ANNUAL MEETING OF THE DARTMOUTH SECRETARIES ASSOCIATION

The fifteenth annual meeting of the Secretaries Association was most pleasantly introduced by an informal reception at the home of President and Mrs. Hopkins. Here there was opportunity for renewing old acquaintance and gaining first hand contact with college officers and life that was most welcome to the visiting secretaries.

The first formal session of the meeting was called at 5:45 o'clock in Parkhurst Hall. The President of the Association, Carlos C. Davis '79 was prevented from attending by illness and after calling the meeting to order the Vice President, William S. Dana '71, expressed his own regret and that of the Association in the enforced absence of the President. This feeling was further indicated in a resolution adopted by the meeting a little later expressing the sympathy of the secretaries assembled.

The roll-call showed a total attendance of 54, representing 62 classes and associations. The attendance having been recorded, the presiding officer appointed the following committees:

Nominations: H. H. Piper '78, W. M. Hatch '86 and L. M. Symmes '08.

Resolutions: L. S. Hastings '70, C. C. Merrill '94 and H. G. Rugg '06.

The report of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE was then called for and E. F. Clark '01 reported on the editorial policy and, in the absence of W. R. Gray '04, on the finances. One of the most important features of the MAGAZINE during the war has been the department containing military news, the information here printed being obtained largely through the questionnaires sent out by the College. A bulk of material is now available for the use of the future historian of this period of the College but history is still making and the continued cooperation of all is still necessary. Reference was made to the series of articles on living alumni and also to a method suggested for obtaining alumni news through the medium of sectional reporters. This suggestion will be referred to the Executive Committee.

The report of the business manager showed a gain in subscriptions of 58 over the previous years in spite of a careful revision of the list. The cost of publication has advanced with increasing costs in much the same ratio as the increased receipts from subscriptions and advertising.

The Alumni Council and The Secretary

W. D. PARKINSON '78

Mr. Parkinson reported particularly on the Fall meeting of the Council and extended his remarks to include the philosophy of the Council in its relation to the College. It was a most illuminating report especially from its broad outlook on the functions of the Council and the latter's correlation with other phases of college activities. After referring to the Council's belief in the necessity of increasing faculty salaries and tuition charges Mr. Parkinson discussed the alumni campaign of last year and the one that is now in progress. Re garding the present campaign, he said, "We have planned this with a view to getting the greatest number of contributors possible, but still hoping for as great an amount of money. The feeling is general that it was a good thing for the College and for the alumni to know that they will contribute regularly. No man ever went through Dartmouth who did not receive more-than he paid. He may not value it but he got it. We all owe the College in dollars and cents. Every man should feel that it is his duty to do something for the College each .year."

After discussing the constitution of the various Council committees and the theory of nomination of trustees by the council, Mr. Parkinson continued, "Aristotle talked of a University State in which the citizens were always being educated. We are approaching something similar. The war has brought out a true conception of the position of the educated man in the community. We have certain responsibilities. I do not feel like making a religion of being a Dartmouth man, but it does seem-to me that we are, as Dartmouth men, a part of the University State and we are under Dartmouth Colors. The purpose of the College is to help the individual for its effect on society. Society needs the educated man all the time. The work of the College is what the students do after they leave to take up their work. They carry out the ideals of the College. We are a marching army and we ought not to feel that the College is merely in Hanover. We come back here to get inspiration but the work of the College is where we are.

Education is to be reorganized but this has always been the case. Systems are constantly being organized because education must be adjusted to life which changes continually. War ploughs up the ground and enables changes and compels changes. The necessary thing is not so much the reshaping of the organization as reorganization of our thinking and determination of educational values.

"We have three organizations, the Secretaries Association, the Alumni Council and the Board of Trustees. We must go ahead joining hands with other educational organizations. We secretaries must be on the lookout to carry back to our classes our impressions and do what we can for any forward movement. We hope the college man everywhere will take his part in guiding the world, and that our organizations, the Council, the Secretaries and the Trustees will be always looking toward the light.'

The Class Agent and The Fund

E. H. KENERSON '03

The relation of the Alumni Fund to the Class organization has always been a difficult one. Most classes have class agents and this is no doubt the proper way in which to handle funds. The Secretary's work should be distinct from the financial work. In most cases the Fund has been a direct benefit to class spirit and organization. The exceptions have been practically all among those classes soon to celebrate their 25th reunion and planning to present separate funds to the College at that time. One class, 1905, has a distinct understanding that in turning over a large part of its class fund to the general alumni fund sufficient may be retained to pay class expenses. Several classes dropped their efforts in behalf of a class fund to concentrate on the work of the alumni fund. This involved not a little self-sacrifice on the part of the class for the alumni fund as a whole.

The question naturally arises as to whether it might not be well to pool the class and alumni drives on some such plan as that adopted by 1905. This would give the various class organizations funds which are absolutely essential for the efficient management of their interests.

Report of The Executive Committee

G. G. CLARK '99

In spite of the difficulties under which the Executive Committee labored, such as the absence of younger secretaries and constantly changing acting secretaries, the Committee reports progress :

First. The report of the last meeting as published in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE together with the article, 'The Tie That Binds," was sent to the members of the classes.

Second. Adjustment of cases in which men were connected with two or more classes was carried on. One hundred and seventy cases out of 206 from the classes 1890 to 1910 were disposed of. Each secretary will receive a report from the men connected with his class. Where men, although officially connected with a certain class, have expressed a wish to keep up an official relation with another class it is recommended that a secretary still carry such a man on his list for all purposes other than solicitation of class funds, dues, and other matters.

Third. The Reunion Manual has been completed but the uncertain conditions now prevailing have made the printing of it at present inadvisable.

Fourth. It is the opinion of the Executive Committee that in general it is inadvisable for classes whose reunions come this June or next June to give them up and stage regulation reunions at the 150 th anniversary celebration of the College. A 150 th celebration has an interest in itself. The result would be that the intimacy-welding objective of class reunions would suffer through the competing interests of a concurring reunion and the 150th celebration. Also the psychological value of the home-coming aspects of men returning from abroad and men coming from recent war work in America to those classes which naturally have reunions this June would be lessened by postponement.

Fifth. The wish expressed at the last meeting of the Association that the secretaries might meet members of the faculty has been met through President Hopkins' hospitality in the afternoon. It is recommended for another year that the educational problems of some department of the College be presented to the secretaries.

Sixth. The vital work of the year has been trying to help keep alive the secretarial work among the recent classes by seeing that Acting Secretaries were appointed, war data collected and reported and making arrangements to have men write to classmates overseas. Questionnaires were sent to the last ten classes to insure that some one always had the oversight of the secretarial work in mind. The war has taken only one member of the Secretaries Association in the death of Sturgis Pishon the loyal, efficient and tireless secretary of 1910. Many members were in service, but most of them have again taken up their class duties.

Seventh. Importance has attached this last year to the responsibility of another officer in case of the secretary's inability and the Executive Committee recommends that the secretaries file with it lists of their acting administrative officers or in the absence of such the name of some one with whom the Executive Committee can communicate. Again the recommendation is earnestly made that from 1900 down Secretarial Lieutenants be appointed.

Finally the following recommendations were made for the future:

One. That the secretary of each class be released from his duties as Class Agent of the Alumni Fund or Treasurer of his class where such work has proved a detriment to his activities as Secretary.

Two. That a committee of three outside the Executive Committee be appointed to take in hand the preparation, with a view to publication in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE, of a series of nine articles upon Dartmouth Worthies.

Three. That it be recommended to the secretaries and the editor of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE to drop wherever not inconsistent with the accuracy of official records the use of the letters "ex" or "non-grad." either before "or after a name when referring to non-graduates.

Four. That a committee of three from the secretaries of Dartmouth Clubs be aPpointed to investigate the whole matter of Dartmouth Clubs, their organization, objective and function for good both to alumni and college, to make recommendations hereto at the next meeting.

This report occasioned considerable discussion but the recommendations were finally adopted after Section III had undergone revision to the form as printed. The second recommendatoin had to do with a project to which the editors of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE had been giving considerable attention and the cooperation of a committee from the secretaries would be most welcome in their deliberations. As the resolution was adopted it carried instructions that the Committee be appointed by the Executive Committee and included the understanding that there was no time limit in the publication of these articles. The most discussion centered around the third recommendation. It was realized that in the official college lists there must be some distinction between those men who graduated in course with their classes and those who* did not complete the course. It was, however, felt quite generally that in most of the publications by the class secretaries and other material of a non-official character this distinction might be eliminated. The fourth recommendation was adopted with the further provision that the Chairman appoint the Committee in question. Acting on this authority the following men were designated to investigate the matter of Dartmouth Clubs, and make recommendations at the next meeting: Leland Powers '09, Secretary of the Boston Association, Chairman; Horace E. Allen '02, Secretary of the Western Massachusetts Association, and Joseph W. Worthen '10, Secretary of the Concord, N. H., Association.

The 150 th Anniversary

H. E. KEYES '00

There is every indication that the coming Commencement will be one of the largest and most interesting ever held. Reunions are to be held as usual and there seems to be a general desire among the alumni not to have their reunions interrupted by the 150 th anniversary.

The trustees voted that this celebration should be held in October but drew up no plans for the occasion. A committee consisting of three trustees, three members of the Alumni Council and three members of the faculty will arrange for the celebration of this event, but the nature of these plans cannot now be stated. At such celebrations there are usually two parties, the pageant party and the party of oratory. The one party favors a pageant. The other party desires orations in front of every building. Whatever comes, it will be a formal event, with much pomp and ceremony, but it will be questionable taste at such a time as this for the College to enter upon any large advertising outlay.

The question having been raised whether it would be possible for a class normally having a reunion last year to meet at the coming Commencement, it was found that there would probably be room for all classes desiring to attend, although those classes having regular reunions would naturally have the first choice of dormitories.