THE MEETING OF DARTMOUTH SECRETARIES
The most important meeting which the Dartmouth Secretaries have yet held was that which occurred March 10 and 11 in Hanover. Its importance lay not only in the seriousness of the business which came before the body for discussion, but, as well, in the eager interest which was manifested by the delegates, their live participation in debate, and their careful scrutiny of every proposition which was presented. The following very full report is compiled from the minutes of the meeting and may be considered authoritative.
AFTERNOON SESSION
The exact carrying out of the program as printed in the last issue of THE MAGAZINE was rendered impossible by the unfortunate fact that the train from Boston, carrying a number of secretaries, was some three hours late. There was, however, an assembling in the Tuck Library at 5.30 Friday afternoon, the roll call showing fifty-one secretaries of classes and associations, or their proxies, present or en route. The President of the Secretaries, Reverend Charles C. Merrill, appointed a nominating committee consisting of Rev. N. F. Carter '53, C. P. Chase '69, J. P. Richardson '99. It was voted to alter the arrangement of the program so that the visit to the Gymnasium under the guidance of Doctor Bowler might take place at once, and the inspection of the new Administration Building, under guidance of Dean Emerson, the following morning, thus leaving time at the close of the dinner for the preliminary reading of reports. Following this action, the meeting adjourned to the enjoyment of sandwiches and cocoa, after which the large majority of delegates repaired to the Gymnasium.
THE DINNER AT COLLEGE HALL
The serving of refreshments proved a happy thought in that it preserved the equanimity of the assembled guests until, at eight o'clock, the approach of the belated ones, for whom special conveyance had been sent, to the Junction, made possible the call to dinner. Following an excellent repast provided by Manager Fairfield, the company settled themselves comfortably to hear the addresses of the evening. Having called the meeting to order, President Merrill spoke briefly on "The Duties and Opportunities of the Secretary." He insisted primarily upon the responsibility of the secretary in ensuring alumni interest and loyalty by acting as a means of personal contact between the College and its graduates. His work it is to represent enlightened alumni opinion and to keep his fellows alive to what is, really going on. Furthermore, he must work to keep his class united ana to carry over into the later life of all, the benefits and delights of college associations. The means at his disposal are reports, personal letters, and the fostering of frequent "round-ups"; one class, indeed, authorizes its secretary to travel among its members. The work of the secretary is laborious and time consuming, but the benefits which accrue from it make it well worth while.
The next speaker was President Nichols, who, after welcoming the secretaries and expressing his pleasure in their presence, went on to say a few words concerning the relation of the alumni to the College. He suggested that while a college without cooperating alumni might well be possible, it would certainly lack attractiveness. Alumni aid to the College takes various forms, and the readiness of the alumni to give aid of one kind and another makes advisable such definite organization as shall ensure maximum results from expended effort. The best can only be secured when the alumni are fully alive to what things are most needed. The Association of Secretaries is a step in the right direction. There is, however, a field for a constantly working body with a central office and a central secretary. The tendency of the present is toward organization, and the message the College to the alumni is "Organize."
Professor Richardson next spoke on "Faculty Work from the Inside." Necessarily he was restricted to rather broad generalizations, but he dwelt interestingly first on the qualities of the teacher, and later upon the duties which the teacher must and should perform. In this connection, he made it very clear that the human element is indispensable, and that the labors of the faculty member are not merely those of class room and study.
The list of addresses closed with a paper on "The Organization of a Department" by Professor Bartlett. The speaker discussed, interestingly, problems of departmental management. Organization he declared essential to successful conduct of work. A department must have a head, and must show clearly the reason for its existence. Its relation to other departments should likewise be made evident. The difficulties in the selection of instructors, whether permanent or temporary, were next pointed out, and some definite ideas as to their qualifications were expressed. The address closed with a statement of the business management of a department with specific reference to the Department of Chemistry. Professor Bartlett illustrated his remarks with some photographs showing the growth of the chemical laboratory and with diagrams exhibiting the scheme of courses in chemistry.
The preliminary reading of reports was now in order, but as the hour was late those called upon expressed a preference for presenting their reports in the morning. The proposed constitution of the Secretaries Association was, however, read and briefly discussed, no action being taken.
It was likewise moved .and passed, that Ex-President William J. Tucker be elected a member of the Secretaries Association.
THE BUSINESS OF SATURDAY MORNING
Constitution for the Dartmouth Secretaries
The first important matter for consideration at the morning meeting was the adoption of a constitution to govern the Secretaries as an associated body. The committee appointed at the meeting of last year and consisting of C. P. Chase '69, D. M. Dustan '80, and C. A. Holden '95, reported through Professor Holden, and, after some discussion and a few slight changes, the constitution which they presented was adopted in the following form:
CONSTITUTION OF THE DARTMOUTH SECRETARIES ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I (Name)
The name of this organization shall be "The Dartmouth Secretaries Association."
ARTICLE II (Object)
Its object shall be to promote efficiency and cooperation among the secretaries of the alumni classes and other, alumni organizations of Dartmouth College and, in other ways that it may deem expedient, to strengthen the bond of loyalty and service between the alumni and the College.
ARTICLE III (Membership)
Its membership shall be constituted as follows: The secretary of each class and of each other alumni organization, and any. other graduates of Dartmouth College, who may be elected to membership by the association. The President of the College, the Secretary to the President, and the Dean shall be members ex officio. A class secretary may appoint another member of his class and any other member of the association may appoint an alumnus of Dartmouth College to act as his proxy at any meeting.
ARTICLE IV (Officers)
Sec. 1. Its officers shall be a president, a vice president, and a secretarytreasurer, who shall perform the duties usually pertaining to those offices. There shall also be an executive committee which shall have the supervision and direction of the association's affairs. The executive committee shall consist of the president, vice president, secretary-treasurer, and two other members of the association. The secretary-treasurer chosen need not be a member of the association.
Sec. 2. The association shall choose a managing editor to edit. and control the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE. The managing editor may select, subject to the approval of the executive committee, one or more associate editors. A business manager shall be chosen by the executive committee.
Sec. 3. The officers shall hold office for one year and until their successors are elected. .Vacancies occurring between meetings shall be filled by the executive committee.
ARTICLE V (Meetings)
Sec. 1. The annual meeting shall be held during the second week of March or at such other time as the executive committee may determine. Special meetings may be called by the executive committee and must be so called on petition of one-third of the members of the association.
Sec. 2. At all special and stated meetings twenty members or their proxies shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE VI (Order of Business)
The order of business at all meetings shall be:
Call of the Roll.
Reading of the Minutes.
Report of the Secretary.
Report of the Treasurer.
Reports of Standing Committees.
Election of Officers.
Unfinished Business.
Miscellaneous Business.
ARTICLE VII (Financial)
Sec. 1. The ordinary expenses of conducting the business of the association shall be met from the income of the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE if sufficient. Unusual expenses and any balance from ordinary expenses may be met by asking for contributions, on some equitable basis of apportionment, from the several classes and organizations whose secretaries are members of the association.
Sec. 2. The several classes and organizations whose secretaries are members of the association are asked to consider the traveling expenses which the secretaries shall incur in attending the meetings of the association as a legitimate charge on their treasuries.
ARTICLE VIII (Amendments)
Amendments to this constitution may be made by a unanimous vote at any meeting or by a two-thirds vote, provided notice of the proposed amendment has been given in the call of the meeting.
Further Recommendations by the Constitution Committee
The reporting committee had been entrusted not only with the preparing of a constitution, but of outlining a plan of work. Following the adoption of the constitution Professor Holden showed a map with light and shaded portions to indicate what parts of the United States were and what were not represented in the Secretaries Association. It being clear from this demonstration that a large portion of the country is not thus represented, it was voted:
Upon further motion of Professor Holden, the following votes were likewise passed: "
That the president appoint a committee of three to prepare ublish, and issue a handbook for class secretaries, and that the cost be considered an unusual expense of the association. (Question tionasked whether the constitution would be printed in this handbook, and answered in the affirmative.)
That the president appoint a committee of five members whose duty shall be to inform desirable students in preparatory schools about Dartmouth College. One member shall be appointed for one year, one member for two years, one member for three years, one member for four years, and one member for five years. Each year, commencing in 1912, one member shall be elected for five years.
If an Alumni Council is created later, the above committee shall make report to the Alumni Council, and, with the sanction of said council, shall continue in office or, if so requested, shall turn its duties over to the Alumni Council.
It is the sense of the Secretaries Association that the cooperation of the Secretaries Association the College will become much more efficient through the establishment of a director of the Secretaries Bureau, and be it further
Voted: That the executive committee of this association present the subject to the president and trustees of Dartmouth College and, if the trustees will assume the payment of the salary of such an official, take the necessary measures to bring about his appointment.
The Secretaries Biographical Book
Dean Emerson now reported on the biographical book which he had devised for the use of the secretaries.He expressed his appreciation of the interest which had been shown in the book and stated that thirty-seven classes had adopted it for use.
Dean Emerson's report was duly accepted and the chair extended the thanks of the association to the committee. Upon the suggestion of the Dean it was further voted:
That the secretary-treasurer of the association be instructed to call the attention of future classes to the desirability of choosing a permanent secretary in the fall of the year.
Plans for an Alumni Council
The report of the committee on Alumni Council was now called for, W. M. Hatch 'B6 responding. Mr. Hatch prefaced his report with some excerpts from letters by Ex-Secretary Hopkins urging the necessity of such a council as a means not only of ensuring better understanding among the alumni, but of keeping abreast of the similar activities of other leading institutions. He read further from a letter giving in some detail the workings of the Graduate Council at Princeton. The formal report, which was given from manuscript, follows in full:
To the Association of Secretaries.
The evolution of the American college during the last twenty-five years probably contains no factor more significant than the development of alumni organization and the engendering of alumni activity, to the end that the college and its sons abroad through the land may preserve to the utmost the ability to be of mutual help.
The largest power ever given to the alumni was in the recognition given them as a general association to propose for election (nominate) half of the non-exofficio members of the board of trustees. This high privilege, so vital and important in time of stress,, is of necessity hedged about by restrictions in geographical area from which candidates can be chosen and by infrequent opportunity for any section of the country, or any specific era of the college graduate body, to elect a representative. Moreover, the board of trustees of Dartmouth College is the directorate of a great corporation dealing with large financial interests, large questions of educational policy, and the functions of the College in modern life. Many of the questions having to do with the mutual interests of the College and the alumni, important alike to the college administration and to the alumni as a body, cannot be given due attention by the trustees without a sacrifice of interests even more important.
The result of this situation is that large groups of the alumni are ignorant of things about which they would like to know and which they ought to know, and, in some cases, that the administration has no way of knowing queries in their minds, or in other cases, that there is no machinery for the administration to make a dignified and natural statement.
Likewise we see the inauguration of projects, backed by loyal and devoted graduates, and sometimes two or more of these, arrive at the same time, to lose much of their force in conflict and misunderstanding ; while at another time; there being no spokesman for alumni authority, the most earnest and self-sacrificing efforts of one body of graduates is open to suspicion from another body as to the call for effort or the wisdom of the undertaking. In short, through lack of proper machinery for alumni efficiency to express itself, great efficiency is lost. We therefore see occasionally action put forth with appearance of alumni endorsement that may or may not be justified by fact, or on the other hand we too frequently see the most carefully considered and devotedly made effort fail to gain the full endorsement which it deserves, there being no authorized body to pass upon it and say "this is officially done."
Another factor, not enough recognized, is the fact that under present organization the great and rapidly increasing constituency of the remoter West has little opportunity to have share in alumni deliberations or to express its opinion,—except through the occasional visits of the college executive. While Dartmouth seeks to become more and more national in the distribution of her undergraduate body, she should not ignore the remoter sections of her nationwide alumni constituency.
The remedy for this situation lies in some action analogous to that already taken by many of the other colleges and universities,—the creation of a new alumni organization to act as a clearing-house for alumni affairs and as spokesman for alumni sentiment, in that large realm which lies outside the activities for which the General Alumni Association was created and now exists.
At the last meeting of the Secretaries Association the consideration of this whole matter with authority to make recommendations was left to a committee consisting of:
William M. Hatch '86; Rev. Cyrus Richardson, D.D., '64; James P. Richardson, Esq., '99; Ralph M. Barton '04, Secretary General Alumni Association; Ernest M. Hopkins '01, Secretary of the College.
The committee, after informal conferences and individual consideration, met in Boston; electing Mr. Hatch, chairman, and Mr. Barton, secretary, and came to definite and unanimous conclusion upon points which are herewith enumerated:
1. A real need exists for such an organization among Dartmouth alumni.
2. Of similar organizations in existence elsewhere, the so-called "Committee of Fifty" at Princeton, now changed in name to "The Graduate Council," has been probably the most effective.
3. The organization sought for Dartmouth needs to be more a representative organization of all alumni constituencies than in many of the organizations examined, wherein secretaries of classes constituted fifty per cent or more of the membership,—at Princeton thirty-five out of fifty men.
4. The membership of such an organization for Dartmouth alumni ought to be so elected as to insure the gaining of a strong body of workers well distributed geographically and as to college generations.
5. It ought, on the other hand, to be kept small enough as to members so that each member should feel his individual responsibility.
6. The functions of such an organization ought to be:
To act as a clearing-house for alumni sentiment and the interchange of alumni ideas.
To approve or disapprove projects put forth in the alumni name, and to be the seat of authority in all such matters.
To act as the official spokesman of alumni sentiment to the administration, and as the avenue of approach by which the administration should have access to the alumni collectively.
To initiate and carry on such under-takings, or to provide for their being carried on, as are reasonably within the province of alumni activity.
Specifically, the committee voted to recommend that steps be taken toward the formation of such an organization and that a constitution be drawn covering the following points:
; Name—"Auxiliary Committee of the Dartmouth Alumni."
Object—To give organization and aid for highest efficiency to all efforts of Dartmouth alumni for college benefit.
Membership—Thirty-one members as follows:
Three members a year to be elected for three year terms (a total of nine) by ballot of the Secretaries Association, there being eligible to election any member of the Secretaries Association.
Three members a year for three year terms (a total of nine) to be elected by the General Alumni Association, papers containing twenty-five signatures to constitute nomination, and election to be by ballot, sent to members of the general association at the time of ballot for the nomination of the alumni trustee.
Three members a year to be elected for three year terms (a total of nine) by the auxiliary committee of the Dartmouth Alumni.
Ex officio members to be: Chairman of the executive committee of the general association of alumni; secretary of the general association of alumni; chairman of the alumni athletic committee; secretary-treasurer of the Secretaries Association.
In closing, the committee would report that the original intention to submit this proposition to a mail vote of members of the Secretaries Association was put aside in favor of submitting it to the association at its annual meeting, where full discussion would be possible and danger of misunderstanding could be avoided.
Following the report, the chair announced that the matter was before the house for informal discussion. Discussion immediately arose. H. G. Pender '97,' and J. P. Richardson '99, urged the necessity for creating such a council. Mr. Richardson recommended that the council should be sufficiently small so that each member should feel his responsibility and regard his appointment as an honor second only to that of election to trusteeship. Mr. Pender, while favoring the general idea, felt that the, whole plan should be submitted to the alumni before action should be taken.
Details of the program outlined en- countered some opposition until it was pointed out that the question before the meeting was not that of approving details, but of giving assent to a very general proposition, and of providing machinery for bringing the idea before the alumni as a whole. It was then voted:
That this body approves the general plan of the Alumni Council as outlined by its committee, that the committee be enlarged and continued and give the scheme publicity and further consideration ; that the committee bring this matter before the alumni association in June and act in conjunction with such a committee as may be appointed by that body to bring the plan before the alumni for final action.
Mr. Hatch now suggested that the committee be enlarged, and motion to that effect was carried; the President later appointing W. H. Gardiner '76 of Chicago, L. B. Little '82 of New York, H. P. Blair '89 of Washington, and C. A. Perkins '90 of New York, to assist the existing committee.
Some question arising as to the machinery for presenting the matter to the alumni as a whole, Doctor Nichols stated that it was the custom of the College to send copies of some number of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE each year to all the alumni, and that it would send copies of the number containing the report of this meeting if such was the desire of the association.
The applause which greeted the offer was taken as token of assent.
Report of Alumni Magazine
Professor Keyes '00 reported for THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE editors. He stated that the policy of THE MAGAZINE has been to. revive interesting phases of the history of Dartmouth, to keep the alumni in touch with the present trend of educational ideas, here and elsewhere, and to record in authoritative form important items of college news. He called for alumni cooperation in the way of further contributions and expressed the wish that the department of "Alumni Opinion", might become of greater importance. The resignation of Professor A. K. Hardy '94, to take effect at. the end of the year, was announced. In his place Professor E. F. Clark '01 will be appointed to the board of editors.
Professor W. R. Gray '04 presented the financial report of THE MAGAZINE, giving a detailed list of subscribers by classes, and showing a carefully elaborated financial statement. He made it clear that, unless alumni support of the enterprise should vastly improve, the article in the Secretaries' constitution providing for disposal of profits from the publication would remain something more than a dead letter.
It was voted that the hearty appreciation of the Secretaries Association be extended to the board of editors and the business manager of THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE for their work.
Memorial to Civil War Heroes
Dr. Cowles '59, being unable to present report in person, Rev. S. C. Bean '58 acted in his stead. He stated that the proposed tablet in memory of Dartmouth men who had died in the Civil War would cost from $500 to $600 and suggested that the classes from 1856 to 1865 should each raise $50 or $60.
It was voted to accept the report and empower the committee to carry out its plans.
Officers of the Association Elected
On report of the nominating committee the following officers of the association were elected for the ensuing year.:
President—Charles M. Smith '91 of Rutland, Vt.
Vice President—William C. Hill '02 of Boston, Mass.
Secretary-Treasurer—A. Karl Skinner '03.
Executive Committee—Charles H. Donahue '99, Luther B. Little '82.
Managing Editor of Alumni Magazine—Homer E. Keyes '00.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED
The following resolutions were, further, adopted:
1. Whereas, This association largely owes its inception and continued success to the efforts of Mr. Ernest M. Hopkins, late Secretary to the College, who has to our great regret severed his official connection with the College;
Resolved, That our secretary be instructed to express our hearty apprecia- tion of the abundant labors of Mr. Hopkins for the College and the alumni, and assure him of our wishes for his prosperity in his new calling.
2. That an expression of thanks be made by letter.by our secretary to the President and other officers of the College for their cordial hospitality during the present meeting of the association.
OTHER BUSINESS
In the absence of Professor Barton, Secretary of the General Association, the chair spoke of the trophy cup to be contested for each year by the classes having reunions, the class securing the largest percentage of living graduates obtaining the privilege of having its name inscribed on the cup.
Upon question by the chair, the association approved the present arrangement of evening and morning session for the meetings.
It was further voted, at the request of Professor Foster, that the class secretaries ask their classes to consider the placing of dates for round-ups during the spring recess.
At the close of the session C. M. Smith '91, the new president of the association, was called upon to speak. He expressed his appreciation of the honor accorded to him by his election and moved a vote of thanks to the retiring president for his able conduct of the association. The motion was passed.
The approach of train time brought the meeting to adjournment.
