A MAY COMMENCEMENT

As a step toward abolishing Easter vacation and thereby bringing college to an early close this year, the past month has seen a movement to get some expression of opinion from the undergraduate body as to the advisability of no holidays until Commencement. Palaeopitus took the first step and instituted a questionnaire. The results at the time of going to press had not been completely tabulated, but as the matter rests now there is an overwhelming student sentiment to hasten Commencement as much as possible. Six hundred and seventy-five men voted, and of this number 583 voted in favor of the move. The questionnaire follows:

Name............................. Class

1. I favor the elimination of all holidays and spring recess in order to shorten the coming semester.

2. I favor in addition to this a slight increase in daily assignment if in this way a month's time may be saved.

3. State as definitely as possible what you intend to do during the summer vacation.

4. Remarks.

The primary reason for the movement lay in a desire to have as many men as possible at Commencement. If Easter vacation should be abolished Commencement would be two or three weeks earlier than it otherwise could be, and this would allow men in the draft or in the navy a greater chance of being in Hanover. But larger interests than this were also involved. As TheDartmouth editorially said: "By far the most important effect of the proposed plan would be its unquestionable benefit to the morale of the college. In times of unrest the actual value of training depends entirely upon the attitude of the student body toward its work. Any vacation interrupting training in such critical times as these inevitably has the psychological effect of weakening interest and purpose. This can be seen at the present time, and if a repetition of the state of affairs after last Easter should occur again this year, it is certain that at least a month's time would be actually wasted."

Besides these arguments there was the general feeling current in Hanover that in the coming summer every man in college would be engaged in some sort of constructive work, and that the time at which he would enter upon this work should be hastened as much as possible. Many felt that the movement for abolishing vacations was radical, but after more or less discussion sentiment seems crystallized strongly in favor of such a plan.