A TRIBUTE TO THE FACULTY

The following letter has been received from the secretary of the class of 1879, Mr. Henry Melville:

A certain old graduate recently returning to Hanover, after many years, and meeting members of the faculty remarked somewhat dubiously—"they may be all right, but they don't look like Professors nor act like Professors."

In the Seventies instructors wore long black coats and silk hats, frequently white ties, and so successfully hedged themselves about with dignity and decorum that it was years before most of us learned that they were of like passions as we were.

In a recent letter to the Secretary, Charles S. Cook touches on this point as follows— "Apparently you misinterpreted my humor (?) about smoking on the part of the faculty. No notion of extravagance by those men would ever occur to me. Things have changed there, but not in that direction. Why, bless you, I would be glad to fancy that my handful of nickels was setting up those men to cigars and to delightful, restful, refreshing trips in that beautiful country—to the last nickel.

"I guess I might as well tell you of a little incident to the point. I remained in Hanover eight years after graduation as instructor in the C.S.D. and went in strong on outings. For one thing I discovered Mt. Cardigan (near Canaan) as worthy of many trips. Indeed it is my ideal of what an isolated mountain should be for this sort of thing (3,000 ft. high). I soon rallied some half dozen Profs for a trip. We were driven to Lebanon, took train to Canaan, and then were driven half way up the mountain. But the incident occurred at the hotel in Canaan. We had to wait for the horses to be harnessed and perhaps you can imagine my surprise when I saw the whole squad line up at the desk and buy CIGARS. To my unsophisticated eyes it was a strange sight to see that row of professors sitting all around the office of a rude little hotel, all puffing clouds of smoke, and talking jovially. Of course I was in it too for all that it was worth. I enjoyed the thing $10 worth right then, and the memory not a little now and then since. It was another reason for appreciating the faculty folks."

The Band