Ralph Lazarus on the Wallace Incident

DURING his report to the Dartmouth class officers in Hanover on Saturday, May 13, Ralph Lazarus '35, chairman of the Alumni Fund Committee, devoted part of his talk to the Wallace incident. Following is a summary of his remarks:

"I speak as an alumnus, a parent of Dartmouth undergraduates, and as a businessman whose company is a corporate citizen of many of the large urban areas in the country. I am personally as well as organizationally involved in the many difficult and important problems developing out of the urban explosion that has been going on since the end of World War II. While I deplore the publicity arising from the incident, which was a gross exaggeration of what took place, and respect the right of citizens to be heard and to come and go without threat, I also respect the right of protest and orderly demonstration which has been an important part of the forum in which America has developed in its social consciousness.

"The Wallace episode merely reflects the fact that Dartmouth's campus is no longer a cloistered retreat and instead has come to be a mirror of the strains, tensions, and unsolved problems of our present-day urban life. It also is a living demonstration that the student body reflects all the varied backgrounds and concerns that are present in our citizenry. If Dartmouth is to provide leaders for future

America, this association and its accompanying concern is an important institutional experience, and far less disturbing than passive unconcern.

"In this kind of environment, things can get out of hand at times, just as they do in our cities. In this case, they did, sparked by an outsider. It is my hope that the alumni body will support the administration of the College in maintaining the representative character of the student body and in permitting our students to continue to be exposed to all sides of the extremely controversial problems inherent in our society. An occasional incident is a small price to pay for the advantages of a free forum on the Dartmouth campus. Only in this way can Dartmouth continue to supply concerned citizens and possible leaders at a time in our history when lack of concern is our greatest enemy."