YALE SENIOR SOCIETIES.

The mutterings against the senior societies, which have been making themselves vaguely heard during the year, came to a head last Friday in a meeting of the senior class. A motion was made that the senior society system "creates a social aristocracy, exercises an undue influence in college politics, fosters a truckling and cowering disposition among the lower classes, creates dissensions and enmity in every class, alieniates the affections of the graduates from the college, stifles the full expression of college sentiment by its control of the college press," and therefore that the class of '84 condemns the system.

It has always, we learn, been the practice of members of "Skull and Bones" and "Scroll and Key"-the two rival societies aimed at in the resolution-to abstain from the slightest mention of the societies and their merits and doings in the presence of outsiders. Even the humming of one of the society songs by a non-society man will invariably cause them to leave the room where the supposed affront occurs. It was expected that the moment the matter was brought up at this meeting the "Bones" and "Key" men would rise from their seats and leave the hall. This, however, was not the case. The society men remained, and, although taking little or no part in the discussion, succeeded in preventing the adoption of the resolutions, the vote being 61 in favor of its passage and 51 opposed. The "Bones" and "Key" number 30 men, and were aided in their opposition by the 15 members of a recently organized senior society with the suggestive name of "For and Grapes," and by those who are known as "Sore-heads," men who are expected to be elected members of one or the other of the societies last year, but were not, and were now ashamed to vote for their suppression. An important point gained by the society men was in securing a vote by roll call, as many who in secret ballot would have voted for the resolution did not dare to do so openly. After a stormy discussion of two hours, through which the society men protracted it, thereby tiring their opponents, the resolution was defeated by only a very small majority. Of the non-secret society men only 20 voted against the resolution, thus showing that the sentiment of the class is decidedly against the vicious system, which, in the strength gained from being winked at by the faculty, is striking at the vitals of Yale. The agitation has created great excitement. [Ex.]