Dartmouth Days—60 Years Ago
This is the fourth and final installment of the letters written home by Leslie W. Leavitt '16 during his undergraduate years at Dartmouth. The three previous installments dealt with freshman, sophomore, and junior years. These letters describe some experiences of his senior year, 1915-16.
FALL
Since I have been back in Hanover for over a week perhaps it would be well to let you know that I am still alive, if not kicking. Things seem to be going pretty well, except money and that's going very well. George and I are settled in our room in New Hampshire Hall and like it very much. As you know, ! am not working at the Grill this year, but I hope to make some money in various ways. The hazing this year has run more to the sensational, and some queer stunts have been pulled off. This morning a dozen Freshmen went to Chapel in barrels. Others go to classes in pyjamas, with clothes on backwards, with BVD's outside their trousers, with towels around their heads, faces blackened ... all sorts of combinations. This year there was a slave auction on the Inn steps. . . . George is studying Medicine this year and has already brought home a collar bone and shoulder blade. He hasn't brought home a "stiff' yet, but towards the end of the month he has to buy one . . . price $22.50.
Well, we went to the Princeton game after all, spent all our money and are glad we went. We left here at 11 o'clock on Friday on the Special and spent the night in New York at the Hotel Woodstock ... single room with a % bed for $2.50. Some bed! We found it rather narrow and didn't sleep very soundly. But first we went to the Hippodrome, 50-cent seats in the second balcony ... skating carnival, ski jumping, wonderful scenic effects, not to speak of 200 baby-dolls. Saturday afternoon and we went out to Princeton. Well, we yelled and sang our heads off, but got beaten pretty nicely. They had a better team. After the game we went back to N.Y. and went to the show, "Blue Paradise.", It was very good, but I was disappointed that the gang didn't start something. The chorus wore "D" arm bands and the leading man tried his best to get us to cheer, but not a yip all evening. The next day we did the town walking and by bus. We went to the Woolworth Building, paid our 50 cents and went up 60 stories. We couldn't have found a better place for we could see the whole city. Back in Hanover at 12:15 a.m. and a good time was had by all. Before taking the train Russ and I went to see "The Birth of a Nation" ... well worth seeing.
I finally decided to go to the Penn game in Boston. To hell with prosperity! Everybody was going. Saturday night I went to the theater ... Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle in "Watch Your Step. Sunday Ben and I went out to Wellesley to see the sights. We had to wait in the parlor half an hour while the creatures fed themselves. It was funny to sit there and hear the tinkling voices and the silvery peals of merry laughter ... you know, a" that sort of sentimental stuff... after six weeks in Hanover.
I am a little late this week but there has been quite a bit doing the last few days. Last night there was a big mass meeting and today we marched down to the field and burned the dummy. Then about 1200 fellows lined up on either side of the road in front of the Inn and cheered and yelled as the coaches with the team drove off for Syracuse. It is going to be a mighty hard game and we'll be lucky to pull a win.
The other evening I went to a meeting of the Lincoln-Douglas Debating Society to hear a debate on woman's suffrage. Six of the faculty matrons were there and altho they didn't speak they seemed to enjoy it. One of the fellows said that these women suffragists ought to be home doing their housework.
Monday night three of us went down to Wilder (small place next to Hanover) to teach English to the Poles who work in the factory there. There were only three of them present this time but they were so eager to learn and made such funny mistakes that I liked it. Tonight a Freshman and I are going down. The worst of it is, tho, that Norman Angell, the English writer, is speaking at the College on "Preparedness," and I must miss that. Also I miss the opportunity to go to a dance of the school teachers and stenographers of Hanover. It's a hard life. Doubtless you have heard about our army ... or rather our proposed military training. It looks now as if it were coming, altho of course it will be entirely optional. I haven't yet decided whether I shall join or not.
WINTER
Since my return from the Christian Association Deputation trip to North Woodstock I have had considerable work to make up and am now looking forward to a six-hour exam next Tuesday . . . two in conflict. The Deputation was a wonderful experience. We left here at 8 o'clock Friday, three scared fellows, not knowing what we were going to do or say. We were kept busy when we got there with a banquet, a hike with a bunch of boys, and several religious meetings. I hadn't been able to digest my meals properly, so scared had I been . . . regular periodic shakes. After I got started speaking it wasn't so bad, altho my tongue felt a little too thick.
On Sunday morning I spoke on "'Fathers and Sons," and also spoke several other times. It is a wonderful place up there in the mountains and I hope to go back sometime. The people in the town were so cordial and made us feel so much at home, and seemed to appreciate our being there and speaking even tho we were not orators. I feel that we did some good. Another thing, you can't stand up and tell those boys and girls and men and women about right living without coming home and changing a few things in your own life.
In our psychology class the other day we had tests to see if we were fitted to enter the vocations we intended to. According to the tests the Prof, said that Ray ought to make a good physician, Brownie a very good teacher, and that as a teacher I would only be a bit better than fair. Guess I will have to stick to my original intention of becoming a coal heaver.
While young brother Laurence [Larry Leavitt '25] is up here trying to break his neck on skis I can start this letter. He went to Moose Cabin and seemed to enjoy himself. I am going to take him over to register for the Class of 1925.... I sure thot I had the grippe last week and felt very low ... better now and ready to try the ski jump in tomorrow's meet. Please note that "C.Q.D." at the top of this letter means, "Cash Quick, Dad." It is still snowing, but feebly.
I am writing a few spasms while waiting for Military Drill (which I have joined) and which comes at three. The girls are beginning to arrive for Carnival, altho I have seen nothing but homely ones so far. This is the fourth time I have had to live thru this Winter Carnival.
In the Carnival winter sports I was quickly eliminated from the ski jump as I fell every time. Out of 14 starters in the cross-country race I finished 7th, not very good, but I still beat three McGill fellows. I was sick for half an hour afterwards.
During the holidays Art Conley and I went to Mt. Moosilaukee. We had a great time, altho rather strenuous. It was bitter cold on top of the mountain but we crawled thru a window of the hotel and made coffee on an alcohol stove. On the way down we put on our skis and started on a wild ride, fast, thru a narrow, crooked path in the trees. I fell five times and once turned a somersault in the underbrush at full speed.... Russell has written you in detail about the possibility of our going to Beirut, Syria next year to teach English in the Preparatory School of the American college there. If we are accepted we will discuss everything with you and Dad during the Spring vacation. Exciting!
I suppose you received my postal from Troy, N.H., and learned that I was off on another Deputation trip. We had a fine time altho we had to work extra hard and I had a grouch for two days afterwards. I gave one talk on "Responsibility of the Home" at the church, and Sunday afternoon another to a group of women and girls on "What a College Man Expects of a Girl." We also spoke in a Finnish church, which sure was funny as they spoke and sang in Finnish. They were mighty bright people and very cordial.... It snowed a foot last night and we have almost two feet of snow. We had a hard time in the morning delivering The Dartmouth around the town. This is one of my jobs at present.
My preaching last Sunday in a little Methodist church in Union Village (north of Hanover) was a funny experience. I stayed Saturday night with the regular minister, who is starting college here, and had good eats and a good time. The only fault I had to find was that there was no bathroom, only one outside a la Grandma's, and it was 10 below zero. I wasn't very well prepared for my talk so I didn't get away strong. My prayer was short and shaky, I forgot an announcement and had to add it later, my talk was too short and not polished enough, and I forgot to learn a benediction and had to compose one extemporaneously. Outside of that, things went all right!
SPRING
Last Thursday I went to a dance and I took a young lady, secretary to one of the profs ... nice little girl. It gave me great pleasure to refuse her ardent admirer his fourth dance with her However, he is assistant registrar so I must look out that he doesn't mark up over-cuts against me
We are back in Hanover after a long, inexpensive and pleasant peerade ... a bicycle trip to Boston. The whole trip was 104 miles and we spent the night in Manchester. We enjoyed it; the weather was just right; the country beautiful' and not a sign of bike trouble. But oh my knees and my sit-down place! We went to the track meet at the Harvard stadium Saturday afternoon. It was mighty good, especially to see Ed Riley get second when Ted Meredith broke the world's record in the quarter mile.... Monday, Russ and I went to Wellesley and had a great old time. We took a canoe and went to the beginning of the Charles River with Margaret and Milly, and had a picnic lunch. As the girls had a class at 3:20 we hurried back to go to class with them, altho the girls were a little reluctant to have us. We hurried down the corridors ... all the girls looking and laughing. Then at the door of the classroom the girls bolted in, and we decided we had perhaps better leave.
Commencement soon! Russ has invited Alice up for the Commencement Ball and she has accepted. He is the lucky boy. Of course she is only a friend and realizes the spirit in which she was asked. I have been here three commencements already and believe me, if a fellow doesn't have a girl of some sort he has a rather thin time in many ways. However, I am not so badly off as I might have been. Wait until you see my girl, just for the ball. She is the little Quaker girl I have written about before, just an armful, dances like a dream, and has a smile that ... well, I don't know what! I have saved a dance for Dad with her, and look out for him! The assistant registrar pulled me out of bed last Sunday to get a dance with her. I lied and told him I only had one left; he took it. If I had had ten he would have taken all of them. See you soon!
A senior year picture of Les Leavitt '16 onthe senior fence, naturally.
A spring tradition of earlier years was the appearance of senior canes, on which one collectedthe carved initials of Dartmouth classmates and friends.
Dartmouth runners showing the way in aninternational track and field meet in Cambridge, Mass., in 1916.
Editor's Note: After graduation Les Leavitt didgo to Beirut to teach at the Syrian ProtestantCollege, now the American University of Beirut,to which he returned in 192 7, after graduate workand teaching in Tripoli, to be Principal of theUniversity's International College. He held thatpost, as well as a professorship in education, untilhis retirement in 1960. The notable career he hadthere made a shambles of the senior-year psychology prediction that as a teacher he would be"only a bit better than fair."
