George Barton Cutten
Encyclopedia
George Barton Cutten was a Canadian-born psychologist, moral philosopher, historian and university administrator. He was president of Acadia University
from 1910 to 1922 and Colgate University
from 1922 to 1942.
, the son of a stipendiary magistrate, he was uncertain about what path his life should take. He had various jobs including reporter, salesman, and pipe fitter before his uncle locked him in a room, refusing to let hem out until he agreed to go to university. By the fall of 1892, he had enrolled at Acadia University, Wolfville
, where he joined the varsity rugby team, and within three years had led the team to victory over rival Dalhousie University
in 1895. He earned his BA in 1896 and a year later he was ordained a Baptist
minister.
He went on to Yale University
and by 1902 he had earned a degree in divinity
and a PhD
in psychology. There he continued his outstanding career as a football player and, on Sundays, served as a preacher at local churches. His thesis was titled The Psychology of Alcoholism which would was published, in revised form, in 1907. He was appaointed professor of moral philosophy, but returned to Wolfville in 1910 to accept a position as president of the university. For more than a decade at Acadia, he actively supported the university’s sporting programs and opened the Memorial Gym in 1920, a facility which continues to function today.
At the onset of the First World War, Cutten took time off to recruit for the war effort. In February of 1916, he asked the board at Acadia to grant him, "a leave of absence to enable him to pursue recruitment full time" This leave would be extended to June of 1917, and Cutten then took another leave to go to Halifax and help the city recover from the Halifax Explosion
. Cutten actively encouraged students of Acadia to join the war effort as well. He would later become embroiled in a feud with Sir Sam Hughes over the breaking up of Nova Scotian battalions in order to reinforce other provincial battalions.
After twelve years at Acadia, in 1922 he moved to Hamilton, New York
where he had accepted the presidency of Colgate University
. Finding the university’s financial affairs in disorder he set out to turn its finances around. For the next seventeen years the school declared a surplus, in the meantime doubling its faculty, plant and assets. His football teams also won championships. In 1928 he introduced the "Colgate Plan," an influential curriculum.
He retired from Colgate in 1942.
which began in the 1930s, in which he amassed one of the finest private collections of his time, he published several pioneering works on the history of silver design and manufacture.
He was married to Minnie W. Brown who shared his passion for silver and contributed to his books on the subject. They had four children. He died in 1962.
. At issue was his statement to the Canadian Society of New York in 1923 that "the melting pot is destructive to our race ... we must build up from our resources and conserve our race power, or else we must admit only such immigrants as shall strengthen and not weaken our race, or both. The danger the melting pot brings to the nation is the breeding out of the higher division of the white race and the breeding in of the lower divisions." Though a substantial number of students organized and signed petitions calling for the renaming of the residence hall complex, the name remains.
Acadia University
Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...
from 1910 to 1922 and Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
from 1922 to 1942.
Career
Born in Amherst, Nova ScotiaAmherst, Nova Scotia
Amherst is a Canadian town in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, Amherst is strategically situated on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes 3 kilometres east of the interprovincial border with New...
, the son of a stipendiary magistrate, he was uncertain about what path his life should take. He had various jobs including reporter, salesman, and pipe fitter before his uncle locked him in a room, refusing to let hem out until he agreed to go to university. By the fall of 1892, he had enrolled at Acadia University, Wolfville
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Wolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....
, where he joined the varsity rugby team, and within three years had led the team to victory over rival Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in 1895. He earned his BA in 1896 and a year later he was ordained a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister.
He went on to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and by 1902 he had earned a degree in divinity
Divinity (academic discipline)
Divinity is the study of Christian and other theology and ministry at a school, divinity school, university, or seminary. The term is sometimes a synonym for theology as an academic, speculative pursuit, and sometimes is used for the study of applied theology and ministry to make a distinction...
and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in psychology. There he continued his outstanding career as a football player and, on Sundays, served as a preacher at local churches. His thesis was titled The Psychology of Alcoholism which would was published, in revised form, in 1907. He was appaointed professor of moral philosophy, but returned to Wolfville in 1910 to accept a position as president of the university. For more than a decade at Acadia, he actively supported the university’s sporting programs and opened the Memorial Gym in 1920, a facility which continues to function today.
At the onset of the First World War, Cutten took time off to recruit for the war effort. In February of 1916, he asked the board at Acadia to grant him, "a leave of absence to enable him to pursue recruitment full time" This leave would be extended to June of 1917, and Cutten then took another leave to go to Halifax and help the city recover from the Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
. Cutten actively encouraged students of Acadia to join the war effort as well. He would later become embroiled in a feud with Sir Sam Hughes over the breaking up of Nova Scotian battalions in order to reinforce other provincial battalions.
After twelve years at Acadia, in 1922 he moved to Hamilton, New York
Hamilton (village), New York
The Village of Hamilton is a village located within the town of Hamilton in Madison County, New York, USA.-Geography and climate:The village, located at , lies in the Chenango Valley, just south of the headwaters of the Chenango River. The village is approximately southeast of Syracuse and ...
where he had accepted the presidency of Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
. Finding the university’s financial affairs in disorder he set out to turn its finances around. For the next seventeen years the school declared a surplus, in the meantime doubling its faculty, plant and assets. His football teams also won championships. In 1928 he introduced the "Colgate Plan," an influential curriculum.
He retired from Colgate in 1942.
Later work and personal life
In his retirement, Cutten devoted his efforts to a vocation entirely divorced from his academic pursuits. Arising from an interest in American silverSilver (household)
Household silver or silverware includes dishware, cutlery and other household items made of sterling, Britannia or Sheffield plate silver. The term is often extended to items made of stainless steel...
which began in the 1930s, in which he amassed one of the finest private collections of his time, he published several pioneering works on the history of silver design and manufacture.
He was married to Minnie W. Brown who shared his passion for silver and contributed to his books on the subject. They had four children. He died in 1962.
Legacy and latter reassessment
A women’s residence named after Cutten opened at Acadia University in 1975. He was also an original inductee into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame. A residence hall complex and its associated dining hall at Colgate were named for him in 1966. Controversy erupted over the name in 2001 and resulted in a serious debate about his role as a eugenicistEugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
. At issue was his statement to the Canadian Society of New York in 1923 that "the melting pot is destructive to our race ... we must build up from our resources and conserve our race power, or else we must admit only such immigrants as shall strengthen and not weaken our race, or both. The danger the melting pot brings to the nation is the breeding out of the higher division of the white race and the breeding in of the lower divisions." Though a substantial number of students organized and signed petitions calling for the renaming of the residence hall complex, the name remains.
Publications include
- The Psychology of Alcoholism, Scribners, 1907.
- The Psychological Phenomena of Christianity, Scribners, 1908, (NYT review).
- Three Thousand Years of Mental Healing, New York : C. Scribner's sons, 1911.
- Mind, its origin and goal, Yale University Press, 1925
- The Threat of Leisure, Ayer, 1926 (Google Books)
- Speaking with Tongues Historically and Psychologically Considered, Yale, 1927
- The Silversmiths of Utica, Hamilton, 1936
- The Silversmiths of Georgia (together with watchmakers and jewellers), 1733-1850
- The Silversmiths, Watchmakers and Jewellers of The State of New York Outside of New York City, private, 1939
- Instincts and Religion, Harper and Brothers, 1940
- Silversmiths of North Carolina 1696-1860, 1948
- Silversmiths of Virginia: together with watchmakers and jewellers, 1694 to 1950, 1952