Editorial Comment

Alumni Councillors

It will probably take some time and experience to establish firmly the best system for the nomination and election of Alumni Councillors representing the various districts and sections of the country. The great aim, of course, is to recruit this increasingly important body with men who can bring to its business a sound and mature judgment—men who can, as a rule, be depended upon to attend in person the two meetings which it is customary to hold. Service on the Council is an honor. It is interesting. It makes those who perform it feel a more direct and vital concern with Dartmouth affairs. It is also a responsibility, and especially in the case of men living remote from the College it is a service which entails not a little personal expense. This is peculiarly true of members residing on the Pacific slope, and to a great degree also of those living in the South and Middle West, since one of the meetings is invariably held in Hanover at Commencement and the other, while generally held in New England or New York City, has never gone west of Chicago. If the Council were an endowed body, so that it could assume the traveling expenses of distant members, this element would virtually disappear; but as things stand it is purely a labor of love, devolving on men who reveal a surprising readiness to perform it at a serious cost in both money and personal convenience. The Council has been extraordinarily fortunate in this.

There has been pending a problem as to the best way of nominating the regional members, to which matter the Council at its Boston meeting this fall devoted much time, with results which can best be discovered by referring to the report of its deliberations. One naturally wishes to preserve the essential democracy of the choice without involving it in embarrassments and without inviting frivolous contests for the mere sake of keeping up democratic appearances. There has also been some criticism of the existing mode, because of doubt whether a nominee sought without his knowledge or consent had the power to resign or withdraw his name. On this latter point we incline to believe that the power to refuse to seek an office is well within the "unalienable" rights of mankind; but the general system of nominating and electing members remains a methodological matter involved in the constitution of the Alumni Association, as to which recommendations may well be submitted at the appropriate time.

It may be remarked in passing that the Boston meeting in October brought together 22 members out of the 25 constituting the Council—a most creditable showing—and one to which the pendingfootball game with Harvard next day unquestionably contributed an incentive, without .at all impairing the efficiency of the arrangement, or impugning in any respect the loyal readiness of some of the members to travel 3000 miles to be on hand, even without this added lure.

This body of 25 delegates constitutes a sort of House of Representatives acting in the name and on behalf of the nearly 7000 living alumni scattered over the country, who can by no possible arrangement hope to meet efficiently in any other way. It naturally reduces the functions of the general alumni meetings at Commencement to the scope of ratifications and elections—but instead of taking anything away from the whole alumni body, it insures the permanency and potency of the alumni voice, intelligently directed and effectively employed. Thus far the College has been fortunate in having this organization so adequately manned, and there is every indication that it will continue to be so.

The Football Season

Whether or not it would have been for the real benefit of the College to have in 1926 a football team as notable for success as the team of 1925 is debatable. Much as one relishes an unbeatable eleven, it is open to question that the habitual possession of that blessing would operate in all ways for the best. The fact, as it happens, is that our record in the season just closed falls somewhat below that of the previous year only if measured by touchdowns and uncrossed goallines ; but it is to the lasting credit of the College that the thing more valuable than mere scores—the gameness and the sportsmanlike spirit—is, if anything, enhanced. The contests in which Dartmouth's team failed to win were in each case notable conflicts, compelling the admiration of beholders and sustaining the ideals for which Coach Hawley contends with such laudable insistence. There is a certain triteness in the doctrine, "Not 'Did you win?' but 'How did you fight?' " —and yet it is really the thing that counts. We have not the same string of victories to report that we had a year ago. The Indians of the North have fewer scalps to their belts and fewer notches on the tomahawk handles—but they have forfeited not one shred of reputation and the prospects for another year seem uncommonly bright. The hearty thanks of every alumnus should go to the players and coaches who this autumn so nobly sustained the traditions of Dartmouth on every gridiron field on which the College figured, at home or away. It is agreeable to be sure that our sporting structure is so sound and that its directors are so insistent that it shall fit appropriately into the intellectual, as well as into the purely athletic, picture. While that is true one will hear but little at Hanover about the "overemphasis of football."

Alumni Magazines

The various magazines published by college alumni throughout the country were represented last spring at a general conclave in Ohio at which time a competent body of critics went over specimens from each college and pointed out both defects and points of excellence. With respect to our own publication the suggestions, as now recalled, were that more could be made of the correspondence of alumni concerning general matters—and that a table of contents might well be appended to each issue. To the editors it seems that the lack of the latter is unlikely to be felt, although to some degree it may be useful to provide a general schedule of the contents; but it has long been the wish of the managers that within the limits of reason, more provocative discussion could be secured in the form of letters to the editors—for publication when proper, and for instruction when publication was not desired by the sen er. The editors lay no claim to either omniscience or infallibility. They are striving to serve the alumni, and the Colege through the alumni, and on occasion o give voice to alumni opinion. Very often topics arise as to which there is room for debate, but the output of letters concerning such affairs is small. Hence we would cite the criticism leveled at us by the chinic above referred to which said, There is no department for alumni discussion why doesn't the editor go after it ? It belongs in a periodical as energetic as this one." Such a department could easily be overdone, one fears but short of that ought to be highly useful The editors are far from believing they should resent honest opposition when alumni views differ from their own

The Chinning System

Not the least interesting of recent developments at Hanover has been that of e new "chinning" regulations, whereby no men are pledged for any fraternity until toward the middle' of October in sophomore year. This reduces each fraernity to three delegations and naturally ends to make the delegations larger than when they covered the four years. The arguments for the new system are mainly based on the fact that after being in college throughout one's freshman year one should absorb more or less knowledge of all the fraternities and should choose (if bidden) with surer insight than could be expected of bewildered young men during freshman fall. Incidentally the beavers m the new system point out that he chinning will not have the disturbing effect it used to have on the educational work of the college, since a promising prospect will not be so beset by eager chinners as to make even the pretense of study impossible.

This has been the first year, and it would be unfair to judge of any such system on the basis of a single trial It is probably not rash, however, to say a is plan, like every other that ever was tried, will be found to have its own peculiar set of defects and that the ultimate decision will relate to the question whether or not these are Worse than the old. There was something to be said even for the bad old days when one painstakmgly met a promising freshman the June.," only to find that Eta Bita pi had cannily sent someone away down to Canaan, who had the candidate safely Pledged before the train trundled into West Leb. In those timeS a freshman took his plunge in the dark; but there after he enjoyed a fraternity life which had a distinct value to him in his earlier days as a student, whereas he now has none at all. One guesses that many will miss this stimulus, and will show the lack of it.

If the quest is for an absolutely ideal Pledging system, the safe answer there's no such animal. Thus far about every change has been voted worse than the thing it supplanted. Hopefully the present may escape that fate, because it really does obviate some of the worse difficulties—but who would be so imprudent as to guarantee it?

Already reports from those on the ground indicate that there is, to put it mildly, a decidedly questioning spirit touching this latest method of pledging fraternity members. Admittedly it has the virtue of leaving the newly matriculated freshman free to do a bit of work during the early weeks of his experience in Hanover, as against the vice which attended the old rushing season, whereby the educational business of the College was dislocated and all but stopped while the intensive campaign was on. But this freedom, like all other freedom, has to be purchased at a great price and the first impressions of seasoned observers are apparently leaning toward the belief that the detriments will be found to outweigh the benefits. The greatest defect of all seems to be that human frailty is too great to withstand the temptation to drop a hint to promising freshmen concerning a pledge to be made next year-in other words that the understanding by which not a word is to be said about fraternities during the first year in Hanover is more than can be, or is being, lived up to in actual practice. Can anyone doubt it—knowing the temptations?

There were vague hints during the past year that some of the fraternities were known to have violated both the spirit and the letter of the new arrangement, coupled with valiant threats of exposure—which latter came to nothing in the end, although it is doubtful that any one really thinks there was no offending. However, it is respectfully suggested that no system should be condemned out of hand on the showing of a single trial. The present arrangement ought to have its full day in court and doubtless will have, in order to make sure that it is or is not better or worse than the variegated plans tried in former years. Its vices and its virtues need to be carefully assessed. In particular it will need to be discovered whether or not the dearth of regular fraternity life during freshman year will produce a mushroom crop of freshman societies, possibly reviving and multiplying the evils from which we are all so anxious to escape. It is not a thing of which alumni are likely to be trustworthy judges. The people on the spot —faculty, students and the fraternities themselves—will unquestionably arrive at a just conclusion when all the facts are assembled.

Phi Beta's Sesqui

Phi Beta Kappa obverves on December 5 its 150 th birthday anniversary. As almost no one save a few enthusiastic Phi Betes can be expected to remember off-hand, this scholastic society was instituted at William & Mary in 1776which ought to be the easiest of years to remember since so many momentous things happened in it. One wishes for the honorary fraternity with its wholesome tradition of academic eminence a far better fate than befell the "Sesqui" at Philadelphia.

Without undertaking any active propaganda for the project, necessarily, we would call to the reader's attention the project adopted by Phi Beta Kappa to "restore" respect for scholarship—which is apparently regarded as in need of restoration—and "to promote inspirational teaching." This it is intended to accomplish by providing a fund, the income of which shall make possible annual awards for distinction in teaching as well as for attainments in pure scholarship. The expectation is that from the 50,000 present wearers of the golden key something approaching $1,000,000 may have been raised prior to the sesquicentennial celebration this month.

Meantime it is stated that the new Memorial Hall at William & Mary will be dedicated with formal exercises to the fifty founders of Phi Beta Kappa. In this hall will be preserved various interesting mementoes associated with the society ; and it is further announced by the circular detailing the plans that the building is to be "a charming and much needed centre where members can gather from all parts of the country in that same fraternal spirit which characterized the first delightful meetings at the old Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg." One wonders unworthily if any modern structure really can harbor such gatherings as a Virginia tavern used to do in such convivial times—for even a company of ripe scholars and full professors in those colonial days might find a seemly joviality more consonant with academic eminence than our more austere epoch seems to think possible! However it is certainly fitting to make memorable this unique organization among Greek letter fraternities, and the juncture of a Memorial building with the prizes for annual award looks like a .step in the right direction. The main prize is to be $10,000 in each year for unusual distinction in teaching, with several smaller grants to be later determined. It seems entirely proper for this MAGAZINE to lay the project before its readers who cherish a leverence for the venerable Phi Beta Kappa, with a word of most cordial approval of the general plan to make this occasion at once memorable and helpful.

We take it that among the aims is one to make this honorary fraternity more of a concrete reality to those who are so fortunate as to attain membership. Even as an abstraction it has seemed lately to be appreciating in estate, and with the added advantage of a local habitation it may the more easily continue to do so. The undergraduate interest in the matter has certainly augmented of late years, leading to an active discussion as to the best means of recruiting the membership roll. A disposition to import into the qualifications something beyond mere marks has been apparent, but without commanding as yet a very extensive following. After all, scholarship is scholarship. It may not always be an accurate criterion that a man has attained a certain grade on the professor's books. It may be that some importance should be attached to extra-curricular activities of a literary, musical, or at best non-athletic kind. But the fact remains that membership in Phi Beta Kappa is recognized as a distinction to be coveted and that it is esteemed as affording a prize in winning which the main necessity is the revelation of real brains as distinguished from brawn, however the revelation may be accomplished. It is a good thing to have a Phi Beta Kappa in the academic world, and to have it held in superlative honor. It was never more needed than now.

The Drink Problem

A curious sequel to the experiment of national prohibition is afforded by the great college gatherings everywheremost notably at such as the autumn football games call forth, or such as convene for reunions at Commencement. A somewhat careful investigation reveals the fact that this problem is universal and is being approached with the same gingerliness everywhere, apparently in the dread lest an outspoken effort to minimize the worse forms of alcoholic indulgence might be seized upon as evidence that the college making it suffered beyond others from this undoubted evil. It is rather unfortunate that this should operate to prevent a determined attack on a vicious propensity which appears everywhere to be growing—but it does so. and one hesitates even to discuss the problem in general terms without special applications, although feeling that sooner or later it must be done if - a tolerable situation is to result.

It may not be amiss to indicate some of the elements which operate to create this situation, which is very far from novel in any respect save that of its extent. On such festal occasions there has always been some use of alcohol, but the flagrant abuses thereof (which are the things most seriously complained of) seem generally to be growing instead of decreasing. It is not altogether unnatural. One must reckon with the fact that in these days of vastly increased attendance upon the colleges of the United States the numbers involved are not only much greater than they were, but are also more heterogeneous and afford a much more comprehensive cross-section of society. One must also take into the account the trend of society everywhere toward a more and more reckless defiance of conventions. In the United States particularly, one must recognize the propensity of a public sought to be kept under the artificial repressions of law to exaggerate the occasional opportunities that come along for escape therefrom.

The openly unrestrained conduct of many at such gatherings has been pointed to by many anxious commentators as affording perhaps the worst of all menaces to intercollegiate sport; and there have been occasional suggestions that one way of meeting the case might be to penalize the more notorious offenders by withholding future ticket privileges, as is already done in the case of detected speculators. It is easy to see that the penalty is frequently merited—many would say it was far more clearly merited than is the case with a needy student who ekes out his funds by selling his tickets at a premium to outsiders. Nevertheless the difficulties in the way are considerable and include not only the natural reluctance to make an open assault on the evil in any given college body, but also the manifest requirement of some tale-bearing, against which human nature is so prone to react. The temptation is to let the situation alone, hoping that it will bring its own remedy with it in due season.

One thing we believe may be set down at once as inevitable, and that is the use of liquor to some extent in any such circumstances. Whether the open abuses increasingly complained of are similarly inevitable is less obvious. Probably the majority of alumni in every college earnestly wish there might be a drastic discouragement of such conduct as reflects open and notorious discredit—discouragement by stimulating the growth of proper pride sufficient to convince the thoughtless that such things are "not done by loyal gentlemen, whatever may be their private and personal unbendings m a ess conspicuous environment. Coleges are as much concerned for their good name as any one can be, and are even more easily made to suffer in this regard by a reckless few.

here's nothing new in all this beyond the present tendency toward a more widespread revelation than was common >n the older and less carefully restricted days. It appears to be the common belief of those who ought to know most about it that the worst offenses are attributable to college alumni and not to undergraduates—despite the immaturity of the latter and the inevitable temptations imposed by their brief freedom rom campus oversight, such as a trip to some remote city for a football game has always imposed and today imposes with even more vigor than of yore.

It is a ticklish subject, with every college that we know of. It affects all of iem just about equally. All are alike anxious to be rid of the problem, but none likes to act alone and there seems to be small likelihood of their all acting together. Too often the intimate discussions of the matter get switched off to an acrimonious debate on the abstract question of prohibition as a national afair, and nothing whatever is done Meantime if public opinion against the a uise of strong drink in public places by co lege bodies is growing, the evidence is still to seek. But it may come. It ought to come. There are some things that decent people don't do to excess, whatever be their tolerance for that which stops far short of excess.

As to Backing the Team

There is probably no occasion for anxiety on the part of alumni over outbursts of undergraduate journalists concerning the proper attitude of mind for students actually in college to adopt touching such things as mass meetings prior to important intercollegiate games. is is a student matter and may be handled by student opinion. It is very oubtful that any great body of undergraduate sentiment supports the assumption of contemptuous aloofness sought o be popularized by an occasional outgiving, either by youthful editors anxiousto start something, or by so-called groups animated by a very similar desire. Ten to one this effort to do m co lege what Little Groups of Serious J hinkers are trying to do outside will have about as much, or as little, effect in the former case as in the latter. Taken by and large, young people in college are very like those outside in their propensity to be natural rather than studiously artificial.

There is undoubtedly a reaction, within muts, against the more old-fashioned nds of fbulHent enthusiasm for the dear Old Siwash" idea—but this is pretty sure to go only to the form of expression and not to the natural sentiment itself Spread-eagle loyalty is no more Popular m college now than it is outside and very probably it is the confusion of the loyalty itself with the forms of expression which leads an occasional colege editor to make parade of his disgusts. It is also likely that the passion for being different and thinking different thoughts from those instinctively thought by what it is fashionable, rather than respectful toward God's creatures to call "the herd," motivates the journalists in college as it does their counterparts outside. The average Dartmouth student, one feels sure, is disposed to back up his college teams in whatever ways seem most expedient and will not revolt against ..such ways merely because they are customary.

Is it a thing to be ashamed of that humanity tends toward a form of partisanship in such matters as these? One is told so now and again by the exponents of a more self-contained and exotic idealism, but it is doubtful that this suggestion meets with general concurrence. It is human and natural, especially in undergraduate days, to want the team to win, and to attempt to augment its determination by such outbursts of healthy enthusiasm as general gatherings of students on the eve of a contest can voice. Precisely the same thing takes place among adults on the eve of elections. It is therefore hardly just to stigmatize it as a boyish enthusiasm of which a superior intellect should be scornful. There are times when a normal individual is moved to pray to be delivered from the sort of world these Intellectuals seek to wish on him, as something much too bright and good for human nature's daily food.

The Sunday Vespers

While there appears to be an overwhelming sentiment in support of the policy of abandoning compulsory morning chapel services in the College, one does hear numerous expressions of regret from alumni concerning the decline of interest in Sunday afternoon vespers, which used to be so far from unpopular even among students who cherished little love for chapel at 7.50 a.m. It seems odd that a service once valued so highly should become the object of indifference when the ordinary observances of other days are relaxed, because so many of us remember the time whfen, regardless of our supply of cuts or our general feeling about public devotions, we honestly welcomed the college vespers and never dreamed of wasting a precious cut on them because we geuninely liked to go and felt we got something of real value out of the going.

Just why there should be any alteration of sentiment touching this feature of the college week seems difficult to explain—and yet one is frequently told by alumni that voluntary attendance at the Sunday vespers has seemed to them deplorably small. There is even an occasional suggestion, from such as have no wish to revive compulsions in this realm at any other time, that there might well be a requirement retained as to the Sunday evening chapel service for, say, the three lower classes, exempting only the Seniors. Illogical as this may seem, it has. more adherents than one might sup- pose off-hand: The feeling apparently is that if the students had to attend these brief services once a week, they would discover somewhat to their suprise that they were pleasant and profitable. The idea may be worth considering.

Mr. Baker Revealed

Through the disclosure of the identity of the donor of the new library George F. Baker takes his place as one of the great benefactors of the College. No recent gift has aroused more appreciative comment and interested speculation among the alumni than this of Mr. Baleer's. The interest was not merely curiosity as to the identity of the donor but rather a desire to give more tangible expression of gratitude than could be the case if the donor remained unknown.

Now that the fact is known one wonders why it had not been more evident from-the first. Mr. Baker had already shown his interest in Dartmouth by a generous gift of $lOO,OOO in memory of his uncle, Fisher Ames Baker '59, the captain of the Dartmouth Grays. His generosity has also been shown previously by gifts to Harvard and Cornell. The cause of education in this country has been close to his heart.

The gratitude of Dartmouth men and their satisfaction in the new library will now be complete in the realization that it receives a personality and a meaning which was lacking before it was possible to link with it the name of Mr. Baker.

On the way to the Brown game