Letters to the Editor
CORRECTION
To the Editor of the Alumni Magazine: In the February issue of THE MAGAZINE appears an unsigned article entitled, "They Stole Eleazar's Shirt." The documents contained in it are interesting, but the comments upon them seem to be open to some question.
According to the interpretation put upon these legal papers Chloe, the negro slave of Eleazar Wheelock (by whom the writer means the founder and first president of Dartmouth College) hung out one of the president's shirts "with flaps eked out with dark colour tow cloth." It was stolen and Chloe, having her suspicions, swore out a complaint against a certain individual. Whereupon Justice Woodward issued a search warrant that the house of the suspect might be examined. Eleazar (still meaning the founder and first president of the college), in hot pursuit of his favorite shirt, took upon himself the duties of constable, conducted the search, failed to find the article desired, but collected two shillings for his services, with which he was enabled to buy another shirt.
Several items of this interpretation seem to be open to doubt. In the first place Chloe was probably no longer Wheelock's slave at the time, her services having been given to her husband several years before. Despite Wheelock's poverty, which, at times, required him to cut up his table linen for underclothing for his charity students, probably he never descended to the point where he was obliged to wear shirts "with flaps eked out with dark colour tow cloth." Inasmuch as a man's shirt is specified, the article could not have been one of the intimate pieces of wearing apparel of Chloe, but it might have belonged to her husband. Moreover, she was likely to have added to the family income by doing washing for the community, so the shirt may have belonged to almost anyone in Hanover. Nor can we imagine the dignified head of the college acting as a constable even in the pursuit of a favorite shirt. Aloofness was much more characteristic of college presidents in those days than it is now, and it would be much more likely that President Hopkins should serve as constable in search for what may be the present-day substitute for a presidential shirt "with flaps eked out with dark colour tow cloth" (although I have no expectation of seeing such activity on his part) than that his earliest predecessor in the office should have done so. In the depreciated state of the currency prevailing at the time, it is doubtful if two shillings would have replaced even an "eked out" shirt. And finally the fact that Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of the college, had died seven years before the date of the incident in question may have some bearing on the matter.
The "E. Wheelock" mentioned in the writ is probably Eleazar Wheelock, Jr., the son of whom his father predicted that he was surely doomed to perdition, although he still had some hopes for his younger brother, James. The younger Eleazar, so far as can be judged, did his best during life to justify his father's prediction, and was generally reckoned as a somewhat worthless character. He was a failure in business and, as he had no training for a profession, it is probable that the position of constable, with the two-shilling fees for serving warrants and other legal papers, would have had for him a considerable appeal.
To speak seriously, do we not at times tend to go too far in using our sense of the ridiculous at the expense of the founder of the college? Even Richard Hovey has something to answer for in his responsibility for the habit which we all have of associating the austere Eleazar with the traditional five hundred gallons. However that may be, it seems hardly fitting that the process should be forwarded by a semi-official organ, such as the ALUMNI MAGAZINE, the utterances of which are likely to be taken as at least accurate. Even if it does kill what seems to be a good story from the journalistic point of view, should not the editors set up a reasonable standard of care for and adherence to fact in articles relating to the history of the college?
Department of ChemistryDartmouth CollegeHanover, N. H.
ED. NOTE:—The editors are glad to print this letter and the correction it contains.
WATER POLO
Editor Alumni Magazine:
I see that Dartmouth is dropping Water Polo. Why not use a fully inflated ball and keep the game on top of the water?
"INTERESTED 'O6"
WARNING
Editor, Dartmouth College: Just recently a man calling himself by the name of Bowers called upon the father of a member of the Freshman Class. It so happened that this man, although he called at both the office and home of the father of the student, did not succeed in meeting him. This man stated that he knew the student in question and that he was in charge of the cafeteria.
The father of the student wrote his son regarding this matter and received a reply that there was no one by the name of Bowers connected with the cafeteria. Upon receipt of this information the father called the writer on the telephone and repeated the story with the suggestion that the ALUMNI MAGAZINE be notified and publicity be given this matter in order that others may be on their guard if this man Bowers approaches them with a similar tale as he unquestionably was an imposter and failed in his purpose on this occasion because he was unsuccessful in interviewing the father of the particular Freshman in question.
This is a racket that has been going on for quite some time as I have noticed accounts in your MAGAZINE of similar attempts to play on the sympathies and friendships of Alumni and their friends.
Secretary, Dartmouth Alumni Association,Philadelphia, Pa.
IDENTIFIED AS AEGIS BOARD
Editor Dartmouth Alumni Magazine: The group of glooms as to whose identity you inquire on page 274 of the MAGAZINE is the Aegis board of the class of 1893. At the time the picture was taken they were facing an unknown, but assured, deficit, and were not much heartened by the division which had just been made among them of a bale of stockings taken in trade for an advertisement.
Standing, left to right, you see A. D. Arnold, principal of the Passaic, N. J., High school for 28 years; the late Dr. Herbert Tetlow of Westerly, R. I.; Judge Edward Griffith of the Manchester, Vt., probate court; and Editor Harry B. Metcalf of the Newport Argus-Champion.
Seated, left to right, are the late G. O. B. Hawley of Pittsfield, Mass., whose modernistic illustrations for the '93 Aegis were years ahead of his time; the present writer; George C. Seldon, editor-in-chief of the Aegis and 20 years later editor of the Magazine of WallStreet; Dr. Guy G. Fernald, Concord, Mass., psychiatrist; and Dr. George E. Pender of Portsmouth.
104 North State StreetConcord, N. H.
