DARTMOUTH NIGHT

Dartmouth Night is often called the introduction of the freshmen to Dartmouth spirit and Dartmouth traditions. It has been an institution of growing importance for the last twenty years, an occasion for both undergraduates and alumni to get together to express their loyalty to the College. At this time I feel there is added to the usual spirit of celebration an atmosphere of seriousness and solemnity. In speaking in behalf of the undergraduates, I cannot help reflecting upon the many members who are gone.

During the Civil War, it is said, Dartmouth furnished a larger percentage of her undergraduates than any other northern college. Since the declaration of this war almost seven hundred of Dartmouth's undergraduates have enlisted in some form of the service. There was hardly another college in the country that responded with the earnestness and prompt enthusiasm that characterized the action of students at Dartmouth. We may accept the action of these men as a token of the vitality of the College and as an example of what we may be proud to call Dartmouth Spirit.

In mentioning those who have enlisted I do not mean to state an opinion on the broader question, the advisability of leaving college to enter the service. That is something for each man to decide for himself, and his loyalty is not to be judged by what he does so much as by the spirit in which he does it. There are many who have felt that they could best serve their country by so further equipping themselves as to be of the most useful and efficient service when their turn shall come. These men will show their loyalty to the College, and patriotism towards their country according as their attitude bears out the sincerity of that aim, according as every undergraduate shows his desire to put his time to the best possible advantage. Judging from the seriousness of attitude that has been noticeable so far this year, I believe that the College may count on the loyalty of every undergraduate.

This year is going to be an unusual one in the history of colleges. As a natural result of circumstances, the premium is being put upon a military uniform rather than upon an education. Men out of high school are being attracted by higher wages than have ever been given before. College officials and college students are forced to look ahead in a cold-blooded, practical way, and from a pessimistic point of view the popular tendency seems to be to grasp at any present advantage and neglect what superficially may seem the more remote and less tangible advantages of a cultural education.

Under these circumstances it is a fact of some significance that this year the entering class is only slightly smaller than usual and very much larger than had seemed possible to hope for. We Dartmouth men have always been optimists, and this year we are confirmed in our optimism by the size of the entering class. If we examined the motives that influenced each man in his selection we should probably find an infinite variety. Different sides of the college appeal to different men. But after all each one of you men of the class of '21 in coming to Dartmouth this year was unconsciously paying the greatest tribute in your power to what this night was set aside to consecrate—the personality of the College. Every college possesses an individuality and in a conglomerate sense a personality. We all feel that personality without ever stopping to analyze it. It is only when we think of all the elements that go to make up Dartmouth, as a unit, that we intuitively see that quality, though we may perhaps never fully realize what effect it has had in developing our own personality. For most undergraduates traditions are meaningless symbols to be dragged out and played up on certain sentimental occasions. And yet it is our traditions that have given tone, atmosphere, and character to the College and have left their imprint on every Dartmouth man whether conscious of the fact or not.

In the same way Dartmouth spirit has an indefinite meaning for most of us. We may identify it with the attraction which the mere location of the College may have for us, or with the pride which we may have in the size or prestige of the college, or with the emotion we feel when we stand up to sing, "As the Backs Go Tearing By." But these are simply phases of Dartmouth Spirit which we may sum up as our love and admiration for the personality of Dartmouth.

Now we have reached a point in the college year when we can look ahead. Undergraduate activities are going through a process of readjustment and reconstruction. There are new and unusual opportunities for men with ideas and the energy to put them through, and prospects point towards one of the most successful years in the history of the College. There will probably be times when we shall forget that our country is at war, forget our connection with the outside world, and the sacrifices which so many Dartmouth men are making, but if we are going to be honest with ourselves and loyal to the College we must not forget the seriousness of our object and purpose in coming to college. I believe that the spirit which has marked the opening of the year may be accepted by the College as a pledge from the undergraduates to live up to her standards, and her traditions, and the record of her glorious past.

William Hay Bemis '18Undergraduate Speaker at the last Celebration of Dartmouth Night