THE DARTMOUTH OF THE FUTURE?
Almost everyone has some sort of a plan for the future development of Dartmouth College. Our recent spectacular growth, the fact that we literally turn away thousands yearly because of lack of accommodation, has aroused an active interest among our alumni in the solution of the problem.
There are nearly as many varieties of plans as there are groups of Alumni. And properly so—and may this interest continue to express the solidarity of alumni interest in all things pertaining to Dartmouth. It is healthy. It is highly desirable.
If you and I were sitting down together tonight to decide on a plan, there are certain fundamentals in which I am sure we should find ourselves in complete agreement. As we might expect, too, most of the rest of the group would also be in agreement. For the sake of starting then with a few points that we all agree upon, let us enumerate them; first, let us preserve the democratic ideals of the Old Dartmouth; second, let us preserve the opportunities for wide acquaintanceship and at the same time for close fellowship that existed when we were indeed a "Small college"; third, let us emphasize the individual and his growth and development, as against "group" development of any sort or kind.
We are pretty well agreed thus far, I feel sure. Probably, however, most of us are unaware that we have already passed the point where the maximum results can be attained, as under the old conditions. If you were here, you would realize that the planning we must at once undertake, is not for the future, but for the present with its enrollment of 2000.
Possibly when you were here, the whole college could comfortably crowd into the living room at College Hall, listen to a '"Smoke Talk", practice new songs and stage any other undergraduate gathering. Right now, not even one class is comfortable in those accommodations and we are forced to hold almost all meetings at the gymnasium. With everyone alert, with class officers and a good sized band of unrecognized volunteers on the job all the time, it is nearly impossible to achieve the solidarity of classes and of general interest, that we once had.
A lot of the so called Old Traditions have failed, t. g. and have been replaced with better customs and practices more in keeping with the times and offering sane foundations for better traditions of the future. In all the change, there has been no change however, in the best expression of Dartmouth Spirit. That spirit is service now, one hundred percent. If it had been your privilege to go before the undergraduate college and ask them for their support as Dartmouth men for the new Memorial Field, your faith would have been renewed—not so much by the fact that they oversubscribed their fair quota by double the amount, but by the fact that they accepted the opportunity as an apportunity to take their places in the long line of classes of honorable attainment in Dartmouth history.
Yet we are not wholly satisfied. We wouldn't be one hundred per cent Dartmouth men if we were. The lack of dormitories, the tremendous sections in English, history, economics and other subjects, make those of us here on the job, anxious to remove the surplus burden and more nearly approach the individual development period, possible only with more personal contacts in the class room and out of it. Of course I have a plan, who hasn't? The point in bringing it to your attention now is to secure your full and free criticism in order that from many ideas, the right ideas may be selected. In a way too, this is a challenge; in the words of Old Bill, "If you know a better 'Ole, go to it."
The plan itself is simple. On the Hitchcock estate, erect a group of buildings which will house the economics, political science and history groups. Immediately adjoining this group, erect another to house the romance language and arts group. Connect these groups with dormitories holding from 300 to 500. In these dormitories, house those seniors specializing in either or both of the two groups. Somewhere in this development, erect a senior eating hall, comfortable, spacious and designed fully as much for comfortable club purposes as for eating purposes.
Let us assume that we have waved a wand and done this, what has happened to the solidarity of the college, the opportunity for wide acquaintanceship and for close fellowship, and finally, to the development of the individual rather than the group? First of all, let me assure you that the Hitchcock estate is no longer located in Lyme! With the building of Massachusetts row and the later erection of Hitchcock dormitory, the estate is now a part of the operating college, in fact, one of the most popular parts of the college from the undergraduate point of view. Moreover, the buildings that we have proposed to erect will be no further from the center of the campus than the Alumni Gymnasium. You probably remember the great river you used to cross as a little child—and how it had shrunk into a little brook when you went back for an "Old Home" week! Well, come back and walk up to Hitchcock Hall.
Having established the locus of Hitchcock, what happens to the personnel of the college if this change becomes effective? We now house about 1400 out of the 2000, in college dormitories. We would then house them all. This is, of course, a real argument in favor of the plan, as dormitory living has always held an important place in all college contact plans. Next, withdrawing even 300 or 400 seniors from the campus recitation rooms, would leave that much space for the other three classes and would permit of more intensive work by departments.
Before we leave this phase of the subject, however, let us emphasize once more that where now 1400 have the advantages of association in college dormitories, 2000 would have, under the new plan. There is no question but that this move would broaden the contact possibilities, would in fact, nearly approach the former ideal stage, a unified College of 1500. In addition to the advantages to the lower classes, the seniors would have a full year of close companionship.
Let me dwell on this phase of the subject for a moment. In the normal life of any college, there is always a separation of the seniors from the rest of the undergraduate body. Imperceptible at first, the gulf steadily widens as graduation approaches. It should. The purposes, plans and ideals of a senior are directed to the work outside, the new experiences to come. He shares this with his classmates to. an extent not possible among under-classmen with their wide variety of interests.
We may agree then, that instead of breaking down the solidarity, we are in fact aiding in its upbuilding by offering more intensive contact opportunities during. his first three years and creating ideal conditions for senior year. Moreover, can there be any better plan or training for participating as a body in alumni activities, than would come from this intimate association senior year? Undoubtedly, seniors would continue to take part in campus activities and in plans of general helpfulness to the college as a whole. At the same time, there would be a closer union among that fortunate group than was possible even in the best of the good old days.
Let me interject here, however, that senior dormitories are the only class dormitories I ever wish to see at Dartmouth. The very conditions that make for senior solidarity, operate exactly in the reverse when applied to the general undergraduate class life.
Perhaps you have followed me thus far and are now saying to yourself, "Ho, Hum, I see nothing startling about this. He has simply provided more class room and dormitory accommodations and is rooming the seniors together. Of course it is obvious that 1500 will 'mix' more completely than 2000 and perhaps that dope about seniors rooming together is O.k." Well, perhaps that is all there is to it that you can safely call "fact" for the moment. I'll agree with you.
Leaving these as facts, then, let me base the future, as I see it, on these opinions. We are, in my opinion, just entering the renaissance of cultural college training. For a long time now, we as a nation, have been drifting about, catching at any educational straw, overemphasizing business training and failing almost entirely to appreciate the old cultional progress. We have simply reflected the state of the times. But we are beginning to emerge from the state where business was the end. Golf, and tea in the office, are more significant of the change coming into business and business methods, than pages of economic history.
Irvin Cobb, in describing a bachelor said, "Well, after all, a bachelor can always go home, open the closet door and talk to his other suit". The average business man is beginning to realize that he must have some other suit beside business. If it rains and he can't even play golf, he is out of luck indeed. Music, art, nature even, mean nothing in his young life. Living in Jersey perhaps, his nature studies have been confined to the cement walls of the Lackawanna, his waking hours to an overheated office in an overcrowded city and he hasn't yet seen his home town and family by daylight!
Those days are passing. Men are demanding more of life than a meal ticket. Moveover, they are beginning to insist that their sons have, and embrace the opportunities they missed as youngsters. They foresee a different future based on different conditions and different ideals of business and living. In my opinion, these ideals will be served best by college preparation in smaller units or groups. Certainly, if we accept as facts the ideas already developed in this article, we have no choice but to reduce our numbers either by actual reduction of the number admitted, or by segregating the larger number in smaller college groups. No man who is familiar with the typical Dartmouth undergraduate of the present, will willingly close the door until all other plans and methods have failed.
Things don't just happen. In this later growth we are but reflecting external conditions and states of mind. It would appear that the trend is toward college training, in natural, college surroundings. The small town, the wide out-of-doors, the natural, human companionships, are being recognized as much more desirable than the artificial conditions surrounding the normal city University or College. The future will concede and develop this state of mind even more strongly.
In this future, I see the plan as outlined, slowly but surely developing into the Oxford College idea but expressed in American terms, in an American College. Can you think of a better setting for the development of this idea? Can you think of better traditions with which to nourish and surround it?
