FROM THE UNDERGRADUATE CHAIR
Ever shifting and changing, the chameleon cloak of attitudes, values, loyalties and sentiments of the Dartmouth College undergraduate body has swerved from the fast color of unthinking skepticism toward the saner tint of balance and tolerance. "Questioning," from being the master of many, has assumed the more proper position of servant to all. The lessons of a hectic year have sunk deeply into the undergraduate mind, with the result that 1924-25 finds the College prepared and willing to follow courses in thought and action dictated by tested and sensible reasoning.
The "good old days" have not receded sufficiently far into history to induce the undergraduate body to lose their personal predominant interest of the fall, in football. . They support the varsity in Hanover, and have followed it always to New Haven and Cambridge. And each of them swears by Captain Bjorkman and Coach Hawley, with confidence that success alone warrants.
Many almuni probably will find relief from the worry that the "College has gone radical" belief in knowing that a political forum, with a representative attendance, gave Calvin Coolidge a winning vote. Robert M. LaFollette trailed by two votes, and John W. Davis ran a poor third. The forum was the first step of the newly organized Palaeopitus in following its revised program of duties, and, as such, was successful. "Cliff" Hill, president of The Arts, presided. Each party was allowed two five-minute speakers,—then the forum was opened to three-minute speakers. As expected, the Republicans were the most silent,—yet they polled the largest vote. LaFollette had the most vociferous support, and the Davis men pleaded for "sanity and honesty in government."
The majority of readers of this MAGAZINE probably realize the tremendous importance of the position held by the editor of The Dartmouth. From his strategic post, he can mould or create campus sentiment. This position, held last year by "Hal" W. Cowley, is now in the hands of Whitney C. Campbell, of Chicago, 111. Coming when he did, no man was better fitted for the job in 1923-24 than Cowley. He was responsible, directly, in the belief of many, for much of the reconstructive sentiment on the campus. His work resulted in much discussion and in many changes of undergraduat thought. For this reason, the position as his successor holds difficulty. But Campbell thus far has succeeded in steering The Dartmouth, and the student body, into a path of cool consideration of pertinent subjects, maintaining all the while the "two-sided" vision which was somewhat missing last year. He has dropped the personal touch from the editorial column, no initials of the writer being attached to editorial expressions. Thus he is personally responsible for the sentiments expressed in The Dartmouth. A more definite idea of TheDartmouth policy for the year may be had upon reading the statement of it, printed editorally and entitled "The Campus Daily":
"The sophomore and the professor alike have The Dartmouth thrust upon them. They have no choice. If they are interested in what goes on in Hanover, as all sophomores and professors are, they must read what The Dartmouth prints. The campus daily thus becomes a necessity, a monopoly, and a public utility. For the editors of The Dartmouth the situation demands thought and honesty. In consideration of this The Dartmouth believes that it should state the basis on which all of its departments are run.
"College editors have often announced that they were the voice of the student body. Other editors have been labelled tools of the administration. Still others have seriously attempted to act as go-betweens. The Dartmouth has no such principles. It stands as the newspaper of the commupity—a news medium, an advertising medium, and a journal of opinion. With the community a college community The Dartmouth must be a collegiate journal, but the editors have not forgotten that the students and townspeople as well are also members and citizens of a larger community. Hence news of the Associated Press and editorials on national subjects.
"The editors have announced before that they intend to improve the news and advertising columns by increasing the number of columns weekly and strengthening the news department. Editorially, however, there has been no announced program for the year. Neither do we care now to publish all our aims for the College so that we may say in the Spring. 'Ah, it is complete.' Instead we would propose a few principles for education and for Dartmouth which we will rely on in editorial comment throughout the year. These principles are:
"Balance—The Dartmouth contends that balance is the key to a complete liberal education. We do not mean by this that we recommend a little Latin and a little mathematics. But we do infer that a proper mean between freedom and discipline and between mental and physical exercise is essential. Nothing has brought that fact home more than the tragedy of an "intellectual murder" caused by absolute lack of balance between mental power and social aspect.
"Tolerance—the very basis of culture. It may appear that no newspaper has any desire for tolerance. The Dartmouth believes that it constitutes an exception. Whenever this paper strikes, it invites anyone to strike back,. We would have the very word 'tolerance' a tradition of Dartmouth College.
"Frankness—We believe that The Dartmouth can do no more serviceable act than to reveal hypocrisy and sham where they exist in College life. And they do exist, particularly in freshman minds, concerning fraternities, fame, and intellectualism. Such illusions we hope to let out of the box.
"This is the working basis of The Dartmouth, for the year. On this basis we hope to build a period of solid achievement for Dartmouth."
The restoration of the Occom Council to active life was begun with announcement of its duties by Palaeopitus. The body takes over all the insignificant, routine, almost menial duties heretofore executed by Palaeopitus, leaving the higher group more time and energy for better work. Occom Council so far has awarded train concessions, and has charge of promoting interests in interdormitory life and strife.
The Dartmouth, reminding the council of its duties and pleading for a "less serious" life in the College, (which should please John Allen '23 and "Irish" Flanagan '23) prints:
"One of the better known 1924 men about campus was heard to remark at a bonfire speech last spring. 'This College is getting entirely too serious (or more forceful words to the same effect).' The Dartmouth heartily agrees with him. We must maintain that 'true' balance in education. And at last we have found an organization which intends to see that something of the non-serious is instilled into the life of the College. That organization is the Occom Council.
"The Occom Council plans to do its work through its function as a directive agency for dormitory life. Palaeopitus has, in turning over athletic contests to the Council turned over much of the responsibility for dormitory life to the new body. And the members of the Council have already discussed plans whereby they hope to instigate inter-dormitory marble contests or pie-eating contests or some such hilarity. The plans are necessarily indefinite. The idea, however, is firm—that the dormitories as the units of college life must be the units of farcical endeavors.
"In instilling comedy into the campus the Occom Council cannot work alone. Co-operation, and especially suggestions, must be forthcoming from the dormitory residents. Do the students want organized farces? If they do, in what form? The possibilities for genuine enjoyment are great if the idea is not allowed to rot.
The new eight weeks rushing plan, adopted last spring by the interfraternity council, has been changed at the request of Coach Hawley and other alumni, because of its interference with the football team. It was feared duty toward fraternities might rob some players of their concentration on study and football during the fall, so the calling and rushing season was shoved back. No real rushing will go on until after the Cornell game November 15. Sunday calling is now permitted a few houses each week; but actual bidding will not be done until just before Christmas.
The Dartmouth Christian Association, now more directly under the supervision of students, with Graduate Secretary Paul Sanderson acting in an advisory capacity, has printed the first issue of its "quarterly." The paper includes an announcement of the D.C.A.'s own forum plan, as follows:
"To offer an opportunity for the exchange of ideas on modern problems by the student body the Forum Committee has been created by the Association to plan and run a series of forums open to all for discussion of current problems, local, national and international, in the light of Christian ethics.
"It is planned to hold the forums in the Commons Living Room at least once a month. They will be run on the Oxford style except that there will be but one speaker, who will be chosen from among the student body by the committee, and who will give a short talk outlining the points on both sides of the question. The forum will be thrown open for discussion at the conclusion of his talk, and three minutes will be allowed to anyone who wishes to take the floor. The questions to be discussed are to be chosen by the committee with the help of the faculty and students.
"It is difficult to determine at the beginning of any new enterprise just what may be its ultimate success, but there can be little doubt that the institution of a series of forums on the Dartmouth campus will fill a strongly felt need and will supply a demand which to all appearances is sufficiently great to insure at least a fair success even in its first year.
"Dartmouth can have little reason to boast of its intellectuality and its sincere devotion to the search for truth if it cannot arouse enthusiasm enough among its students to conduct a worthwhile series of forums, and it is with faith in the intellectuality of the student body as well as a conviction that the time is ripe for the inauguration of such a system, that the committee starts its work. It remains for the student body to decide the fate of the forums.
"The questions which are to be chosen are admittedly the greatest problem with which the committee is confronted, but we see no reason why, with the cooperation which has been assured by members of the faculty and others interested, this difficulty cannot be overcome and subjects chosen which will gain the interest of a sufficiently large number to make the plan worth while."
The Tower, a new undergraduate magazine of criticism and prose, has printed its first two numbers. Editors include Frank Shea, John Altizer, Edwin Yates and Brice Disque. Professor David Lambuth reviewed the first number very favorably, and the second number, just printed, boasts an article on Calvin Coolidge by Professor Mecklin.
