• Bill Clinton's Visit

• Conservatism

• Searching for God

• Course Loads

• Maurice Kelley

• Federal Reserve

• Army ROTC

• Tapping Roots

• Bulletin Board

BILL CLINTON'S VISIT
Though I've been a lifelong Democrat and may well vote for Bill Clinton (faute de mieux) in November, I was appalled to read in the July 3 paw that he had spoken at Commencement. Should the university really be inviting a campaigning political figure in an election year to appear at such an occasion? I'm told that Harvard (where I did my graduate work) does not confer honorary degrees on sitting politicians. Other places, less restrictive, nonetheless have a policy not to confer such degrees on those who are running for election or reelection. I think Princeton might have something to learn from such practices.
Nicholas R. Clifford '52
Middlebury, Vt.

Princeton has long followed a policy of not inviting outside speakers for Commencement. For years that approach permitted the ceremony to focus on accomplishments and values the university wished to honor. Such an outcome was put at risk by this year's decision to invite a politician in the midst of his reelection campaign. Now that Clinton has turned graduation into a partisan event, can we learn from a mistake and resume our wise, even inspired, traditional practice?
Paul D. Taylor '60
Newport, R.I.

I didn't believe it was possible for the university to alienate completely an alumnus whose ancestor, Nathaniel FitzRandolph, donated the land it is built on, whose great-grandfather was valedictorian of the Class of 1839, and whose grandfather, uncle, and father were graduates of the Classes of 1879, 1904, and 1914, respectively.
But by God, it's done it!
Having invited a common criminal, an adulterer and womanizer, a draftdodger, and the world's most accomplished liar, who also happens to be President of the United States, to visit the campus is bad enough! But to give him an honorary degree? This is beyond credulity. You may cancel my subscription to paw-I never want to see it again.
I also intend to ask the University Archives to return the diploma and handwritten valedictory address of my great-grandfather, Morris Robeson Hamilton.
Lawrence Harrison Rogers II '43
Cincinnati, Ohio

Your issue with Clinton's picture on the cover and its fawning article on him aroused in me intense feelings of disgust. That this man should have been honored and held up to our young people as an example to emulate makes me wonder about the good sense and principles of those responsible for this travesty.
One of the curious effects of living into one's 80th year is the effect it has on one's sense of time. Because my grandfather's life overlapped mine, the year of his birth, 1844, seems relatively recent. He was a member of the Class of 1867. My father was in the Class of 1896. My going to Princeton was foreordained, so to speak, and in a way I feel as if I speak as the voice of three generations of Princetonians. Through my ancestors I also feel part of the life of this country going back to its beginnings. Some of my Dutch forebears were here before the British. My ancestors fought in the Revolution, and one was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. I served in our armed forces during World War II. Through my family I feel deeply involved in the life and affairs of our great country, and the notion of Princeton in the nation's service has great meaning for me.
It is bad enough to have as President someone who cannot be trusted by either our allies or his wife. Seeing Princeton honor someone so underhanded and amoral is almost unbearable. His presence is an insult to all those Princetonians who have served the nation with honor, not least of all my classmates who perished fighting for their country in World War II.
Robert F. Little '39
Laurel Hollow, N.Y.

A university invites the sitting President of the United States to deliver its commencement address. The university gives said President an honorary degree. The President proposes a new education subsidy. The university already receives millions each year from the federal government. Because the university is Princeton, no one suspects any impropriety.
Jeffrey P. Gottlieb '89
Fort Polk, La.

I nearly lost my cookies when I saw your cover of President Clinton. The university's decision to confer honor on a man so conspicuously lacking in ethics brings to mind the honorary degree it awarded some years ago to a Democratic senator from New Jersey, Harrison Williams, who later went to prison. The university is still wedded to the failed principles of the Democratic Party, and liberals still flock to Princeton to receive recognition. Some things never change.
Ned Waller '47
Danville, Va.

President Clinton's face on the cover of paw reminds us, again, that, to a large degree, "Princeton in the Nation's Service" means lending the university's facilities, name, and prestige exclusively to liberal Democrats. An easy proof of Princeton's role as an unpaid booster of the Democratic Party is the utter implausibility that the university might have considered giving an honorary degree to Ronald Reagan or George Bush as they went into difficult reelection campaigns. The best face one can put on this partisanship is that the university does not limit its favors to Democrats who attended Princeton, but shows an open-minded willingness to honor Democrats with degrees from Yale.
R. Carlton Seaver '68
Arcadia, Calif.

Editor's note: The previous President to visit Princeton, Republican George Bush (Yale 1948), was here on May 10, 1991 (a year before he sought reelection), to dedicate the Fisher-Bendheim social-sciences complex. Like Clinton, he received an honorary degree, and his photograph appeared on the cover of paw.

CONSERVATISM
Many thanks for Mary Caffrey's extensive and basically fair report on my keynote address at Princeton's recent conference on American conservatism (Notebook, June 5).
In the obligatory critical paragraph, however, Ms. Caffrey asserts that I "sidestepped" the issue of "race and its role in the rise of the right." On the contrary, I specifically raised and refuted the old charge that conservatism's strategy was to appeal to southern Democratic racists: "[O]ur intention was to appeal primarily to the young middleclass voters who were flooding the new suburbs of the major cities of the Sunbelt. To the predominantly elderly and rural Democratic racists of the South, we simply had nothing to say."
In the question period, someone nevertheless suggested that conservatism was somehow dependent on racism. In again denying this, I drew a distinction between what I consider the liberal tendency to regard blacks as a bloc to be deployed politically and conservatism's habit of considering all people, including blacks, as individuals.
One other point: It was not I who said that a race between Kennedy and Goldwater would have been "breathlessly close." That was the collective opinion of Time magazine's political reporters, polled by the editors and so summarized by them in its issue dated October 4, 1963-less than two months before Kennedy's assassination.
William A. Rusher '44
San Francisco, Calif.

I was enjoying the article on William Rusher's speech when suddenly a wall dropped down: amidst the general mood of tolerance and inquiry, Rusher and George Nash are suddenly "sidestepping" the issue of race; "to hear Rusher tell it, conservatives didn't court racists." It's no wonder that "scholars" and "political professionals" in the audience joined together in progressive unity and "grumbled."
It looked as if paw dropped a paragraph before press time. The equivalence of conservatism and racism is simply a given. But in fact, the accusation is no less innuendo than that attributed to "conservatives" themselves (populist Pat Buchanan? African-American Clarence Thomas?) regarding race.
I am reminded of a job interview I went on while in law school. Word got back to me that I came across well, but because of the presence of certain conservative activities on my résumé, some lawyers at the firm believed that I was a "Nazi." Another lawyer was able to assure everyone that this was not the case, and I got the offer. Thankfully, he was familiar with the rabbinical academy I had attended.
Ronald D. Coleman '85
Clifton, N.J.

SEARCHING FOR GOD
According to your June 5 cover story, "Searching for God," "two-thirds of Princeton students are not affiliated with a religious organization. They may be agnostics, atheists, or secularists." Yet instead of covering the comforting fact that two-thirds of students at one of America's best universities have not been swayed by the propaganda of organized religion, you instead chose to focus on the one-third who have.
Will we ever see a cover story entitled something like "Losing Faith in Faith"? Will paw ever report on the many students who have, after serious consideration of the available evidence, concluded that God is a fiction? Will we ever see some really hard questions posed to believers, instead of the kid-glove treatment your article afforded them? Will we ever see a paw article that begins from the premise that intelligent skepticism, not blind faith, is the best method for determining eternal truths?
Your article is yet another example of how religion is given a free ride in the media. If only Mencken were still alive.
Jeffrey Shallit '79
Kitchener, Ontario

I was pleasantly surprised with the feature "Searching for God" and commend the editors for their interest in spiritual matters. Yet the author appeared to use the word "Christianity" too broadly. Since becoming a Christian in 1990, I have come to know the definition of a Christian to mean "being of Jesus Christ," knowing him as our Lord and Savior and believing that He died on the cross and rose from the dead for us. To my knowledge it does not mean that if you attend church or belong to a particular denomination (Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, etc.), you are a Christian. Going to church makes you no more a Christian than sitting in a garage makes you a car! Christianity transcends all denominational, religious, and racial barriers. Anyone can become a Christian if he or she (1) admits ("I am a sinner"), (2) repents (asks forgiveness of sins and pursues a lifestyle pleasing to God), (3) believes (that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose again), and (4) receives (Jesus into one's heart through prayer).
John Garrett '88
Cincinnati, Ohio

I entered Princeton in 1945 as a devout Episcopalian. By the time I graduated my faith had evaporated, and I have never regained it.
While at Princeton I paid a price for apostasy. As chairman of The Daily Princetonian I wrote a 23-line editorial, titled "Filling the Pews," inveighing against Sunday chapel, which was then mandated for freshmen and sophomores, veterans excepted. I argued that to make someone go to church never makes a religious person of him and frequently leads him to resent organized worship. Some of my Princetonian colleagues violently disagreed and complained to higher authority, and I was summoned to a disciplinary meeting one Saturday at The New York Times offices of Julius Ochs Adler '14, the president of the Prince's graduate board. General Adler (a reserve officer who insisted on being addressed by his military title) read me the riot act: henceforth, because of my un-Princeton activities, I could never again make decisions unilaterally, but only with the concurrence of other members of the undergraduate board.
That scolding reduced me to postpubescent tears, but the point of this tale is not my wounded ego but rather the triumph of religion-as-usual. However weakened our faith-by science, other evidence or the lack thereof, or simple common sense-religion always comes up roses. Princetonians deserve a garden rooted in reality. There should be room for roses, of course, but also for shrubs and weeds as embodied by us lowly skeptics.
Peter D. Bunzel '49
Los Angeles, Calif.

Now that you have reported upon one follower from each of various religious traditions, a follow-up article ought to address Princeton's "anti-religious tone," as noted by Tim Reidy '97, and its "lack of respect for religious belief," as noted by Tarun Mital '97. After 30 years of Princeton's trying to become a multicultural and geographically diverse community, its deepest schism (and perhaps a microcosm of the nation) lies between those who hold a deeply religious faith and those who do not. Intolerance and misunderstanding seem to run rampant in this arena. Bridge building needs to be done between these two worlds, rather than among the different types of believers or shades of belief.
Martin L. Kokol '78
Jerusalem, Israel

Your article profiled seven individuals and their diverse spiritual quests. While each story is described as "unique" in its details, they all reflect commonalities obvious to those who stand back and survey the world's religions and other kinds of belief systems: (a) almost all adherents were raised to believe, and (b) their experiences seem consistent with the expectations they have been trained to hold. The link between experience and belief strongly suggests that, for most adherents, they've merged into the same thing. And the multiplicity of belief systems with conflicting dogmas makes for pretty remote odds that even one of them is substantively correct.
A challenging angle on the issue of spiritual quests is provided by the late Jiddu Krishnamurti, who at age 14 years was proclaimed to be the next "vessel" of the messiah by leaders of the Theosophical Society. But eventually he came to view the whole idea as silly, and in 1929 he dissolved the spiritual organization that had been created for him, the Order of the Star of the East, explaining that "truth is a pathless land. . . . Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along any particular path."
Until his death in 1986, Krishnamurti traveled the globe explaining in direct, simple terms his unique insights into the human condition. He maintained that beliefs of any kind (ideological, religious, personal myths, etc.) prevent us from perceiving "reality" or "what is"-instead, we find what we look for. Thus, spiritual quests go no further than what humankind has wrought. For example, concerning the spiritual feelings that many people claim to gain from idols, symbols, and the like, he suggested putting any old stick or rock on a shelf and observing the reverential attachment that tends to develop when it is given daily obeisance.
If there really is a spiritual reality, Krishnamurti reasoned, then it can only be touched by a human mind that has discarded every preconception and is not seeking spiritual fulfillment (since seeking is a selfcentered activity, even if the claimed motivation is to dissolve the self).
Of particular relevance for an institution of higher learning were Krishnamurti's views on the relationship between education and freedom: "True education is to learn how to think, not what to think. If you know how to think, if you really have that capacity, then you are a free human being-free of dogmas, superstitions, ceremonies-and therefore you can find out what religion is."
David Leake '72
Kaneohe, Hawaii

"Searching for God" was a positive feature, with one glaring exception-the trashing of the Roman Catholic Church. Although paw's staff writer, Kathryn F. Greenwood, chose to interview students who highlighted the positive elements of the Jewish, Hindu, Quaker, Muslim, and Evangelical religions, her bias against the Catholic Church is evidenced by her decision to interview a student and an alumnus who share a less-than-flattering opinion of the Catholic Church. Also, "Questioning the Pope," the title of the profile of Tim Reidy '97, appears to take license, given that in the interview he never mentions the Pope. If Ms. Greenwood researched the subject at all, she would understand that the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church has been set by the second Vatican Council, not by Pope John Paul II. Her lack of respect in sensationalizing the interview not only indicates a lack of sensible reporting, but serves as a serious injustice to the sensitivities of devout Roman Catholics who cherish the teachings and holiness of Christ's Vicar.
Ms.Greenwood also demonstrates an antiCatholic bias in her editorializing description of Opus Dei. Opus Dei ("work of God") is not a "secretive" organization in any respect. To the contrary, the mission of Opus Dei is to bring its members and others closer to Christ-a mission that is difficult to accomplish in secret. If there is any reason why Opus Dei is perceived as secretive, it is because it has been virtually forced to remain silent by people such as Ms. Greenwood who would prefer to criticize it out of ignorance rather than look for reality.
Unfortunately, Catholics have become accustomed to the biases of journalists. When Pope John Paul II visited Denver in 1993 and New York in 1995, it was difficult to find an interview with a single one of the millions of devout Catholics at either pilgrimage, yet the media tripped all over themselves rushing to interview Catholic malcontents such as the Reverend Andrew Greeley and any other iconoclasts they could find.
Robert J. Vanden Noven '89
Milwaukee, Wisc.

Kathryn Greenwood replies: I regret that Mr. Vanden Noven believes I am biased against the Catholic Church and was unfair to it in my article. It's true that the profile of the Catholic student, Tim Reidy, dealt with some issues of the church which he views as problematic. And the students profiled from the other traditions are not, for the most part, as critical of their religious institutions. But the Jewish student is struggling to find her place in Judaism: she doesn't keep kosher; she hasn't decided on a branch of Judaism; she's not sure which rituals she wants to adhere to. In my view, she is going through a kind of questioning similar to Reidy's.
Except for the Jewish student, the non-Catholic students I came across in reporting the story simply didn't question the tenets of their religions. I'm not entirely sure why, although it may be due in part to the nature of their religious organizations, which in general are not as doctrinal as the Catholic Church. Hinduism and Quakerism, for example, are individualized religions. The Catholic Church, however, stands for definite moral principles, which may make it easier to point a finger at certain rules.
The story may also have seemed more critical of the Catholic Church because as a practicing Catholic, I may have probed its issues more deeply than most writers. I majored in theology at a Catholic university, Georgetown, and I have great respect for the church.
Tim Reidy is confident in his faith, though he is in the process of making sense of Catholic doctrine. I don't view that as negative. I believe God calls us to follow Him with our minds and hearts.
As for the alumnus profiled, Roberto Cordon '88, who stopped going to the Aquinas Institute because of the influence of Opus Dei: I couldn't ignore such a turning point in his spiritual life at Princeton. Again, I don't view that profile as trashing the Catholic Church, I was simply telling Cordon's story. But I agree that I editorialized in my description of Opus Dei. I gathered that information from several people interviewed, but I should have more carefully described the institution.

COURSE LOADS
In his April 3 letter taking issue with my February 7 letter on the substantially diminished course loads required of today's undergraduates, R. Alexander Reutter '94 makes worthwhile observations. As he notes, there is now a richer menu of extracurricular pursuits, and students may face sterner curricular demands than their peers elsewhere. Still, his main suggestion is most misleading. Mr. Reutter states that in his experience, "many students take five or six courses in a semester"; actually, the facts do not support any such claim.
According to Registrar Anthony Broh, last semester 1,203 A.B. students, or 31.3 percent of nonengineers, took some greater number of courses than the minimum required. However, of these oneinthree A.B. students with an overload on their transcripts, only 9 in all-onefifth of 1 percent of all A.B. students-took as many as 36 courses by graduation. The great majority added only one or two courses over their undergraduate careers; this is hardly Mr. Reutter's "five or six courses in a semester," which would of course total 40 or more courses by the end of senior year. According to Mr. Broh, among current undergraduates, only one has hit 40.
I cite 36 courses, which is six more than the 30 now required for a degree, because in truth, all Princeton A.B.s used to be required to take 36 courses (plus the upperclass independent work, which is still standard) before they could graduate. Just one out of every 425 current undergraduates may make the same claim. My earlier letter had argued, and the registrar's figures confirm, that Princetonians are now getting less education than their predecessors.
C. Webster Wheelock '60 *67
New York, N.Y.

MAURICE KELLEY
I was saddened to learn in the April 17 Notebook of the passing of Professor Maurice Kelley. The sadness stems not only from the loss of a great man whom I had known but from my never having made the time to tell him of the impact he had on my life. He was a teacher of extraordinary proportions for those who would be taught.
Professor Kelley advised me on my junior independent work. While many professors were supporting their advisees with high grades, he terrorized his with varying degrees of damnation. When, like the others, I protested this unfair treatment and defended the first of my two junior papers, he didn't give an inch, explaining that all juniors had heads full of chaotic mush articulated in expressionist gibberish. None of us had been taught how to write-but if I was prepared to learn, he said, invoking Carlyle, he would take the time to teach me. And teach me he did, laboring tirelessly over the basics-structure, methodical and clear development, and proper word selection and placement.
I ended up getting the equivalent of an "A" on my senior thesis, graduating with high honors, and having a generally successful professional career, one attributable in part to what my superiors recognized as an ability to write. I deeply regret that I have now missed the opportunity to thank Professor Kelley personally for the great gift he gave me.
Jan Buck '67
Princeton, N.J.

FEDERAL RESERVE
In the June 5 article on the Federal Reserve Board in the nation's service by Professor of Economics Alan S. Blinder '67, the Fed's recent vice-chairman, he noted jokingly that "millions of Americans think the Federal Reserve is a system of governmentowned forests and wildlife preserves."
When I served as vicechairman of the Fed from 1979 to 1982, most Americans thought the Federal Reserve was either a bonded bourbon or a branch of the National Guard. Clearly, we have made substantial progress.
Frederick H. Schultz '51
Jacksonville, Fla.

ARMY ROTC
I was shocked to read in the April 17 Notebook that the Army is considering abandoning ROTC at Princeton for lack of student interest. The trustee committee that reviewed the matter "affirmed the university's policy of awarding aid on the basis of need and therefore not providing financial incentives to ROTC students," and its policy of not awarding academic credit for ROTC courses.
To me, these policies are downright unpatriotic. Have we fallen so far that the words of Gen. Douglas MacArthur to a graduating class at West Point-Duty, Honor, Country-no longer have meaning?
Winthrop P. Hersey '28
Lieutenant Colonel, USAR, Retired
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

TAPPING ROOTS
I was deeply interested in your April 17 article "Shorter Careers, Longer Lives." Since retiring, I have been active in an organization called Taproot, which for 25 years has conducted writing workshops for elders. We believe strongly that, even for those who have not done so before, writing is a creative way of keeping the mind alert and the spirit lively. Currently we have some 20 active workshops on Long Island and are expanding into Connecticut, where I have recently moved.
Twice yearly our organization publishes a journal containing the better work of our members and enlivened by drawings contributed by local artists. For six years I edited and desktop-published Taproot, learning the technique as I went along. When I resigned a year ago, I thought surely we would find a volunteer at least to do the layout of our journal, but this has not been the case. I know there are elders out there with the willingness, time, skills, and computer equipment to do the job, but how to find them?
There must be scores of nonprofit organizations looking for volunteers with the time and ability to fulfill essential needs. I would willingly be a part of any clearing house to bring together retired persons looking for creative tasks and voluntary organizations that sorely need their talents.
Meanwhile, if any readers have the experience and willingness to become a critical part of our organization, I'd be grateful if they called or wrote me (203-438-6152; 9 Hawthorne Hill Rd., Ridgefield, CT 06877).
Philip W. Quigg '43
Ridgefield, Conn.

BULLETIN BOARD
The classmates, friends, and admirers of the late Leslie "Bud" Vivian '42, for many years the university's liaison with the Princeton community, have established an award for community service in his memory. Those seeking more information about the award can contact me at 16 Cameron Court, Princeton, NJ 08540 (609-497-0177).
Warren Elmer '42
Princeton, N.J.