1897

Class Agent, : 1005 Center St., Newton Center 59, Mass.

This month I have had a very interesting thing happen which gives me a great lift in the job of being secretary of our class. I received the pictures of John Meserve's 11 grandchildren and on the same day I also received a picture of my three grandchildren. These two sets of pictures give me a feeling that it is perhaps an opportunity to write the class notes this month not so much to the classmates as to those 14 young people, especially, and generally to all the grandchildren of the class.

I want to tell these 14 boys and girls about some of the things I recall before John and 1, two proud grandfathers, became sober-minded old guys. Let's go to Dover and Barrington, N.H., for a few snapshots of two old men, John's grandfather and my own. They' were both about the same age—both had white whiskers, both lived in fine, artistic, comfortable houses, both were fond of children. Dr. Levi G. Hill, a Dartmouth medical school graduate, of the class of 1838, the great-great-grandfather of these 11 Meserves, was a man I cannot forget even after 60 years. What was he like? I think you 11 children would like to know. He was so outstanding as a man and as a doctor that he radiated the things that you II great-great-grandchildren can look back to with pride. He was a proud man. His greetings to me when I was only 13 years old—a farm boy going to his house with milk, butter and eggs—was so genuine that I knew him not especially as a customer but as a fine gentleman of the old school at a period which had in it many of the time-consuming courtesies which the speed of our present has eliminated. He had time to talk to a farm boy not about himself but about things which interested me when I was 13. He wore a full beard which was well trimmed. White whiskers would seem to mean that he was old but he didn't seem old. I remember his clothes were dark, I think black. I do not remember seeing him with a hat on when he greeted me as I went into the house with my farm products. Dr. Hill was a man that the college was proud to honor and he loved the college and I take a great deal of pleasure in telling you young people that I did know your great-great-grandfather and remember him well.

Now a word about my grandfather, about the same age as Dr. Hill. He had time to pay attention to boys in much the same manner as did Dr. Hill. He wore whiskers below the jaw like Henry Ward Beecher. I think these were called "galways. He shaved his cheeks and upper lip very carefully. Shaving was an effort worth noting. Seeing my grandfather standing before the mirror in the Terry clock, his wife whom he called Sofie , a rather short woman, holding a candle as a light for his shaving, my grandfather shaved very carefully using an old Wade and Bucher razor, and at times my grandmother's arm would tire and the candle would drop a little. Grandpa would turn to her and smile and in the nicest way say, "I can see if you can see, Sofie." Up would go the candle until he had finished one side and she would walk around to light the other cheek.

Both of these great-great-grandfathers were lovable men, and I am happy to tell you young boys and girls about them both.

Now to you Meserves I want to. say a few words about your own grandfather. I roomed with him for two years in Conant Hall and one year in Reed Hall. Your grandfather was a high class scholar, his mind was so accurate that studies were easy for him but hard for me. He was full of fun. He was neat in everything he did. His hands were dextrous. He played the violin. I had a violin, with which I had murdered enough music to be willing to keep it up on the shelf after I went to college. Your grandfather was asked to join the college orchestra. I was not. He could do interesting things with those dextrous hands. He cut his own hair standing in front of a mirror and he did a good job too. I tried mine but the re- sults were such that I had to pull my Derby hat down over the mess I had made and sneak down to McCarthy's barber shop to be sheared pretty close to the "Ivory" to even it up, I had made such a mess of it.

I remember one time in the horse sheds at the meeting house in Barrington your grand- father and I were watching our carriage horse who was rather restless and he noted that a mosquito was biting the horse on the neck, and with a pair of pocket scissors he dextrously cut off the tip of the mosquito's rear, doing it so gently that the insect kept right on sucking and the blood ran down the horse's neck. The boys who saw this surgical operation said that he would be a doctor.

One time at Conant Hall your grandfather received a present of a bushel of roasted pea- nuts in the shells. The big burlap bag was put in between our two beds and left open for the guests to help themselves. Sitting on our beds the gang ate all they could hold and threw the shells on the floor, most of them, but enough into our beds to make us both uncom- fortable till the peanuts were gone. We walked and slept on peanut shells till they were fin- ished and we could shovel ourselves out clean again.

X remember speaking to one of my grand- sons who was a little behind the eight ball in his school deportment, giving him a little ad- vice, and he came right back at me and said, "You know, Gramp, I ain't stole a hearse yet." Sometime when you Meserves want to get a rise out of your Gramp ask him if he ever helped steal a hearse. Ask him to tell you about the "Ship's Company" and ask if he ever blacked up his face and hands to avoid being caught in some escapade. Ask him to ex- plain the "dull thud of a pumpkin," which was a story in the '97 Aegis. This Aegis was created in our room because your grandfather and I were on the Aegis board and I recall the last meeting (and I think this one was the only one without a scrap) which was called to di- vide up the profits, mostly advertising mer- chandise given in payment for advertisements. We called them spoils and we had quite a good haul too. Those college days were the happy days sure enough, and we two old guys, now proud grandfathers, had a good time and lots of fun.

As a chum and college roommate of your grandfather, I greet all of the 11 Meserves and hope all the boys go to Dartmouth and all the girls will look favorably at some Dartmouth boy.

Now, just a word to our classmates. Send me pictures of your grandchildren and tell me about them, but be sure you are in the pic- ture with them. I know we are all interested in grandchildren.

FATHER OF FOUR SONS, John Meserve '97 has made up for the dearth of daughters in his family by claiming a grand total of nine granddaughters; he also is the proud grandfather of two boys. Reading clockwise: John Meserve '97; Edith, Helen, Jennie and Kathleen, daughters of Don Meserve; Marilyn and Beth, daughters of Bob Meserve; Patricia, daughter of Richard Meserve '3l; Jane, John, William, and Dorothy, children of Julian Meserve shown with his wife.

Secretary and Treasurer 886 Main St., Bridgeport 3, Conn.