Phillips Exeter Academy - PEAN Yearbook (Exeter, NH)

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a successful team. NVe have, reader, endeavored to mix in our picture of a year's life at lixeter the colors of light and the colors of shadow, the views of repose and the views of activity. This is worth reflection . . . Because of a few external changes the '29 Penn was an improvement. Changes in type, stronger and more glossy paper, and better screening for the photographs, and better en- graving combined to make this PC7177 more at- tractive. Although the fiftieth anniversary had not been well marked by the 1930 Penn fa very dull and unimaginative onej, the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Acadeiuy received slightly better treatment in the 1931 Penn. The history of the Phillips Exeter Academy is closely con- nected with that of our country. Both were founded on the same principles of freedom and toleration . . . So it is with mingled feelings of hope and fear we respectfully dedicate this book to the Phillips Exeter Academy-not only to its illustrious past but also to the promise of a glorious future. The 1932 l ea11 was a dignified rhapsody in silver and black. There was a definite atmos- phere of grim austerity-perhaps a reflection of the depression. In fact the times were reflected in the senior editorial. We cannot afford to waste our precious years in college groping blindly and uncertainly along the walls of knowledge. To underestimate the importance of making this choice early is to invite failure. The dedication of the '33 Penn is very signifi- cant, because it shows a remarkable calmness in the time of depression. To: UE. Wells Kerr, Dean of the Academy, who cares for the big things and for the little thingsg and because he cares, the Academy continues a place of order and of strength. Strict conservatism was in vogue in '3-f. Magistro probatissimo, and the dedication to Mr. Hatch continued. For the benefit of the small minority of lixonians who could not re- member enough liatin to translate the dedica- tion, a special insert in linglish was included. TVe would like to quote from the senior class editorial. We have for several years enjoyed the benefits of the gift of Mr. Harkness and the work of Doctor Perry and the other faculty members. For it was during the depression that Exeter made such progress. More buildings were constructed, almost one-third more facul- ty members were appointed. Conventional as the book is, we hope that we have presented the facts in an accurate and understandable way. This preface to the '36 Perm stated precisely what the editors succeeded in presenting. And yet its best feature was not conventional. Four full-page scenies, each oppo- site another page empty but for the words Truth, Reverence, Knowledge, and Culture. The Academic Procession headed by Principal Lewis Perry at the liflth Anniversary celebration. Next year will mark the l75th Aimiversary of the Academy. Outdoor dancing at Commencement.

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e Lamont .-Xrt Gallery as a dining hall. The Mandolin Club. real addition: a ten page section of scenics of the school. One page towards the end of the book caught our eyes. It was Rudyard Kipling's IF.', Not a bad choice for the end of a year- book. There is a street, almost an alley, of shops, a colorful bazaar, crowded with moving, mill- ing masses. lfakirs cry their wares in the center of the square, near a fountain where goats drink and darkskinned ragamufI'ins paddle. From be- hind counters, shopkeepers wheedle and caiole the passerby. Y ou are attracted finally, by an oddly informed mirror and allow it to be press- ed upon you. When you examine it, the image reflected is your own, yet altered greatly. You have lost weight, gained color, force. The makers of the mirror will assure you that, though the polish may become finger-printed and the carved back chipped, the gay, bantering, youthful procession which Hows through the mirror will never change, the Exeter scenes will always attract. This was the forward to the 1924 edition, and perhaps the most creative writing in any Penn. The senior editorial also reflected maturity, originality, and quality. Be- fore we are drawn into the stream of college life, there either to be whirled or lulled into this same blindness to our opportunities, we shall acknowledge our indebtedness to lffxeter. Our debt is paid, we are free-to forget. The 1925 PC1111 was a step backward. Unfortu- nately the next three Penny continued this back- ward progress. At least they made no forward achievements. lt is with relief that we observe that through all this turmoil and uproar the Mandolin Club managed to keep its head above water. One thing of a more serious nature, how- ever, is worth citing- The school is an old library where one reads of former heroes and time-worn traditions, the school is a busy mar- ket-place where strangers pass and friends are greeted, the school is a quiet abbey where serious-faced workers perform their devotions, the school is a playground where only shouts of mirth and laughter are heard, the school is a well-drilled army, used to obedience and the monotony of a scheduled life, the school is a turbulent mob, united only in their applause of

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Edward Harkness. This section takes on added meaning when one realizes that the '36 P01111 was dedicated to lfdward Stephen Harkness. Color was employed throughout the '37 Perm for the first time in several years. The skillful use of red lines. dark back- grounds in the photographs. and white space made for an attrac- tive annual. The '37 l'ci111 was another large book. liven more clubs had been added to l'fxeter's long list: the Outing Club, Radio Society. and the Ski Club. l.ikc every other I't'.1l1 of this period it had a spectacular cover. Simplicity dominated the '38 I'UiIll,' the over-all impression was quite good. A great deal of the writing was done well and with thought. 'fDuring our several years at Exeter, we, the graduating class, have met with many good things, success, happiness, and scholastic attainment. Only once in a while did we encounter a bad thing, that was generally the product of the imagination . . . These moments have quickly passed, and with our many activities and studies we may say that we have been happy in our work, far too busy to notice even the passing of time. lffxeter life can be so full that the present, future, and the past all merge together. Color was not used, but an increase in candids, and the effective use of black lines and white space made this Perm artistic. The country came out of the depression, and the P01111 came out of a rut, an editorial rut. The executive board of the '39 Penn called their effort an 'experimental guinea pigf for later editors. By observing its reception they may learn how lCxeter students prefer to read about themselves-lightly or factually. Probably a combination of the two. humor and serious facts. is what can have the most meaning. lt was encouraging that the editors of the '39 Penn tried to get out of this editorial rut. The senior editorial was written in the first person, and although not unusually profound. interesting. The article on the Senior Council is more perceptive. The Senior Council, however, accomplishes little as a student body. but Tfxeter docs not pre- tend to have student government and never will. The layout of this annual was a change. This must have satisfied the school, which was beginning to complain bitterly The construction of Phillips llall for the llarkness Plan.