While coniniemoratiiig the past . . . DlA LOOMIS ll.W LMLYLI . clad in cap and blue gown, with a lew sweeps oi his silver scepter cleared the curious onlookers from the front of Sterling Memorial Library. Minutes later an academic procession consist- ing of President Griswold, President Emeritus Seymour, President Conant of Harvard, and Lord fhilifax of Oxford LIniversitv, to men- tion onI a lew, slowK emerged from the building. Marching in the autumn sun through a crowd of perhaps nine hundred interested spectators, the column uound its way to Woolsey Hall to open ceremonies in honor of Yale ' s 250th anniversaiT. Inside, a large croud, including many standees, saw on the stage one hundred per- sonalities, among them Senator Robert Taft, who had recently announced his candidacy for Republican nominee in the coming presi- dential campaign. Also included on the stage were ilie members ol tlie Yale Corporation, delegates from thirty ' -eight sister institutions, and the masters of the ten residential colleges, as well as many others. Throughout the cere- monies there was an air of excitement, per- haps generated more by the squads of reporters, newsreel and television teams, than by bonafide members of the proceedings. The exercises opened with a prayer by the Right Reverend Henry Knox Sherrill and a song by the Yale Glee Club, Now Praise We Famous Men. Then President Griswold out- lined the histor - ot Yale from its conception at a meeting of Congregational ministers in September, 1701, at the home of Reverend Russell in Branford. Of these ministers, all except one of whom were Harvard graduates, he said: Thus they renewed on American soil the purpose that had been transplanted to it by A dignitaries to W ' oo .svi for i otli ear celebrations

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I ' lijccssidi! wheels pmt Hewitt fie, To many, this timely quip seemed to coincide with a newly published and highly contro- versial book about Yale. After stating that Yale and Harvard were the inventors of a unique institution, the American liberal art institution, he submit- ted that nowhere else, outside of the North American continent, in the English speaking world can institutions of this type be found. The famous educator then listed three ele- ments as being essential to the true function- ing of a university: the collegiate way of life, the advancement of learning, and training of the professions. But also from President Conant ' s speech leaked a few drops of concern. I could easily, he mentioned, dwell on the threats to the independence of all our universities, particularly to those that are privately sup ported; inflation, the strange tendency ol some foundations and potential donors to say that the day of endowments is gone and that we must live hand to mouth; and the unrea- soned attacks from those who fail to under- stand the significance of independent and free inquiry. But a birthday celebration is not a time for foreboding. On the contrary, it is a time for rejoicing. Harvard brings heartiest con- gratulations and, if I may say so, joins with parental pride the other institutions here as- sembled in wishing for Yale University con- tinued leadership and high distinction in the centuries that lie ahead. Leonard Bacon, class of 1909, deli ' ered his anniversary ode. While granting praise to the imi ersitv ' s illustrious history and leadership, he continued: Much has been won. ' hat worlils remain to win. Now and here peals the stroke ol the hour. Begin. After a hymn the program was brought to a close by Reverend Morgan Noyes, ' ho gave the benediction. The participants, in their multi-colored robes, then filed slowly out of the hall and dispersed in the milling crowd outside. That evening the alumni took over Fresh- man Commons for their dinner, forcing the Class of 1955 to seek nourishment in the college dining halls. The dinner began at 6:30 in the huge and especially decorated room. The speakers ' table at the west end of the room was backed by a huge Yale flai , which extended from ceiling to floor, and horn wall to wall. After the meal, Wilmarth S. Lewis, ' 18, addressed the gathering and described the perfect partnership between alumni ;ind their college as one that would permit the institution to administer personal affairs as they think best. This would be an act ol hiitli made in the spirit of partnership similar to the act ol hiith made h ' the Lini ersities in recent cars when they have sought, and taken, acKice Irom their graduates on matters on which they are better informed than the universities. It will do more harm if the graduates in- sist on hax ' ing the head ol Prolessor Jones scrx ' cd up to them on a charger, continued Mr. Lewis. Professor Jones may be a dolt; he may acK ' ocate tree lo e, tree worship, or sim- plilied spelling, but his uni ersil is a better jud e ol his competence as a teacliei ' than are its graduates. 1 i