The history of Colby College, Part 73

Author: Colby College
Publication date: 1963
Publisher: Waterville, Colby College Press
Number of Pages: 716

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President Bixler's vision of a Colby not cloistered in an ivory tower, but responsive to community needs, has been fully realized. Colby's Adult Education program of 1960 placed the College in the forefront of the modern educational movement that insists upon continuance of learning as long as one lives.

CHAPTER L

Organizations and Publications

A. ORGANIZATIONS

L IKE most Americans, college students have been persistent joiners. When they found no organization to join, they created one. The Maine Literary and Theological Institution had barely opened its doors in 1818 when the students formed a religious society, and within a few years there were two rival literary groups. Earlier chapters of this history have given information about those first societies, about the subsequent fraternities and sororities, the athletic association and its council, and the inter-fraternity council. The present chapter makes no attempt to include every organization that has sprung up on the Colby campus, but merely to mention a few that have been typical of the vast number of groups that have appealed to the eager joiners.

Student government began in the administration of President Pepper in 1885, with the formation of the Conference Board, frequently referred to in previous chapters. By the time of the centennial in 1920 the two conference boards of men and women had become respectively the Men's Student Council and the Women's Student League. Because of the carefully regulated nature of women's life in the dormitories, the latter, from its inception, exercised increasing control over matters pertaining solely to the Women's Division; but, because the men's dormitories were free both from proctors and from rules in the 1920's, the ac- tivity of the men's Council consisted chiefly of petitioning the administration for holidays and extended vacations, changes in the attendance rules, and other privileges. Not until the College had moved to Mayflower Hill and World War II had brought the women into closer cooperation with the men in conducting all- student organizations did social coeducation become a fact at Colby; and one of its consequences was the organization of Student Government, a council composed of both men and women. That council did not displace the Women's Student League nor the Interfraternity Council, but it did become the recognized general body for the management of all-college matters.

The movement for honorary societies began with the coming of Phi Beta Kappa in 1895. Not only is it the oldest of American fraternities, for when it was founded at William and Mary in 1776 it was a secret society, but it was also the first of a flood of so-called honor societies to invade the Colby campus nearly 120 years later. Outliving many of its successors, it remained at Colby, as at other American colleges, the highest academic honor that can come to any senior. A number of colleges elect top scholars to the society in the middle of junior year, completing the delegation by a subsequent election in senior year, but the Colby

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chapter of Phi Beta Kappa has annually selected the entire delegation after the middle of senior year.

In 1898 came a different kind of "honorary" society, a kind for which the only honor was selection on the basis of popularity. The first such group was called the Epicureans, "a society for senior men, limited in membership and organized for purely social purposes." In the same year the women started a senior society called Kappa Alpha. In 1900 the sophomore girls formed Chi Gamma Theta, and in 1903 Upsilon Beta was organized for sophomore men. In 1910 came a men's junior society, the Druids. All of the men's societies were placed on a fraternity basis, the membership being composed of one man, or at the most two, from each fraternity. By 1925 the Epicureans and Upsilon Beta were called "feed" societies. Only the Druids avowed other than a social pur- pose, offering a scholarship cup to the fraternity with highest academic average. The need for service organizations, perhaps prompted by the coming of Rotary and Kiwanis on the American scene, gave rise to a sophomore group, the Mystics, charged with the entertainment of visiting athletic teams.

The period immediately following the First World War saw an influx of semi-academic organizations, often connected with some instructional depart- ment. In 1918 Professor Libby had introduced a chapter of the national forensic society, Pi Kappa Delta. Professor Colgan had organized, in 1924, a chapter of the national education society for men, Kappa Phi Kappa, and the following year saw the formation of Delta Sigma Chi, a similar society for women. Professor Morrow secured for Colby a charter from the national social science society, Pi Gamma Mu in 1926. Sigma Pi Sigma honored outstanding students in physics, as did Chi Epsilon those in chemistry. Under various names, from time to time clubs were formed for enthusiasts in the various ancient and modern languages.

The 1940's saw the formation of two student societies that deserve the epithet "honorary." First came Cap and Gown, a group of carefully selected senior women, chosen on the basis of their contribution to the welfare of the College and especially of its women students. It was soon followed by a similar organization of senior men, called Blue Key. During the years following World War II both societies rendered conspicuous service.

Music and drama have long had their campus devotees. Glee Club, con- cert choir, chapel choir, orchestra and band have all been represented by formal organizations, and for many years Powder and Wig has enrolled enthusiastic fol- lowers of the stage.

A mere listing of other societies, at various intervals during the half-century from 1910 to 1960 reveals the tendency of such groups to come and go, as needs change and student opinion fluctuates. The list shows, however, that ad- ditions more than offset subtractions. In 1910 there were the Mandolin Club, the Debating Society, the Dexter Club, and the Women's Glee Club. By 1925 there were the Press Club, the Camera Club, the Sons of Colby, and the Stu- dent Fellowship. Before 1940 two important organizations, the Outing Club and the International Relations Club, had come on the scene, and along with them were the Contemporary Literature Club and the undergraduate division of Library Associates.

The 1959 edition of the Colby Gray Book listed, among the student or- ganizations, Student Council and Student League, with their respective judiciary committees; the Inter-fraternity Council and the Women's Athletic Association; seven religious groups; eight honorary societies; ten fraternities and four sororities;

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five publications; Outing Club, and Hangout; four foreign language clubs; five miscellaneous organizations. Between 1820 and 1960 the students at Colby had become rather thoroughly organized.

B. PUBLICATIONS

The earliest periodical publication at Colby was the annual catalogue, later presented as an annual issue of the Colby College Bulletin, which at times in- cluded, besides the catalogue, issues of the reports of President, Treasurer, and Librarian, as well as issues of the "Freshman Catalogue," a sort of promotion pamphlet directed at prospective students. Since frequent mention of the cata- logue, first published in 1824, has been made in preceding pages, no extended comment is needed here. President Roberts once called the catalogue of any American college "its leading work of fiction," yet a perusal of those annual issues at Colby over a period of 135 years gives a factual picture of the growth in enrollment, the increase in faculty, the changing fees, and the development of curriculum. As President Roberts implied, it is difficult to ascertain from any college catalogue what student life at the institution is really like. Nevertheless, over a long period of time, the catalogue does reflect the essence of the institu- tion, and becomes a valuable source of historical data. What the catalogue fails to do is to breathe life into the cold form. That vitality is fortunately provided by other sources.

Every college, as it grows older, becomes increasingly aware of the impor- tance of its alumni. Some wag of a college president once said that he envied the warden of a prison, because to that institution the alumni seldom returned to tell the head how to run the place. Troublesome as alumni could sometimes be, every college learned that they were, on balance, assets rather than liabilities; but no college could mobilize those assets unless it knew who and where they were. Hence the General Catalogue-a complete directory of all former stu- dents-became common.

At first Colby paid attention only to deceased graduates, publishing an an- nual necrology at Commencement. In 1880 Colby's energetic librarian and alumni necrologist, Edward W. Hall, persuaded his classmate, Col. Richard C. Shannon, to finance a Colby General Catalogue if Hall would assemble the data and edit it. Hall's work appeared as the first edition of the Colby General Catalogue in 1882. It presented information in four categories: men graduates, women grad- uates, men non-graduates, and women non-graduates. Under each category names appeared in alphabetical order by classes, and deceased as well as living members were included. The volume also listed all officers and faculty members who had served during those sixty-four years. Five years later, in 1887, Hall brought out a second edition, and just a year before he died in 1909 he edited the third.

When plans were made for the centennial in 1920, it was decided to issue a fourth edition of the General Catalogue. The task was committed to Charles P. Chipman, who had succeeded Hall both as librarian and as necrologist. He made that edition the most complete and most accurate of all issues of the pub- lication. Many alumni regret that Colby has had no subsequent edition of that valuable work. This historian can testify that the Colby General Catalogue of 1920 has been a constant source of reference, and that lack of any subsequent edition has entailed many hours of otherwise unnecessary labor in checking names, places and dates. The occasional directories of living alumni, valuable as they are, can never replace a comprehensive general catalogue.

HISTORY OF COLBY COLLEGE

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Oracle

The oldest student publication at Colby College is the Oracle, the yearbook of the senior class, which first appeared as a modest four-page sheet in 1867, and by 1870 had expanded to thirty-two pages. Except for three short articles, the first issue was entirely a directory, listing the members of DKE and Zeta Psi, of the Baseball Club, and of the periodicals taken by the Athenaeum. Space was also given to the musical societies, the Boardman Missionary Society, the Literary Fraternity, and the Erosophian Adelphi. Prize awards for 1866-67 were announced, and the directory ended with a list of Trustees and faculty. The latter was a short list, for in 1867 the entire teaching staff consisted of only six persons: President Champlin, Professors Smith, Hamlin, Lyford, Foster, and Hall. Chairman of the Board of Trustees was Governor Abner Coburn. Presi- dent of the Erosophian Adelphi was a young senior named Julian Taylor, who was about to begin an unprecedented career of 63 uninterrupted years as a Colby teacher.

When Mary Low, the first woman graduate, received her diploma in 1875, the Oracle, still in paper covers, boasted 72 pages. The "officers of government and instruction" now included eleven persons, and directly beneath the name of Edward W. Hall, Librarian, appeared "Sam Osborne, Janitor." In light of Colby's later adoption of the white mule as mascot, it is interesting to note that on the faculty page in the 1875 Oracle appeared a picture of a female donkey and her foal.

The Oracle first appeared in hard covers in 1878. By 1900 illustrations were common, and after 1910 individual photographs of seniors were annually in- cluded. During all the years before World War I, literary features were common. In 1913, for instance, there were twenty articles and stories, as well as sixteen poems. After 1920 it became the usual custom to dedicate each issue to some member of the faculty.

As the art of photography improved, the Oracle gradually changed into a yearbook of illustrations. Greatly reduced were the class histories and the re- view of the year, while literary features were entirely eliminated. A glance at the 1958 Oracle reveals many changes since 1875. The frontispiece shows the faculty marching to convocation up the walk of Lorimer Chapel. There are individual photographs of college officers and department heads, and group pic- tures of the instructional departments. Individual pictures of the seniors are accompanied by factual thumbnail sketches, with none of the humorous appella- tions that characterized earlier issues. Among all the illustrations, an old timer would find familiar only the posed groups of fraternities. Most of the others, including the athletic teams, are informal shots. Among the most striking pic- tures is one of the AFROTC, on parade through Waterville's main streets. A picture of the Women's Judiciary Board, sitting around a table loaded with ash trays, would shock the old timer. The editor of the 1958 Oracle explained the new policy: "With this edition we have attempted to emphasize pictures and to minimize copy to a brief yet complete review of the year."

Echo

What is now Colby's weekly newspaper began as a monthly in 1877. It had been preceded by sporadic news publications, usually issued by one or an- other of the fraternities. In fact, in the first issue of the new publication, called

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the Echo, appeared an agreement between the recently formed Colby Publishing Society and the DKE Fraternity, pooling publication finances in the new society.

The Echo first came from the press in March, 1877, under the editorship of Joseph Files. At first it was a literary as well as news sheet, and some of its essays and stories were of high quality, written by persons who later achieved fame in the literary world. In 1886 it was changed to a semi-monthly, and in 1898 became the weekly newspaper that it has since remained. From 1898 to 1908 it took newspaper size and form in four pages; from 1908 to 1921 it reverted to magazine size, and since 1921 has again had newspaper size, with usually six or eight pages.

Someone was always finding fault with the way Echo editors were chosen. At times it was observed that the editorship seemed to be inherited within a fraternity; at other times a man would jump into the position without previous experience on the paper. The trouble was that too often there was no genuine competition for the lower echelon posts and therefore no regular rising through the ranks. Almost every decade the reformers would demand a new Echo con- stitution, and for a time thereafter competition would thrive, only to slump again after a few years. The Colby Echo has been kept going, not by sporadic re- forms, but by the fact that, in good times and bad, there have always been a few devoted students willing to sacrifice time and sometimes even marks to "get out the paper."

Typical of troughs in the sine curve of Echo history is the record of what happened in 1925. Since 1920, each editor had been given credit for an ad- vanced course in English composition. At a 1925 faculty meeting, one profes- sor objected that recent elections to the Echo board had been neither supervised nor approved by the faculty, as required by the Echo constitution. Another professor contested the new editor's claim to a year's credit in English. At the next faculty meeting an investigating committee reported that they found the new editor "completely incompetent and ignorant of the most elementary essentials for conduct of such a publication." The committee recommended supervision of the editorship by the Department of Journalism, and of the business staff by the Department of Business Administration. Just before Christmas, the criticized editor resigned, but petitioned to the faculty for one semester's credit in English. The faculty voted: "Since he did not carry the work through even one semester, and since there is no provision for giving credit for less than a full year of editor- ship, the petition is not granted."

By 1928 the faculty had had their fill of academic credit for Echo work. They then voted: "The rule granting six hours of credit in English to the Editor- in-Chief of the Echo is hereby rescinded."

There has been only one instance of father and son both serving as editors of the Echo. That distinction was held by George Otis Smith, 1893, and Joseph Coburn Smith, 1924. Brothers have also held the office: Wilford G. Chapman, Jr., 1912, and Alfred K. Chapman, 1925. Among editors who later became Trustees of the College, besides the two Smiths, were Beecher Putnam, 1889; Angier Goodwin, 1902; and Raymond Spinney, 1921. Later to serve on the Colby faculty were editors Hugh Hatch, 1890; Frank Dean, 1909; Clyde Rus- sell, 1922, and Alfred Chapman. Only one editor rose to the Colby presidency: Franklin Johnson, 1891.

Financing student publications has always presented a problem. It is no fun for an editorial board to face a debt left by their predecessors. For many years both Oracle and Echo struggled along on voluntary subscriptions and local ad-

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HISTORY OF COLBY COLLEGE

vertisements. Even a modest degree of faculty supervision did not solve the problem. Finally the student body voted to make subscription to both Oracle and Echo compulsory upon all students, collection to be made by the College on the individual term bills. That policy gave the publication assured income and made possible accurate budgeting. It was, however, a change in national adver- tising that made it possible for the Echo to meet rising costs of publication. For many years advertising had been restricted to those reluctant dragons, the local merchants. Suddenly there burst into college journalism the lavish advertising of the cigarette companies. Vying with each other, those manufacturers spread full-page ads in the college newspapers. It became possible for the Echo to put out editions of six and eight pages because the big tobacco companies wanted to be sure no student forgot their brands.

Frequent quotations from the Echo, interspersed through the pages of this history, show that the paper gave voice to student opinion, defended the college stoutly against outside criticism, and crusaded for many a campus reform. It has seldom hesitated to criticize the college administration. Sometimes a bold editor deliberately attacked prevailing student opinion. Such an editor was Franklin Johnson, who in 1890 aroused a lethargic student body to a needed reform of the athletic association. Again, in 1912, Wilford Chapman, Jr., at con- siderable personal risk, attacked successfully, the powerful, but pernicious society of Theta Nu Epsilon.

It was inevitable that an article in the Echo should occasionally excite faculty wrath, but the Echo is indeed one of a very few college newspapers that has never been suspended or suppressed. Colby College is proud of its reputation as the institution that produced Elijah Parish Lovejoy, who died for freedom of the press. Colby officials have never tried to control or censor the college news- paper, but have only asked its editors to be responsible for the accuracy of their statements.

Colbiana

In 1912 the women students decided that, in light of the slight representa- tion accorded them by the Echo, they must have a publication of their own. The Colbiana, first appearing in December, 1912, stated as its purpose "to de- velop among the girls greater Colby pride and loyalty, and to give the people outside the College a complete representation of the activities of the Women's Division." In the first issue appeared articles on Bloody Monday Night, Fresh- man Reception, Burning of Freshman Bows and Bibs, the YWCA, Women's Ath- letics, and "General News." From the beginning Colbiana contained a careful selection of literary items. In that 1912 issue Alice Beckett had an article on Grand Manan and a poem; Emily Hanson had a short story worthy of national publication; and Abbie Sanderson contributed a delightful soliloquy called "Day Dreams."

At first Colbiana was published four times a year, but was later reduced to three issues. Its last appearance was in April, 1932. The editorial board ex- plained: "We, having lost our editor-in-chief, are floundering a bit as we send this issue to the press. We ask you to bear with us for the amateurish quality of this issue and the scantiness of some of the material."

During its twenty years of existence Colbiana served well the cause of Colby girls. It gave the alumnae direct information about the Women's Division, and it proved that the women could produce something more than a news sheet or a

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yearbook. But by 1932 it had had its day. Women were becoming increasingly recognized by the older publications, long dominated by men. When, in the midst of World War II, both Oracle and Echo had their first women editors, there was no longer a need for Colbiana.

White Mule

At one time or another the students at most colleges have attempted a humorous magazine after the style of Puck, Judge, and the old Life. Among the most fa- mous have been the Harvard Lampoon, the Columbia Jester, the Cornell Widow, and the Dartmouth Jack-o-Lantern. Colby's contribution to this not always laudable venture was the White Mule. It was the brain-child of Ralph McLeary 1924, John Nelson 1926, and Ted Hodgkins 1925. The first issue in November, 1923, announced: "The White Mule is intended to fill a place long vacant at Colby. Every wide-awake college should have a comic paper, devoted to the banishment of care in college life. Every student is asked to contribute jokes, stories, and verse. The White Mule welcomes all contributions to his crib."

The new publication had a hard time. Not recognized for inclusion under the Student Activities Fee, it could not be sure of adequate circulation. While like the Echo it could depend upon a few lucrative cigarette ads, its local adver- tising was meager. Commendably it never accepted liquor advertisements. Like most such periodicals, it was given to risqué and questionable jokes. It is dif- ficult for the most scrupulous editor to draw the line between what is funny and what is in poor taste. More than once the sophisticated Life of Edward Martin's day offended even those readers who were inclined to liberal views in such mat- ters. It was inevitable that the White Mule should increasingly give offense. If it had enjoyed adequate financial support, if its editors had been able to fulfill their obligation to advertisers and publish a stated number of annual issues, the general quality of content might have overcome criticism of individual items. But even its most ardent supporters became tired of waiting months for an issue, only to have it appear in flimsy format with stale content. Suspended during the war, the White Mule attempted a revival in 1946, but it was too late. It finally gave up the ghost in 1947.

Handbooks

Most publishing enterprises among Colby students have been strictly segre- gated. Echo and Oracle both started as publications solely of the men. Not so the first student handbook. Called the Colby Handbook, it was put out jointly by the YMCA and the YWCA in 1891. That first issue was a tiny volume of pocket size, containing only 26 pages, eight of which were filled with ads solicited from local merchants. The book was intended not so much to give information about college life as to promote the two Christian associations. More than half the book was devoted to the Y's. There were directories of the local churches and pastors' residences, with conspicuous omission of the Roman Catholics. A single page was given up to a listing of student organizations, only five in num- ber: Reading Room Association, Echo, Oracle, Baseball Association, and Ath- letic Association (track and field). Concerning expenses the handbook said: "Total expenses, including tuition, room rent, board, and incidentals, will range from $275 to $325 a year, according to the generosity of the student."

By 1900 the Handbook had been expanded to include the college calendar, four pages on athletics, the art collections, and attention to music, drama, and

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debating. A feature was "Date of Erection of Buildings." An important in- novation was "Information for New Students," including such items as, "At chapel the freshmen occupy the row of seats farthest from the door."

In 1902 the Handbook appeared in a limp leather cover and remained with that binding until its abandonment in 1932. By 1912 it reflected an expanding College under President Roberts, recognizing the honor societies, giving schedules and records, listing class officers, colors, and yells; and doubling the number of advertisers. By 1926 the use of smaller type enabled the Handbook to include much added information. "Points to Freshmen" now covered six pages, grouped under such headings as "Before You Come," "When You Arrive," and "Getting Settled." The faculty directory gave each teacher's department, title, residence, and telephone number. There was detailed information about eleven "honorary societies."

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The history of Colby College, Part 73

Author: Colby College Publication date: 1963 Publisher: Waterville, Colby College Press Number of Pages: 716

Author: Colby College
Publication date: 1963
Publisher: Waterville, Colby College Press
Number of Pages: 716