January 18, 2006
Getting It Right
Harry Frankfurt
Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Princeton University
Minutes of the 16th Meeting of the 64th Year
President Haynes called to order the 3rd meeting of the 65th year at 10:15 AM. He announced that there would be a number of surprises at this meeting: The scheduled speaker, Professor Harry Frankfurt, would not be speaking as scheduled inasmuch as he is hospitalized. Moreover, the minutes of the last meeting would not be read since the member who took the minutes of that meeting is ill.
Don Dickason announced that there were now ten prospective members of the Old Guard whose names are posted today and to be voted on on January 25, 2006. A list of those prospective members was circulated. A copy is attached to these minutes.
There were no guests and no visitors. Eighty members were present.
President Haynes introduced our member, William Selden, who had agreed to speak in the absence of Professor Frankfurt.
Bill Selden, who is the author of many books about Princeton University organizations and their history, said he would speak about Princeton University today and would open this meeting for discussion. This resulted in a rather freeform collection of comments about Princeton University including a variety of topics, among them the relation of women to the University, chapels of the University and Woodrow Wilson's experience at Princeton.
Bill Selden mentioned that in the late 60's an issue among alumni was the University's decision to admit women. A review of Princeton Alumni Weeklies around that time revealed that there were violent objections to the presence of women students at Princeton. However, years later one of the chief objectors revealed that he was delighted when his daughter had been admitted. Women had previously been influential at Princeton. For instance, the money for a number of buildings on the campus was donated by women. Today, of course, the University has a female president and a number of other members of the administration are women.
Bill Selden described the successive chapels at Princeton, culminating in the present chapel which was built in 1928.
At the present time there are facilities for a large number of religious affiliations represented at Princeton University. For instance, there is the Aquinas Chapel located at the corner of Stockton Street and Library Place, which is Roman Catholic. In addition, there is the Jewish Center located on Washington Road, and at Murray Dodge Hall there are services for adherents of Islam and Hinduism. Accordingly, religious services continue to be important at Princeton even though attendance at chapel is minimal.
A large part of the meeting was open to questions and discussion. Among the topics discussed in this portion of the meeting were the advent of co-education, and Woodrow Wilson's experience as President of Princeton University.
In the late 1960's President Goheen was instrumental in urging that Princeton admit women. The absence of women had been having a deleterious effect on applications to the University. There had been earlier isolated instances of women students at Princeton. A professor in the Engineering Department taught a course on photogrammetry to women during the war. Also, there were fourteen critical language students mostly in the Near Eastern Language Department.
Woodrow Wilson became President of Princeton in 1902, succeeding President Patton. Wilson, while a member of the faculty, had agitated for Patton's resignation. Wilson ran into serious controversy with alumni when he attempted to abolish the eating clubs. He then engaged in a bitter fight with Dean West of the Graduate School with respect to the location of the Graduate College. Wilson wanted the Graduate College on the main campus. West wanted it away from the main campus where it is today. With the help of some of the trustees, West won this fight. Thereafter, in 1910 Wilson was forced to resign when he was nominated for governor of New Jersey. He left Princeton a bitter man. Much later when the University wished to name the School of Public and International Affairs the Woodrow Wilson School, Wilson's widow objected. So the bitterness had continued.
The talk and discussion ended promptly at 11:13 a.m.
President Haynes and members of the Old Guard administration are to be commended for their effective reaction to the absence of the scheduled speaker. Moreover, Bill Selden proved to be an excellent substitute whose interesting and informative talk and discussion were very well received by all.
Respectfully submitted,
Eugene M Haring
Don Dickason announced that there were now ten prospective members of the Old Guard whose names are posted today and to be voted on on January 25, 2006. A list of those prospective members was circulated. A copy is attached to these minutes.
There were no guests and no visitors. Eighty members were present.
President Haynes introduced our member, William Selden, who had agreed to speak in the absence of Professor Frankfurt.
Bill Selden, who is the author of many books about Princeton University organizations and their history, said he would speak about Princeton University today and would open this meeting for discussion. This resulted in a rather freeform collection of comments about Princeton University including a variety of topics, among them the relation of women to the University, chapels of the University and Woodrow Wilson's experience at Princeton.
Bill Selden mentioned that in the late 60's an issue among alumni was the University's decision to admit women. A review of Princeton Alumni Weeklies around that time revealed that there were violent objections to the presence of women students at Princeton. However, years later one of the chief objectors revealed that he was delighted when his daughter had been admitted. Women had previously been influential at Princeton. For instance, the money for a number of buildings on the campus was donated by women. Today, of course, the University has a female president and a number of other members of the administration are women.
Bill Selden described the successive chapels at Princeton, culminating in the present chapel which was built in 1928.
At the present time there are facilities for a large number of religious affiliations represented at Princeton University. For instance, there is the Aquinas Chapel located at the corner of Stockton Street and Library Place, which is Roman Catholic. In addition, there is the Jewish Center located on Washington Road, and at Murray Dodge Hall there are services for adherents of Islam and Hinduism. Accordingly, religious services continue to be important at Princeton even though attendance at chapel is minimal.
A large part of the meeting was open to questions and discussion. Among the topics discussed in this portion of the meeting were the advent of co-education, and Woodrow Wilson's experience as President of Princeton University.
In the late 1960's President Goheen was instrumental in urging that Princeton admit women. The absence of women had been having a deleterious effect on applications to the University. There had been earlier isolated instances of women students at Princeton. A professor in the Engineering Department taught a course on photogrammetry to women during the war. Also, there were fourteen critical language students mostly in the Near Eastern Language Department.
Woodrow Wilson became President of Princeton in 1902, succeeding President Patton. Wilson, while a member of the faculty, had agitated for Patton's resignation. Wilson ran into serious controversy with alumni when he attempted to abolish the eating clubs. He then engaged in a bitter fight with Dean West of the Graduate School with respect to the location of the Graduate College. Wilson wanted the Graduate College on the main campus. West wanted it away from the main campus where it is today. With the help of some of the trustees, West won this fight. Thereafter, in 1910 Wilson was forced to resign when he was nominated for governor of New Jersey. He left Princeton a bitter man. Much later when the University wished to name the School of Public and International Affairs the Woodrow Wilson School, Wilson's widow objected. So the bitterness had continued.
The talk and discussion ended promptly at 11:13 a.m.
President Haynes and members of the Old Guard administration are to be commended for their effective reaction to the absence of the scheduled speaker. Moreover, Bill Selden proved to be an excellent substitute whose interesting and informative talk and discussion were very well received by all.
Respectfully submitted,
Eugene M Haring