ASSOCIATION OF THE PLAINS

When we learned of the possibility of having President Hopkins here, we set the time of meeting to accord with the dates of his trip. ,In fact, his visit was made the central feature, and all our efforts were directed toward making it as great a success as possible. President Hopkins was here from Saturday morning to Sunday evening, February 1 and 2. During that period of thirty-six hours he had but little time not occupied with appointments and meetings. At noon on Saturday he addressed a large gathering in the Chamber of Commerce. Not only was the dining room well filled, but close attention was paid to the address from start to finish. It deserved close attention. President Hopkins spoke upon "Industrial Relations of the Future." He spoke with the authority of personal experience and with comprehensive vision. We of the alumni took great satisfaction in having Dartmouth represented in Omaha as it was represented by President Hopkins. High grade publicity is what you would call it.

After lunch, the President was taken to the University Club to meet a group of prospective students from the High School. This was an opportunity for the boys to meet the President personally and to ask questions relating to entering college.

The alumni meeting proper was at the University Club at seven in the evening. Sixteen alumni were present, a good attendance for this district. Mr. J. A. Munroe, vice-president of the Union Pacific Railroad, president of the Alumni Association, acted as - toastmaster.

There was but one real speech, however, that of President Hopkins, as interesting as it was long, dealing with many phases of college life and college welfare, interrupted with applause and followed by prolonged applause (rather unusual in a small gathering of sixteen). We wanted to know about the College, and were given just what we wanted.

The alumni living in New England can hardly realize what it means to be fifteen hundred miles or more from Hanover, with news of college affairs so infrequent and so scant as to be tantalizing.

At the alumni meeting the following officers were elected for this year 1919: F. D. Field '94, president, R. F. Leavens '01, secretary, and H. A. Thompson '12, treasurer.

On Sunday morning I had the great pleasure of having President Hopkins occupy the pulpit with me in the church of which I am minister, and deliver the sermon in my place. The fact that we were of the same class in college and closely associated made this occasion peculiarly fitting and enjoyable. The service was well attended by Dartmouth men and their families and parents of students now at Dartmouth, as well as by members of our congregation. President Hopkins did credit to himself and to the college on this occasion, just as on the day previous at the Chamber of Commerce.

In the afternoon of that day the President was given a reception by Mr. and Mrs. Field at their residence. This was particularly for the purpose of providing an opportunity for the fathers and mothers of prospective students to meet the President personally and to lay before him the questions and problems relating-to the individual cases of their sons. This affair, like the others, was most successful.

That the meetings of these two days went off successfully and satisfactorily was due chiefly to President Hopkins himself and the combination of qualities and circumstances which gave value to his visit. It was due also in large measure to the excellent team work of Omaha men interested in Dartmouth, both alumni and fathers of students. These, notably certain enthusiastic fathers of students, did some very effective boosting for the different occasions. This team work is also responsible in large measure for the achievements of last year, 1918. Our Alumni Association of the Plains contributed $500 for the Dartmouth War Fund, and partly as a result of concerted effort by the alumni and friends of Dartmouth in Omaha, a delegation of twelve promising students entered the freshman class in September.