Now Comes the Tug
Some one—John Jay for a guess—wrote when the American Revolution was ended and independence achieved that he was "uneasy and apprehensive; more so than during the war." Things can be done under the stimulus of cannon fire that one finds it difficult to do when the stress of danger is removed. In other words, it is much easier to be a self-sacrificing patriot in war than in peace. What is demanded of us, now that the menaces of a ruthless foe are minimized, is loyalty as steadfast and as true as that which one feels when animated by ear-piercing fife and spirit-stirring drum. That loyalty is just as important now as it was when the foe was at the gate.
This has its bearing on such things as, for example, Dartmouth's Alumni Fund. The effect of war on the College has been enormous, and now the war is waning fast though its effects remain and in many ways are going to be intensified. There lies ahead the critical period of reconversion. Our temporary student population, maintained largely at government expense, is already decimated; and our normal civilian student population will not be immediately restored. There's bound to be a period of what one may call slack-tide between abnormalcy and normalcy (if one may adopt a word which President Harding made famous). A college like ours must keep itself ready to resume when resumption is possible, though in the interim its revenues are reduced. The one bridge that can be relied on to span the chasm is the Alumni Fund raised with such success and enthusiasm throughout the war, despite mounting taxes, bond drives, and a myriad of worthy causes demanding support, whereof the Red Cross was chief. Thanks to the V-ia program Dartmouth weathered the stressful war period in far better shape than any dared to hope. That period is over and once again we are on our own, so to speak. Dartmouth must be empowered to take up her old familiar tasks, with an adequate teaching force to meet the ultimate requirementsand meantime pay her bills. Economy has done what it can by cutting all corners as closely as possible. It is up to the rest of us to supplement that by our contributions. We've got the old ship through the storm, intact and sound. Now to refit her for the calmer times ahead.
BE-RIBBONED MARINES OF DARTMOUTH'S V-12 UNIT LISTEN TO V-E DAY SPEECHES ON THE CAMPUS
