Letters

A LETTER FROM A COUNSELLOR-ATLAW

73 Prospect St.,Clinton, Mass.

"Your letter arrived early in the weekand was much appreciated. The requestcontained therein for an early reply is theequivalent of an order, and here it is. Ican't send you much information about theother members of the class, as my contacts have been pretty limited since myremoval from Cambridge. Al and HelenMiller tracked up from New York lastweek-end, staying from Friday until Sunday with us. AI is with Gibney, Johnson,and Flynn somewhere on Wall St., and describes himself as one of the better educated errand boys in that section of thecity. We had a great time swapping legalboners over the chess board, in the courseof which I trumped his bringing an ejectment writ in the wrong district becausethe courthouse was opposite the defendant's house, with my own experience ofrunning out of note paper during a trialand losing the testimony of the most important witness. Al's reward was a privatelecture, mine a stage whisper audiblethroughout the courtroom during a lullin the cross examination, during which mynotes had been examined and found wanting. John and Chris Dickey drove up toClinton Washington's Birthday and haddinner with us. We entertained them withthe State Ski Meet at Lancaster in theafternoon. It wasn't much like the Hanover meets, but our feet got just as cold.I received a letter last week from Ed Coddington, who is teaching out in Milwaukee.When the spirit urges he writes a longletter, which is invariably followed by alonger period of silence. He went the wayof all flesh last July and is now takingorders from Mrs. Caroline Coddington andliking it. When you meet her you willunderstand why Ed consented to renouncethe pleasures of bachelorhood. I have runinto Bill Morgan occasionally in Worcester. He was one of the betten knownsalesmen about town—Frigidaires his particular specialty. I haven't seen him recently and presume the simple attractionsof this rural center have driven him todistraction and induced him to seek pleasanter surroundings. I have run into PaulNourie several times this winter aroundthe Worcester courthouse. Paul calls theleaders of the local bar by their first names,smokes cigars, and spits—l can do the last.Another mutual Hanover acquaintancehere in the city is Prof. Henry D. Jordan,who started teaching in Hanover the yearwe entered and stayed a year after we left.He is teaching at Clark and contributingto the intellectual life of the city throughthe Dickens Club, in which he and Mrs.Jordan are both active participants. Wehave been having dinner together once ortwice a month and exchange ideas on law,politics, and education. That is about allthe information I can send about the restof the class.

"As for myself I have been keeping busysince the bar exam last July taking successive—but not very successful—entries intothe fields of politics, education, research,and law, to say nothing of my matrimonialventure, which I am banking on to makeup for other reverses. Last summer I campaigned for the state legislature in myhome district, which included eleventowns. The campaign went along marvelously until election day, when the returnscame in showing that I had been caughtshort of 100 votes. My next venture was theorganization of a night school for the townof Clinton, with voluntary teachers to takethe place of the paid faculty which thetown had supported in more prosperousyears. The school opened up with a faculty of fourteen college graduates and astudent body of 90. It ran until Christmastime, when it was discontinued to save theexpense of lighting and heating the building. Disconsolated by the aforementionedfailures, I turned to matrimony for solace,but found it wasn't so easy to get marriedin this state as I thought it was. If anyoneever tells you that law is simple tell them totry getting married in this state on a holiday, and if you want to avoid the expenseof announcements just set the ceremonyfor 4:00 A.M. or some other apparentlyquiet hour. I argued my first importantand most important case that morningwhen the Cambridge city clerk refused toaccept the waiver because it didn't have aseal attached. I don't know whether hewas finally convinced by argument orweariness, but any way he finally relented.Peggy and I have now settled down to thejoy of rural domesticity at 75 Prospect St.,Clinton, where we will welcome any members of the class who are passing throughthe vicinity, and will do our best to entertain them as long as they will stay.

"I have been finishing up my work withthe American Law Institute upon the Mass.Annotations to the Contracts Restatementthis winter. It is now completed, and I amabout to open up law offices in conjunctionwith Norman and Campbell of Worcester,as the enclosed card will show. If you evercome to Worcester, drop in and look theplace over. Give my regards to your wifeand tell her she is to bring you up to Clinton some time soon. "JAKE."

A LETTER FROM AN ADVERTISINGEXECUTIVE

Dayton, Ohio,Monday, May i, 1933.

"Whether that infectious spirit of lassitude that settled down over the Hanoverian hills every May is responsible or notI do not know but at any rate, somewherealong the line I acquired that inexcusableform of mental weakness known as procrastination. That seems to be about theonly excuse that I can offer for not having contributed my share towards yourmonthly column ere this. I have beenaware of your plan of making personalrequests for offerings, and now that minehas arrived I find myself hastily complying, as much to let you know that 1 amstill alive as for any other reason. My onlyregret is that even after all this time Ihave virtually nothing in the way of interesting news to give you.

"My first step upon shaking the dust offhe cloistered halls from my feet was atrip to Europe with the family. That wasback in 'the good old days,' and you canwell imagine that I have more than oncebeen thankful that I got that trip in whenI did. Upon my return I went to work formy father at the Crawford, McGregor, andCanby Co., manufacturers of shoe lasts andMcGregor golf clubs. A variety of odd jobsoccupied my time during the ensuing twoyears or so, and I eventually wound up inthe advertising department, which ratherforcibly inactive phase of the business Iam now attempting to manage. Being apurveyor of a luxury article, at least as faras the golf is concerned, we have beenhit pretty hard, and during the past yearthere have been many sleepless nightswondering whether enough of the publiccould continue to afford pasting the littlewhite pellet to insure me of an office seat.So far, the call of the fairway has beenstrong enough to keep me desked. But inthese turbulent days who knows what thefuture has in store?

"As for more personal affairs, I have notthe slightest bit of news to give you. Sofar, I have eluded all matrimonial entanglements, and I might say that duringthe past year or so I have studiouslyavoided them, for obvious reasons. Periodic salary cuts and single life seem to gohand in hand. My congratulations andsympathy are extended to those of thebrethren who have felt forced to yield tothe urge during the past two years.

"Harris Huston is the only other memberof our class who is living in Dayton, andI see him quite frequently. Since graduating he has been getting a double dose ofacademic life all over again. His daytimehours are occupied in teaching a bunch ofunruly brats, and his evenings in a studyof law. He will be ready for his bar examinations in another month or so. Histenacity has been a continual source ofadmiration to me. About a year ago BillWiley called on me over at the office, andat that time he was working for a paperbox company. Since then I have heardnothing more of him. You can readily seethat my contact with '2yers has been evenless than the much publicized alcoholiccontent of the 'New Deal' brew, and Imust confess that I have regretted losingtouch with the class so completely. Thenatural result of this has been to increasemy desire just that much more to returnfor the sth next year (My God, can itreally be that we are that close to it?). Buta powerful lot of things can happen between now and then, and so I am notcounting too much on being able to return. If I do, you can be sure that I willrenew old friendships and see the familiarfaces with a great deal of pleasure.

"Glad to learn that your various ventures upon the path of life have been sosuccessful. Here's hoping that they continue.

A LETTER FROM A GRADUATESTUDENT

38 College Ave.,New Brunswick, N. J.,May 3, 1933.

"I received your letter and would likevery much to be able to help you out inthe matter of news—but I'm afraid it'srather hopeless. I don't believe I've seen a'29 man since I left Pittsburgh a year anda half ago. Just a victim of the depression—surely you've heard about it. I trust ithasn't struck too near home for you,though, because I understand you havesome pleasant responsibilities that someof the rest of us lack.

"Since I was laid off by the AmericanBridge Co. a year ago last October, I havehad various small jobs, but finally endedup here at Rutgers, first as a laboratoryassistant at the Engineering School, andthen as the preceptor at the Kappa Sigmahouse.

"In the meantime I have been doingwork toward a Master's degree, and I expectto get it this June if I am successful in kidding them about the worth of my thesis."Yike Burgess was laid off by the BridgeCo. the same time I was, but I haven'theard from him since and don't know whathe is doing now. The last I knew, RalphMoulton was still there.

"I expect to be in Hanover for a day orso this June, and am looking forward tothe possibility of seeing some of the fellows then.

"I'm sorry I can't send you more dopebut one doesn't meet many Dartmouth menaround Rutgers.

Before closing this letter we are very sorry to have to report the death of Milton Adams, a notice of which is to be found in the Necrology section.

And now the best way to bring this year's scribal duties to a close is to announce with unrestrained glee that this coming week-end of May 12 and 13 will find us back in Hanover, guest of the College at the annual Secretaries' Meeting, for which pleasure we thank you all. So, until next fall and the October issue of the MAGAZINE, So long.