Class of 1898
"Tute" Worthen has sent such an interesting letter to the Secretary that I am taking occasion to insert it.
Zealandia, Sask.,
Apr. 5, 1933
"Thanks for your prompt and thoughtful letter just received. I think from portions of your letter that I gave you a wrongimpression of the depression washaving on me. In trying to correct thatimpression I must be careful not to go toofar the other way, but I hope no memberof '98 is worrying more than I am; if thereis not, our class should come through O.K.
"Thanks for the offer of the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINES, I did not subscribe lastfall, but did for the last half of the year.We have an abundance of good readingmatter, including Scientific American, Reader's Digest, National Geographic Magazine, Good Housekeeping, from theUnited States.
"You will probably never see me skatingdown the Connecticut river again, but ifyou will come out here during the winterI will show you that I can still 'cut thecorners' and enjoy a good skate. Mrs.IVorthen also skates, and there is no sportthat we enjoy better than skating. Whenspring comes, however, there is anothersport that calls us 'gardening'. We do enjoy getting our overalls on and workingamong the flowers and plants. Our houselot is 150 feet by 125 feet deep. When webought there was not a spear of grass growing (the townsite was located in a wheatfield). We have a good home (built in '22),50 white spruce, 2 koster blue spruce,shrubs, perennials, rose bushes. Last yearwe had real success with our roses; someare hardy though most of them have to becovered with earth over winter. Threeyears ago we were among the first in theprovince to import water lilies from California and start lily pools; ours is 8 feet by8 feet, made of concrete. We are buildinganother one this spring, 8 feet by 14 feet,oval shape. The lilies do well here thoughthe season is shorter up here. We take upthe roots and put them in the cellar during the winter.
"I think it is a grand idea to have ahobby. I enjoyed reading Bill Cunningham's story of yourself and your 'Six OldMaid Rhode Island Reds.' They surely didremarkably well in egg production, but tome, the best thing about them was the waythey entertained you; when you were homethey would help you forget business andteach you that they would respond to specialcare and attention. No doubt but that you cancall each one by name, tell their differentcharacteristics, even to telling their different songs. I imagine that when the timecomes that Mrs. Patey feels that she wouldlike a Rhode Island Red for dinner youwould rather not use the axe. There is agood article on fowl in the April, I927,number of the National Geographic Magazine. I suppose you know that WesternCanada has had two very nice birds in thepast few years. A white leghorn at the University of B.C. and 'Lady Victorine hereat Sask. University. Both birds held theworld's record. Our provincial bird was aBarred Plymouth Rock. I am not sure ofher record, but think it was about 350 eggsfor the year. One of our best Canadianfriends is Prof. F. C. Elford, Dominionpoultry husbandman. He was head of thepoultry department at MacDonald Collegewhen I was there. Just now eggs are selling at five cents a dozen.
"Speaking of hobbies, I have two, beeswhich give all the honey we care for andpollinate our flowers and plants, as wellas giving me a lot of entertainment, caringfor them. Then when we started our lilypool we got some goldfish to keep downthe mosquito larvae. We purchased a dozenfish, and have grown to think much moreof the fish than the lilies. We had beentold that they would spawn sometimes outin pools like ours. Of course we hoped ourswould multiply, and sure enough one daymy wife called to me to come over to thepool. I hurried over and after watching acertain area for a few minutes, what a thrill—we saw a little fish about an inch long.After two years now that fish is good sizeand probably will take its part in the summer's spawning operations. After sellingand giving quite a few away we still havefifty fish (large and small). The water inthe pool is about two feet deep, and wouldfreeze solid during the winter if notdipped out (we use the water to water theevergreens), so when we bring in the waterlilies we also take in the fish. The first twoyears we kept them in glass battery jars.This fall we had so many fish I built thelargest home aquarium I have seen, froma plate glass store window damaged in afire, that I replaced. It is 40 inches by 17inches by 17 inches. I connected runningwater to it and an overflow from it. In itwe have a number of oxygenating plants,a pigmy lily, some shells and snails. Withthe fish swimming about in the aquarium,we have a beautiful and interesting animated picture. As your Rhode Island Redsare not just 'ordinary' hens, so our fish arenot just 'ordinary' goldfish. All the largeand quite a few of the small ones arenamed; they are very tame, will take foodfrom our hands, will come to the top ofthe water whenever we stand by the aquarium and ask for their breakfast just aspleadingly as your pets. Our fish do notsing to us as your pets do when you talkto them, but they do show their appreciation and satisfaction of any special attention, by working their pectoral fins. It isvery interesting watching the fingerlingsdevelop to good-sized fish. We enjoy themvery much. They will go out to the poolsabout the middle of May.
"We are having some very interestinghockey games in Canada just now. The'Saskatoon Quakers,' the team we are mostinterested in, are doing remarkably well.Last night, playing out at Victoria theywon a hard-fought battle with the 'Trail'of B. C. team. This gives them. WesternCanada Amateur Hockey League championship. Wish you could have been hereto have listened in with us. Saturday nightthey play the Eastern Canada championsat Vancouver, to determine who will bethe Dominion champions. Of course we areanxious that the 'Quakers' will win. Suppose you see some of the big games atBoston. The Cook boys used to play hereat Saskatoon. The Toronto game musthave been a real one.
"When speaking of our garden I neglected to mention that I have a dozenyoung fruit trees just beginning to bear(apple, cherry, plum). I have six moreordered for this spring. Last fall Mrs. W.put down a nice lot of fruit from ourgarden. I mention this, for many downhome think that we are too far north forthe small fruits to grow. I don't remember whether you had fruit trees or not,Pate? (I do remember your lovely home-nd grounds though.) I remember Ev had'an apple tree that he was proud of. Wedidn't know that we could grow fruit treeshere until about ten years ago. It will beyears before we have such nice trees andgroves as you have back home. It is soseldom that I write I wish you would letEv have the reading of this letter. Nowbefore closing I want to tell you that I appreciate the most satisfactory work you aredoing as secretary. I hope you serve usanother term.
"I have had a typewriter for years, but-always had someone to run it; now I ampractising on you. 'TUTE' WORTHEN."
The class will be interested to know that the graduates of '98 have replied 100 per cent to the questionnaire that we sent out three weeks ago. We have secured much information concerning the nongraduates.
Bob Maiden told me over the telephone today that he had a fine list who sent in their names signifying they were going to attend the reunion in June. I very much hope that everyone who possibly can get there will be on hand, for we are in for a delightful time.
A few days ago Hon. Sherman R. Moulton of the Supreme Court of Vermont dropped in on the Secretary, and we had a pleasant visit. Sherman told me that when he was in England, Sir Malcolm MacNaughton, one of the justices of the King's Bench, invited him to sit on the bench during the trial of a case, and of course it was a great pleasure for Sherman to accept. Sherman was on his way to take dinner with his son, Horace, who is practicing law at 185 Devonshire St.
Through the alertness of our classmate Laurence I. Hewes, "the little Indian," who wrote me concerning a wonderful album that our classmate Patterson had made up while he was in college, X got in touch with the executor of the estate, and he in turn got in touch with Mrs. Guyol of Concord, N. H„ Patterson's sister, and with her consent he sent the album to me for the class of '98. It contains simply hundreds of the most interesting views of our college days that the men of '98 will take great pleasure in looking at. That alone will be worth going to the reunion for. "Young Indian" has made every member of the class his debtor for this fine piece of work. It certainly will be something that will enable us to remember our classmates most pleasantly.
The secretary called on Dick Marcy and Mrs. Dick the other day and found them looking fine after a winter in Florida. They arrived home to their estate in Lincoln about April first.
The Secretary yesterday (May 8) had the pleasure of calling on our former classmate Dr. James P. Leahy, 530 Cottage St., New Bedford, Mass. He found Dr. and Mrs. Leahy in a very attractive home and learned they have three interesting children. James K. Leahy, nineteen, is a freshman in Brown University. He is on the freshman basketball team and is also a good baseball player. William M. Leahy seventeen this coming August, is in the high school at Fairhaven, Mass., where he is a skillful baseball player on the high school team. Faith Leahy is six years of age. Dr. Leahy remembers his Dartmouth days pleasantly. He was a classmate in Harvard Medical School with our classmate Dr. Harry Goodall.
The Secretary has just received a wellfilled-out questionnaire from Leßaron Monroe Huntington, 185 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, N. J., where he is president of the Sales and Service Company. He was lost to us for a long time, but we are all delighted to know he is well and prospering.
Through the alert mind of Dick Marcy I have succeeded in finding the Sawin children. This morning, May 9,1 had the thrill of calling on Van Cortland Lawrence, 153 Milk St., Boston, who is the executor of our classmate Sawin's estate. He told me there were four children. George W. Sawin, the oldest son, is living at 6 Hamilton Road, Woburn, Mass., and is a salesman for the Carlisle-Ayer Sash and Blind Company of Somerville, Mass. Fred D. Sawin Jr. is supposed to be in South America. Ruth E. Sawin is one of the hostesses at the Hotel Statler. Samuel R. Sawin is in aviation. It will, therefore, be up to '98 to show the regular courtesy as we go cheerfully along life's highway. After the mother died the children were taken over by a family friend, Frank J. Norton of 9 Lombard St., Dorchester, Mass.
Secretary, 57 Grove Hill Ave., Newtonville, Mass.
