1889
It is the sad duty of your secretary to announce the death of Charles S. Currier at his home in Elkin, N. C., April 25, following a long illness. He was a member of our Class until the end of junior year, when he left College to begin his long and successful career as civil engineer in railroad work, chiefly in the South. The In Memoriam notice will appear in July issue of this MAGAZINE.
Dartmouth customs and traditions are many. One such Dartmouth custom which the passage of time has obscured, but which was existent in our day more than 60 years ago, is the Class Pipe. Few other than the small number of present living members of those classes that adopted the custom ever even heard that such a custom once existed.
When an investigation was recently begun to try to find out the class with Which this custom originated, the question was put to Professor Leon B. Richardson, author of History of Dartmouth College, two volumes, published in 1932. In reply to the inquiry, Professor Richardson wrote:
"Your letter is the first reference I ever had to the existence of the custom of the 'class pipe,' consequently I can give you no information about it beyond the fact that upon my entrance to College in 1896 (with the class of 1900) no such custom apparently was known."
The investigation has now covered all classes having living members, beginning with the class of 1876—earliest class with a living member, down to the class of 1900. Members interrogated were asked to state whether his class did, or did not, have a Class Pipe. Peabody '76, only living member of that classand oldest living Dartmouth graduate, in a reply received the day before the newspapers recently announced his death, reported in the negative. Tillotson '77, sole living member of his class, gave a similar report. Information from members of the classes of '78, '79, '80 and '81 was not obtainable, no living members being left. DeWitt '82, only member of that class living; reported in the negative. Carter '83, sole living representative of that class, wrote that he had no recollection about it, but the Dartmouth Aegis for 1881-1882, in its list of '83 class officers, recorded Irving French as "custodian of pipe," thereby making '83, so far as now known, the first class to have adopted the custom. Judge Matthews '84, one of three living members of that class, reported that '84 had a Class Pipe, of which the late Colonel Rolfe was custodian during his lifetime. Further investigation disclosed that after his death, Benjamin P. George '84, now deceased, came into possession of the pipe and deposited it in the archives of the College.
The classes of '85, '86, and '8 entirely disregarded the custom, according to members of each of these classes interrogated. Then, after this skip of three classes, the next six consecutive classes, '88o '93, adopted the custom. Some of them made it a practice to have their Class Pipe at all class reunions. When '88 eld its 50th reunion its Class Pipe could not be found. Class secretary Cate later located it, after a long search, and gave it to the College for its archives. '89 had a Class Pipe, but more about that later. '90 invested in a costly meerschaum and elected a custodian who later left College to reside in a foreign country. Since no trace of its Class Pipe has since been found, it is surmised the pipe went along with him. '91 adopted the custom, according to its veteran class secretary, Frank Rowe, a non-smoker. Information as to what had become of its Class Pipe was not obtainable. Weston, spokesman for '92, reported that his class followed the custom and that its Class Pipe appeared at many reunions. He didn't know what disposition had been made of it. The eighth and last class to adopt the custom was the class of '93.
Oddly enough the custom came to an end not only at a time when, in the interest of health, a vigorous campaign was being carried on to put a stop to certain unsanitary practices—such as the drinking cup being used in common, but the very year the era of old Dartmouth was passing on and a new Dartmouth was coming into being under the inspiring leadership of William Jewett Tucker as president of the College. The classes of '94 to '99, interrogated through one member, at least, in each class, replied in the negative. The responses showed that the custom was unknown by members of those classes. Here the investigation ended as classes thereafter became so large that renewal of such a custom, aside from other objections, would be impracticable. Likewise no attempt was made to investigate classes earlier than those having living members, which would necessitate an examination of their available records. In the absence of records supporting evidence to the contrary, the conclusion therefore must be that the class of '83, so far as will ever be known, was the first class to adopt the custom of having a Class Pipe.
'89's Class Pipe, a large meerschaum, was purchased early freshman year with funds raised by an assessment of 25 cents collected from each member of our class. "Parson"Blanchard, a non-smoker and prospective student for the ministry, was thereupon elected custodian for freshman year. He soon resigned. "Fush" Hazen was elected to fill the vacancy. Blodgett was the choice for sophomore year. He did not return to College that fall, and, at a special meeting, Kennard was chosen to serve in his place, and a vote was passed that the class pay for tobacco used in the pipe. Sanborn was custodian junior year and Knight took over the office for senior year.
At '89's last undergraduate class meeting its Class Pipe was auctioned off to the highest bidder—Henry Blair. As long as he lived it was a choice possession associated with College days. From time to time he took delight in loaning it to former classmates at Dartmouth. Upon his death October 3, 1948, one of the most treasured relics associated with Dartmouth left in his estate was unquestionably '89's Class Pipe. Our members therefore took pride and found satisfaction in being able to announce in this MAGAZINE'S May issue that Henry Blair's long-time law associate and executor under his will had recently expressed his willingness and desire to have '89's Class Pipe belonging to the estate of his former associate given to the College Library for its archives. To carry out such proposed arrangement, plans are now being perfected to have it on display as a feature of our annual rendezvous in Hanover at Commencement time, after which, in behalf of the estate presenting it, it will be delivered to the College to be laid away in its archives with other similar tokens of this antiquated custom of long ago.
Secretary and Treasurer, 108 Mt. Vernon St., Boston 8, Mass. Class Agent, 29 Ocean View Rd., Cape Elizabeth, Me.
