DINNER SESSION

The New Curriculum—Charles D. Adams '77.

Eighty-two secretaries, trustees and guests filled the Grill Room almost to capacity and after the dinner President Piper introduced as the first speaker Professor Charles D. Adams, who described the curriculum recently revised by a committee of the faculty. Professor Adams outlined the gradual changes in the curriculum from the beginning of Dr. Tucker's administration through the growth and importance of the elective system and the adoption of the group system of studies. The group system was devised to enable a man to know something about every department and everything about some one department. The theory was excellent but the result of the work in the major study was disappointing. It was found that a man could complete his major and also his minor requirements in his junior year and, if he was so inclined, the senior year might be left for desultory and disconnected election. This seemed illogical to largely release men from discipline in their senior year, which should be the most valuable year from an educational point of view. The trustees, therefore, referred the question of the revision' of the curriculum to the faculty in 1916 and for three years the matter was studied and debated.

One important feature of the new curriculum is a much larger requirement in certain elementary studies. Of great importance is the work required of all freshmen, that they take the courses in citizenship and in evolution which are designed to give them the essential facts upon which they can build later. A more important feature still is the provision for the major study. Departing from the old principle the new curriculum provides that this work must be done largely in junior and senior years. According to the present curriculum, one course of the major work must be taken in the junior year, two in the senior year and one in a department closely related to it. By his senior year, therefore, a man has selected two departments in which he will spend three-fifths of his time in the last year.

These, then, are the fundamentals of the new curriculum, at the beginning of a student's work a much wider range of knowledge in elementary subjects and toward the end of his college course a very much more serious study of some one major subject.

Review of the Work of the Association —Charles H. Donahue '99.

In the absence of Natt Emerson '00, who had been scheduled to speak on the work of the Association, C. H. Donahue '99 came, as he expressed it, in the character of a pinch hitter. No one could better or more wittily express the spirit that is the soul of the organization. It is the work of the Secretaries to deal with the intangibles, the hearts and souls of men, and the plane where the Association works is the high plane of love and loyalty to the College.

But the Association has also material accomplishments to record—the founding of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE, the originating of the Alumni Council and the establishing of the Alumni Fund, among others.

The soul of the Association, however, is evident in all its actions, in its successful efforts to bring the non-graduates into full .fellowship with the College, in its class reports and even in its resolutions, passed in formal session. It is this spirit that makes the work of the Association unique. It is keeping the personal contact between man and college and its work is written on the hearts and souls of men.

In conclusion Mr. Donahue said, quoting from Natt Emerson's manuscript:

"Twenty years ago? Yes, by the calendar. But it might be but yesterday and the intervening years a dream. For we are all here. Perhaps grayed in the hair or lined in the face or a bit flabby in the muscles or a bit too well upholstered. Did I say all? No—not at all. For I look in vain for some whom it seems 'I should see.

"And yet are they missing? Are not they with us in spirit? Are we not here in the spirit of twenty years ago? And are they not of that? I believe so and that they as well as we are here.

"For to me this is a matter of the spirit on which we are gathered. And so it will be through our twenty-fifth and thirtieth, fortieth and fiftieth until but one remains. And he—which one of us think you it will be?—will return. Perhaps not one of these present day buildings will be standing. But he will return to—what? Not to Hanover but to a 1900 reunion. And we to a man will be here with him. He will be living with you and me in those years from 1896 to 1900. And some unthinking ones may pity that old man as one through with life. No—living life for the time as a boy with illusions, youth, health, lack of cares, seeing not the new things which have but temporal value but rather the priceless things of the past that are not nor can be—the faces that no longer are, save in memory, the games of other years, the fellowships of youth—these things shall be his with us —the heritage of the years—the power to turn time backward in its flight. And to that man we give our charge to keep burning our altar fire. And if he be faithful to his charge, we who are to cross over before him pledge to him to be with him when and where he wills and to give him the boon not granted save to the chosen, of turning time back at will and knowing not bereavement nor sorrow. Because we who are dead shall live with him until he too matriculates with us on the far shore forever."

The College—President Hopkins.

With great clearness the President outlined the purposes of education in general and Dartmouth's function in this in particular. If it is a choice between striving exclusively to produce a few leaders in a generation or of striving to produce a great mass of good citizens, with the consequent chance that leadership will develop from these, Dartmouth must unquestionably work toward the latter. Life has become so intricate in its relationships that we must do all possible to reduce the barriers of professionalized interest that may still exist and limit perspective. The great danger in the world is the frequent failure to realize that the prime object of education is service. If our ideal is to accomplish something primarily not of service, then the true Spirit of Dartmouth is going to be lost.

President Hopkins then outlined some of the problems presenting themselves to the trustees and demanding attention if the work of the College was to become increasingly effective. Such were the matters of college responsibilities for studying mental hygiene among its students and of remedies where needed, and responsibility for relieving the effects of malnutrition through competent guidance.

He expressed his absolute faith in the willingness of the alumni to support the development of the College in its internal and material expansion. This had been proved in previous administrations and in the immediate past, as evidenced by the successful financing of the new Chemical Laboratory and in financing the one hundred percent increase required by the appropriations for instruction within five years.

In conclusion, the President referred to the situation created by the unprecedented number of applications for admission to College. It is probable that not more than 500 freshmen can be admitted next September and there will be applications from many times that number. The selective process is still inevitably crude but certain points have been determined. So far as they are qualified, every son of a Dartmouth man will be admitted, every man from New Hampshire and some scheme of geographic distribution will be applied for selection of the balance. It will also be necessary to limit rigidly the number of , men transferring from other colleges.

Marcus Aurelius said that since men were made to live together we must either educate them or bear with them. Dartmouth fundamentally is trying to do its share in helping men to live together to the exclusion of strife and conflict in the possibilities of which in the future is included bitterness beyond even the imagination of man!

At the conclusion of the speaking, the meeting was again adjourned, this time to the lobby of the Inn where further entertainment was ready. Illustrating his talk with his own photographs, Dr. Griggs presented the life of the Outing Club on the trail and in the cabins as no one else could tell its story.

He was followed by Horace G. Pender '97, who outlined the present situation in Dartmouth athletics and frankly answered the many questions that the secretaries directed to him.

Some time in the small hours of the morning the gathering broke up to meet again in Parkhurst Hall at the close of morning chapel.

MORNING SESSION

Certificates to Non-Graduates—William D. Parkinson '78.

The Secretaries have always had a particularly warm place in their hearts for non-graduates and the present discussion was based on a previous one of last year and on some correspondence carried on by the Executive Committee. There were a number of very interesting letters from men who for various reasons did not complete their work.

The vital question seemed to be whether the College should recognize men who come here with a serious purpose and take part creditably in the college work but, for one reason or another, are forced to leave before attaining the degree. Mr. Parkinson dwelt on the difficulty of devising a suitable form of recognition, suggesting that a certificate in English which might be in the form of an honorable discharge would distinguish this from the regular diploma which is in Latin and would, at the same time, show that the College has confidence in the man. Mr. Howard M. Tibbetts, the Registrar of the College, outlined the present procedure of sending a letter in any case where it was requested stating what the man's connection with the College had been. It was the natural feeling of the Secretaries that this was a matter which could only be decided by the College authorities, but the keen interest felt in it was evidenced by the wide discussion following Mr. Parkinson's presentation. It was finally voted to refer the matter for further consideration to the Executive Committee and it was also "Resolved: That in all contacts of the College with those who have or shall have matriculated in it, other than its contacts with resident students at Hanover, there should be no differentiations or distinctions on account of graduation or non-graduation or of any specific reason for the latter, unless the contact immediately concerned shall itself relate specifically and necessarily thereto."

Distribution of Seats at Football Games

—Eleazar Cate '88, James R. Chandler '98, Harry B. Johnson '04, Horace G. Pender '97.

The question has been under discussion within various associations and classes as to whether a scheme could be devised by which Seats at football games might be distributed by classes, thereby giving the spectators an opportunity for an informal reunion with their classmates and friends in neighboring classes as well as the enjoyment of the football game. The subject was discussed by Mr. Cate, Mr. Chandler and Mr. Johnson, who evidently felt that there would be some distinct advantages if the plan could be put into operation, but were not sufficiently in touch with the situation to know if such a distribution would be practicable. Mr. Johnson reported that the Springfield and Worcester associations had voted favorably on the subject and spoke warmly in favor of it, if the adjustment could be made. Mr. Pender then spoke for the Athletic Council explaining the policy of the Council to be a distribution in such a way as to satisfy the greatest number of alumni and to give everyone a chance, at least, for good seats. He expressed considerable doubt that a distribution by classes would prove more satisfactory than the present system which allowed a group of friends to sit together by sending in their applications together. Following the discussion it was moved and voted that the matter of distribution of seats at football games by classes or groups be left entirely to the judgment of the Athletic Council.

Memorial Field Fund—George G. Clark '99.

By a fortunate coincidence Mr. Clark happened to be passing through Hanover at the time of the Secretaries meeting and was drafted onto the program to explain the present status of the Memorial Field Fund. He reported at that time subscriptions totaling $117,880, of which about $50,000 had been paid in to the Treasurer of the College. In regard to the actual status of the work performed, he reported that the east side of the field, which was used for trenches and barbed wire entanglements during the war had been levelled off and a hockey rink built at the east end of the gymnasium. Contracts had already been authorized for the next steps—the drainage and grading.

The plan of the campaign for completing the Fund was described. It is the expectation of the committee that the classes from 1871 to 1920 will underwrite a sufficient number of $4000 shares to complete the Fund. In some cases a class can probably take only one share; in other cases it may well take more than one. Each class is being organized through a committee and the class captain and the results that have already been achieved would seem to indicate that the balance of the Fund will come in through these class agencies.

Medical School Alumni—Frederic P. Lord '98

The alumni of the Medical School are in a somewhat different situation than any other group affiliated with Dartmouth College. For a hundred years or more the Medical School graduated men who were not, except in a few instances, graduates of the academic department. Some of them came from other institutions and some came without a previous college training. These men are much interested in the Medical School but they have no real contact with Dartmouth College, although they are classified by the College as alumni. There would seem to be a real opportunity for the secretaries of Dartmouth classes to assist in bridging this gap and making the Medical alumni feel actually one with the larger body of alumni at Commencement and other College occasions.

Following the discussion, it was voted that the Executive Committee take under consideration the subject of Medical School graduates, making this a basis of study and report for next year's meeting.

Opportunities for Service of the SmallerDartmouth Clubs and Associations —Conrad E. Snow '12.

One difficulty in discussing such a subject as the opportunities for service of the associations is their great variety and differing types of organization. They may comprise a half dozen members in a distant city or seventy-five members scattered over a state as large as New England, or several hundred members in a large city; but there are two outstanding types. The most frequent type is the lunch club, whose activity centers in their weekly gathering at noon. The other type is that of the association which gathers infrequently in the form of an annual dinner. Since the lunch club is generally a city club type, this is the organization which can best maintain other activities. For instance, the club at Chicago has two annual outings and three or four smokers a year.

Mr. Snow outlined a number ,of ways in which the associations might be of service to the College—such as producing occasions when the right type of boy can get in touch with Dartmouth men and the Dartmouth spirit, assisting men who have already gone to college and helping young graduates in finding occupation after leaving college.

In conclusion, Mr. Snow referred to the ways in which the College could help the associations, speaking most appreciatively of the weekly bulletins which have been coming from Mr. Larmon '19, Secretary to the President, during the past year, and emphasizing the importance of sending a representative of the College to the various associations, and of the assistance which the College may render in locating the addresses of Dartmouth men in the district.

The Dartmouth Award—Sumner B. Emerson '17.

The interesting award that the alumni of Buffalo are making each year to a member of the graduating class in the Buffalo High .Schools was described to the Secretaries by S. B. Emerson '17. The award takes the form of a gold watch charm inscribed above, "The Dartmouth Award" and having below, the words "Character, Achievement, Leadership." It is given each year to that boy in the graduating class of the public high schools who most nearly possesses the ideals, achievement and qualities of leadership which should be combined in an outstanding good citizen.

The suggestion has found favor wherever it has been discussed and it has also been proposed that the idea be extended to other cities and made a national affair among the Dartmouth alumni associations. The general discussion which followed showed complete unanimity of sentiment among the Secretaries and it was finally voted that the proposition of recommending the adoption of the idea to other alumni associations be referred to the Executive Committee for further consideration and such action as may be necessary.

Class Spirit in the Undergraduate Body —Robert W. Elsasser '21.

The final subject for the consideration of the Secretaries was an illuminating report by R. W. Elsasser, secretary of the present senior class. Admitting the decline in class spirit in general, Mr. Elsasser expressed his belief that this was due not so much to a lack of the spirit as to a lack of opportunities to manifest the spirit. The expression of class unity has also been prevented to some extent by the fact that there are constant occasions which demand the entire college spirit rather than that of the classes individually and, in this, college spirit has been the gainer. He reviewed the situation of the various classes as regards their cohesion and expressed particular concern at the lack of animosity between the two lower classes, which had apparently resulted through too little supersivion of the freshmen by the sophomores. This situation was, however, being carefully examined and Palseopitus was at work on new schemes and types of rivalry which might make class competition more spirited and less dangerous than in some previous years. The alumni of an earlier generation were reminded of the changing conditions in the College and of . the impossibility of maintaining the old class spirit on the same basis and the necessity of stimulating the spirit in new ways.

Before closing the formal exercises, of the meeting, President Piper called upon the committees for report. Pursuant to the recommendation of the Committee on Nominations, the following officers were elected;

President—Frank E. Rowe '91.

Vice-President—Charles A. Perkins '90.

Secretary and Treasurer—Eugene F. Clark '01.

Executive Committee — David N.

Blakely '89, Arthur M. Strong '92, Clyfton Chandler '14; William Sewall '17.

Member of the Alumni Council—William D. Parkinson '78.

Managing Editor of the MAGAZINE- Eugene F. Clark '01.

Mr. Comstock then reported for the Committee on Resolutions and the Association unanimously adopted the resolutions that follow:—

"Resolved, That the Association laments the untimely passing of Elmer William Barstow, the first secretary of the Class of 1899, whose devotion to the interests of his class and the College was unusual and who was one of the chief factors contributing to the organization and success of this Association.

"Resolved, That this Association extend to President Emeritus Tucker, who first caused this Association to assemble, its greetings, its warm personal regards, and its hope for continual improvement in health and strength.

"Resolved, That the Association of Secretaries hereby expresses its high regard and affection for Dr. J. Whitney Barstow and Mr. Samuel ,R. Bond, secretaries and sole survivors of their respective classes, who have indicated by their letters their interest in this meeting and their continued regard for their Alma Mater.

"Resolved, That the thanks of the Association are heartily extended to the authorities of the College for the bountiful entertainment provided for those attending this meeting.

"Resolved, That the Association express to the Board of Trustees its appreciation of the pleasure and profit granted them by the union meeting held last evening, and express the hope that there may be similar gatherings in the future."

Although this ended the formal part of the meetings a number of the secretaries remained for further reunion and inspiration and in the afternoon some twenty or more repaired to the Moose Mountain cabin, where Dr. Griggs and his Outing Club assistants had prepared a dinner of strawberry shortcake and other side dishes. With the secretaries, assistants, the Outing Club quartette, and other casual visitors, the total number around the fire during the evening was over fifty.

The whole meeting was in fact a notable one. One of the interesting and significant features was the very strong impression which it obviously made on the undergraduate representatives who were present. This was well expressed in an editorial that appeared in The Dartmouth on the following day and is here quoted.

"The 17th annual session of the Dartmouth Secretaries Association has closed and 30 or 40 alumni secretaries have gone away with more pep and enthusiasm for their jobs than they had when they arrived in Hanover last week. Each one is more resolved to do more and better work for his class and for his College as a result of the meetings and each one is going out with a firm resolve to bring his own class even closer together than it was. before.

"What an institution the Secretaries Association is! Few undergraduates understand the importance of the permanent class secretary, or realize the vast amount of work the class secretary must do in order to hold his class together during the years following their graduation. Few undergraduates realize that, without a good secretary, each class organization would become looser and. looser during each succeeding year until the members of the class should lose most of their attachment to the College itself.

"College spirit is the direct result of class spirit. Class spirit can be maintained only through an enterprising and resourceful secretary who must, through incessant work, keep the members of his class not merely in touch with each other but interested in each other's personal welfare. To accomplish this, the secretary himself must be overflowing with enthusiasm which he can impart to his classmates.

"The sole aim of the Secretaries Association is to develop and maintain this enthusiasm among the secretaries, and consequently to maintain interest in the College among the alumni. And best of all, the Association is accomplishing this, a fact which more than justifies ' any financial expense necessary for its maintenance."