University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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XORTH GATE, HARVARD Harvard is nothing if not democratic. As Dean Briggs put it in the ad- dress to which I have already referred : Let us remember that democracy is not the suppression of the rich or even of the wellbred, but the working of rich and poor, highborn and lowborn, side by side so far as their capacities and training permit ; it is that form of society which enables and encourages a man to seek his own level. This is exactly the opportunity that the student finds at Harvard the opportunity to seek his own level. There is no artificial rule the observance of which will make a man influential and well-known, but there is a constant tendency throughout the College to insist on activity of some form or another, and through activity intellectual, social, athletic, or all three a man is measured, and in accordance with his merit he finds a place in the life of the University. Perhaps Harvard ' s proximity to Boston has had something to do with the fact that Harvard is sometimes called a rich man ' s college. Xow the ques- tion of wealth may or may not have anything to do with democracy in a col- lege : that is entirely a matter of opinion. Nevertheless, it is interesting to know that at Harvard fully twenty-five per cent, of all the students registered in the University are doing some form of remunerative work to help themselves, and in the College proper the percentage is even larger. The University dis- tributes annually more than S145.000 in prizes, scholarships, fellowships, and other beneficiary aid. In addition to this there has recently been announced

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Just how Harvard has acqu ired any such reputation is hard to see. There are, to be sure, a few men in Harvard (as in every community of any size that may be mentioned) who prefer to be exclusive, and who in their very exclusiveness find a certain sense of conceited satisfaction. But these men never amount to anything outside of their own insignificant little circles and so far from being a dominant influence at Harvard they are the most nearly perfect type of nonentity existent in the University. APPLETON CHAPEL, HARVARD In the College there are forty or more social clubs, only an insignificant number being secret societies or fraternities. Most of the clubs have club houses and boarding accommodations, but few have dormitory accommodations. Non-membership in a social club is by no means a conspicuous fact and is not in itself a matter of grave concern. What may be called Harvard ' s all-inclusive club is the Harvard Union, its membership being open to all members of the University upon the payment of a small fee. The Union, unique among col- lege institutions in America, has become the social center of University life and is the accepted place for mass-meetings and large student gatherings. 8 1

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a bequest with an income of over $20,000 a year to be used as traveling fellowships. In a place as large as Harvard, in a place so complex, here must neces- sarily be a great deal of individual freedom among the students. Men who attend Harvard are supposed to be able to take care of themselves, and he who does not know the meaning of self-reliance has no place either at Harvard or any other institution of the non-kindergarten type. Harvard ' s rules may be summed up in two short sentences: Be a gentleman. Keep your appoint- ments. Her motto is Veritas. Her life is broad and complex ; cosmopolitan and democratic in nature. To her students she offers manifold opportunities for activity and leadership in every direction, freedom of life in an atmosphere of reliance and truth. And this Harvard, rich in priceless traditions and mother of thousands of great and good men, sends out each year hundreds of sons to fight and live for her men who in their love and honor for Harvard do not forget that another man from ano ther college may be just as loyal to his Alma Mater as is the son of Harvard to Harvard. RADCLTFFE COLLEGE, HARVARD 10