CLASS OF 1918
During a short sojourn in Hanover amid melting snows and much March mud the Secretary was further harassed by damning evidences that Dartmouth is fast becoming a college of aesthetes.
Athletic contests have apparently lost much of their old-time glamor, while purely intellectual activities have surged to the fore. For instance, the New England intercollegiate swimming championships held in Alumni Gymnasium drew but a handful of spectators, whereas Prof. Shotwell had no difficulty whatever in filling the auditorium in Dartmouth Hall to capacity daily for six successive lectures on the war, and what not.
Now both bookstores are filled to overflowing with volumnes of good literature and are thronged with eager student bookworms. It is even no longer an uncommon sight to see undergraduates traversing the campus totally absorbed in the reading of verses.
In the matter of clothes worn about the campus the change has been little short of phenomenal. Uniformity has been abolished. Dudley's green sweater emporium shows signs of retrogression and suffers distinctly in comparison with its rival, Campion's. Long ago, Jim sensed the trend towards individuality of student attire even on the campus, and as the result of his foresight he now holds sway with two stores. Campion has taken over Goodhue's old bootery and converted it into his main shop, while his old headquarters is now known as the "smoke shop," where smokes, shoes, and victr.ola records are being peddled.
As to dramatics, the present Dartmouth Players (successors to the Dramatic Association) show a distinct advance in their art. While in Hanover the writer chanced to see one of their productions,—Bernard Shaw's "The Great Catherine"-—which in his estimation was put on with" much greater finish than anything that was produced in the heyday, of the Walt Wanger regime, when the Dramatic Association undoubtedly reached a considerable degree of perfection. And that is admitting a great deal.
On the other hand, interest in the natural outdoor activities of the Outing Club appears to be waning, unfortunately. When the president of the club was made ex-officio member of Palaeopitus a great blunder was evidently committed. Now this position has become the goal of a great mass of office-seekers. One is inclined to suspect that ability to pound typewriters and smoothness of appearance are now qualifications of much greater weight for holding office in the Outing Club than is the knack of handling the axe and aptitude in following mountain trails. Verily, the old order changeth.
At Hanover one finds two 'lB-ers still encamped on the premises. They are Ed Booth and Rolf Syvertsen, both members of the College faculty. As an instructor in the English department Ed Booth is now teaching the freshmen and a new course, "The Survey of Literature," English 21. Classmates who stray, up to Hanover can find Ed and his delightful wife at home at the Parkside apartments.
Syvertsen teaches courses in anatomy and histology at the Medical School, where he also holds the position of secretary. During the past Winter Carnival Rolf also did yeoman service as the chairman of the Outing Club's carnival committee in supervising the planning of events. As yet Syvertsen has not been snatched up by any of the village belles.
The membership of the class of 1918 has recently been increased by one by the addition of Philip Rockingham Chase, who has been granted a B. S. degree at mid-term as of 1918. Due to the fact that he remained in the service for several years after the termination of the war, it was not until this year that Chase was able to complete his studies at Dartmouth. At present Phil is. at Tuck School working towards an M.C.S.
We understand that "Ye. Vegetable, Tom Groves, has left Hanover and gone to England, where he has joined his crony, Joe Brewer, in the search of higher culture in English literature. A'fter giving him ample time to polish off a number of verses we hope to be able to extract some poetry from him.
Also ran into Tom Bryant, the hero of the Furious Fifth, at Hanover, while in the midst of one of his book-selling expeditions to school marms. Tom is still with Ginn and Company of Boston, and in his activities covers a wide territory , in New Hampshire, Vermont, and > Massachusetts. He says he meets up with Eighteeners almost every day, and effervesces with class gossip.
Eddie Felt writes us deploring the lack of sensationalism in the quiet town of Buffalo. He says he occasioally meets Tom Robbins, Zack Taylor, and Arch Robson, all of whom have their domiciles in the vicinity. Inasmuch as all these model citizens have no difficulty in keeping out of jail, Eddie reports .that there is nothing very much exciting round about Buffalo.
From a questionnaire recently sent in by Dusossoit we learn that the Duke is managering for Time, Inc., in Philadelphia, and lives at Haverford, Pa. He claims that his outstanding achievement and incidentally his most notable trip was when he pushed Stan Jones' gasping Jordan to Washington last summer.
Ray Barrett drops a line from Springfield, Mass., announcing that he is the father of a four months , old son, Junior. He says he can always be found at 74 Rittenhouse Terrace, and begs any 18ers passing through Springfield to stop and see his infant prodigy.
Likewise Al Gottschaldt enters the lists again with a second daughter, Helen Barbara, born in December last.
We hear from Gus Gustafson that he is temporarily residing in that queen city of the South, Atlanta, where he helped Gottschaldt and Palmer in entertaining the Green baseball team on its successful southern trip.
The great bulk of the 70 odd Eighteeners in New York city showed surprisingly good judgment in absenting themselves from the Dartmouth play and dance given at the Waldorf-Astoria on April 3. The musical production "Atmosphere" was rank, and literally reeked aloud. It was so far below the capabilities of the Dartmouth Players that it is difficult to understand why they should continue in the delusion that New York audiences prefer fifth-rate musical comedies instead of the more serious type of plays which they are producing to perfection at Hanover.
However, a few of the class did turn out for the shindig, and among them were President Jones, Earley, Mader, O'Gar'a, Hesse, Barr, and Cassebeer. White carnations were bestowed upon Jones and Earley as official floorwalkers for the occasion, which was livened only by Vincent Lopez' incomparable jazz.
The distinguished star, Miss Ina Claire, is appearing for a limited engagement in vaudeville in a one-act comedy, "Right You Are," by Gus Markey, who is now literary editor of the Chicago Herald-Examiner.
Secretary, 953 Madison Ave., New York
