Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/568

 WOODEOW WILSON 545 sparks of fire that burned deeply in the spirit of the man. This fire was destined to burst out into flames when once he was brought into contact with forces that opposed his convic- tions of democratic education. And sOy we are told, that when in 1902 a man too old in body and spirit to cope with the problems of a modem uni- versity retired from the presidency of Princeton there seems to have been no discussion as to who should become head of the institution, although Wilson was the first layman to be elected to that position. The first task of the new president was to turn the **dear old college ' ' into an educational institution. He found Prince- ton a delightful country club. He proposed to make it a place where young men should be able to get an adequate return in intellectual discipline and inspiration to justify four years of residence there. Princeton was not the chief sinner among the colleges of the country ; for to a greater or less degree all the colleges have felt the pressure of athletics and social pleasures against the ideals of intellectual discipline. But those colleges where the student body is made up chiefly of the sons of the wealthy class have felt it most. For many young men of this class the college offers a pleasant four years of companionship with other good fellows and a leisure- ly absorption of conventional culture and polish. The college should not be too severely held to account, however, for many parents send their sons and daughters to college with these motives distinctly in mind. Princeton was conspicuous for the degree to which this conception of the function of the col- lege had come to prevail among many of the alumni and most of the student body. It had become distinctively a college of the aristocratic with the emphasis on pleasant living rather than upon learning. President Wilson proposed to change this conception, or at least, the practice of it. The first year or two of his admin- istration, therefore, was devoted to a study of and reorgan- ization of the curriculum and teaching. This in itself was a body blow at tradition. To imply that anything was wrong with Princeton was a distinct shock to Princeton men. No