Student Opinion on the War
On the day war was declared Prof. Edmund H. Booth '18 asked his students inEnglish 19 to write a paper during class ontheir reactions to the news of the preceding 24 hours. Abstracts from the excellentpapers turned in at the end of the hourare published below with our grateful acknowledgment to the authors and to Mr. Booth.
I RECALL MOST VIVIDLY my thoughts of friends who were directly involved. Sam, whom we had lived with for two years, was stationed at Hawaii; Phil was on a merchant ship in charge of guns in the Pacific; Dave had an appointment next week-end for a Navy Air Corps examination; Tony was to be called to Service in February; Hank would go in February, too; and Joe would probably leave to enlist as soon as possible. I thought how I had another year to wait before I even had to register. I felt that I should do something; but I also felt that I should just sit and wait. Yes, that was it, I would do my job up here as well as possible, and wait.
WE PLEDGES WERE HERDED into One of the rooms in the fraternity house to await our induction into the mysteries of the fraternity. Most of the conversation was centered on the unexpected events of the afternoon, but there was no hysteria
One of the fellows said, "Hell, let's all join the Air Force and become the Emerald Battalion," (emerald green was one of the colors not only of the fraternity but also of the College). We all laughed, but rather weakly. The contagion of any sort of embryonic war hysteria is more powerful than I believed, I thought to myself.
As we marched in single file up to the "sanctum sanctorum," someone stage-whispered, "Lock-step—just like a penitentiary." But I knew we were all thinking not of a penitentiary, but of a parade ground where we might all be drilling soon
I had sworn for months—ever since the time when it became apparent that formal U. S. entry into the war was inevitablethat I would not be caught up and swept along by the almost inevitable students' attitude: "What the hell's the use of studying; studies are trivial things now." But it was impossible for me not to get a feeling of that sort. I feel it now. They do seem trivial. They seem unconstructive as regards preparation for aiding the United States' war efforts. They seem unimportant alongside of newspaper articles describing events in the Pacific.
[.Mondschein is a refugee from Holland andhas spoken English only about three years. Hehas his first U. S. citizenship papers.—ED.]
AMERICA WAS AT WAR for the second time in a quarter of a century.
I was back in my room. I turned the light out and sat down in my chair. I had to be with myself, I had to think.
As I was sitting there, the wind outside still singing its eternal song, I saw that things couldn't and wouldn't be the same any longer. Oh yes, College would go on and on. Professors would pretend that nothing had happened. They would keep on lecturing, keep on talking, keep on living in their ivory tower. But all the time fellows will be leaving, will be drafted, will volunteer. Friends will go away. No, it won't be the same, maybe a few more months trying frantically, living the old life of a little studying and a lot of hell raising—but that too will go.
Things will become different, quieter around Hanover. Something had been broken in the hearts and minds of many of us just a few hours ago, something one couldn't exactly put one's finger on. But the old myth of four years of undisturbed college life, untroubled from anything, had died and with it had gone our peace of mind, our efforts to concentrate, our goals, our conceptions of quite a few things which won't be the same any more
I suddenly became aware that my college days were over, that I had to grow up and do it fast, my days were gone not because I wanted them to be so but because I feel that my duty and my purpose is no longer to be in college but where I can do infinitely more than merely try to pass this or that requirement.
I hate to sound melodramatic or sentimental, but I like to say just this: I know that the moment I leave Dartmouth College, its halls, its playgrounds, my friends, the hills of New Hampshire, all of which I have loved and all of which has made life so rich for me, I know that at the moment the little town of Hanover sinks away behind me in the bluish dust of the hills, that I am also leaving my youth behind me, only to change everything for a life of uncertainty, danger and bitter disillusionment; I know all that.
I am not a youthful, passionate, idealistic fool. I am not swept by the tide of the moment, only that which has happened has made me definitely realize that to stay any longer in college, to continue to live as if nothing has happened is against each and every one of my principles.
Therefore I shall leave Dartmouth, at the latest in June, because I feel that a job has to be done. No one else will do it for us. We, and I am thinking of Dartmouth men in particular and college men in general, we are the generation that will have to carry the brunt of it all. Therefore, let us not wait in idle, frustrated confusion, but accept the challenge. It is our duty to contribute everything we humanly can, be it only an infinitesimal small part to the huge task before us.
Some time ago, one of my best friends here at College, who is a classmate of mine as well, wrote a modern prayer; in closing let me add a few lines to its spirit: Almighty God, give us the strength to carrythrough our convictions, endow us withthe courage which won't jail us;No matter how trying the days in monthsand years to come, guide us, help us toact and to live so that we may at all timesbe ready to appear before Thee unafraidand so that we may always stand immaculate in Thy eyes, in the eyes of theworld and before our own selves.
