Hanover Holiday, May 11-15

Sixth Session of Popular Alumni College Built Around Timely Theme of "The Making of American Democracy"

A YEAR AGO the February issue of the MAGAZINE carried a prediction that the coming Hanover Holiday would be the best one to date. So far, and it is now a good many months since the Holiday week in June, nobody has appeared to deny that statement; presumably the three hundred alumni who were here for its meetings last year were glad that they had come. Those who have watched over the growth of this institution have at times given way to unseemly pride and satisfaction, particularly as they have seen more and more people in the group each year who have been here before. Only a really worth-while program would bring that about.

The outbreak of war in December immediately raised the question of what to do about the Holiday. The College wanted to continue it, and was gratified to find that the Alumni Council did too, as an important part of the week after Commencement. Details of all that is being planned for that week will be announced later, but mention should be made here that the Holiday will begin Monday, May 11, starting as usual the day after the graduation exercises, and will end the evening of Friday, May 15. Since all class reunions will take place on May 15, 16, and 17, together with meetings of the Alumni Council, Secretaries Association, Class Treasurers and Class Agents, and the General Alumni Association, it would seem entirely probable that even more alumni than before will try to come back early to enjoy Hanover and the Hanover Holiday.

The Holiday is building its program this year around "The Making of American Democracy." While we all know that what we are fighting for is to win the war, behind that is the determination to preserve things we like, and so it seemed very reasonable to spend a week thinking about what some of these things are, and how they came about. If the week can end with a more nearly complete understanding of what we are trying to preserve, and an added determination that it is worth preserving, the Holiday will be a success.

The first talk on Monday evening will be on "The Philosophy of Democracy," by Professor Arthur Wilson of the Department of Biography. Professor Wilson, who has long given outstanding courses in his field, is directing this year an extremely successful course on "Democratic Thought," as part of the war effort of the College. It is confidently predicted that this evening will start the week off well.

The next two meetings will interpret the changes in American democracy. The first, "A New World Experiment in Democracy," will be given by Professor Allen Foley '20 of the History Department, who needs little introduction to a Dartmouth audience as an able and effective speaker. He will be followed by Professor Howard Meneely, also of the History Department, who will speak about "Democratic Revolution of Twentieth Century America." The Holiday is very glad to have Professor Meneely on its program, and is certain that these two talks will accomplish for your understanding of American democracy what was spoken of above.

It would be a mistake to assume that democracy is purely political. It must extend to other phases of life as well, and the Department of Economics is likewise called on for two speakers. The first, Professor Earl Sikes, will be remembered as having given a most successful talk for the Holiday last year. This year in "The Economic Side of Democracy" he will bring out some ways in which the spirit of democracy is still struggling. The second, Professor Malcolm Keir, is one we are particularly pleased to announce not only because he will give a splendid talk on "Organized Labor in a Democratic Country," but because this means he has re- covered from a long and severe illness that has kept him too long off the list of speakers. The Dartmouth alumni may read this, and know that their calls for his name on the program can now be answered.

The presence on the faculty of two distinguished newcomers to this country makes it possible to include two talks that are unusual. Dr. Walter Curt Behrendt, after a noted career in Germany, came to Dartmouth in 1934. While here he published his book, Modern Building, and then left to become Professor of City Planning at the University of Buffalo. This year he is back at Dartmouth and will give a talk on "City Planning in a Democracy" in the Holiday series. "Europe Looks at the United States" is the subject of the talk to be given by Dr. John Pelenyi. After starting his career in the Austro-Hungarian Consular Service before the last war, he served as Counselor of the Hungarian Legation in Washington from 1922 to 1930 The next three years he was the permanent delegate from Hungary to the League of Nations, and then was made Minister from that country to the United States, Cuba and Mexico. He retired from this position in 1940, when Hungary came under German domination, and is now active in the Free Hungary movement. Since September he has been at Dartmouth as a Visiting Lecturer in Political Science.

One of the duties of the Holiday Committee is to keep its ear to the ground to hear about exceptionally interesting talks being given to one group or another by members of the faculty. As a result of this policy, Professor John Amsden of the Chemistry Department has been asked to give a talk on "The Story of Vitamins." In these days of so much stress on physical fitness there is no need to point out the timeliness of the talk. And then as a fitting climax to this series of talks of the making of democracy, there will be one by Professor Kenneth Robinson of the English Department on "The American Dream, Past and Future." Anyone, who has noticed the tremendous popularity of Professor Robinson's courses over many years, would know that he has much to say and says it very well.

Altogether, it is an unusually interesting program. Living arrangements will be the same as last year with special rates at the Inn for the whole week, and rooms in a dormitory for all or part of it. Further details and applications will soon be mailed to all alumni, or may be obtained from the Hanover Holiday Committee. It will still be possible to come back for less than twenty dollars, and this should tempt many. Although school may keep children at home in May, they will be cared for if they come. There will be the usual low golf rate, with picnics and a real athletic program. Some of the Dartmouth teams will be in town with games scheduled. For many reasons it again looks like a very good Hanover Holiday.

VERNON HALL JR. New teacher in the Department of English,studied at New York University, Wisconsinand taught at Pueblo College (Col.).

PROFESSOR OF HISTORY