USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Waterville > The history of Colby College > Part 40
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We do not want to chill enthusiasm; we want rather to preserve and cultivate it. But we must be discriminating in our enthusiasm, and not get the notion that one is not helping his country unless he enlists in the armed services. For some of our young men, their major use- fulness lies in their remaining in college, going forward with their aca- demic work until their call comes under selective service. Even those physically disqualified for active service can render valuable non-military service in many areas. Every young man in our colleges, regardless of his age or physical condition, has some reputable part to play in this national emergency.1
Toward men who had already completed college, the attitude was different. In November President Roberts could proudly inform the alumni that one-third of all men who had been enrolled in the Classes of 1916 and 1917 were in some branch of the service.
In January came an acute shortage of coal. In order to save fuel, Shannon Hall was closed and physics instruction was conducted in Coburn Hall. A drastic schedule of classes was adopted. The usual eight and nine o'clock classes were transferred to 1:30 and 2:30 respectively. The customary 2:00 and 3:00 o'clock classes met at 3:30 and 4:30. The old schedule still applied on Wed- nesday and Saturday, for not even war could break the strong tradition of half- holiday on those days. Military French met once a week, at 7:15 on Monday. Faculty and students entered heartily into the formation of "chopping clubs," which met regularly to cut wood for fuel to replace the precious coal. Said the U. S. Fuel Administration, "Every cord of fuel wood saves the mines from pro- ducing and the railroads from hauling three-fourths of a ton of coal."
The calming influence of President Roberts and helpful messages from the Secretary of War had not been sufficient to stop the student enlistments. So, just before the opening of the second semester in February, 1918, the Echo was im- pelled to publish a warning editorial.
Last summer the high school graduate was urged to enter college, and the college undergraduate was urged to return, as a patriotic duty, in order to prepare himself for greater service to his country. His duty is now unchanged, and so far from being a slacker, the man who remains at his studies until called is as much a patriot as any of those whom we honor for answering the first call to arms. Each one, before throwing aside his books to enter the service, should consider carefully whether, by so doing, he is really showing the truest patriotism. By means of selective draft-the truly democratic method-all the men needed can
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be called at any time. Colby is proud of her many loyal sons enrolled in the fighting power of the United States; but she is no less proud of her other sons who, by sturdy application in the midst of excitement and fervor, are laying a sure foundation for practical patriotism later on.2
By mid-winter enlistments had indeed dwindled, college routine had become well established, and, as frequently happens, the thoughts of students turned to lighter things. They complained that war conditions, especially the fuel shortage, had caused an unwarranted dearth of social affairs.
Promptly heeding the Echo's suggestion, President Roberts invited all the students to be his guests at a dancing party in the gymnasium on the evening of March second. The Echo exultantly reported:
At 8:15 sharp the music began, and it was enjoyed until eleven, when the dancers reluctantly retired from the floor. The college banjo or- chestra, composed of Conlon, Lewis Sussman, and Hois, delighted those present by their excellent music. After the fifth dance, refreshments consisting of ice cream and saltines were served by the efficient college caterer, "Pip" Small, who was a most popular figure at the party.3
The Military Company, despite its enthusiastic start, had come in for sharp criticism before college closed in June, 1917. Said the Echo, "The purpose should be not to develop a prize drill squad, but to prime Colby men in the fundamentals essential to an officer's training." The paper urged that the Col- lege attempt to secure the establishment on the Colby campus of a unit of the Reserve Officers Training Corps, familiar on the campuses of the land grant colleges. The company had been hard hit by many of its most enthusiastic members leaving for active service, and it had been difficult to replace them. President Roberts' announcement that, beginning in September, 1918, military training would be compulsory for freshman men, had given the company pro- moters renewed hope, but much still needed to be done in order to arouse suf- ficient support from upperclassmen.
In its last issue before Commencement, the Echo summed up the year's activities.
The College has had to adapt itself to war conditions. The fall semester opened late. Our armed services demanded men and our upper classes suffered. The entering class was smaller than usual. One dormitory was closed. The fuel shortage caused serious difficulties. In athletics, a football schedule was fully played, although the season began late. Track was dropped entirely. Baseball was highly successful, with our capture of the state championship. The Military Company did credit to its officers and a good preparation was made for a hoped-for es- tablishment of ROTC. Colby dramatics were maintained and the mu- sical clubs made several public appearances. Generally speaking, the College has shaken itself down to sound, sober fundamentals, without hysteria, full of subdued patriotism and ready for any sacrifice.+
At Commencement in 1918 President Roberts announced that more than half of the undergraduate men were now in the service. He said, "On the Col- lege service flag are 343 stars, and more are constantly being added."
Between Commencement and the fall opening in 1918, an event of up- setting importance had occurred. Convinced that five million American troops
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must be sent overseas at the earliest possible moment, Congress had voted to lower the draft age from 21 to 18 years. Suddenly almost every male student in every American college was affected. To prevent a complete debacle in college instruction, the Government had established the Student Army Training Corps, enrolling college students in the military service and putting them under military instruction on the college campuses. No such student could expect to remain in college longer than nine months, or the extent of one normal college year. The Government ordered the colleges to divide the year of 1918-19 into three terms of three months each. Students eligible for military service who had already reached their twentieth birthday would remain in college for one term only; those who were nineteen years old would have two terms, and the eighteen-year-olds would stay through all three terms.
Because of the difficulty of setting up units of the SATC on such short notice, college openings all over the country were delayed. Colby's opening was set for October second, but before that day arrived, Spanish influenza hit the whole nation with the worst epidemic the country had seen since the yellow fever ravages of the mid-nineteenth century. Before early October few cases had broken out in Maine, but the opening of the colleges brought infected persons from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, where the disease had already struck hard. Within twenty-four hours of the arrival of the first prospective SATC men in Waterville, six cases of influenza had already appeared. The opening of College was at once postponed for a week. Even then only the SATC men could be registered and they were immediately placed under quarantine. The women could not elect courses until October 19, and then only the women living in dormitories could attend. The campus was quarantined against all com- muting students and all visitors. Commuting women did not come to classes until November fourth.
In October, 1918, all except a few exempted undergraduates were sworn into the national service. Five officers, detailed by the War Department, took head- quarters in Chemical Hall. The President and faculty continued to meet in regu- lar session, but aside from discussing this or that policy set forth by the Govern- ment, they took no important part in the work of running the Men's Division. Their duties of teaching were closely defined, either through official documents, which came in an endless stream, or through inspectors who frequently visited the College.
It became evident very early that the aim of the Government was to have students accomplish in three months what was ordinarily done in a year. 'Inten- sive instruction' was a term frequently heard. No faculty member was per- mitted to question a student's ability to master a language or a science in three months, while at the same time he memorized 200 pages of drill instructions.
The Government required that, for every hour of recitation or laboratory, there should be two hours of supervised study. The college chapel was there- fore turned into a large study hall. The plan proved profitless, because con- fusion resulted from the constant coming and going of students, to meet the class schedule, and because the officers constantly interrupted to pass out government documents or issue confusing orders. With study hours so useless, 'intensive in- struction' became an illusion. Day after day students attended recitations for which they had found not a single hour of preparation. Furthermore, many students were detailed to KP and guard duty. Frequently a dozen men were ab- sent from important lectures or quizzes, and because of the tight schedule they had no opportunity to make up the lost work.
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The confusing situation was not improved by the youth and inexperience of the army officers sent to take charge of the unit. They were all young men of ability and character, but most of them had seen only a few months of officer training and no combat service. Worst of all, every one of them held the lowest possible commissioned rank, that of second lieutenant. If President Roberts had not combined his patriotism with a keen sense of humor, he would certainly have rebelled against taking orders from a young 'shave-tail' whose shoulder-bars were so glaringly new. As a matter of fact, because the C. O., Lieutenant James Armstrong, was a Princeton gentleman and a well-trained young officer, he and President Roberts got on surprisingly well.
In organizing a unit of SATC at Colby or any other college, confusion and mistakes were bound to occur. Declaration of war found the government wholly unprepared for such a plan. Under pressure from the colleges and universities the government had devised a hasty and fully worked out scheme to avoid empty- ing the colleges. It is surprising that in the short period between early August, when the draft age was reduced to eighteen, and early October, when the col- leges opened, any organization was ready at all.
To prepare for the staffing of the SATC units with military instructors, camps were set up at Plattsburg, New York, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and Presidio, California, where student trainees were taught how to give military instruction to other students. Attending the first camp at Plattsburg were Professor Homer Lit- tle and fourteen students, among whom were such later prominent alumni as John Brush, Robert Wilkins, Clark Drummond, and Harold C. Marden. Commissions were given, after two months, to nearly all men enrolled at Plattsburg, and those lieutenants were forthwith sent to colleges all over the country to act as SATC officers. Instead of returning to Colby in October, four of the Colby contingent at Plattsburg went as second lieutenants to other colleges.
Only the fine cooperation between the young army officers and the college faculty prevented at Colby the chaos caused by SATC on many another campus. It was impossible to issue from Washington orders which should apply alike to four hundred different colleges; yet high echelons in Washington deemed uniformity essential. It soon became clear, however, even to the 'top brass,' that much initiative must be left to the individual college if the program was to get started at all. Some of the problems at Colby concerned the rearrangement of physical equipment to meet soldier needs; the establishment of a mess hall in a college that had operated no men's commons for many years; and the organization of schedules for both soldiers and civilians, with especial care not to neglect the college obligation to its women students. Only President Roberts' quick ap- preciation of each new situation and his ability to persuade the young C. O. to make needed changes within local authority prevented the utmost confusion, for officials in Washington proved quite unable to issue prompt replies to inquiring telegrams.
During two weeks prior to the opening of college, hectic preparations were made. North College and South College had to be emptied of fraternity pos- sessions, and their home-like quarters were hastily converted into barracks. The old gymnasium became a mess hall with adjoining kitchen.
On Registration Day, Colby tried to conduct its usual election of courses, but results were far from usual. For a fortnight Professors White, Parmenter, and Libby had been working out a schedule of courses. Even before college opened, the schedule had been changed several times, as new orders came through from Washington. As Professor Libby later reported: "The committee, although
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having made faithful effort to become familiar with all the government literature dealing with SATC, found itself unable to give students the information needed for intelligent election of courses. The committee made the best guesses it could, and fortunately made no serious mistakes."
The spirit of cooperation and of patriotism with which all persons connected with the college attacked the difficult task is revealed by an editorial appearing in the Colby Alumnus in October, 1918.
Here is a college built up of traditions of a hundred years, whose spirit has been one of marked democracy, and in whose halls of learning teacher and student have met in friendly interchange of views. It is now a college changed over night into an armed camp, with officers in charge who do not know the ancient traditions, and with gaps between officers and privates that permit no bridge. Boys who have anticipated the study of Latin under Professor Taylor are denied that privilege, for Latin has been ruled out as not teaching war culture. Cicero looks down on weighing scales and examining physicians, and his nostrils are filled with perfumes of the pharmacy.
The college, from an academic point of view, will continue under many handicaps, but the college authorities, from President Roberts down, are determined to do whatever is required to win the war. While the delightful spirit of comradeship and close communion of interests has passed for a day, it will surely return when the war has ended, stronger than ever.5
What did Colby men study during the few months when SATC reigned on the campus? As has already been indicated, the whole unit was divided into three sections according to age. A man's specific program depended upon the branch of the service for which he proposed to train under the C. O.'s approval. Group I included infantry, field artillery, and heavy coast artillery. Group II was the Air Service. Group III (Ordnance and Quartermaster Service) was not offered at Colby. Group IV was the new Chemical Warfare Service. The final Group, V, was for the Motor Transport and Truck Service. All the groups had basic military instruction, a course called War Issues, and Military Law and Practice. Other subjects differed according to the group. For instance, Group I had Surveying and Map-Making, while Group II had Elementary Physics and Navigation.
The oldest section-the twenty-year-olds-had no elective subjects, because it took 53 hours a week of classroom and supervised study for them to complete merely the military requirements during the short three months they were per- mitted to remain in college. But the nineteen-year-olds, with two three-month terms before them, and the eighteen-year-olds, with three terms, were allowed to elect what were called allied subjects. Those elective possibilities included English, French, German, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology, Geography, Meteorology, Astronomy, Hygiene, Descriptive Geometry, Mechanical Drawing, Surveying, Economics, Accounting, History, International Law, Mili- tary Law and Government, and Psychology.
Who taught what? Professors Parmenter and Weeks gave instruction in Chemical Warfare. Professor Trefethen, with his long experience editing the Maine Farmer's Almanac, was ideally prepared to teach Navigation. Professor Chester taught the course in Sanitation and Hygiene. The program in War Issues was divided into three courses, each covering a single term. In the first term,
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Causes of the War was taught by Professors Black and White; in the second term Governments and Political Institutions of the Nations at War was in the hands of Professor Black, while Economic Aspects of the War was taught by Professor MacDonald. President Roberts and Professor Libby together conducted the course called Philosophical Aspects of the War, and Literatures of the Na- tions, combined with English Composition. Professor Libby taught Military English, while Professor Helie had Military French (originally introduced by Professor Clarence Johnson) and Professor Marquardt had Military German. Pro- fessor Trefethen taught Plane Trigonometry, while President Roberts himself had the course in War Psychology.
In spite of confusion and influenza, the Colby SATC made a splendid record. When Professor Gregory of Yale visited the campus as SATC inspector, soon after the program had started, he found the work well under way. Colby's dis- tinguished graduate, George Otis Smith, 1893, wrote to President Roberts: "Pro- fessor Gregory of Yale, who was the first government inspector to visit Colby, told me that, of all the New England institutions he visited, none made such a good showing as Colby. He specified the excellent outlines and circulars pre- pared at Colby, copies of which he took for models for use elsewhere. He especially mentioned that no time had been lost in getting started."
During 1917-18, before the organization of SATC, the Colby fraternities had continued to be active, though they had lost many members by enlistment. With the coming of SATC, all was changed. The Government clearly had no sympathy with fraternities in war time, and on October 16, 1918, the War De- partment issued the following order:
Appreciating that fraternity activity is an important factor in American colleges, and realizing that such activity will be fundamentally affected by the new system of education and training, the War Department would make clear its position. Considering that fraternity activity and mili- tary discipline are incompatible, the Department deems it for the best interests of the Service that the operation of fraternities in institutions where units of SATC are established shall be suspended for the period of the present emergency. By 'fraternity activities' is meant the social side of fraternity life, the living of members together in fraternity houses, and functions or meetings of a ceremonial nature.
Suddenly it was all over. On November 11, 1918, came the Armistice, and within a few weeks, the Colby SATC unit was demobilized.
In Waterville the signing of the Armistice was announced by the sounding of the fire siren at 3:25 in the morning. Huge bonfires were lighted and people thronged through the streets long before daylight. In the afternoon there was a hastily organized parade in which the Colby SATC marched in ordered ranks. The sudden assembly of hundreds of people from the surrounding towns, for this spontaneous rejoicing, had one bad effect. It revived the influenza epidemic in even more virulent form, and on November 15 the College was again placed under quarantine. Even the faculty were not permitted to enter the campus and no classes could be held. By November 20, although no cases had yet ap- peared in the women's dormitories, conditions in the city were so alarming that it was decided to let the girls go home until early December. Meanwhile more than thirty cases had appeared among the boys in the SATC, and two of them, Hugh Kelly, 1921, and Wilbur Blake, 1922, succumbed to the dread disease.
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When the SATC was finally demobilized on December 10, the Echo sounded the following valedictory.
The SATC at Colby is no more. Peace has come and, after two months in the service of our country, we are to be disbanded. They have been trying months. We were thrust into the whirlpool of a difficult com- bination of academic and military life. Furthermore, most of our short army career has been spent in quarantine, and two of our men have died. Classes have started and stopped, making our academic work of little value. Our hopes of going to officers' training school have been dashed. It has been a period to discourage the most optimistic among us. Yet the experience has not been wholly without benefit. The difficulties under which we worked have made us better men. Our college spirit is better, for we have not been divided into fraternity cliques. Our officers have been kind and courteous gentlemen and good disciplinarians. We wish them Godspeed as they leave, and we hope they will ever bear a warm place in their hearts for us.6
One of the first casualties caused by SATC had been the Echo itself. After college opened in October, 1918, no issue was published until December 12, two days after the SATC had been demobilized. That an issue of the Echo could appear so soon after the departure of military regime, especially since there were no classes held between December 9 and January 2, speaks much for the virility of journalism and free expression at Colby.
In that reborn Echo there appeared a contribution specifically concerned with kitchen police in the SATC written by the young man who became the chairman of the Colby Trustees during President Bixler's administration, Neil Leonard, 1921.
It would be thrilling to say that on one sunny morning a sergeant of the guard knocked at my door and said, 'Leonard, would you kindly favor the U. S. Government by serving on KP for the remainder of the day'. But that is not what happened. On a cold, rainy morning the sergeant, sleepier and grouchier than I, if that could be possible, kicked open my door and pulled me out of bed, saying, 'Snap to, you're on K. P. Get over to the mess-sack.' So, in trenches of grease, I labor until 7 P. M. I would not mind washing, wiping and polishing dishes for the Colby unit, but the pile I tackle would, I swear, suffice for the combined al- lied forces. When the last dish is washed, I scrub the floor, then pro- ceed to peel all the potatoes in Aroostook. After I have proved that I would make an ideal housewife, Lieutenant Ruppert, recognizing my superior ability, keeps me constantly on the job. Other men can sing of 'Flanders fields where poppies grow', but my song must be 'In mess-shack where the dust doth blow Between the benches row on row.' That's where I fought out the war.7
The academic work of the first semester of 1918-19 had been so badly dis- rupted, both by the SATC schedule and by influenza, that when students dis- persed to their homes in December, it was uncertain how many would return in January. It was assumed that most of the women would be back, but what about the men, whose instruction, housing, and sustenance had been paid by the gov- ernment? How many would find it financially possible to return?
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President Roberts issued to those men and their parents the following appeal:
Members of the SATC should make every effort to complete the year's work here at Colby. A year just now is altogether too valuable to be wasted. The College stands ready to provide financial help for all who need it. There are plenty of opportunities for self-help. The training of the past three months and the academic work from January to June will together make a thoroughly good year of preparation for the fu- ture. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to neglect.
Professor Henry W. Brown, who at that time served as secretary of the College YMCA, did a remarkable job in finding work for many returning men. Waterville citizens were generously responsive to the need; the College increased its scholarship appropriation; and a loan fund was established. As a result, in January, 1919, there returned to college a total of 211 men, actually 23 more than had been enrolled in the fall of 1917, when the minimum draft age had still stood at twenty-one years. By classes the enrollment figures were:
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