WHY THEY DON'T ATTEND MASS MEETINGS

Chairman, Bureau of Personnel Research, Dartmouth College

In the Fall of 1924, W. H. Cowley then editor of The Dartmouth) dared to question somewhat the emphasis beingplaced upon athletics in general and football in particular. We were shocked, grieved and pained but passed it off as one of those unfortunate events that will occur from time to time, in the best regulated families. However, when the next editor, Ed Duffy—himself a football player, took up the Cowley cause and proceeded to hammer the day-lights out of one of our pet traditions, we opined that the matter had gone quite far enough and that the young gentleman should be soundly spanked !

And having soundly spanked the young man by press and by letter, we sat back serene in our faith that a good job had been done and that the future would take care of itself. Therefore, our state of mind when Mr. Duffy's successor, the present Editor, Mr. Carl Strouse, not only espoused the cause of the former editors but went them one better in his denunciation of our mass meetings, our feelings got the better of us and in the heat of the moment, some of us said things about Mr. Strouse and his policy that were equally unfair to Mr. Strouse in particular and to the entire body of alumni in general.

But since these expressions came from the very hearts of men interested first, last and all the time in the welfare of Dartmouth College, it seems vital to attempt, at least, an explanation of our present undergraduate point of view in the hope that by so doing our solidarity graduate and undergraduate, may not be disturbed.

The College of 1926 is socially at least, a very different institution than the college that most of us attended. The changes are the result of natural evolution and since the college is the great "sampler" of the Nation, the changes but reflect the changed and changing surrounding conditions. These changes affect profoundly the social life of the college. Where we had one social or entertainment outlet, the present undergraduate has fifty. Where we had sober texts with an occasional degression, few magazines and the Boston Journal, the present generation is bombarded with books, magazines, movies, radio, and canned music and is offered as daily mental food sex revelations that still seem rather astounding to us of the older generations.

In fairness to all, let us compare the 1903-1907 period to the present in terms of "something to do." As I recall it there were three or four of us who could play the piano. Supper over at Commons, one or the other of us played, the crowd sang, men from the eating clubs came in and a good time was had by all. It is significant to remember that the entertainment ceased by seven-thirty and that by eight at the latest, the College was housed for the night. There was no place to go but out; there was nothing to do but study or play cards. Goingout of town—at least beyond Lebanon, was a real event. There were no automobiles, jazz was being born and sex was still confined to rather intimate "discussion groups" who did not publish their findings.

Today the student may rush from his meals to the movies; go home and turn on his own canned music; join a group at the house for a radio concert; tune up his Ford and attend a party anywhere m Grafton county; listen to the Kound Table orators settling the affairs of the world; do some evening work for any one of the 57 competitions now open; go to Webster or Robinson hall; hunt up a bridge game—or study. In our day the mass meeting was an event. Like Cap Kelley's St. Patrick's day oration it broke up the monotony of our existence. It gave us a chance to hear outsiders and to see. the "big men" of the College. We looked forward to the nights both as entertainment, as a chance to express what we felt was Dartmouth and as an opportunity to reassure ourselves that we really belonged.

Today the mass meeting must compete with countless other events. Since the College is visited weekly by prominent, nationally known speakers, our local spell-binders have lost their former power. Since the evening offers abundant opportunity for more interesting self-expression, we have ceased to regard the mass meeting as necessary to strengthen our sense of "belonging." Since our horizons of study, culture, entertainment and pleasure have been so extended, we do not regard the mass meeting as entertainment. And since the expression of sentiment in public is now considered very bad form without anadequate reason, we decline to be "exhorted ' or "emoted" if we can avoid it.

There is another factor that also exerts a very tremendous influence on the mind of the undergraduate and expresses itself in various ways. The College is no longer on the defensive. As an undergraduate I cheered whenever opportunity presented itself, to let the world know Dartmouth had one vocal supporter, at least. When we went to Boston we cheered from the Haymarket to the Adams House Bar—notifying the world and his wife that we were indeed in town. The College is no longer on the offensive. It has arrived. It has a yearly opportunity to take four times the men it can accommodate. Men come to Dartmouth today—if they can get in. In my own class were many men who couldn't get in elsewhere and so came here. It must be admitted that this condition affects the undergraduate's opinion of the College. It does, seriously. It causes the undergraduate to take for granted (and properly), what we fought for and didn't always get.

In this multitude of interests, football must compete for its share of student attention and consideration. The mass meeting that caused all of the discussion was neither necessary, well timed or well advertised from the point of view of the undergraduate. It was called suddenly, there was no emphasis placed upon the fact that it was called at the request of the head coach. He appeared in the list of speakers but that was all. It came on a wet snowy night between two large out of town weekend parties and in the midst of countless hour exams. The undergraduate asked (for I heard him) "What's this meeting for anyway?" and no one seemed to know what it was for.

We must remember that in our day one of the chief reasons for the mass meeting was to stimulate us to attend the games. You may recall great banners stretched across the street with the message "On to Brown" or to Harvard as the case might be. This "reason" has now expired since the resident and non-resident J. Rufus Wallingfords who run the football dances, canvass the college, run advertisements in the daily Dartmouth and usually have their crowd signed up long before the game.

No one then questioned our sentiment and our support within the power of our pocketbooks. Nor need the sentiment and support of the present undergraduate be questioned. I venture to say that any time Coach Hawley asks the student body to come out because he wants to talkwith them, we can fill Webster Hall. But in the face of the present competition of interests, or more drastic college requirements, I doubt whether the old time "night before" mass meeting will ever be as popular as in the past. It is as out of step as were the attempted red fire political rallies held in various states this fall. You didn't attend those and neither did I. The demonstration at Dartmouth was paralleled on most of the Eastern campuses.. Our friendly rival Cornell, feels that the day of the old time mass meeting is over.

There is one other point that needs very serious consideration in this discussion. In my opinion, it would be impossible to fill any stadium with undergraduate football enthusiasts, if the game were divorced from its social night-before and night-after-the-game dances. Certainly with the abundant opportunities for entertainment the present undergraduate would not pay four and five dollars for a ticket to the game, unless a real party were included. This social phase of football is becoming more and more serious from the point of view of all those engaged in the work of college administration. The president of Chicago is reported to have said "that he would be in favor of discontinuing conference football if the social excesses incident to the games were continued.

Let us admit that the old time mass meeting has expired but let us not assume from that fact that we are witnessing the death of Dartmouth spirit nor the emergence of a group of disinterested, blaze unemotional, colorless Dartmouth men. When our teams met defeat this fall, those men stayed in the stands, sang and wept even as you and I have done. They believed there was good reason for emotional expression; they stood by and they have continued to stand by without criticism and without complaint. These men have to take their football interest in strides. Organizations operating competitions, insist that candidates shall have at least a two point average. The college requires points as well as hours for a degree. The demands upon any student's time are so great that he must "run on schedule" if he is to run at all.

Look over the schedule of speakers coming for Round Table discussions in the last number of the magazine. In this issue notice the type and numbers of concerts given by the Music Department. Add to this list prominent men appearing before the Tuck School, the various departments, the Christian Association and the Outing Club and you find a very real challenge to the student in terms of his time.

Perhaps it is too much. Perhaps the student is given too much. Perhaps it would be better to limit his access to information, entertainment and culture. But those of us here on the ground believe that the present pressure is developing the finest set of men we have ever been associated with. We find their interest keener, their information more exact; we find them better and more imaginative students, harder to satisfy; best of all, we find them square-shooters, open and above board, right or wrong.

At the same time we find them critical. They question our values, they demand more proofs, often, than we are able to give. But with it all we find them courteous, considerate and thoughtful of our welfare and comfort. While we sometimes miss some of the old enthusiasms, we are continually astonished at the growth and development of new enthusiasms. We see more constructive, individual work accomplished here in a week than we would have seen in a term, when I was in college.

The impact of a membership of over two thousand, brings a new challenge to leadership, to traditions and to performance. Have faith. This generation is meeting its tests just as we met our tests. Outwardly it has changed as the world has changed, as you and I have changed. Inwardly there has been no change. The Dartmouth man of today has accepted every worth while task that he has met. In his support of the college financially and personally, he stands shoulder to shoulder with the oldest of the old guard. Be a little patient with the same youth that was yours when you were here. Each man must live his own college life. The real values of the college are eternal. The form may change but the substance is the same.

And while you ponder on these changes, smile a little at the present undergraduate who, in all too few years, will be worrying about the short comings of the then younger generation.

defeated-from' Student boil Ya,s ™ritten ?he team has returnede entire student body greeted the returning team at 1.30 A. m.