THE COLLEGE YEAR

In the appearance of things, at least, the past year has wrought considerable change in the College. The erection of Robinson Hall, with the consequent removal of Sanborn and the demolition of the bank structure, has completed the front development of the west side of the campus. General opinion seems to be that the series of three which Parkhurst, Tuck and Robinson Halls constitute lends satisfying balance to the old row in the College- yard opposite. The wooden wing of the dining room, left exposed by the erasure of the bank, looks better than anyone had expected. The worst of it will shortly be obscured by a screen of trees and shrubs, and, perhaps, of vines. Of the immediate present, the most important construction in which the College is engaged is the Tuck Drive. Curving through the lovely woods of the Hitchcock Estate from the old wooden bridge to Main street, paved with asphalt and trap rock, buttressed with granite, this Drive should afford a noble and enduring. approach to Hanover and the College.

During the year the College has acquired title to the golf links in order to save that attractive bit of country from general building exploitation. It will be necessary to sell the southern end of the property for house lots. Arrangements are, however, in progress for trailsferring a part of the links to the Pine Park lands which, while enjoying improvement from such utilization, will enable a more satisfactory arrangement of greens than that. which now exists.

On the hill in College Park, close by the Shattuck Observatory, there rises now a small white building erected last fall to house the telescope presented by Dr. Frederick C. Shattuck of Boston, who likewise contributed generously toward the interesting structure which houses his gift. The roof of this infant observatory will, upon occasion, slip down over extended eaves, exposing the wide heavens to the telescope's investigative eye.

The last piece of property on the square bounded by Elm, College, Wentworth and Main streets not in possession of the College entered College ownership in July through the purchase of the so-called "Sherman property," a bit of land and a half derelict dwelling in the southeast corner of Main and Elm streets. The place is being improved for occupancy.

The needed new library is as far as ever from becoming a reality. The Tuck Drive will lead to the venerable wooden bridge. A new bridge and a new library, — these are things devoutly to be hoped for. They will doubtless come in time; — which, of course, is anything short of eternity. In the interim, the pressing demand for more adequate quarters for the work of the chemistry department may become so manifest as to stir someone to supply the desired relief. Professor Bartlett has stated the situation with characteristic cogency and directness in THE MAGAZINE for November. To one whose generous impulses are most readily stimulated by the call of science, here indeed is an alluring opportunity.

If the College remains for some time at, or near, its present size, there will be no immediate demand for considerable construction beyond that suggested. In fact, whatever further plant expansion is offered must needs be accompanied by increased endowment to meet the additional costs of maintenance which would be entailed.

Considerable work has been done during the past year in the improving of the College grounds, notably in the expert treatment of the campus trees. The example of the College, further, was followed by numerous householders, to the material improvement of the village streets. Some experimental planting has likewise been done, a number of red oaks having been set out as shade trees, and some few poplars for screening purposes. Much more might and should be accomplished in this direction were funds at hand.

Financially the year has been a lean one. Gifts for endowment or unrestricted expenditure have not been at all overwhelming. By the will of the late Betsey J. Blakslee of Nashua $5000 is bequeathed to the College for the establishment of a scholarship.

The Class of 1912 offers annually a scholarship of $100;

The Alumni of the Great Divide have offered a prize of $l4O for the student from that region gaining highest rank in the class of 1919 during freshman year.

An anonymous trust of $10,000 has been. created, the principal to revert to the College at death of the donor.

By the will of Hapgood Wright, late of Lowell, $1000 has been given to be invested for fifty years, when the.interest may be expended.

As usual Mr. Tuck provides the bulk of assistance: 500 shares of the preferred stock of the Great Northern Railroad, the income from which is to be used in the development of the French department of the College; and the sum of $42,000 to defray the cost of building the new Tuck Drive.

The Reverend John E. Johnson '66 has been likewise indefatigable in his generous interest. He has turned over three'tracts of land in New Hampshire for the immediate benefit of the Outing Club. Three pieces of income-producing real estate in Washington he has deeded to the College. The income from them he reserves during his own life. Mr. Johnson is responsible for two tablets of bronze, the one marking the site of Wheelock's first cabin, the other identifying the Webster Cottage.

Two other tablets have been placed during the year: one an enlargement of the Class of '63 memorial; the other, which matches it in size and pattern, provided by the classes from 1856-65 in memory of the Dartmouth men who died in the Civil War. Both tablets are erected in the vestibule of Webster Hall.

Three interesting portraits have likewise been given to the College. At Commencement the Class of 1904 presented a portrait of Judge Cross, by Nordell. During the late year Arthur L. Livermore '88 presented two remarkable pictures by the late Frank Fowler: one a portrait of Richard Hovey, the other a copy of a Gilbert Stuart presentment of George Washington. The pictures of Judge Cross and of Richard Hovey hang in College Hall. That of Washington constitutes an appropriate decoration to the Colonial reception room of the Administration Building.

The serious thing about the financial position of the College today is its indebtedness and its constantly recurring deficit. In the May number of THE MAGAZINE, Mr. Parkhurst points out that the debts which the College has assumed in order to make adequate provision for its effective operation entail interest charges which, by creating the annual deficit, swell the debt in a viciously increasing sphere.

To offset this situation there is, of course, the ever present possibility of considerable gifts. Benefactions, however, usually endow with their eyes to the future rather than to the past. Bequests may look backward and be used to meet emergencies that have been. But most hopeful is the growing recognition on the part of the alumni that concerted steps are necessary to bring financial aid to the College. The establishment of an Alumni Fund on the foundation already placed by the Tucker Fund has now been authorized by the Alumni Council. It will go into operation. A large number of individually moderate annual contributions, steadily maintained, will be of far more value to the College than occasional spasmodic efforts in search of larger amounts.

The student body as listed in the catalogue for 1913 was 1246 in the College proper and 113 in the graduate schools. The catalogue for 1914 listed 1284 students in the College proper and 112 in the graduate schools. Last year s entering class, 382 students, showed a falling off of 23 from that of the previous fall. At the present writing, in the midst of the uncertainties surrounding the outbreak of European war, it "is impossible to forecast the size of the forthcoming freshman class. On August first, it promised to be a large one.

The phenomena of undergraduate life during the year have not been materially different from those of years gone by. Dramatic interest has been considerably stimulated, and the nonathletic organizations in general have enjoyed a prosperity which seems to argue increased cultural interest among Dartmouth students as a class.

With this have gone attendant disadvantages. Poor old Dartmouth has frequently been reminded by her young sons of her remoteness from tango teas and other social advantages which characterize less uncompromisingly suburban seats of learning. Art, too, it sometimes seems, cannot properly flourish so near to nature. Located on Sixth avenue, not far from Fortieth street, New York, what wonders the old College might accomplish in the way of turning out true men of the world! Perhaps, however, custom -will change before such alteration of base becomes really necessary.

The centre of student activity has, for the most part, been occupied by the fraternities, whose performances have attracted considerable attention from a variety of quarters. Just how . serious the fraternity problem is, would be difficult to determine. Sometimes it seems very serious indeed; at other times almost laughable. Like most human trou however, that of the fraternities has an economic foundation. The fraternity houses represent a heavy financial drain. To maintain them respectably arid prevent the mortgage from assuming completely overwhelming proportions, membership must be kept up and initiation fees must be collected before interest day arrives. In short, the neophyte must be caught young, in considerable quantity, and of a quality to suit exacting tastes. The instinct of selfpreservation has been known to cause nations to break most solemn pledges. It sometimes works similarly in the case of fraternities.

If the fraternities today largely represent the human spirit of selfishness, the Christian Association represents the spirit of service. It has been doing a valiant work not only in the College, but outside as well. The old notion that the members of the organization should constitute themselves a separate band of saints has been given up. The Christian Association has its offices in the thick of things. It is the clearing house for those who are willing to help in furthering the well being- of others. A tutoring bureau, an employment bureau, a "lost and found" bureau, bureaus that do dozens of useful things are maintained by the Association. Thus in the College, as in the world, the spirit of selfishness and the spirit of service abide side by side: and often in the same persons, for the bulwarks of the Christian Association have frequently been representatives of the most reactionary fraternities.

Educationally the most important fact of the year has. been Dartmouth's withdrawal from the New England Certificate Board, of which it was one of the founders. Reasons for the withdrawal are plenty and of sufficient weight. The action should serve to bring the College and the preparatory schools into closer harmony. The burden of responsibility on the College for the maintenance of standards will, of course, be materially increased. But Dartmouth should be strong enough to carry it.

The move in question may be the first in a series of highest significance. If Dartmouth can furnish the tact and the inspired vision for a co-operative study of educational policies, her primacy in the collegiate field will be established. Certainly there is today the definite need for leadership. Most of our colleges and universities are moving; some of them are noisily on the way. But in which direction they are headed is by no means clear to the onlooker : it may be doubted whether on that point they are themselves altogether certain.