Class of 1897

Your Secretary spent two weeks in Chicago recently, and saw McCornack, very much occupied in his law business.

From time to time incidents happen that indicate that your Secretary is not what he used to be. In one distressing day in Chicago, two incidents happened in rapid succession. Living at Pat Conway's University Club, I decided that I needed exercise. I asked the man in charge of the squash courts to get me a professional to work with. He produced an ancient of 74 years, who took me into the squash courts and beat me two out of three games.

Later in the evening, at Pat's home, young Patsy, worthy son of old Pat, took me on at checkers, and at the end of the game, by a very doubted decision of the senior Pat, our game was declared a draw. This mental test was against an opponent eleven years of age, even as the physical test had been against one of seventy-four. Such days try men's souls.

Your Secretary has had occasion before to criticize the work of our classmate Harry Chase. True there is the same satisfaction in walking through the gathering that sits outside of Harry's door that there is passing through the mob at the door of a crowded hotel dining room. You say to yourself, "Here I have influence," and enter with a glow of flattered self-satisfaction.

Once before I had occasion to criticize Harry's method of using a stethoscope. Particularly his eager way of moving forward and closer as he tunes in at the region of the heart. Once or twice a year this habit of his has led me to the belief that things were not right within. To date, however, Harry seems to me to have shirked his work. It is my assumption that by going to a doctor you should be cured of your trouble without bother to yourself. Recently Harry has taken the position that there are things the patient should do. He has not hesitated to forbid the use of tobacco, has cut down the amount of coffee, and has casually added, "of course, no liquor."

Such procedure does not create popularity. People love Harry in spite of such remarks, not because of them. In my own case, I came away disappointed in his point of view. I determined that I should do what he had told me to do. Later I proposed to return and show him how much worse I was because of the deprivations he had put upon me. I did return. Only then I found that I had failed to realize that he was the judge of the success of failure of the experiment. If I accept his word, I am greatly improved. If I call in a referee, will he realize how much harm has been done me through neglecting tobacco? Where does this lead me?

I have had lightning glances at Cap Holt, Sport Morse, and a shadowy smile of greeting from Frank Noyes, all in so much of a hurry that it was not feasible to inquire how come of any of them. lam prepared to devote some time to establishing a school of thought which shall lead its followers to securing more leisure in middle life, with chances to stop one another and to talk.

Secretary, Park Square Building, Boston