COMMENCEMENT

In the shadow of the World War Dartmouth welcomed home her alumni and friends to share in the observance of the one hundred and forty-eighth Commencement of the College. The alumni came in numbers much reduced in comparison with recent years and with an evident gravity that was new to the occasion. The usual boisterous enthusiasm was absent. Ten classes held reunions but there were no special costumes nor any class designation beyond an occasional button or hat-band. As the Commencement days passed the streets began to assume a more unusual appearance. First came the men from the Naval Reserve, those stationed at Portsmouth and Newport, on two or three days' leave, and perhaps for the first time in its history, Hanover's streets were dotted with men in the uniform of the United States Navy. Then on the last morning and with but twenty-fours' leave came the men from the Officers' Training Corps at Plattsburg, just in time to march with their class in its last appearance as seniors. It was a unique Commencement and an inspiring experience, serious in tone as befitted the grave period through which the country was passing, distinguished by noted guests and thrilling addresses and inspiring by the sight of so many young Dartmouth men who had already given themselves to the service of their country.

SING OUT AND WET DOWN

As usual the first official events of Commencement were the Sing Out on the Sunday before examinations and the Wet Down in the middle of the previous week. On the latter occasion the new Paleopitus was initiated or rather the two juniors who were still left in College of the eleven new members. The fence was duly passed on from the class about to graduate to the class ready to assume its rights and responsibilities and the Barrett cup for all-round achievement was awarded to Robert G. Paine of the graduating class. At the final chapel exercise of the year, now observed as Sing Out, the speaker was the Reverend Charles R. Brown of the Yale Theological School.

BACCALAUREATE SUNDAY

The baccalaureate sermon was delivered by the Reverend Ambrose W. Vernon of Harvard Church in Brookline, Massachusetts. Dr. Vernon is no stranger to the pulpit of the College Church where he previously served as pastor, nor to a college generation of Dartmouth undergraduates. With all his enthusiasm and most inspiringly Dr. Vernon showed his audience the necessity of being a volunteer even in a conscript army. In concluding he said to the graduating class: "Keep yourself to your task without quarter. Heroism consists not in conspicuous but in faithful fighting. No matter what the world says, scorn ambition. Refuse to make your fellow-men rungs in a ladder of personal fame." And finally: "Let no man, no government, no iron of necessity take your life from you; lay it down of yourself, lay it down on the only altar worthy to receive it, the altar of its God."

The Vesper service in the afternoon was in charge of the class of '82, the speaker being Reverend William Strong.