ELEAZAR WHEELOCK: FOUNDER OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE,

Professor McCallum Creates Vivid Personality in the College's Founder Whose Determination Won Him Fame

by JamesDow McCallum. Dartmouth CollegePublications, Manuscript Series, No. 4,Hanover, 1939, pp. 236. $3.50.

MOST COLLEGES, like nations, tend in time to produce two dis- tinct versions of their own past- one, which is embodied in song and tradi- tion and is largely imaginary, and another, usually much less familiar, which is based upon fact and deserves to be called history. It is probable that no one ever contributed more of the fanciful to the popular impres- sion of Dartmouth's beginnings than did Richard Hovey in his rollicking song, Eleazar Wheelock." But the personality emerging from the vivid pages of this bi- ography by Professor McCallum is very different from the imaginary one which has been immortalized in the Hovey ballad and, more recently, in mural, carnival snow sculpture, and library weather vane! Dart- mouth would certainly be loath to give up the traditional Eleazar, but the true story of the man who lived and struggled and founded the college in the wilderness is in reality more amazing than any legend.

RECREATING DR. WHEELOCK'S SPIRIT

The story of Wheelock's life is of course inseparable from that of the origin and early history of Dartmouth College and it is a tale which has been told many times before. Professor McCallum has wisely refrained from duplicating all that is contained in L. B. Richardson's History ofDartmouth College and other similar accounts. While no essential facts are omitted, it has been his purpose to portray the man himself and to recreate something of his spirit and that of the age in which he lived. The task must have been far from easy. Wheelock was essentially a product of eighteenth century New England and had nothing of the exceptionally modern outlook of his contemporary, Benjamin Franklin. He was possessed of a certain narrow religious zeal which today would pass for pure fanaticism, and to us he seems to have been struggling to achieve an end which was wildly visionary and by its very nature hopeless of realization, namely, the Christianizing and civilizing of the Indians. Yet it must be recognized that this project and others similar to it were regarded as entirely reasonable by practicalminded persons of that period, both in America and abroad.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR GREATNESS

The key to an understanding of Wheelock's long struggle in the face of incredible hardship, discouragement, and selfsacrifice, is to be found in three circum- stances which are fully explained in this volume. The first factor to be reckoned with is the Puritan religious fervor which was fanned into flame by the revival known as the Great Awakening, a zeal which manifested itself in a passionately sincere concern for the souls of the heathen. Secondly, the formidable presence of the Indian along the frontier constituted the American race problem of the eighteenth century. Few, if any, persons of that age foresaw the ultimate fate of the Indian and to civilize him was regarded as one practical approach to the solution of the many problems arising from the contact between the whites and the native tribes. Added to these two factors we have the personality and character of Wheelock himself. He possessed industry, patience, shrewdness,, fortitude, and above all, determination. We are all too prone to regard his original scheme with amused toleration, but let it not be forgotten that while conditions changed in a way he did not anticipate, his achievement was lasting and in that sense his life was a success.

The author has examined all available printed sources and has made an exhaustive study of the Wheelock papers and other manuscripts in the possession of the College. Some of these materials are tantalizingly meager, particularly those concerned with Wheelock's early life. Wherever possible the man has been permitted to speak for himself through his writings and a valuable feature of the volume consists of the letters which have been printed, many of them for the first time. Professor McCallum has not overloaded his pages with detail nor has he felt obliged to follow a strictly chronological treatment where a topical arrangement makes for greater clarity and interest. Among the most original and valuable chapters are those devoted to Wheelock's religious background, including his work among his parishioners in Connecticut and his activities as a revivalist.

One only wishes that space permitted allusion to a few typical passages in the book which would convey some idea of the incidents of human interest which fill its pages. Wheelock's writings are often obscure, and lacking in any conscious humor, but when he was properly aroused he had a gift of pungent expression which will delight the modern reader. It may be of current interest to note that in November, 1775, he found himself engaged in an acrimonious dispute with the New Hampshire authorities regarding the proper date for observing Thanksgiving!

The biography adds greatly to our understanding of Wheelock the man and should certainly result in a much larger measure of sympathy for his character and methods. It may be said in conclusion that the volume is a beautiful specimen of bookmaking. Professor McCallum and the board responsible for the Dartmouth College Publications are to be congratulated upon a fine contribution to the growing historical literature pertaining to the College.