THE HEGIRA, GENTLEMEN

There is an old credo which stoutly maintains that a Yale man's chief allegiances are to his God, to his country and to the very university itself. In 1926 the college authorities relieved the students of their religious obligations by the abolition of compulsory chapel. With this hint from the faculty to work on the undergraduates have taken it upon themselves to complete their emancipation. It seems that they figured five days a week in New Haven would convince those interested that Yale still played a large part in their affections, and that the remaining two days could be spent in showing their love for the country at large. This all appears perfectly sensible to the outsider, but Yale alumni know better. They remember the halcyon week ends at New Haven when they sat under the trees sipping beer and swapping small talk, and so they are taking steps to confine the undergraduate to the cloistered serenity of the quadrangle during the week ends.

But the alumni are confronted with a pretty serious problem. The difficulty lies in the fact that there is really nothing at Yale now to induce a man to stay there. Realizing the obstacles that lay in their path the graduates resorted to attrition; they did not care to antagonize the boys, so they appealed to the "old time Yale spirit" that lies latent in every student's bosom. They want to build up a "binding tradition" a sort of "every week is stay at home week at Yale" spirit. This ought to do it, if anything will. The "week end tradition" if carried on with the diligence of former fathers by the present sons will do much to impress upon the boys that the country and the gods can be served in later years, but that Yale now is in dire need.