Letters to the Editor

It's Up to the Agent

To the Editor:

A recent event brought to the fore a matter about which I've been meaning to make inquiry for some little time.

Last June, after I had sent in my little contribution to the Alumni Fund, and after the campaign had officially closed, on the thirtieth of that month, I naturally was interested to know how the Fund as a whole and my class in particular had done, with respect to performances of prior years.

At the first fall meeting of our local alumni group—The Dartmouth Club of Georgia—during the last week of September, one of the men, who, incidentally, is a member of the Alumni Council, stated in an informal talk that, "as we all know" (the quotation marks are mine), the annual Alumni Fund campaign went over the top very nicely this year, etc.

Now as a matter of fact, we did NOT all know. I had heard nothing directly about the results of the Campaign from June 30th until October 12 th, on which day my copy of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE for October was delivered. I still do not know how my class stood in relation to all others, in respect to percentage of contributors and amount contributed.

No doubt I shall find out in April, 1937, when the 1937 Campaign gets under way, just how my class did in the 1936 drive, as per usual custom.

During the 1935 Campaign it was my privilege to work as an assistant class agent for "1921," and at the close of the campaign I wrote to Dan Ruggles, the class agent for our group, and called this same situation to his attention. He immediately got out a mimeographed letter which went to all men in our class, apprising them of the results of the drive insofar as the class of 1921 was concerned. But nothing similar was done this year; not had it ever been done before, to the best of my recollection, for men in my class, at least.

The purpose of this letter is to inquire whether other Dartmouth men may not have had somewhat the same experience as mine, and if so, whether the matter warrants any remedial action in future Alumni Fund Campaigns, either by individual classes or by campaign headquarters.

507 South McDonough Street,Decatur, Georgia,October 13, 1936.

[Upon inquiry the Alumni Fund Committee states that reports of final class standings in every campaign are sent out by most class agents to members of their classes and all agents are urged to send a final bulletin to their classes after the campaign is over. ED.]

We Are Grateful

To the Editor:

I have not seen anything o£ THE MAGAZINE yet and am beginning to be a little worried lest you may have dropped me. I don't want that to happen as, you know, I have been a subscriber since it started as the Bi-Monthly. I wrote you last July, saying you would hear from me this fall if I was still alive. Well, I am still here but not going so very good. As I told you then, I am so blind I cannot read it but I want it around anyway. I enclose check. Wishing you a prosperous year also that the team can win that Holy Cross game tomorrow. Yours in "The Dartmouth Fellowship,"

Westerly, R. I.,October 9, 1936.

Distinction at Yale

To the Editor;

I think that the following information regarding Dartmouth men in the Yale Law School will be of general interest.

Last year there were twenty-five Dartmouth graduates in the Yale Law School. Princeton with twenty-eight was the only college except, of course, Yale itself to exceed this number. Of these twenty-five, fourteen had a yearly average of seventy-five or better. Grading in Law School is sufficiently severe so that this represents a very excellent showing. Only two of the twenty-five were below seventy, and both of them were above sixty-five. John F. Meek 33 and Henry W. Rigby '34 were above eighty.

Meek, Rigby, and Ruebhausen '34 have served as editors of the Yale Law Journal. This is regarded as one of the most important positions which a Law student can attain. Beebe '35, Bookheim '35, and Kanter '35 are at present competing for editorships.

Two members of the class just graduated were invited to remain at the Law School in teaching positions but declined. Masten '33, McCoy '34, and Ruebhausen were awarded special scholarships. Meek won the Peres prize for the best student contribution to the Yale Law Journal. Bookheim was runner-up for the Gallagher prize awarded to the student who shows most proficiency in the moot court work of the first year. Beebe and French '35 won two of the four prizes given for the best oral arguments* in the moot court work of the first year.

Hanover, N. H.,October 6, 1936.

Amherst Associations

To the Editor: A short time ago, my neighbor, whose fruit farm joins mine on the west, let me take his copy of Claude M. Fuess' fine story of Amherst College. Very early in its pages I came across the work which Dartmouth did in the founding of that college. Never before had I had the slightest intimation of the close relationship of the two colleges. Because I believe most Dartmouth men are as ignorant of these facts I'm writing you these lines.

Three men stand out as the prime movers in the movement which resulted in the founding of Amherst. They were Col. Rufus Graves, Hezekiah Wright Strong, and Samuel Fowler Dickinson. Of these Col. Graves was the leader and more nearly deserves the title of founder of Amherst. But because each of the three shared so largely in the work, Amherst does not have a single paternity and no one man is recognized as its "Father." Of these three men Col. Graves and Squire Dickinson were Dartmouth men, Graves of the class of 1791, the Squire of the class of 1795. Among the names associated closely with the beginning of Amherst were these of Dartmouth men beside the two named: Rev. John Fiske, 1791; Rufus Cowls, 1792; Nathaniel Smith—Col. Graves' Brother-in- law, 1778; Rev. Theophilus Packard, 1796; Rev. Thomas Snell, 1795; Rev. Seth Payson, 1801; James Kent, Honorary, 1819; Joseph Estabrook, 1815; and Rev. Experience Porter, 1803.

Of these Graves, Dickinson, and Cowls were among the five lay members of the first Board of Trustees; Revs. Porter and Fiske were of the twelve ministerial numbers. Graves and Dickinson were leaders in raising the funds required and gave liberally to these funds. All were influential in shaping the policy and standards of the new college.

Rev. Zephaniah Swift Moore, Dartmouth 1793, was the first President, elected in 1821. He was Williams' second President at the time of his election, bringing with him to the new college 47 students of Williams. At the time Williams was in dire straits both financially and in number of students and it was thought it would merge with the new institution. This did not eventuate.

Another related fact came to my notice recently. The Rev. Philander Chase, Dartmouth 1796, was founder and first President of Kenyon College at Gambier, Ohio. All of which leads me to suggest that some Senior Fellow might find a fruitful field for his work in the subject "Dartmouth Men as Founders of Colleges." I have recollections that Dartmouth men had much to do in the beginnings of educational institutions in Indiana and Wisconsin. Seems to be a field here for investigation and profitable work for some Dartmouth man.

Traverse City, Mich.,October 1, 1936.

Fire in Dartmouth Hall

To the Editor: Dartmouth Hall by reason of fires and remodeling has of late been so much in the public eye that it may be of interest to note that the Hall came very near being destroyed by fire about ninety years ago. The story of what happened, as told to me by my father a great many years ago, is as follows:

On the 4th of July, probably 1848, a student strolling by toward evening with some firecrackers still left and seeing one of the windows open, thought it would be a good joke on the occupant to toss a lighted cracker into the room. He probably didn't linger to see the effect it had. As it happened, the one occupying the room had gone home for the holiday. The cracker apparently did not explode, but was what we used to call a "fuser." It went onto the bed but did not start on fire at once. It only smouldered and the smouldering continued until late in the evening when it had such headway that it broke into flame. The alarm was given and, of course, there was great excitement.

I don't remember whether my father, Carlos Slafter, 1849, roomed in the building, but he was quickly on hand, and believing that it would be fatal to have the door opened, made his way through the pitch dark hallway and found someone trying to break in the door. My father, who was a powerful farmer boy, grabbed the man and pushed him aside with the remark that if he broke in the door he would pitch him into the fire! Whoever it was quickly departed.

Meanwhile, there being no ladder available at once, a line of buckets was formed to the Well of sainted memories on the opposite side of the street. Two of the strongest men were chosen to throw the water into the window. Nearly every bucketful reached its mark and by the time a ladder came; the fire was under control and the danger over.

On the following morning my father was much mystified in receiving a note from the President asking him to call at his study. Presidents didn't have offices in those days.

When he arrived at the study Pres. Lord told him he had asked him to come because he wished personally to thank him for having the presence of mind to prevent his breaking in the door! He said he was convinced that if he had succeeded in breaking the door down and letting the flame and smoke into the hall, the draft from the window would have carried the flames through the building and destroyed it. He told my father that it was too dark to see him but that he recognized him by his voice!

The next day it occurred to some bright mind that it was rather remarkable that they had been able to throw so much water into that window, so they thought they would try it again. They got some buckets of water but found that no one could come anywhere near to throwing a bucketful in!

Walpole, Mass.