75% of Princeton Oppose Compulsory Chapel as Newspaper Initiates Drive to Liberalize Rules

Three-fourths of Princeton's student body are opposed to compulsory chapel attendance for freshmen and sophomores, a Daily Princetonian poll showed yesterday, as the newspaper opened a drive for voluntary chapel.

This is not a particularly starting fact to Harvard students, who have not had their Sunday morning sleep disturbed for 65 years. Since 1886, the College has had voluntary attendance at both Sunday and daily services.

Expand Here, Contract There?

Although a faculty committee, headed by Provost Buck, is today weighing some expansion of the voluntary religious program available to students, Dean Sperry of the Divinity School notes, "There never has been nor is there now the slightest desire to return to anything like compulsion."

But, at Princeton, the lightening of compulsory chapel requirements has come about gradually. At present, the Princetonian is trying to end the present system which requires attendance the first two college years.

In an editorial yesterday, the Princetonian stated that, although ostensibly chapel has its usefulness in giving background to the student, yet by forcing chapel on a student, he develops a hostility towards it. Religious affiliation is a personal matter, the editorial continues, and the best way to worship is through voluntary attendance.

At present however, there seems to be no indication that Princeton's trustees are prepared to change chapel requirements. Their next meeting is scheduled for June.

The change from Princeton's early religious system to the present method has been slow. From the start, Princeton--founded as a non-denominational university by the Presbyterian church to educate minister's sons--has had stringent religious requirements. These included at first forced daily vespers, morning prayer, and Sunday worship.

Major Step

In 1882, the liberalization came when forced evening services were abolished. Twenty years later followed the abolition of the required Sunday afternoon chapel service. This was at the same time that a layman--Woodrow Wilson--was elected president of the university.

For undergraduates, the biggest change came three years later when Princeton did away with daily morning prayers. Thereafter the student had to attend chapel only twice each week.

In 1915, metropolitan newspapers splashed across their front pages a story headlined, "Chapel Strike at Princeton." Undergraduates denied this; they claimed a "lengthy attack of bronchitis during an over-lengthy prayer by the university preacher."

This led to the next change. While the trustees abolished the weekday requirement, they continued the Sunday morning chapel. Then in 1934, following a disturbance among undergraduates during services, the Princetonian charged that students never listened to any of the sermons anyway. Besides, the acoustics in the chapel were so poor they couldn't hear if they wanted to.

There things stood until recently when the university took steps to liberalize chapel requirements further. And from this effort came the present requirements of attendance at half the sermons.