Within These Walls
This afternoon—a spring afternoon, a thirteenth anniversary—the Dean of the College came from Parkhurst Hall to a scene which was taking place before the senior fence on the "green." He shook hands with Mr. "Del," this undergraduate manager, and the two captains of the baseball teams which were about to open the intramural season. He then proceeded to the pitchers mound and threw the first ball. To me this was all very symbolic. This meeting of administration, faculty, intramural managers and students exemplified and portrayed, for a short and dramatic instant, the spirit and work of a great many years. It is very difficult for us who spend only four years here to see such an activity progress. We find it as it is and take it, then eight semesters later we leave it in the fashion that we found it—never realizing that it is more than just another one of the fixtures that will be there when our sons return.
Prof. L. B. Richardson in his ALUMNIMAGAZINE article last month stated, but even he must admit that the playing fields of the College in these days show a picture of voluntary athletic activity (in his estimation the only type worth while) not presented at Dartmouth since the days so long ago when the whole undergraduate body assembled on the green each afternoon with the purpose of kicking a football, when the opportunity presented.
It would indeed be interesting to compile figures on the latent energy consumed by the students playing the multitude of games available and also the total hours dedicated "voluntarily" to this purpose. It was in the very short conversation between our director, Professor Delahanty (a man with an incomparable and ever ready sense of humor), and Dean Neidlinger that gave me a sharp realization of a progress and of dynamic organization in my workin tramurals—that I had never fully comprehended or appreciated before.
The basketball league ended in a most spectacular fashion. Tuck 1 won the College championship, proving the psychological theory that up until the age of 45 you may still learn new tricks. Psi Upsilon won the fraternity championship, College Hall the dormitory championship, and 1942 the class championship.
In bridge, the fraternity to which I had almost conceded victory went to second place. Sigma Chi was nosed out by twelve points by Phi Delta Theta. Phi Sigma Kappa was third. However, Sigma Chi, not to be undaunted in this nosing-out business, won the swimming meet by about half a point. Beta Theta Pi was second. The South Mass "Mermaids" were the dormitory victors.
In handball and squash Pi Lambda Phi proved herself to be a most decisive position-holder by winning both events. For the dorms Richardson won the squash championship, and North Mass the handball.
This year for the first time the Department is sponsoring a pool tournament. It has been so well received that perhaps we shall feel confident enough to extend several other activities about which we have been skeptical. Also for the first time this year all championship cups will have two legs. We feel that this will stop the now prevalent flood of mantel adornments in such a manner as to increase their value and desirability.
