1900
Since many of you probably are not aware of what your new secretary has been up to the past few years, here is a personal note. If I speak much in the third person there is no disclaimer of full moral responsibility for my acts, and no lack of appreciation for your kindly consideration and generous patience with the recital of this case history.
After being admitted by Dartmouth to that select fraternity, Professor Emeritus, your secretary applied for and was appointed professor of government at Principia College, in Elsah, Ill. Principia is a small co-educational college located in a 2400 acre campus, beautiful for situation, on the high bluffs above the Mississippi River some 35 miles north of St. Louis, Mo.
At the Principia your secretary taught certain courses in economics and some sections of a freshma'n orientation course in the social sciences. In connection with this latter course, I blossomed forth as an author by writing seventeen chapters of a possible two volume textbook. The title is "Man's Relation To Man" and it is designed as an introduction to the social sciences at the freshman level. Although the text is not yet ready for publication, my chapters have been used for several years in mimeograph form in this course.
For six of the years spent at the Principia my wife served as the efficient, capable, and innovative receptionist in the administration building.
In connection with our duties we had the inestimable privilege of meeting people from many parts of the world. Individuals and families came to the campus from South Africa, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Argentina, many European countries, Great Britain, and all sections of the United States and Canada. For several weeks during two of the summer vacations we took trips to the far West. We visited the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Carmel, San Francisco, the Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Salt Lake City, and Denver on one trip; and Banff, Lake Louise, Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and Glacier Park on the other. Our whole experience during the eight years was most interesting, unique, and stimulating.
Perhaps the most noteworthy fact is that, on my resignation last year, I had completed 54 years of collegiate teaching.
After spending the summer on Long Island, we took up residence in Hanover last September. It has seemed like coming back home. We are now living in in the building which, in our college days, housed the somewhat famous Ammaral Eating Club where some of us got nutritious food for $3.50; no, not per day, but per week. Well! Times have changed, haven't they?
It is good to have a report on Edmund Jonakowski. Recently Walter Rankin was at a lunch in Sarasota, and after lunch he, Hod, Ned and Warren Kendall '99, called on "Jonnie." He was delighted to see them, and Walter said he seemed cheerful in spite of the fact that he is almost totally blind. He owns a comfortable and attractive home in the city.
Your secretary has no very recent news of "Mac's" condition. On last report he had had a recurrence of an old difficulty of many years' standing, and, in order to be near his doctor, he had been moved from his son's house in Winchester to a nursing home in Newtonville.
BobNJackson is still almost as active as he was 30 years ago. He has important business interests in the Caribbean area which takes him to Cuba about every six weeks. During the past four years he has spent about a fourth of the time on the island. He speaks of Cuba as: "Indeed a pleasant island with as pleasant a climate as this globe affords, and right now booming in every direction." At this writing newspapers and magazines are reporting great unrest in the island. By any chance is this a part of the boom? Perhaps the tranquility of this charming island might be restored by an application of the democratic principle. Whatever the political organization, the love of freedom seems to lie deep in the heart of the common people in every land.
Herbie Trull has sent me two original poems composed by our classmate, JonnieWarden, during his college days at Dartmouth. "The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts," and we are often quite unaware of the sentiments which fill the heart of any of us. One of these poems is about that cheerful little feathered friend, the chickadee. The other, entitled "An Unpainted Picture," is a sonnet on autumn in New England. Herbie reports himself as pretty well although early in March he had a slight heart attack which has temporarily slowed him up a bit. Not long ago he called on Morton Tuttle '97 who lives in Newton, Mass. He said he found him looking surprisingly well, and he reports a very pleasant visit.
As far as is known Mrs. Arthur Virgin is the only cow-girl in the class. Way up in North Hartly, Quebec, she is the enthusiastic owner of a fine herd of Jersey cows. Now to this reporter the Jersey breed is remarkable for the milk which is inexpressibly good to drink, but to the intimately initiated, the esoteric, there are such standards as average for milk, butterfat content, and type which put the mild-mannered Jersey far ahead of other bovines. Recently the Canadian Jersey Cattle Club has honored Jeannette by giving her the Constructive Breeders Award. She is the third woman in Canada who has been the recipient of this award. Congratulations, Jeannette.
Clarence Paddock still does a considerable amount of private tutoring which keeps him in touch with youth, and presumably is most helpful in keeping him at heart young and vigorous. He also plays around with his tools in the cellar of his home, and in season with flowers in his back yard. Such activities are certainly good and bring rewards of peace and contentment in this high-powered age.
Secretary, 3 Pleasant Street Hanover, N. H.
Class Agent, 34 Carruth St., Dorchester, Mass.
