25-Year Reunion Questionnaire
Facts, Figures and Fancies from Sampling of About 100 Members of 1914 Back for June Festivities
THIS Twenty-Fifth Reunion collection of varied statistics is, itshould be kept in mind, limitedto the 100 or so men who returnedto Hanover for the festivities lastJune. What Mr. Gallup would sayabout this sampling of that notedclass in respect to fair representation of the whole, we don't know.But the fact is, 1914 has startedsomething. We predict future 25-Year classes will start earlier andgather opinion and fact from everyavailable man. We'd like to see athorough job done. We thank 'l4for starting the ball rolling, andespecially Charles Kingsley 'l4 forhis valued help in compiling the information— ED.
BY its own admission 1914 is the greatest class that ever graduated from Dartmouth College. If you have any doubts of it you had better keep your thoughts to yourself when in the presence of a robust Fourteener or else be prepared to run—not walk—to the nearest exit. In June more than one-hundred members of this illustrious body gathered in Hanover for their 25th reunion, and certain facts, which demonstrate the remarkability of this class were elicited.
The steadfastness of the group is demonstrated by the circumstance that today its membership represents exactly the same proportions of reactionary conservative, liberal and radical thought as it did in 1914. Somewhat less than two-thirds are conservative and about one-third liberal, with traces of reactionary and radical sentiments on the right and left wings to contribute spice and tartness to the whole.
As might be expected, the institution of matrimony has been well patronized, 92% bearing proudly the yoke of Hymen. Only 2% rebelled and shook the burden from their shoulders via the Reno road. Their unions have, for the most part, been blessed by progeny, scarcely 6% being childless, the others having celebrated from one to five "blessed events" with an average of 2.2 offspring.
The individual members of the class have displayed commendable discrimination in the choice of consorts as was evident to all who saw the helpmeets who accompanied their husbands to the reunion. One-third of the wives had attended college before marriage. Those women who could boast alma maters of their own, averaged 2.5 children per family as compared to two for the non-college mothers— a little item which may cause eyebrow raising in the circles which tend to disparage the social mindedness of the graduates of women's colleges.
The average 1914 man married when 5.2 years out of college, and when his income, was $2,700 a year. More than half married, however, when their incomes were under $2,000 per year, and when they had been graduated only 3.2 years. The incomes of 14% exceeded $5,000 per year at the time of marriage and they had been graduated 9.6 years before they succumbed to the enticement of the wedding march.
Seven out of ten are landed proprietors, owning their own homes. None of the radical members, however, are bound to the soil in this manner, despite the fact that their present earnings exceed the average for the whole class.
Men of 1914 are a convivial group, 81% being willing, on occasion, to quaff the flowing bowl in a spirit of good fellowship; 4% standing ready to imbibe without inducement, and only 15% exposing the frigid shoulder to the invitation to "have one on me."
50% OF WIVES SMOKE
When it comes to tobacco, 90% indulge in one form or another, and of their wives, 50% smoke. The fact that the wife attended or did not attend college seems to make no difference in her addiction or non-addiction to the weed. To one who has conned the cigarette advertisements for the past several years and gathered therefrom the impression that all women smoke all the time, the result of this poll was a sad disillusionment. It must be that some of them still believe in the old slogan "keep kissable."
The manufacturers of golf clubs find easy prey when they come to the men of 1914, for 60% of them chase little white pills over the pastures. Bowling and tennis are other forms of exercise indulged. Walking, swimming, badminton, equestrianism, fishing, gardening and ping pong also have their devotees.
Two out of five have surrendered to their atavistic tendency to get their feet off the ground and have participated in airplane flights. Possibly the balance have not yet had the opportunity, for it is unthinkable that any members of this glorious group should be deterred from flight by milquetoastianism.
After having taken their degrees at Dartmouth, 40%, consumed by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, sought further enlightenment in other institutions, and 31% pursued such studies to additional academic degrees.
The coffers of Time, Readers Digest and News Week in that order are enriched by subscriptions of members of the class who keep abreast of the news and literature by diligent scanning of these carefully edited periodicals. Aurally, members of the class are entertained on Tuesday evenings by Information Please, their favorite radio program, and on Sundays by the hard-headed Charlie McCarthy who wisecracks for Chase & Sanborn. This precocious urchin ranked second in the poll of radio favorites. Even hardened agelasts (sourpusses) are wreathed in smiles at Charlie's sallies.
Believing that all play and no work makes Jonathan a bit of a bore, the members of this unusual class spare enough time from golf and other recreations to attend to professional and business activities, 35% are engaged in professions such as law, teaching, the ministry, medicine, architecture and competing in puzzle contests; 27% are engaged in service such as banking, accounting, advertising, real estate and pants pressing; 21% are engaged in production such as mining, manufacturing, farming, publishing and moonshining; and 18% are employed in distribution such as importing, exporting, wholesaling, retailing and delivering milk.
One-third have solved the problem as to whether to be "yes" men or "no" men or "yes, but" men, by becoming their own masters; the remaining two-thirds cling to payrolls. Before finding themselves in their present occupations, 54% had followed other lines of work. On the whole, the time spent away from the golf course is profitably employed, for the average member earns $9,300 per year.
9% EARN $20,000
The average earnings, however, are somewhat misleading as only 30% exceed the average. 9% earn $2,500 per year or less; 38% earn between $2,501 and $5,000; 27% earn between $5,001 and $10,000; 14% earn between $lO,OOl and $20,000, and the earnings of 9% exceed $20,001.
The 25 year alumnus is quite a different man from the credulous youth who was oversold on the benefits of college fraternities while in college, for three-fourths of the fraternity men admit that their fraternity affiliation has not meant as much to them since graduation as they believed it would in 1914.
A Voder, representing a composite of approximately three-fourths of the class, might express his convictions thus:
"I am a ragged individualist and am unalterably opposed to the extension of government ownership and operation. I have never taken any active part in politics, but for many years have performed unpaid public service in my community.
"I do not think it is fair to ask our children to pay the national debt and do not of present value. Nevertheless, I believe that the world today offers greater opportunity for individuals than it did in 1914.
"The United States cannot prosper under an isolationist policy, but I fear that participation in world affairs will definitely increase our chances of being involved in the next war.
"I have attempted to be consistent in my actions, have retained my religious and political affiliations but have not always carried my national political affiliations into local politics. I regret to say I believe that in spite of the improvement of moral conditions since the repeal of the prohibition amendment, formal (church going) Christianity is on the wane.
"Although I did not participate in athletics while in college, I am firmly of the belief that such participation is of advantage both in college and in after life, and if I were to repeat my college course, I would take part in athletics in one form or another.
"I am careless of my friendships, and have failed for years to keep in touch, by correspondence, with friends in distant places.
"My principal hobbies are connected with making or growing things. I am fond of animals, and usually have one or more pets in my home—preferably dogs, although I do not dislike cats. I am not what is known as a joiner, and cannot spare the time to belong to many associations, clubs, chambers of commerce and the like.
"In college I studied a number of subjects which were of no great use to me in after life. Foreign languages have been of very little advantage in social or business activities since leaving college, and if I were to repeat my college courses I should give little attention to the study of dead or foreign languages. Of the subjects which I found most useful, English and Economics head the list and I should devote more time to them if I were to go through college again.
"If you plan to give me another questionnaire, may I suggest that you have fewer questions, that they be such as can be adequately answered by YES or NO, and that they call for a statement of fact rather than for an expression of opinion."
Readers are assured that the foregoing figures are substantially accurate as based upon replies to the reunion questionnaire. At the same time, when drawing conclusions, they are reminded of the old saying, damned lies and statistics."
