The One Hundred Fifty-Eighth Commencement
THE one hundred and sixtieth year of the College and the one hundred and fifty-eighth Commencement have come and gone. As usual the returning alumni, parents and guests of seniors came on no fixed schedules and left as unaccountably. On Friday morning nothing but the Tent on the Campus and the bustle of preparation indicated approaching events. On Tuesday afternoon the cohorts of the College had silently folded the Tent and the visitors had disappeared as mysteriously. The independence of modern transportation accounts for this quiet coming and going and it is also the reason for the changing emphasis on many Commencement events. Class Day activities, the Baccalaureate service and the graduation exercises are thronged as usual. The Monday afternoon events and the luncheon following graduation are more sparsely attended than formerly. The chief reason for this is that most of the alumni, especially in the younger classes, have departed by Monday afternoon or evening. A subsidiary reason is the tendency of reunions to centre around the class and its full program of dinners, meetings, picnics and informal gatherings.
But with all its diversions the Commencement of 1929 seems to have been a complete success. The class of 1864 had three of its surviving graduates in line for the Commencement process'on and among them was the oldest living graduate of the College, James W. Perkins. The fifty-five year class of 1874 was present with over half of its living graduates and the semi centennial class of 1879 gracefully occupied the centre of the stage on more than one occasion with high percentage of attendance. The class of 1894 made a valiant attempt to capture the cup which it had itself given for the best Commencement attendance and was nosed out only by a narrow margin by the class of 1899.
The weather was, on the whole, forbearing. A threatening drizzle forced the Class Day exercises into the Tent but did not materially reduce their interest. Bright skies shone on the rest of the Commencement days and what little dissatisfaction was expressed with the temperature record has long since been forgotton.
The official program got under way with the Friday afternoon meeting of the Council. The attendance at this meeting was up to the usual high standards of the Council with members in attendance from as far west as Chicago. An optimistic report was received from chairman Leggett on the prospects of the Alumni Fund. Important matters were deliberated for further action and the much prized opportunity of meeting at dinner with President Hopkins for informal discussion was thoroughly enjoyed.
On Saturday morning the campus blossomed out in the usual reunion costumes. 1926 wore a blue jumper; 1924 was in a duck suit that looked warm but whose wearers manifested complete comfort. 1919 displayed a white blazer coat with numerals on the pocket; and 1914 wore an attractive green sweater and white cap, while the other classes could easily be identified even though uniformed costumes were not prescribed. Class baseball games enlivened the campus and the warm evenings brought out competitive singing at the fence, reminiscent of earlier days and half forgotten songs.
The Class Day exercises followed their usual procedure. The graduating class was so large in numbers that it had to perform evolutions in marching from the senior fence to the stand in front of Dartmouth Hall in order to have its whole line in motion on the Dartmouth campus at one time. The class was led by its marshal, Carl B. Spaeth, and listened to the Address of Welcome by the Class President, Dudley W. Orr, the Address to the College by Allan R. Finlay, the Class Poem by Kenneth W. Robinson, the Address to The Old Pine by Edward P. Arliss, the Sachem Oration by Richard F. Barrett, and the Class Oration by Willsie E. Brisbin.
As so frequently happens on Class Day, rain was threatening from noontime on and just as the line got underway a light drizzle began to fall which finally forced the procession out of its usual line of march to the Bema and the Old Pine into the Tent on the campus. Although the sentimental background was absent, the spirit of the occasion did not suffer appreciably. The evening was spent for the most part in class dinners, or by those not eligible for these occasions, in attending the performance of "Double Trouble," a revival of the Carnival Show by The Players.
Most of the reunion classes had scheduled picnics away from Hanover for Sunday. Cabins of the Outing Club, and resorts at Lake Fairlee, Lake Morey, and Lake Tarleton all had their quota of alumni; but in spite of this exodus from Hanover, Rollins Chapel was crowded for the Baccalaureate service at least half an hour before its commencement. A block of seats in the middle of the Chapel was reserved for the seniors and at 11 o'clock they filed in to the traditional strains of the Priest's March by Mendelssohn. Some idea of the numbers of the class of 1929 can be gathered from the fact that the head of the procession was already entering the Chapel before the end had started to leave the senior fence. The preacher of the day was Professor Ambrose W. Vernon of the Department of Biography, who was the selection of the senior class for this feature of their program. His text was from the story of the talents, and the sermon. itself will be found in another section of this issue for the benefit of those who could not be present and for those who wish to read again an eloquent address which made a deep impression upon its hearers.
At the end of the afternoon the President and Mrs. Hopkins received Commencement visitors in the beautiful grounds of the President's House, on Webster Avenue. The class of 1879 was present in full force and the other reunion classes had returned to Hanover from their picnics to swell the large attendance of parents and friends of the senior class.
An event of unusual interest, but limited to the participation of the class itself, was the dedication of the Hough Room in Baker Library by the class of 1879. This is the room which was furnished by the class of 1879 and which contains some of the rarest books in the library collections. Among the unique features are the pictures of the members of 1879 imbedded in the opaque glass of the windows. Over the fireplace and dominating the room is the portrait of Charles M. Hough to whom the room is particularly dedicated. Mrs. Hough and her son and daughter were present and President Hopkins and members of the class of 1879 took part in the dedication exercises. The brief address of Judge Cohen is given in another part of this issue. Throughout the Commencement days also the new Carpenter Art Building, the gift of Mr. Frank P. Carpenter, with its valuable collection of paintings loaned by Mr. Robert Jackson '00, was opened to the public; and as in recent Commencements Dick's House was open and thronged with visitors.
The Monday of Commencement is generally considered as Alumni Day. On this day the Alumni Association holds its annual meeting for the election of officers and such matters as may be referred to it by other more active bodies. The fifty-year class is presented to an interested audience and the Greek letter societies hold their annual reunions and discuss the state of their debts or their plans for building a new house, as the case may be. This year the day's program was opened as usual with the baseball game and the preliminary parade, somewhat more scantily attended than usual perhaps, but still gay in its Commencement costumes. The baseball game with Cornell, however, was an entire success both from the point of view of attendance and results, since its victory of 1-0 made possible a tie for first place in the quadrangular league with Cornell, Pennsylvania and Columbia.
The early afternoon witnessed the annual meeting of the Alumni Association with its president, Nelson P. Brown '99 in the chair. The report of the action taken by this meeting is given elsewhere in this issue and mention in this place need be made only of the amendment to the constitution of the Alumni Council which grants that body the privilege of electing six members at large in place of the three members so elected heretofore. In the future therefore this will mean a Council composed of 28 rather than 25 members.
The business of the Association was speedily concluded and adjournment had to the Tent where the fifty-year class was in waiting. As usual this was one of the colorful events of Commencement. The opportunity to see the men and hear the achievements of graduates fifty years out of college arouses the interests and emotions in a way that no other part of the Commencement program can do. The class of 1879 has been fortunate in its officers and personnel and its record of accomplishment was an inspiring one. An appreciative audience was gathered in the Tent, and it is to be hoped that this meeting can be so incorporated into the Commencement program as to give a much larger number the opportunity to take part in it.
Aside from the usual meeting of the Phi Beta Kappa societies and the Greek letter societies, a special feature on the program for this year was the unveiling of the tablet to Dr. Nathan Smith, who founded the Medical School, this being the 100 th anniversary of the year of his death. Dr. Smith's services to the cause of medical education and to Dartmouth College in particular are too little known outside of the medical profession. The tribute on this occasion was richly deserved and the address in connection with the unveiling was delivered by Dr. Harvey Cushing, of the Harvard Medical School. The tablet, which is located in the lecture room of the old Medical School building, contains the following inscription: "Nathan Smith, M.8., M.A., M.D., founder of Dartmouth Medical School, 1797, Professor of Anatomy, Surgery, Chemistry and Medicine, for various periods from 1797 to 1813; he lectured in this room from 1811 to 1813. Presented by the Medical Alumni Association, 1929."
The evening was devoted to the lighter side of the Commencement program, including a concert by the musical clubs followed by a concert by the college band while the festivities continued at the Commencement Ball in the Gymnasium until the early hours of the morning.
Commencement Day opened clear and with a sticky warmth which seems to be reserved for those occasions when the academic costume is an essential part of the formalities. The senior class gathered early at the fence for the long but necessary process of checking and arrangement of diplomas. At ten o'clock the procession started and in its progress around the campus attached to itself the various groups of trustees and guests of the College, faculty, and alumni, and proceeded to Webster Hall where it entered through the split ranks of seniors. The graduating class itself entered last and occupied all but two or three rows of the body of the house. It was, in fact, the largest class which has ever received its diplomas on the graduation date. 441 men received their diplomas and with 228 additional non-graduates the total roster of the class is brought up to 669. The class of 1923 still maintanins its lead with a total registration of 699 but this includes 60 more non-graduates than does the class of 1929. The total will not be materially altered but some of the men now listed as non-graduates will receive their degrees in February and swell the number of graduates in 1929 still higher. The Commencement speaking was of an unusually high grade and was worthy of note in that one of the speakers was the president of the class, and another the marshal. Carl B. Spaeth, the marshal, spoke on "Internationalism," Maurice H. Mandelbaum, Jr., on "New Values," Leonard W. Doob, on "Commencement and After," and Dudley W. Orr, the class president, on "Leaves in the Wind."
Aside from the 441 bachelors of whom two received Bachelor of Science and the rest the Arts degree, six master's degrees were conferred, and eight degrees in Civil Engineering, these latter being graduates of the Thayer School. The Tuck School Commencement, when the degree of Master of Commercial Science was conferred on 24 men, had been held early in May.
Perhaps the most eagerly awaited part of the program was that of the conferring of honorary degrees upon distinguished guests of the College. This year the presentation was made by Professor Ashley K. Hardy, chairman of the faculty committee on honorary degrees, and as usual the conferring of the degree and the characterization was made by President Hopkins. Two state Governors were among the recipients and four graduates of the College. Another who was also a Dartmouth man by adoption through an earlier honorary degree was Mr. Frank P. Carpenter, the donor of an important addition to the college plant. The list of recipients of honorary degrees and the characterizations by President Hopkins will be found in another part of this issue.
The conferring of honorary degrees marked the conclusion of the exercises in Webster Hall, and the procession moved to the Alumni Gymnasium for its annual luncheon, traditionally the closing Commencement event. Many alumni had already left for their homes, but the most recent additions to alumni ranks were present to listen to the after dinner speakers. These included a representative of the fifty-year class, Thomas W. Proctor, Governor Tobey of New Hampshire, Dr. Harvey Cushing of the Harvard Medical School, and Governor Roosevelt of New York. The good fellowship of the gathering and the high quality of the after dinner speaking made a fitting conclusion for the whole Commencement season. On this occasion also President Hopkins announced gifts received by the College during the year to the gratifying total of $3,610,912.57.
As all attendance returns from classes had not been completed at the time of the luncheon it was not possible for the secretary of the Alumni Association to announce, as usual, the winner of the cup donated by the class of 1894 for the highest percentage of returning graduates. On the face of the returns the class of 1899 was the winner and this was later found to be correct when all the reports had been submitted. The presiding officer, Judge Nelson P. Brown '99, added a pleasant touch to the after dinner proceedings by introducing to those present the three members of the class of 1864, who had returned for their 65th reunion and calling their attention to the fact that among them was the oldest living graduate of the college. This event concluded the Commencement program for 1929 and the remaining hours of the day witnessed the departure of alumni and guests while the College went on its way in preparation for the 161 st year of its history.
DR. HARVEY CUSHING AND H. B. THAYER '79, HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS
CLASS OF 1884
CLASS OF 1899 AT MEL ADAMS CABIN
1929 COMMENCEMENT Frank P. Carpenter, given the L.L.D.; Lewis Parkhurst, trustee; Gov. Chas. Tobey of New Hampshire, given the honorary M.A.; President Ernest Martin Hopkins.
'79 REUNION AT PRES. HOPKINS,' JUNE, 1929
