Class of 1902

Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas.

The greeting may be a bit early, but I'll always take such matters ahead of time, rather than behind time or never. It's hard to say at the moment just what the prospects are for all of us, but I am sure that best wishes for the season of good will won't be amiss. And while you are about it, you may as well let your enthusiasm out one more notch and cast today the deciding vote to go to Hanover in June.

I haven't had a letter yet from a man who really doesn't want to be there. Some have difficult situations to meet, some are a bit doubtful about their own minds, yet there's a pretty general feeling that there is something to be gained by looking at the. class of 1902 as it is thirty-five years after.

Last month you had a report on the political trend in the class, and long before this you have learned how near we are to being average American citizens. This month you get some of the returns to the "call to arms." One distinguished foreign correspondent, familiarly known as Celery Paine, exhibits among other characteristics a long memory and an unquenchable youth.

"Last September I used to get from the foreign sporting news columns in Buenos Aires papers the football scores, and then three weeks after the event I would buy a New York Sunday paper so as to gloat over the details. After the Princeton game I bought no more New York papers.

"The most popular exercise here is to watch the professional soccer games, and try to hit the referee or the opposing goalkeeper with anything handy and hard. Last year they started baseball here in earnest. I still have the old catcher's mitt which I last used in the memorable game when Stubby Carleton, Irving French, Duckie Drake, and I led the Tuck School to victory over the Thayer School and com- pelled our victims to set up the sodas at Deacon Downing's bar.

"Not having yet attained the age nor decrepitude for golf, I still stick to tennis, on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays throughout the year.

"I have also taken up with considerable enthusiasm, and have become proficient in handling, the "Baston," which is an old Portuguese system of self-defence and attack, with a cane. This, if one knows how to use it, becomes a formidable weapon. One gets a lot of concentrated exercise in a few minutes during a lively bout.

"My daughter Violeta is an English professor in the University at La Plata, and my son Robert is in the University Law School. He has just published his first book of poems, "La Llama en el Viento," and was the author of two plays successfully produced in the Tjeatro Cervantes. In short he is a second K. Banning. Do you remember how K used to inhale an entire apple pie—and then wake up at night, jump out of bed and rattle off an ode or two, lest the inspiration expire before morning?

"With regards to you and to all the other Indians in the best class that ever graduated from Dartmouth College."

Thanks, Celery, for a very entertaining letter, and while we are happy to accept your regards, we are sending along some of our own. I have heard that some of the class are using canes as they take their daily exercise, but I had assumed that it was more in keeping with the age at which man goes about on three legs.

Sidney McCurdy is medical supervisor for the Ohio Industrial Commission, and lives at 1932 Suffolk Road, Columbus.

Charles Harrison reached retiring age last spring. He took a motor trip east during the summer, but returned to Portland, Oregon, where he is living at 2030 S. W. 18th Avenue.

C. W. (Soap) Davis was too busy "in the midst of a prime harvest" to say much, but made his words count. His daughter, Flora Elizabeth, was married last November to Harry Menzelaar and is living in Paradise, i.e., Paradise, Calif. C. W. goes on to say that he understands that Charlie Kircher is still in Tiburon, Calif. It's a long time since we've heard from Charlie.

Tom Hubbard is now at 310 Hansford St., San Antonio, Texas, having been ordered out of Oklahoma. No, don't misunderstand, the doctor was the man who ordered. Tom says the "ticker" wasn't quite behaving and San Antone has a better climate. Tom's figures of 100° to 120° in Oklahoma bear out the reports we have heard from other sections of the heated belt. Best wishes to you, Tom, from the whole crowd.

It has been suggested to me that some fellows don't like to be questionnairred, and the result is that my effort is in vain. All right, here's the solution to that. You know this month is Christmas month, and any of you who object to answer- ing my really not very formal questionnaire may just send me a Christmas card.

The other night I wandered over John R. Tunis' book on "Was College Worth While?" It is a more or less serious study of the Harvard class of 1911, twenty-five years out. Some of you ought to read it, because you won't agree with it all. It won't make you ashamed of your own class, and I for one refuse to accept for one group nearly thirty-five years out that rather intrusive tone of finality which runs through some chapters. Incidentally he takes off his hat, as I do, to those men who in the less conspicuous places are living true American lives in real service to their communities.

"God bless us, every one."

Secretary, 130 Woodridge Place, Leonia, N. J.