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You can search through the full text of this book on the webat http://books.google.com/1EXCE Digitized by Google ulglti'-=''--'' A CHRONICLE OFACHIEVEMENT Digitized by Google Digitized by Google Digitized by Google AUGUSTUSHOWEBUCK,A.1\1. Professorof Greek BostunUniversity CollegeufLiberalArts,18731917 P r o f c ~ s o rEmeritus,19021917 Digitized byCoogle A CHRONICLE OFACHIEVEMENT Thirty Yearsofthe Professor AugustusHoweBuck EducationalFund BYROBERTE.~ R U C E ProfessorofMathematics,Emeritus,BostonUniversity Chairman, Committee onProfessor Augustus Howe Buck Scholars,19171946 WITH THE COLLABORATIONOFTHEBENEFICIARIES "The unexaminedlifeisnot worthliving" Plato,Apology BOSTONUNIVERSITYPRESS 1948 BOSTON,MASSACBUSETI'S Digitized by Google COPYBIGBT1948 BY THETRUSTEESOFBOSTONUNIVDSrrY EXCH PlUNTEDINTHEUNITEDSTATESOFAMDIC4 Digitized by Google DEDICATEDTO THE EROF AUGUSTUSHOWEBUCK M658126 --',- ~ ,j() .....;../.. ' t.-. ..;;) r!J :-:CfIe ligitizE__" Digitized by Google Foreword... THISISABOOKOFMEN: OF A HEAD MASTERWHO BECAMEA PROFESSOROF G R E E ~OF THEFUNDESTABLISHEDIN HISHONOR AFEWMONTHSBEFOREHEDIEDINAFOREIGN LAND,ANDOFFOURSCOREMENWHOSHAREAND ENHANCETHATHONOR.ITMAYBETHATTHE STORYHERETOLDISASTRAWINTHERAGING WORLDHURRICANEPOINTINGTOONEPOSSIBLE PATHWAY FROM CONFUCT TOWARD COOPERATION. Digitized by Google Digitized by Google - ---- - ----Table of Contents Foreword. Introduction ChapterITheMan IIThe Giver and the Gift IIIIntroducingtheMen IVBackgrounds. VCollege andUniversity VI"And Gladly Teach" VIIYouthfulPromise. VIIIPastorandPhysician IXTheService. XThe Main Chance Bibliography Index. Illustrations ProfessorAugustusHoweBuck. GraveofProfessorandMrs.Buck PACE vii xi 1 13 26 30 98 146 266 310 388 432 449 455 Frontispiece 12 Committee on Professor Augustus Howe Buck Scholars Beneficiaries of The Fund,Groups I,II,III, and IV. Bookplate. 28 124 212 Digitized by Google Introduction... The best seller of the ageswasthe product of manyminds. This book,whichfacesno such future,oweswhatever success it may gainto somany menthat the singlename on the title pagewillgiveafalseimpressiontoanywhofailtoread farther. Specifically,thecontinuedsupportandencouragementof PresidentMarsh,DeanTaylor,andtheCommitteeonPro-fessorAugustusHoweBuckScholarshavebeenimportant elements in promoting this task.The beneficiaries, mentioned onthetitlepage,havesuppliedthemostimportantpartof thecopy.Theirworkwasnecessaryforthewriting,andto them is due inlargemeasure the credit for whatever favorable resultshavefollowed. This is a book of, for, and by men.But vicariously forthem anddirectlyformyselfIherebypaytributetoMissEsther Clement.It wouldbedifficulttooverstatetheimportance totheentireprojectofhertirelessefforts.Herprofessional training and her years of work withthe Fund Committee give her uniquequalificationsforthisassistance.With entirecon-fidence,and withthe approval of all concerned,I leave in her handsthewatchingofthe finalstepsinpublicationandthe carryingout ofsuchplansasshallbringthisvolumebefore itspublic.Such workwill,ofcourse,be doneunder the gen-eral supervision of the Chairman of the Board of Editors of the BostonUniversityPress,ProfessorRobertE.Moody.To himthe planningandexecutionalreadyowemuch. InthechapteraboutProfessorBuckextensivequotations have been used fromthe pamphlet, Professor Augustus Howe Buck,writtenbyDeanEmeritusWilliamM.Warren,and lesser extracts fromarticles concerning Professor Buck written by Professors Judson B.Coit and James Geddes, Jr.Still other xi Digitized by Google quotations have been made fromletters of Professor Augustus HoweBuck andDr.LemuelH.Murlin,now in the archives oftheUniversity,andfromlettersand minutesof the Com-mittee onProfessorAugustusHoweBuck Scholars.For the useofallofthesewearegrateful.Forpermissiontoquote fromthe Tercentenary Historyofthe RoxburyLatin School by Richard W. Hale, Jr., we are grateful to the Trustees of the Roxbury Latin School.We are similarly indebted to Ginn and CompanyfortheuseofaquotationfromD.E.Smith's HistoryofMathematics. Whatfollowsisbothacknowledgmentandapology.Be-causeoflimitationsoftimeandspace - timeforwriting and space between the covers - three important matters have regretfully been almost entirely omitted, viz.: Specialhonorsaccompanyingdegrees.These,of various sorts,werereceived by a majority of the men. Reviewsof books by the men. Material regarding the ancestors of the beneficiaries when otherwiseitwouldhavebeennecessarytoomitpertinent information about their immediate families. ROBERTE.BRUCE September15,1948 xii Digitized by Google I' CHAPTERJ TheMan THESTAGEisset,the curtain isrising,andbeforeusstands AugustusHoweBuck.But forhim,theFundnamedin hishonorwouldneverhavebeenestablished - astatement which isby no meanslimited to its obviousimplications.He isthe Man of this chapter, and a Man in fullmeasure he was. ProfessorJudsonB.CoitandDeanWilliamM.Warren werehisfriendsandcolleaguesformanyyears.Thelatter wasalsohisstudent.Inwhatfollows,quotationsfromthe writingsofthesetwoareindicated by(C)and(W)respec-tively. AugustusHoweBuckwasforty-sevenyearsof agein1873 when he was appointed professor in Boston University College ofLiberalArts.Heconductedthe firstclassexerciseinthe Collegethat fall,but becauseof hisagewhenappointedthe period of his service waslessthanthirty years.He ceasedhis classroom teaching in 1901 and in 1902, after a year of sabbatic leave,becameProfessorEmeritus. How were his earlier yearsspent? What in his career before 1873ledtothecallofthat openingopportunity inthenew University?Born in eastern Connecticut in the last month of 1825,"he grewup on one ofthose boulder-strewnfarmsthat have developed for thousands of New Englanders strong wrists andshoulders,asturdyback,anunconquerableself-reliance, and an unquestioning regard forfacts."(W)Formal school-ing for young Buck was honored mainly in the breach, but this wasin no sense true of hismentaltraining.On that boulder-strewnarm"he earlylearnedthathardworkisanessential part of life"(C)and that principlehe carriedoverfromthe 1 Digitized by Google 2ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT physical into many other fields.Hismother arranged for him to study Latin with a local clergyman, but died before the plan wascarried out.Mr.Buck wasnot giventosuperlatives,but the termsinwhichhe spokeofherleavenodoubtthathis mother had great influence on his young life.As a result of his study of Latin,"by the time he wastwelve...he had read all of the Aeneid."(C) Inthe summer ofhistwentiethyearyoungBuckwentto Amherst.There he spent the time until school opened getting acquainted withthe waysof the College and,"as he later de-clared,postinghimselfonthepeculiarcharacteristicsofdif-ferentmembersofthefaculty,"(C)anoccupationperhaps followedquite effectivelyby later generationsof students, in-cluding his ownlHe lived "in a club where board cost but one dollaraweek."(C)Expensesevenof suchmicroscopicsize weretoo heavyforhispocket and after that firstyearhe was obliged to spend much time in replenishing the supply, mainly by teaching.He wasin residence at Amherst little if any over two years.However, he finally received the degrees of A.B. and A.M. fromhis College. The Donor of the Fund knew Professor Buck intimately and he must have known about his early life.Did he, conscious of thestruggleofthisoneyoungmanandsensinghowmuch more he might have accomplished in life had some friend stood ready to aid him in those critical college days,-did the Donor devote histime, his waning energies, and the fortune amassed and husbanded through the years, to the end that men of such potentialitiesastheManpossessedmighthaveeducational opportunities farbeyond those of the latter?If so, it wasnot, we may be sure, with emphasis on education alone, but rather on the added service to humanity which the men might thereby be prepared to give.Thus not only isProfessor Buck's lifeto be kept in perpetual remembrance throughthe Fund, but his spirit of service to humanity isto be a guideto the men who reap its benefits.For youngBuck wasaChristian of unusual promise but of insufficient means. Digitized by Google mE MAN Bayardyear asAugustus H. Buck.years at a total pensehundred poundsreturn home,wrote an account of hisexperiencesin ViewsAfoot, whichwaspub-lishedin1846.ThereadingofTaylor'saccountarousedin Buck a determination to visit Europe, and in December,1850, he started on the first of many trips across the Atlantic. "Christ-mas Eve was spent sitting with others by a stove in a small hotel in"(C)At Dresden,months werespent thelanguage."(C)Thisabout a year, cashoutlay...tripsacross than three"(C) The yearwasan importantMan.Amherst granted him his first degree at commencement.The following AugusthewasappointedheadmasteroftheRoxburyLatin School.Moreover,thoughthereissomequestionastothe date, he was probably married on New Year's Day of that year. ThefourteenyearsBuckspent at theLatinSchool,together withBostonUniversity,over fortyyears, makeactive service suchgranted to but few. School,whereheadmaster, hundredth1945.Whilethere wereinAmericaitmaywell that thisone hashad the longestperiodofuninterruptedex-istence.John Eliot, the apostle to the Indians, helped to found and maintain the school,whichpassedthroughmanydifficul-ties,financial,legal,andother.One of the greatest,at times, wasfindingandkeepingefficientheadmasters.Buck'sprede-cessorstayedfiveyearsandadistinguished careerpresident. Ahistoryofthisfamousschool recentlyRichardJr.,and to that tumconnectedMan's term of s e r v ~ ice there.From the start, Buck showed himself to be the Head Master.He refused to let the senior class of his first year gradu-ate, as he considered their training insufficient. Money received Digitizedby Go( 4ACHRONICLEOF ACHIEVEMENT fromthe townof Roxburypermittedsomeexpansionof the teaching force;and in1857 Buck brought to the schoolfrom Amherst ashis assistant WilliamCoe Collar, who became his successor.In1860,onBuck'sinsistence,thelengthofthe school course wasincreased to six years, a change which led to growth both in numbers and in the character of the work.An-otherchangeduetohisinsistencewasthedroppingofthe preparatory department. In 1863Mrs.Buck died,leaving an only son,Henry.This andthefollowingtenyearsbroughtmanychangesinMr. Buck's life.In the summer of 1864,havingobtained leaveof absence fromthe LatinSchool,he leftforatwo-yeartripto Europe, taking with him four boys,three of whomwere from the school.While abroadProfessorBuckmarriedLouiseC. Mehlbach,whomDeanWarrenhasdescribedasaGerman woman of the best type. It was during these years perhaps that the following incident occurred,toldbyProfessorBucktohissuccessor,Professor JosephR.Taylor, andpassedon bythe latter to me.It illus-trates a side of hischaracter that probably fewof his students saw.Injusticeordisrespect,whethertohimselforanother, rousedin AugustusHoweBuck allthe latent passionsent on to himby hisresolute,inflexiblecolonialancestry.But once did Isee evidence of this in the yearsI knew him, whenwith five short words he silenced a disrespectful student.But to the incident.BuckwentintoastoreinGermany,butfinding nothinghewishedtobuystartedtoleave.Thewifeofthe storekeeper began to weep, begging him to buy.When he con-tinued to refuse,the storekeeper made the mistake of locking the door.An instant later the glassof the door wasshattered and the storekeeper wasoutsidelAt the police station the size of Buck'sletter ofcredit wassufficientlyimpressivetosecure his immediate release. ThestoryoftheyearsbetweenMr.Buck'sreturnfrom Europe and his appointment to the faculty of Boston Univer;.", sityissoontold.He spenttwomoreyearsasheadmastero ~ ' Digitized by Google THEMAN ; the RoxburyLatin School and then turned the placeoverto Collar.The author of the Tercentemuy History,inspeaking of Headmaster Buck's service to the institution, says:"To Rox-bury Latin he left three great assets: an uncompromisingly high standardofscholarship...;atraditionoflongservicein teaching...;andWilliamCoeCollar."Agraduateofthe school in commenting on the last point has suggested that Mr. Collar wasfortunateto have beenassociatedwithMr.Buck. In 1867, after severing his connection with the Roxbury Latin School, the Man left on another two-year trip to Europe.On hisreturn,there followedfouryearsof highschoolteaching, three of whichwereat theBostonLatinSchool.Finally,in 1873, he wasappointed Professor of Greek at Boston Univer-sity.The faculty to which he came wasfortunate in the mem-bership of many able young teachers.In the first Yearbook of theUniversity,thatof1874,thenameofAugustusHowe Buck, A.M., follows that of the President and the Dean in the list of the faculty.Next comes the name of Dudley Buck, and last,that of ElizabethStuartPhelps.A.GrahamBellisan-othernameinthe list andtheYearbookstatesthat hegave an "inaugural lecture." Withthepassingoftheyears,ProfessorBuckandother members of the faculty may well have found much satisfaction in the memory of their short associationwith AlexanderGra-ham Bell.A reception wastendered him in March of 1916 at the Boston City Club which was attended by many prominent guests,includingtheGovernorandtheChiefJusticeofthe Commonwealth.BostoniaforJune,1916,statesthatDr. Bellpaid generoustributetothe Universityinthe following words: I count it a greathonor tohavebelongedtoBostonUniversity. It waswhile I wasconnected with the school that allthe work was done onthe telephone....Mybest recollections of the Boston of the olddaysareof BostonUniversity andPresident Warren. The speaker,continuing,detailed several incidents connected Digitized by Google 6ACHRONICLEOF ACHIEVEMENT withhisworkonthetelephoneandotherinventions,and closedhisaddressasfollows: Gentlemen,thesethingswhichIhavedescribedaretheby-productsofmyworkinyourinstitutionandweremadepossible because of theencouragement ofyourUniversity. If amonghiscolleaguestherewereintellectualgiants,Pro-fessorBuckwastheirpeer.Notonlyso,noneofthemout-classedhiminimpressivephysicalpresence.Hiscolleague, ProfessorJamesGeddes,Jr.,haswrittenofProfessorBuck that he was"a manofmarkphysically...possiblysixfeet tallandwellproportioned."Theimpressionhemade"was thatofthesturdytypeoftheNewEnglander,hale-fellow-well-met, together with that of the German professor.He had theblunt,frank,outspoken,andpleasinginformalityofthe one,andsomethingoftheformalbureaucracyoftheother, that kept one guessing."His dress, including his Prince Albert coatwithlongtails,the blackbow-tie,andthetallsilkhat, suggestedtheprofessorofanearliergenerationwhenthey were perhaps quite willing to be thought by students and gen-eral public alike to be set apart from, if not above, the ordinary run.That dayandattitude haveprobablygoneforever.No collegeprofessorofthepresentislikelytorebuketheover-familiar student with the well-known classic:"I'm your teach-er - not your friend." ProfessorBuck'sstudentswillneverforgetthedominance of his powerful personality in the classroom.At this point one can do no better than to quote extensively from Dean Warren. He hadnoloveof methodformethod'ssakeandnopraisefor those who vigorously work the handles of dry pumps.In describing fortheearlyperiodicalcalledBostonUniversityNoteshisown offeredcourses,hemadeit plainthat hewasnotteachingGreek but guiding students of Greek. It was from a boy's school that he came to his duties in the open-ingCollege;mostofhisearlierteachinghadbeeninschoolsfor boys.It waswithboys that be had spent some yearsof study and Digitized by Google IIII::::!! r------'-THEMAN7 travel in Europe.His only daughter had died in infancy.Andso, tomeetyoungwomendailyinhisclassesmusthaveopenedfor him anew chapter.But he gaveno hint of feeling embanassed or unduly expectant.When the College, then on Beacon Hill, moved a stone's throw from 20 Beacon Street to 12 Somerset, he promptly assignedtothe newClaflinRoom,set apart forthe women'suse, theunofficialbutpromptlyadoptednameof"TheParthenon"; the mantel over the wide fireplace had been adorned with the head of Athena.Sometimes,forvariety,he called the roomthe Gynae-ceum,anoldGreeknamefortheinnerapartmentinwhichthe womendwelt.He brought fromMunich some handsomeoutline dl3wings,byFlaxman,ifIremember,depictingGreekmaidens, wellnourishedandshapely,andashe explained,likelyto suggest to the womenstudents whatthey shouldtryto becomein bodily form and grace. Once in a while he would speakto a womanstudent so plainly, or perhaps with so coeducationally impartial a disregard of feminine tasteandtenderness,astobringtearsoraflashofindignation. One day,whenhe thought a student wasletting her attention fall short of itsproper object,heremarked,tothe amusementof the wholeclass,"I wish,MissX-, youwouldtumthosepretty orbs of bluejellyto the blackboard."Later she reveredhim,but with-outforgivenessforhisreferencetohertwinklingeyes.Another timebeforeawholeclass,hetoldanincompetentbutsensitive girlthat her proper placewasnearerto some kitchenpantrythan to any shrine of the Muses.She wept silently,and her classmates set their teeth.Yet his customary classroomtalk wasconsiderately kind.He heldsarcasmto be the language of the Devil.Inthose yearswhilecollegeeducationforwomen,especiaUycollegiateco-education,wasamatterofearnestdebate,instructorsseemedon guard a ~ i n s tany discriminations basedon chivalry.When Profes-sor Buck's eminent colleague Professor Bowne began his teaching in the College,he calledthe rolls,the menandthe womenalike,by surnames only:Mr. Smithwasplain"Smith" andMissJoneswas plain "Jones." In the classroomProfessor Buck never lost time by aimless wan-dering.The agendumofthe hour wasthe businessoftheclass. Personalreminiscences,unlessteIseandpat,amusingstoriesfor reliefof tension,preferencesinpolitics,disconnectedconvictions Digitized by Google 8ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT in morals and religion,alltheseusualstaples of collegiate instruc-tionneverinhisteachinghoursdetouredadifficultyorstripped the gears. He usedrecondite wordsand odd turns of speech; he usedcom-monwordsoddly.Hegavechallengingdirections.Heloosened impactedvocabularies.Thetermshe brought intoplaysent the eagerer students to dictionary, lexicon, and source-book.One day, afteragirlofshytypeanddomesticinterestshadfinishedher tIanslation of a stanch passagein Demosthenes, he inquired, with-out staying for an answer, "You noticed the paratactic construction of the triads?" Thisconsciouslyplayfuluseoflanguagehadsupport,perhaps, in oldtime Greek precedents.It gave tang even to Professor Buck's ordinary talk andparticularly his lettersto hisfriends.During the war the German censors of outgoing mail were thorough but hardly keenenoughtoseewhathe hadwrittenbetweenhislines.On one postcard he included the significant statement, 'We needbut little, and (underlined)we get it." ProfessorBuck'sinterestinhisstudentswasnotmethodically forced:it wasnaturalandindividual.If he seemedtolikesome particularly,noone sufferedinconsequence;theirclassmatessaw the groundsfor his interest and approved hisjudgment.Everyone knewtheessentialkindnessof hisheart andhisquietgenerosity. When he gave the College the specialrelief fund that like the Edu-cationalFundwillbear hisnamethroughthe years,he wasonly makingperpetualthe lend-a-handcharitiesthat had beenhis life-long habit. Such, then,inmere suggestion,wasthe man whomthe College honors asitsfirst-chosenteacher, - chosenfor hismental powers; forhisthorougheducationabroad,aneducationheneverceased extending; for his experience in Boston schools of highest standard; andevenmoreforthe integrity,thedignity,thekindnessofhis character. Havingknownprivation,hehelpedthosewhowereinneed. Feelingthe beautyandthepowerof what menintimesancient and modem have wrought with words, he taught his students how to searchforthe matter inthe form,forthetruthinthe rhythm and the phrasing, for the warmth and color in the sunshine of life, and forthe imperishable treasureinitsruin.Seeing men asman-Digitized by Google THEMAN9 kindandtheuniverseasGod'swork,hebore himselfnot only as a scholar but also asa manamongmen and asa goodstewardof God'smanifoldgrace. Professor Buck's"playfuluseof language"(W)ledto the preservationbyhisstudentsofnumerousexamplesofhis speech.These have become "a part of the older College's van-ishingtradition,"(W)and assuch, afewsamples, including some fromDean Warren'ssketch,arerecordedhere. "Large ramificationsof synonymy." "Female scullions whoperformed the Cinderella duties." ''The tricksy diabolism of countless devilkins." "Our moribund subjunctive." "Doesn't that smack of the effete?" "Rhetorically knock-kneed." "Your theta'srather cracker-fed." "That isan excellent passage to ruminate on; it willbear much chewing of the cud." "Read it and feelyour heart throb with anewrevelation of human grandeur." Manyoftheseexamplesmayhavebeenusedat thesame point year after year.But to the end of his teaching Professor Buck's meeting of a sudden unlooked-for situation wastimely and pat.It washiscustomto tell a student whohad finished translating a passage to call upon another, usually of the oppo-site sex,to continue.Certain words,denotingsex,whichare not very commonly usedwere apart of hisclassroomvocabu-lary.Year after year,inthe translationofapassagefromthe MemorabiliaofXenophon,heinsistedthatthestudentuse "the goodoldAnglo-Saxonword,bitch."When he referred toamemberoftheclass,amanwas"oneofthestronger ones,"awoman"one of the weakerones."Ayoungwoman hadbeentranslating,andtheprofessoraskedhertocallon "one of the stronger ones."But the "weaker one"callednot ona"strongerone"butonMissHilllProfessorBuck Digitized by Google 10ACHRONICLEOF ACHIEVEMENT glanced up fromhis text with that delightfully quizzical smile of his, and in less than three seconds ejaculated:"Good!From the hillscomethour strength!"And he wastheninhissev-enty-secondyear.A year later,writing areplyto anote from aformerstudentwithwhomheexchangedmanyletters,he thusdisarminglyexplainedhislongdelay:"Yournotecame to me like a draft ofnew wine and it hastakenallthese days to bring me to afairstate of sobriety." During hisyearsat BostonUniversity,andforthreeyears previousto that appointment, Professor and Mrs.Buck main-tained ahomeon anestatepurchasedonthemainstreetof Wellesleyashortdistanceeastofthesquare.Manyofhis studentshavepleasantmemoriesofthehospitalityofthat home.Hadthelandbeenoflesssubstantialstuffthanthe physical foundationsof New England, it might wellhave suf-feredfromthe tramp,tramp,tramp of successivegenerations ofProfessorCoit'sstudentsinsurveyingwhoyearafteryear checked its bounds and determinedits area.One of the ama-teursurveyorsrecallsthattheManplayfullycriticizedMrs. Buckwho,it willberemembered,wasofforeignbirth,for mixing English and German in what he called ''hybrid words." A little later she wasabletothrow the accusation back at the accuser,whereuponheinsistedthatthewordsheusedwere not ''hybrid'' but "high-bred"! After his retirement Professor and Mrs. Buck lived at various places both in America and in Germany.In June of 1907 they were at Oak Bluffsand fromthere he writes: I wasborn in the year1825AD. and that meansthat there is a probable weakness in one or more of the mortal instruments which makelifetenable.Ihavehadnosuchhealthasateacherneeds since1849,andhowI have livedtothisdateisa wonderthat for me isas little explicable asthe mechanism of the starry heavens. He continues that he is "asked to join the giddy chorus of new generationswhilesecretenemiesarewatchingfortheopen gate to enter in.But enoughuntothe day!For Iam greatly Digitized by Google THEMAN11 blest that heart andmemoryarefullof richeswhichneither age nor mortality can despoil." Not longafterthat letter waswritten,ProfessorandMrs. Buck wentto Germanyto spendthe yearsthatremainedof mortal life.This washis eleventhjourneytoEurope.There was an occasional renewal of correspondence. A postcard dated at Rostock,December 9,1907, records that they reached there September20.OnFebruary12,1914,hewrotefrbmWies-baden in script much less plain than that of the earlier letters: There is little prospect that we shall be abletorenewour youth so asto keep step with the lively westernworld....We arenot sure of returning to America....If my son who is now in Algiers should undertake to see us landed in Boston, the temptation would begreat,butalonewemightfindanendofourcareerinthe Atlantic. The nebulous plan for returning to America wasnever to be carriedout.The twodiedat Rostock within afewweeksof each other during the First World War, - Mrs. Buck on Feb-ruary 28,1917; and Professor Buck on April 15 following.Be-cause of the War only afewdetailsof the circumstancesbe-cameknown,chieflythroughwordfromfriendsinRostock to MissVictoria Zeller,agraduate ofBostonUniversitywho wasMrs.Buck'sniece. Being in that vicinityin the summer of1937,Idecidedto find,if possible,the graveof myoIdteacher.Ihad butjust left the railroad station at Rostock whenIwassofortunate as to meet Graf and Grafin vonPheil,who gaveme timelyaid. With their help the common grave of Professor and Mrs. Buck wasfound in an old cemetery which eventhen wasno longer used for burials.It isaverybeautifulplacewithmany shade trees.Rostock washeavily bombed during the Second World WarandisnowinRussianhands.Inspiteofthesefacts, word has been obtained that the common resting place among thetreesofProfessorandMrs.Buckwasuninjuredandreo mainsmuch asit wasin1937. Digitized by Google 12A CHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT The stonebearsthefollowinginscription: HierruheninGott LuiseC.Buck geb.Mehlbach geb.7Mai1840 gest.28Februar1917. Prof.erner AugustusH.Buck geb.9Dezember1825 gest.15April1917. The Fund was given in his honor a brief four months before Augustus Howe Buck passed away. GRAVEOF PROFESSOR ANDMIlS. Bua:: at Rostock, Germany Digitized by Google CHAPTEllII TheGiverandtheGift THE STOllTof the Man is complete, insofar asthis volume is concerned.The storyofthe beneficiariesisstilltocome. Here betweenthemisa story of the market and of one who, findingthere that "to him that hath shall be given," made ap-plication of the lesson in the realms of intellect and of charac-ter.For the man of the market turned magician, and investing the profits of his years of struggle in the lives of men, he set in motion influences for good whose spread may never cease.To speak no longer in riddles - this isthe story of a Fund given to educate young men that they may the better serve humanity. The First World War wasin fullstream when Boston Uni-versityCollegeofLIberalArtsbecamethecustodianofthe Professor AugustusHowe Buck EducationalFundThe flow of the stream had carried that world calamity into the ocean of the past before the Fund's experimental period wasover. One mayconceivevariousreasonsfortyingthe gifttothe memoryof a man like AugustusHowe Buck.The Giver was deeplyreligiousand havingknownProfessorBuck allhislife he maywell havethought that hecouldfindnobetter mark forthe menofthe Fundto aimat thanthat strong-hearted, right-hearted, stalwart New Englander.Perhaps the character ofthe timesin whichtheFund wasestablishedsuggestedto theDonor,intenseconservativeChristianthathewas,that somethingmorewasdemandedofmenfittedtobringthe worldtothehavenofpeaceafterthestormofwarthan intellectualability,evenwhenitiscoupledwithsuchtraits asareusuallydenotedbythemuchwornstereotypedphrase "good moralcharacter." 13 Digitized by Google 14ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT In any event, the Giver of thisFund had the courage to fol-lowhisvisionevenwhenthe vastmajorityof hiscontempo-rarieswould probably havejudged his efforts too insignificant to affect materially the recordof the age.To the limit of his means the Donor thus implemented his life's purpose. Dean Warren, in payingtribute toGiver and Gift inBos-tonia of June,1934,wrote asfollows: ItshouldbeknownthatthegiveroftheProfessorAugustus HoweBuckEducationalFundentrustedtotheUniversitythe whole substance of hishard-earned fortune.With meansof living in every comfort, he chose to live simply and frugally that he might savethe more to put into serviceforhisrace. In discussing economies the Donor once said to Dean Warren thathehimselfhadwornraggedcuffsthattheFundmight growthe larger.There areendowmentsand endowments.Some ofthemseemasimpersonalandasrandomasrain.Others almost seem alive with a spirit of personal purpose attained through personal self-denial.To this second kind of charitable trust belongs the Professor AugustusHowe Buck Educational Fund. The conditions governingtheFund werenot in finalfonn untiloversixyearsfromitsactualestablishmentinthe last monthof1916.InaletterdatedJanuary3,1923,thelate PresidentoftheUniversity,Dr.LemuelH.Murlin,wrote: The wholeundertakingissuchapreciousonetothe Donor that Ithink we canget a much more efficient administration and more ofapersonalelementinit ifallcommunicationsto himshould come &om one source. He then asked me to act as that source and in a matter of days sent me awayto have a personalinterview withthe Donor.I saw him but this once. He then appeared far fromwell.Never-theless,he hadverydefiniteideasastowhathewishedthe Fund to accomplish,and knewhow he expecteditspurposes tobe achieved.Theresultsofourinterview,ofdiscussions withDean Warrenofthe College,and of variousletters,are Digitized by Google THE GIVERANDTHE GIFT15 incorporated in the finalformof the Contract, dated July17, 1923. The various formsof the Contract had somuch of detail in them that it is perhaps not strange that the intent of the Donor and the interpretation of the University werenot always iden-tical.For example, the degree of anonymity whichthe Donor desired for himself wasnot clearly understood.In at least one matterI,myself,quiteinnocentlyfailedtocarryoutthe Donor's wishes.The complete title has alwaysseemed rather long.And in some of the work of a committee which has cared formuchofthedetailconnectedwiththeFundtheword "Professor"wassometimesomittedfromthetitlesinceit seemedto addmorelengththandignity.These,andother matters,came to the Donor's attention; and he finallywrote, ashe had every right to do, what might be considered a letter of protest, certainly of dissatisfaction. Apretty good measure of the worthofan administrator is found in his ability to tum the liabilities of a bad situation into assets.ThesedifficultieswiththeDonormight,Isuppose, have been adjusted by letter.But the President of the Univer- . sity, having on his shoulders all final responsibility, felt that the situation called forsomething more.A fewdaysafter he had sent the letter of protest the Donor, who, in spite of his wealth, lived in averysimple manner,answeredthe door-bellto dis-cover President Murlin on the steps.The latter made no move to enter, but putting forward a small package which he carried, said:"We seemto havefailedtokeepfaithwithyouinall respects,Sir,andIamreturning herethe securitiesyougave us."Irefusetoconsiderthe loss,notmeasurableindollars, whichwould haveresulted had the Donor accepted the pack-age and closed the door.Instead, thus met in perhaps the only way that could completely disarm him, he said, "Come in."It ishardlynecessarytoaddthattheunopenedpackagecame backwithDr.MurlinoverthehundredsofmilestoBos-ton.Perhapsthesetwogoodmennowmeetoccasionally where misunderstandings over suchthings asthe meaningsof Digitized by Google 16ACHllONICLEOF ACHIEVEMENT words are nomore.If so,it may be that the Donor, knowing more intimately thanhe allowedhimselfto knowwhilehere what his gift has accomplished, praises the slall that kept him fromarashstepthat evenon earthhewouldprobablyhave lived to regret.. The Contract, or Deed of Gift, in its variousformswas,of course, an agreement betweenthe Donor and the Trustees of the University.One of its peculiar provisions, but by no means the onlyone of that nature,wasthat, althoughthe Fund was the property of the University, the Donor throughout his life-time wasto havedirectionof it tothe extent of determining fromtimetotimewhatsecuritiesshouldbesoldandwhat bought.This gave him the power to increase the principal by tradinginsecuritiesthatwerenotperhapssufficientlycon-servativetomeetwiththeapprovalofthosegoverningthe other investmentsof theUniversity.Sosuccessfulwashe in thismatterthattheFund,originallyonehundredthousand dollars,had almost doubled before the Donor passed away,in October of 1933.The Fund then, of course, was placed in con-servativesecurities.Throughoutthisperiodof"trading"the Donor wascareful to maintain dividends at a high levelin or-der that the real purpose of the Fund might not be endangered. The result has been that at no time since its establishment has theyearlyincomestrayedfarineitherdirectionfromnine thousand dollars. For determining howthe incomeshallbespent,theCon-tract recognizes two powers.All appointments are made by the President of the University acting on nominations sent to him by the Faculty of the College of Liberal Arts.These two pow-erswerequickto realizethatthereweretoomanydetailsin-volvedinthiswholematterforeitherorbothofthemto handle.For a single example:the Contract, aside fromstating manydetailsgoverningthetypeofmentobeselected,pro-videdthatoneappointed,ifhecontinuedtoshowhimself worthy,might be reappointed fromyearto year"through the College of Liberal Arts and a following professional course and, Digitized by Google THE elVERANDTHEGIFT17 providingthe careerchosenwarrantsit,thenthroughoneor two subsequent years of postgraduate work." The wayforthese twopowerstodealwiththe detailswas, obviously,to appoint a committee.Thusthreemonthsafter the Fund wasestablished,the Facultyof the College created byvoteaCommitteeonProfessorAugustusHoweBuck Scholars.This body, not mentioned in the Contract and prob-ablynever contemplated by the Donor,hasthroughthe years handled nearly all of the many details involved in carrying out the purpose of the Deed of Gift, being meticulously careful to aidthepowersrecognizedintheContract withoutinvading their respective fields. TheCommitteeappointedinaccordancewiththisvote consisted of ProfessorsWilliamG.Aurelio,RobertE.Bruce, and LymanC.Newell. At the first meeting of the Committee, held March 29,1917, Professor Aurelio was appointed recording secretary, a position which he held for over twenty-five years.In collecting material forthisvolume,Ihavebeenincorrespondencewithalarge number of the beneficiariesofthe Fund.Spontaneous words ofappreciationforvariousmembersofthecollegefaculty occurinmanyoftheirletters.Nonamethusappearsmore frequently than that of Professor Aurelio whose deeppersonal interest in his students seems growing into a college tradition. "Prof," to many a graduate, means William G. Aurelio,whose name appears in the list of the faculty for the first time in 1902. Recentlythislife-longcelibatereceivedaletteraddressedto "Prof.andMrs.WilliamG.Aurelio."Askedtoexplainthe "Mrs.", he replied:"It's a collectiveterm,comprising allmy students fromthe beginning." ProfessorNewellwasappointed financialsecretary,and set up a systemof accounting withthe menwhichhasremained in force with but little change to the present.At two different times,whenthechairmanwasonsabbaticleave,Professor NewellservedtheCommittee asactingchairman.Hisquiet, effective counsel, especially during the early experimental years, Digitized by Google 18ACHRONICLEOFACmEVEMENT wasexceedingly helpfulin determining enduringpoliciesand his passing, two months after the Donor, in December of 1933, tookfromtheCommittee amemberhardtoreplace.Dean Ralph W. Taylor, who asRegistrar of the College became cor responding secretary of the Committee earlyin1922,wrote a notefortheminutesontheoccasionofProfessorNewell's death whichconcluded withthe words,"Wise in counsel,ef fective in service, generous in friendship, devoted to the welfare of students." The minutes of that firstmeeting of the Committee held in March of 1917 state that the call was by the chairman, Robert E.Bruce.Justhowhe wasselectedfortheposition,careful examination of the minutes of the faculty and of the Commit tee failto show - nor does his memory aid.Perhaps he found the chair unoccupied and took possession IIn any event he can nowsay,afterthirtyyearsofundisputedoccupancy,thatfor genuinesatisfactionfewtasksof lifehaveequalled and none haveexceededtheworkfortheCommitteeonProfessor Augustus Howe Buck Scholars. InthisCommittee,asalreadyindicated,originatedpracti callyallactionspertainingto theFundwhichwerenotdefi nitely assignedelsewhere.Therewouldbe littlepoint inat temptinganycompletecataloguingofthedutieswhich,in themainwithoutdirectionfromeitherthefacultyorthe President,the Committee hastakenoversimplybecausethe things had to be done and there seemed to be no one else to do them.The recognition with which the work of the Committee hasbeenreceivedbythepowersthroughoutthe yearsleaves littledoubtthatrelieffromaconsiderableburden,pluseBi ciency of administration, hasmore than compensated forthis assumption of tasksnot specificallydelegated. The most important duty of the Committee has always been that originally assignedby the faculty,to suggest to the latter bodynamesofmentobeconsideredfornominationtothe PresidentasbeneficiariesoftheFund.Thecasesinwhich either of thesetwocompetent powershas,inthisthirtyyear Digitized by Google THE GIVERANDTHE GIFT19 period,rejected aname presented by the Committee could,I feelsure,be countedonthefingersof onehand.However, tasks assumed without authorizationtroubled the Committee somewhat,particularlyduring the early years;and in1924 at theregularMarchmeetingofthefacultythechairmanre-ported in some detail on these many activities.The reception accorded the report left no doubt that the Committee was pro-ceedingwiththe approvalofthefaculty.In thisconnection it should be pointed out thatcandidatesforappointmentto the Fund in fullstanding areusually known to variousmem-bersofthefacultywhoarenotontheCommitteeandthe word of such members carries, and should cany, much weight withthosewhosedutyitistorecommend,nominate,and appoint to the Fund.The President of the University actually makes the appointment after careful consideration of the evi-dence. The Donor made it clearthroughoutthat hisrealinterest was in the men and not in the institution.Asfar asthe latter wasconcerned, he expressed satisfaction that the Fund would probablystrengthenitsalumniassociation - andnomorel However,the actualeffectuponBostonUniversityhasgone far beyond that.Asearly as1922, areport to the President of the workofthe Committee containedthe following: The supportwhichtheestablishmentofthisFundhasgivento the scholarshipidealsoftheCollegeisunquestioned.The large group of men who are onthisFund, or are striving to make them-selvesworthy of a placeupon(it), hasa verydefiniteeffect upon classroom standards of scholarship.This year, for probably the first timeinthehistoryoftheCollege,thefacultywasembarrassed bythelargenumberofhigh-gradecandidatesforproctoramong the menofthetwoupperclasses.Everymanmentionedforthis honor was a Beneficiary or Scholar of the Professor Augustus Howe Buck Educational Fund. This strengthening of the scholarship of the College was by no meansthe only effectuponthe institutionunforeseen bythe Digitized by Google 20A CBllONICLEOF ACIIIEVMEN1' Donor.A dozen or more of the beneficiaries have at one time or another been members of the faculty of BostonUniversity. During the past year there were seven, fiveof whom held pro-fessorialrank.Amongthese latter weretwomembersof the committeeasatpresentconstituted,ProfessorsJohnPhilip Mason and Albert Morris.The latter ischairman of the Uni-versityDepamnent of SociologyandAnthropology;andthe formeristhe recently appointed chairman of the Committee on Professor Augustus Howe Buck Scholars. In conversationthe Donor made it clearthat he supposed hisFund wouldaid but twoor threemenin anygivenyear. It was his idea to place such men asfulfilledthe verydefinite and restricted conditions described in the Contract financially on alevelwiththe richman'sson.The Committee didnot favorthis, and pointed out that the results asseen in the rich man's son were not alwayssuch asto commend the idea.We then believed, and have had no reason to change with the pass-ing of the years, that the natural order in the lives of such men astheDonor wantedtohelpwas,assomeonebasdeclared, challengefollowedbyresponseexpressedinstruggleand achievement.Thus to destroy all the financial struggle wasto lose a section of the road to the finalgoal.Sosuch help was favored as would relieve beneficiaries fromfinancialworry but not fromcarefulplanningtomakebothendsmeet.It was pointed out that ifthis latter method wereadopted it would bepossibletohelpagreaternumberofmen;andthat,in general,itwouldbegoodtrainingforthebeneficiariesnot onlyinmattersfinancialbut alsoinpromotinginthemthe fundamentalpurpose of the Fund, since what each man saved couldbeusedtohelpanother.TheDonorseemedtofind definite satisfaction in changing his viewpoint in this matter. The result basbeenthe aiding of a much largernumber of men than would have been possible had the Donor'soriginal idea been followed.In thirty years the total number aided has been well over a hundred, though some of them have remained on the Fund for a short time only.On the other hand, many Digitized by Google THE GIVERANDTHEGIFT21 ofthemenhavereceivedhelpforfromfivetosevenyears. So the number in anyone year has run far beyond the Donor's firstthought.Inthe earlynineteen-twentiestherewereover twentymen on theFund forseveralsuccessiveyears.And in recent years, because of the aid received fromthe Government by returning veterans, the number has gone even higher.Asa rule, however, it has been nearer a dozen. The Donor's real objective was the education of young men forserviceto humanity.Anarticleofthe Contractprovides that: Allowances are to be outright, and not repayable if the career chosen andfollowedisaltruistic,theoreticalor academic; but if the career ischosenforits materialreturnsthenthe paymentsmadeshallbe returnable within a reasonable time to the University for the benefit of theIncome Accountofthe Fund. Anotherarticle states: Candidates forappoinbnent who donot seek a career for financial gainsareto begivenpreference. It may be difficultforthe candidate and it certainly isforthe College to determine when a career ischosen for its"material returns."Intherelativelyfewcaseswhereit hasseemedto the Committee that the career was so chosen it has proved dif-ficult to the point of impossibility to convince the manlThere areasaruleasufficientnumberofcandidatesaboutwhose chosen careers there isno question; and these, as the Contract directs,are"givenpreference." Section C of the Contract says: TheFundisa gift...established...toenable youngmenof unusualpromiseandofpositiveChristiancharacter,but within-sufficientmeans,toreceive a verymuchmorethorougheducation thantheycouldotherwise obtain. And in the following section we read: Digitized by Google 22ACHRONICLEOF ACHIEVEMENT Allappointmentsareto beabsolutelyfreeofdenominationalin-fluenceor politicalbias.Mentalability,soundphysique,positive Christian character, andthosepersonalqualitieswhichindicateto aprobabledegreemuchusefulnessinlife,aretobethe basisof selection. Every phrase in these quoted passages has been given serious study by the committee.The death early in the history of the Fund of sixofthebeneficiaries,threewhilestillintheCol-lege andthree after afewyearsof effectiveworkasteachers, ledtotheestablishmentofthoroughphysicalexaminations before and after appointment in order that the requirement of a"sound physique"might surelybemet.Who isof "insuf-ficient means"?In a series of statements once prepared by the Committee amplifying the variousphrasesof the Contract, it was stated: Thisconditionisingeneralmetwhentheapplicanthimselfis practicallywithoutfundsandwhenhisfamilyisunabletohelp himfinanciallyto anylargeextent,beyondsupplyingboardand room if helivesat home.Indeterminingtheapplicant'smental ability, his scholastic record and mental tests are used. When it comesto "unusualpromise"and"personalquali-tieswhichindicatetoaprobabledegreemuchusefulnessin life,"criteriaaremoredifficulttofind.It isclear,however, thatmuchmaybelearnedfromthepositionamangains amonghisfellow-students.Byfarthemostdifficulttestto administer is that of the twice-repeated phrase "positive Chris-tiancharacter,"anduponit the Committee withthe helpof others hasspent many an hour.What isit to be a"positive Christian"?Does the adjective add anything?It didn't in the Apostolic Agenorforsometimethereafter.The noun alone mightthenmeanpersecutionanddeath.Todayitmaybe little morethanoneofvariousmarksofrespectability.The Donor meant much more than thatlNot to labor the matter, Digitized by Google J THEGIVERANDTHEGIFl'23 may wenot agreethat to be apositive Christian one must at leaststrivetoexemplifyinhislifethosethingswhichJesus taught?Membership in aChristian churchmight be consid-eredanecessal}'testofthispoint,but it surelyisnotasuf-ficient one.Certain things are clear, however.The double use of the phrase indicates its large importance in the mind of the Giver and places his gift on a plane quite apart from any other funds. As indicated by its name,the Committee started with but a singlegrade of appointment - the Scholar.However,inad-ministeringthepartofthe Contractcitedearlierwhichpro-vides that worthy beneficiaries may be aided not only through thecollegecoursebut throughoutgraduateandprofessional training,it hasseemed wisewiththe approvalofthe Faculty andPresidenttoestablishothergrades.Forexample,when the man leavescollege forgraduate study he becomes a"Pro-fessorAugustusHowe Buck Fellow,"to continue histraining withthe financialsupportoftheFund atBostonUniversity or elsewhere.At thispointwemaynoticeoneof themany details that has had to be adjudicated.A largenumber of the beneficiaries have preferred to carry on graduate work at other institutions,meetingnewinstructorsandthe scholasticcom-petitionof adifferentsetofstudents.Therecometomind, readily,Harvard,Yale,JohnsHopkins,Brown,Columbia, Princeton, Chicago,the universitiesof Illinois and California, and in addition schools in at least six different European coun-tries to which these men have gone forgraduate study.It was early noticed that graduate schools in America, learning of the Fund,werenotunwillingthattheFellowsshouldcontinue to receive aid therefrom throughout the years of their graduate work IIt is perhaps not surprising that the Committee, anxious tomakearelativelysmallyearlyincomegoalongway,has had little sympathywiththisview.We havebeennot only willing but anxiousto placeourmen,aftertheir firstyearof gmduate aid from the Fund, in competition for aid fromtheir chosengmduateschoolwithmenfromothercolleges.It is Digitized by Google 24ACHRONICLEOF ACHIEVEMENT hardly necessary to add that they have made good and that the desire of all graduate schools to retainhigh-grade students has supported the policy of the Committee in this matter.There come to mind at once and without particular search the names of Chicago,Harvard,Illinois, Rochester,Columbia,and Yale asamongtheuniversitieswhichhaveaidedtheworkofthe Committee in this manner. Aside fromthe twogradesof appointment described above therearenowtwoothers,bothofaprobationarycharacter. With reluctance it isrecordedthattheCommittee wasearly obliged, by sad experience, to discountjudgments about candi-datesother than those of their collegeinstructors.Neverthe-less,wishing torelieve men of financialworry asearly asprac-ticableit wasdecidedtoaidpreparatoryschoolgraduatesof highstanding,personality,andcharactertotheextentof tuition in their first year in college.Suchmen are called Tui-tion Scholars.Asa rule, however,even the record of a year in college during whichthe man has presumably been obliged to workoutsidetosupplementthisminimumaidisaninsuf-ficientbasisforappointmentasaScholaroftheFund;and candidates who are retained beyond the first year are appointed Beneficiaries(with a capital B)for a year or two more.During thisperiodtheirstipendsareonthesamegenerousbasisas those of the Scholars.Stipends for all grades save the Tuition Scholars are determined by need as shown in information given the Committee bythe beneficiaryon blankssuppliedforthe purpose.They range fromrelatively small amounts to a maxi-mum of $1500 or more per annum - this latter amount being approximatedinthecaseofmanygraduatestudents.The total amount given in stipends to the end of the year 1946-1947 was$266,427.61,thelargestamountpaidtoasinglebene-ficiarybeing $5,620. Amongthebeneficiarieswhohavegonefromcollegeor graduate school into active professionalworkthere have been 24college teachers,9 preparatory schoolteachers,10research men,6ministersinadditionto3 menordainedwhoarein Digitized by Google -_... - ... .. __ .. THE GIVERANDTHE GIFT25 other work,and 8doctors.One ofthemenhasbeeninthe diplomatic serviceforseveral years.In addition,two or three otherswhohavereturnedfrommilitaryserviceindistant fieldsare seriously considering that profession. Variousmethods havebeen adoptedforacquaintingappli-cants and beneficiariesoftheFund withthepurposesofthe Donor.For example,in hisapplicationforappointmentthe candidate signs a statement containing the following sentence: Imakethisapplicationwithknowledgeoftheprovisionsofthe DeedofGift whichrequirethatallstudentsreceivingassistance fromthe Fund shall be young men of positiveChristian character havinginsufficientmeanstosecureathorougheducation. Occasionally, so-called "Recognition Meetings" are held to in-formrecentlyappointedbeneficiariesandtoremindalumni and those of earlier appointment of the nature and purposes of the Fund, as well asto pay honor to the Man, Augustus Howe Buck.In the report of the chairman in 1940-1941,the follow-ing account isgivenof one of these occasions: As a fitting observance of twenty-five years of work, the Commit-tee on February 28,1941, held aRecognitionMeeting in honor of Professor Augustus Howe Buck, to which all present and past bene-ficiaries were invited, together with the President of the University, Dr.DanielL.Marsh,andDeanEmeritusWilliamM.Warren. The meetingwasheldafter adinner at theUniversityClub and wasmarkedbymanyreminiscencesbypastbeneficiariesofthe .Fund,includingDr.GeorgeZ.Dimitroff,DirectoroftheOak Ridge Observatory of Harvard University, and the Reverend Wait-stillSharpofWellesleyHills,whohadrecentlyreturnedfrom refugeeworkinCzechoslovakiaandtheLatincountries.Dean Taylor and President Marsh brought greetingsfromthe administra-tionandDeanEmeritusWarren,inthe mainaddressof the eve-ning, paid a finetribute to Professor Buck. It isfromthisaddressthatmuchofthequotedmaterialin the chapter on the Man wasc;lrawn. Digitized by Google CHAPTERIII IntroducingtheMen INTHISDAYwhen the task of many writersisto describe the drab, bestial waste of war, there is much satisfaction in being permitted to tell the story of men who, even though they may have had some part inthat horror,havefortheir main objec-tive helping to build a world in whichsuchdestruction isun-thinkable.Themenarebeneficiaries,pastandpresent,of theProfessorAugustusHoweBuckEducationalFund.Life storiessuppliedbythemconstitutethemajorpartofwhat follows.They have been askedto rememberthat one of the fewplacesin whichmodestyceasesto be avirtueisinauto-biogmphicwriting.Theyhaveingeneralrespondedtothe suggestioninagratifyingmanner,thoughmanyhavefelt forcedtoaddanapologeticnote.Afewareburdenedwith the thought that their lives have failed to bring to fruition their youthfuldreams.One of them hasexpressedit thus: It isdifficultto writeyouanything about mylife becauseIam acutely aware of lack of accomplishment.I have written no books, heldnooffices,hadnolucrativejobs,haveneverhadtheword "successful"appliedto me,andhaveno particular ambitionsnor plans for the future.For the other side of this picture it is difficult tospeaknotnecessarilybecauseofmodestybutbecauseofthe inherent reticence one has about suchmatters; however, a friend of mine withwhomIdiscussedyour letter basmade me promiseto includethefollowing:hereandthereinthisworldtherearea numberofpersons - Imaysaymany - who,becausetheyhave talkedto and withme,havecontinuedtopursue anideaor ideal, or have accepted a responsibility with more understanding, or have strengthenedtheir lovefortruth or beauty.Thisdoesnot sound 26 Digitized by Google INTRODUCINGTHEMEN27 likemuchandevenseemstohaveatingeofsmugnessaboutit, but I...knowthatyouwilltakewhatIhavesaidforwhatit means. Doesthisquotationbearouttheauthor'sself-accusationof "lack of accomplishment"? Duringthefirstthirtyyearsofitsexistence,theProfessor AugustusHoweBuckEducationalFund,asalreadystated, aided wellover a hundredmen.Someof them,however,are stillincollege,andsomewereaidedforarelativelyshort period.Under the circumstances it has seemed best to cut the listinthisrecordto names.Someofthemen reachedearlymiddle lifewhileotherswerelads hardly yetin theirteens.Theycomefromdiversraces,fromeveryconti-nent saveAustralia,andintheirlifevocationstheyarescat-tered alloverthe altruisticmap.Theirdifferences,however, are largely incidental and unimportant.In mattersthat count most the group isinthe mainhomogeneous.For these men are of "unusual promise" and accomplishment, and they are of "positive Christian character." In length,their life storiesvaryfromtwoorthreepagesof long-handtonearlyonehundredtyped.Onewaswrittenin Yokohama;oneisonthe letterhead of a hotel in Stockholm; anothercamefromBuenosAires;andstillanotherwaswrit-ten in part on atranscontinental flight.Many of themmight bear the label "An American Saga."These men have asmuch right asthe Donor toremainanonymous and wherethey ask it their wishesare scrupulously observed.But asidefromthis anonymitythereisnothing"hush-hush"inthisvolume-quitethe contrary.Onemaysaythenthat anydissimilarity betweennamesof personsandplacesmentioned inthisbook and the actualpersons and placesispurely coincidental. During the experimental period before the last draft of the Contract,or Deed of Gift,wasapproved,variousletterswere exchanged withthe Donor.In one of thesethe typesof evi-dence used by the Committee in determining action on partic-Digitized by Google 28ACHRONICLEOF ACHIEVEMENT ular candidates was described, and some account of certain men thenontheFund orbeingconsideredforappointmentwas alsoincluded.TheDonormusthavebeeninapessimistic mood when he answered IHe wrote,"This isa gamble worse thanoilor miningstock."After oneortwomoresentences equally pessimistic he added,"I hope I am wrong."He wasl On anothernote tohim whichhe finallyreturnedtous,the Donor commentedsomewhatmoreoptimistically.Aquota-tion fromthe note with his comments added is asfollows: The manfirstappointedcameintotheofficewhileIwaswrit-ing....IntalkingtomeoftheFundheexpressedveryhigh appreciationof what it haddoneforhim,andstatedthat without it aneducationforhimwouldhavebeenanimpossibility.This statement came inthe midst of our conversationwithout any sug-gestion fromme.I believe it comes near to being the universal con-dition amongthe menwe arehelping....Another ofthemen isthe son of a Congregationalminister whoenteredthe Y.M.C.A. war service.It would havebeenimpossible forhimto dothis and fortheboytocometocollege,haditnotbeenfortheFund. (Donor: "Fine.")We are now considering fourmenwho propose to enternextfall.Twoofthesearehighschoolboysofthe very first class from Greater Boston.The third isthe son of a missionary inJapan.Heplanstoenter that workhimself.(Donor:"I hope he willget it.Eachone ofusshouldhelpallhe canto better our relationsthere.")ThefourthisanativeAfricanfromtheGold Coast,athoroughlyinterestingman,wejudgefromhisletters. He ispreparing formedical work among his own people.(Donor: "Sounds very good.") So at last we come to the men.For aspecimen list, picked somewhatatrandomandsuscepboleofconsiderableexten-sion,wemightnamethefollowing:TherearetheBertocci brothers, Angelo and Peter, the former,Professor of Romance Languages and head of the Department at Bates College prior to hisjoining the facultyof BostonUniversity in September, 1948,asProfessorofComparativeLiterature;andthelatter, Professorof Philosophy at BostonUniversityCollegeofLib-Digitized by Google o cg ~ ~ CJ o ~ ~ COMMITTEE ONPROFESSORAUGUSTUSHOWE BUCK SCHOLARS LefttoRight:AlbertI\forris,DeanRalphW. Taylor,WilliamG.A urelio,DeanEmeritus\VilliamM.Warren,KennethA.Bernard, PresidentDanielL.Marsh.EarleF.Wilder,RobertE.Bruce., .PhilipMason(Chairman) ,CamilloP.Merlino. Digitized by Google INTRODUCINGTHEMEN29 eral Arts.Next comesNewellS.Booth, Bishop of the Meth-odistChurchforthemajorpartofthecontinentofAfrica; theninorder,EdwinC.Byam,Professorandheadofthe DepartmentofModernLanguagesatDelawareUniversity; GeorgeZ.Dimitroff,astronomer,firstatHarvardUniversity wherehehadchargeofanimportantobservatory,andnow at Dartmouth; NelsF.S.Ferre, Abbot Professor ofChristian Theologyat AndoverNewton TheologicalSeminary;Roland D.Hussey,ProfessorofHistoryattheUniversityofCali-forniaatLosAngeles;WalterJ.Moberg,DeanofNorth Park College,Chicago;RaymondO.Rockwood,Professorof History at Colgate University;and finallyWaitstillH.Sharp, Unitarian minister, four times commissioned to carry on relief workin Europe lindAsia. Many of the men who have finishedtheir graduate work are doctors, Ph.D.'s or M.D.'s, but save in some of the later chap-ters they will not be so designated.These doctors earned their titles long after the incidents of the chapters immediately fol-lowinghadbecomehistory.Indeeditmaybequestioned whether many of them had ever heard of a "Ph.D."before late highschoolage.Moreover,therequirementsfordegrees changesomuchfromtimetotimeandfromplacetoplace that the relative values of the various degrees held by the bene-ficiariesarehardtoassess.Nearlyallthemenaidedbythe Fund who are mentioned in this volume, are members of Phi Beta Kappa or some other honorary society and many of them havereceiveddegreeswithcitationofvariousspecialhonors. Inconcludingthischapter let it be saidthat whatfollows willhaveserved ausefulpurposeifit tendstopromote such work asisbeing carriedon bytheProfessorAugustusHowe Buck EducationalFund. Digitized by Google CHAPTERIV Backgrounds INApleasant section of ruralNewEngland(and how could one be lessspecificinwritingofthatregion?),thereisa highwaywhich,starting at comparativelylowelevation,runs to the top of a mountain.For someyearsthe last mileor so has been given back intokeepingwithnot unforesee-ableresults.It isnot,however,tothat nortoanyother par-ticularpart oftheroadthat attentionisdirected.Rather,it isto the generalnature ofthe progressfromthelowlandto the mountain top.The grade is by no meansuniform.Some-times a valley intervenes that must be crossed, and so the road dipsdownforalittle.Morefrequentlytheupwardtrendis brokenbylongstretchesofcomparativelevel,theelevation beinggainedinthemainonshort,steeppitchesbetween them.The whole roadthus becomes a gigantic stairway with broad treads between short risers.The treads, then, have little todowithgainingthetop.Thatistheofficeoftherisers. Aseachnewoneisconquered,theclimberviewsearthand s1cyfroma higherlevelinever-broadeningvistas. No wonder the poets haveusedsuchfiguresto picture the upwardprogressofmankind.Fewperhapshaveeverpicked fromthewave-washedshoreofoceanthecast-offshellofa chamberednautilus,butthemajorityhaveclimbedladders. used stepping-stones. and wanderedupmountainroads.One poetwrites,"we buildthe ladderbywhichwerisefromthe lowly earth to the vaulted skies,"while another hasmen "rise onstepping-stonesoftheirdeadselvestohigherthings." Though lacking the poetic touch, the mountain highway seems tobelongherewiththe othertwo. 30 Digitized by Google BACGROUNDS31 Formanyyears,perhaps,thesuccessivegenerationsofa familytravel quietly alongthe levelroad.Then acowageous soulclimbstoahigherlevel.It maybeheturnsfromthe security of a "safe"job to the risks of a higher one.It may be he leavesthe old home foranew one acrossthe sea.It may beanyoneofamultitudeofthings.Buttotheclimber, whether he leaves a name to be seen on Time's unrolling scroll or diesunhonored and unsung,succeeding generationsowe a debttheycanpayonlybyemulatinghisupwardstruggle. Insuchclimbingliesthelong-timehopeofourwavering civilization.If tomorrow is better than today it will be because of no miracle,no hocus-pocus.It willbe because brave,God-fearingmen climb"the steep ascenttoheaven"and pullthe laggingcrowdup withthem.Sothe livesofthe men of the Fund, small in number thoughthey are,may at least do their part in pointing waysthat othersmayfollowand that others may help to keep open forfreepassage. It is interesting and perhaps important tonote that in this group of men the foreign-bornplus the native-born of foreign parentsjustaboutequalinnumberstheold-lineAmericans. Moreoverthe measureoftheirintrinsicworthsisasequally balanced. Consider,forexample,sixchosenfromeachgroup,sand-wichingtheold-lineAmericansinbetweenthenative-born offoreignparents,andtheforeign-born.Inlaterchapters anonymitymaybedisregarded.Atthispoint,however,in-terestiscenteredonthe struggle andupwardclimbboth of thefamilyandoftheindividual.Henceitseemsonlyfair that a certain amount of anonymity be maintained.As already indicated,thesemenhavebeenimploredtobanishmodesty fromtheir minds asthey wrote.This has undoubtedly been a difficult thing forthem to do.For even though they are able topassgoodjudgmentontheirownworth,theyhavealso more than the average quota of the banished trait First, then,forthe sixnative-bornofforeign-bornparents. Digitized by Google 32ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT ThenationalitiesrepresentedareEnglish,Finnish,Greek, Russian,Swedish, and Syrian; and the surnamesof the mem-bersofthe group areMaria,Mariner,Mehos,Moberg,Nim-koff,and Salenius. Because of the changing complexion during recent decades inthenationalitiesofourimmigrants,it hasnot beenprac-ticabletofindforthisgroupamanbothofwhoseparents were born inEngland.Between two,one whose mother and theotherwhosefatherwasbornthere,thelatterhasbeen selected.Lethimspeakforhimself,asidefromthesingle statement that he now holds the Ph.D. degree conferred by one of the oldest and best knownof our universities.He says: The mechanicsof livinghavesofullyoccupiedthetimeof all my knownrelativesthat there hasbeen little if any leisure time in which to inquire into even our not-too-distant past.My own father wasanEnglishbricklayerwhocametothiscountryinorderto pursuehistrade.He diedherewhileIwasstillaninfant andI havenopersonalrecollectionofhimatall.Directknowledge concerning mymother'sfamilyisscant.Most ofthe stock onthat sideofthefamilywasPennsylvaniaDutch;but mygrandmother recentlytoldmethat her father'sgrandmother wasafull-blooded Indian.My grandmother's fatherbuilt and operated the oldBuck-hornTaverninBuck'sCounty.It washerethat mymotherwas born.Mygrandmother'S husbandwaskilledin a railroadaccident before anyof the three childrenwasat the usualage forshoulder-ingresponsibility.However,mymotherleftschoolattheendof either the third orfourthgradeto carryher shareof the load. My stepfather wasprobablythe strongest single in8uence in my consciousliving.Mothermarried"Dad"whenImust havebeen aboutfour.Ibelievehe felta specialsort ofresponsibilityformy brother andme,which,in additionto hisobviousfondnessforus, ledhimtogivemoreofhimselfthanmostfathersgivetotheir ownsons.No soncouldhaveaskedmoreof hisownfatherthan "Dad"gaveme.FromhimIlearnedrespectforthequalitiesof honestyandfairplay,andconsiderationfortherightsandprivi-legesofothers.LikeWiseIlearnedtheimportanceoflivingon speakingtermswithone'sconscience.Ontheutilitarianside Digitized by Google BACKGROUNDS33 "Dad"taughtmemanyartsandcrafts,andwiththemall,the satisfactionofdoingagoodjob.Ihadaccesstoareasonably complete set of machineandwood-workingtools,sothat making things waspossible.Since my stepfather came froma long line of seafaringmen,asailboatwasanabsolutenecessityforhim,and fromthe ageof fiveor soIwasamply exposedtothe pleasuresof the ocean.The infectionisdeeplyrootedinme,forevennowI can get complete relaxation and mental freedomonly on the ocean and in a boat small enough to permit the unadultemted taste, feel, andsmellofthe sea. Serious thought about objectives probably began inthe last years of grammarschool,andhascontinuedataccelemtedpaceever since.Certainly the firstobjective wasto live asnearly aspossible accordingtotheteachingsofChrist.Ihaveprobablycomeless closetoattainingthisobjectivethananyother,partlybecauseof failurefullytocomprehendHisteachings,but largelybecauseI havenot beenblessedbyfreedomfromhumanweaknesses.An-other objectivewastokeepinasgoodconditionaspossiblethe healthy bodywhichhadbeengivento me.Athirdobjective was to give leadership whenever calledupon fora worthy purpose.My fourthobjectivehasbeentolearnasmuchaspossibleconcerning asmanythingsaspossible.Pursuanceofthisobjectivehasoc-cupied most of my time since college days. Myfellowstudentsandmyteachersinhighschoolmusthave beenmoresatisfiedthanIwithmyprogresstowardthestated objectives, since, at gmduation, they selected me asrecipient of the SeniorCup"presentedforcharacter,scholarship,athleticsand personality .ff Hishighschoolclassnumberedwelloverfivehundredat graduation. The man of Finnish nationality writesof his background as follows. Finlandin1902wasaGrandDuchyofRussiaunderCzar NicholasII.Asystemofthreeyears'universalmilitaryservice had been in effect, withthe army of Finnish soldiers under Finnish control,but now anewplanwasbeingintroduced,aplancalling for five years of service in Russiafor every able-bodied young Finn. Digitized by Google 34ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT Many of these independent, freedom-loving young men decided in the spring of 1902not to report fortheirphysical examinationsto enter the service of a foreignczar in a land hom whichthey quite possiblywouldneverreturn.ClergymenandFinnishpublicoffi-cialsweregenerallyinsympathywiththemandhelpedthemto avoidtheRussians.Myfatherwasoneofthesetwenty-one-year-old youths.He didnot appearforhis examination.Nothing hap-penedduringthesummerof1902;Fathercontinuedinhistrade of painting inHelsinki and its suburbs.But by fallRussian secret serviceagentswerecallingformeninthenight,menwhowere neverheardfromagain.OnedayDad'sbrother-in-lawcameto him where he wasworking outside the city and said, "You'd better get awaynow.The Russianscametothe houseat midnight last night and askedforyou."That wasonTuesday.On FridayDad wason the ship bound for America,the land of freedom,traveling onhisbrother'spassport - unabletoriskgettingoneinhisown name.IntheUnitedStates - acountryentirelyforeigntohim, whoselanguageheknewnothingof,wherehehadnotoneac-quaintance except his fellow-passengers - myfathermade hisway alonefromNew YorkCitytoeasternMassachusetts,foundajob ina woolenmill there(it being the off-seasonforoutsidepainting work), andintwo monthsat a weeklywageof $5.75mana2Cdto saveenoughtoreturnthe$20thathehadborrowedtohefppay his passage over.A few years later he visited Finland, re-entered the United States with his ownpassport, and became a citizen. Like my father, my mother went to work after finishing grammar school in Finland at the age of thirteen.Dad was a painter; Mother worked for fiveyears as clerk in a village grocery store near Kuopio. Mother, though, had always wanted to be a school teacher.During these fiveyearsshe savedenoughmoneytogoto VerkoSeminary inHelsinki - agrammarschoolteacher-traininginstitution.But the money it hadtaken Jiveyearstosavewasgoneafter one year. Mother sawone chanceto finishhertraining.She hada wealthy aunt to whomshe appealedforhelp."Lendmeenoughto finish school," askedMother."1'11pay youback,everycent."The aunt lookedat Mother coldly andsaid,"There are enough educated la-diesinthe worldalready."SoMother wenttoworkagain,until her brother, already in the United States,sent her a ticket andshe joined him in1910. Digitized by Google BACKCROUNDS35 Mother and Dad weremarriedin1915,andI was born October 6,1917. Interesting in viewof mypresent position - instructorinEng-lish - isthe factthat beforeI went to school Finnish wasthe only languageIknew.It was(andis)spokenat homeandmyplay-mates weremostly of Finnish parentage, sothat althoughIunder-stoodafewwordsofEnglish,Ididn'tevenlearntospeakthe languageuntilIwenttoschool.Soon,however,Iwasbringing home report cards withallA's. Iwentthroughpublicschool,graduatingfromjuniorhighin 1931.Iremember giving the valedictory address about our ship of education having completed one portion of its voyage.Iremember learning apartin a playabout George Washington overnight and reciting the line "I cannot tell a lie, Mother, I did it with myown little hatchet."Iremember being the only boy to wear short pants for graduation exercises - I must have had something of the show-maninme,thusmaking myselfstandout asveryyoung and very small and still the smartest boy inthe class. Indeed, one of my early ambitions wasto be an actor.As boys, my best pal and I arranged theatriCail and motion picture performances in the cel1arofmyhome.Ihadamovieprojector(withtheuse of a phonograph we had sound movies), my friend did magic tricks, and with the help of someneighborhoodgirlswepresentedplays, too.Iremember writing adramacalled"The Witch's Daughter" and appearing in person in the role of the witch.My mother was a veryactiveandversatilememberofthelocalFinnishDramatic Club, aswellasanexcellent reader of poems.Ilovedto hear her read;Ilovedtoattendrehearsalsandsmellthemustinessofthe barestage;Ilovedtoseethefinishedperformancecometolife later withthe glitter of bright lights,the worldof canvasscenery and grease paint, the magic of applause.Though I did not become a professional actor, the spell of the theater is still upon me. Another of my early ambitions was to be a concert pianist.When one of ourneighborsboughtapianoforhisdaughter,Ilearned along with her to playa couple of simple pieces, and I hounded my parents dayafterdaytobuymeapiano.Idrummedmyfingers inimaginarypianoplayingatthebreakfast,dinner,andsupper table.Iwheedledandcajoledandargued,untilfinallyIgotmy pianoandstartedlessonsattheageofeight.Istudiedmusic Digitized by Google 36ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT throughout myschooldaysandinthe summer whilegoingtocol-legeandwentsofarastoget a teacher'sdiplomafromthe exten-siondepartmentofSherwoodMusicSchool,Chicago.Igained somelocalfameasapianist.Formylife'swork,nevertheless,I decidedthat Iwantedtodosomething morepractical,something moredirectlybeneficialtothethinkingofmankindthantheen-tertainment of audiences at concerts.I made up my mind to follow another childhood ambition and become a teacher. In the meantime, however,I went through highschool; wasedi-tor of the schoolmagazine;dabbledinart(I hadnineteenofmy "works"onviewat oneschoolexhibition);wonanessaycontest; wasvaledictorianofmyclass;wasvotedthemostartistic,most musical,mostintellectualmemberofmyclassaswellasclass genius;gave a pianorecitalthe summerof mygraduation. ThisboyofFinnishancestIygrewuptorealizehischild-hoodambition.Thoughbornin animmigranthomewhere a foreignlanguage was habitually spoken he became ateacher ofEnglishl Why depart fromdirect quotations asinteresting asthese? Here,then,inhisownwordsistheaccountoffamilyand early life of the man whose parents came froma land to which the Western world owes so much that in these days of her dis-tressevenour greatest liberalitycanpayher but little on ac-count - Greece. Ihavebeencalledonbeforetosetdownthevitalstatisticsof mylife,but thisisthe firsttimethat Ihavebeengivenfreerein. AlthoughIhave longedforsuchanopportunity.nowthatit has presenteditself,Ifindit difficulttolosemyselfinthestoryand tobecomethoroughlysubjective.ThereforeIhopeyouwillfor-givemeif at timesIbecometoofactualanddull,sinceIamby nature one whodoesnot freelyexpress hisfeelingstoothers,espe-cially on paper. Both my parents were bornina towncalledMegalopolis,inthe Peloponnesus, a peninsula in southern Greece.They didnot meet untiltheyhadbeenintheUnitedStatesforafewyears.They both came here just before the First World War and began to make theirwayina strangelandwithdifferentlanguage,customs,and Digitized by Google BACKGROUNDS37 institutions.It hasalwaysamazedme howquicklytheyadapted themselves to their new surroundings, since they had formerly been frompeasantfamiliesandbadlittleschooling.Afterworkinga yearor twoonafarmmyfatherbecameanentrepreneurinthe wholesaleproducebusiness,inwhichhehasbeenengagedever since.This livelihoodnever returned a great dealof money, but it providedenoughto live on. I first saw the light of day on October 1+,1920.I remember very little about my early childhood.At the age of sixI entered elemen-tary school,whereIremainedforsixyears.Fromthe start Iwas under the handicapof being precededthrough schoolbyanolder brotherandsisterwhopersistedindrawingdownallsortsof honors,scholastic andotherwise.Iwasunder pressureto do like-wiseandIbelievethatthiswasanimportantincentivetothe successesthat I later achieved.Myrecordingrammar schoolwas consistentlyfilledwithA's-withoneexception:conduct.My transgressionswere alwaysmildbut they occurred oftenenoughto bring down the wrath of my teachers. In1932Ienteredjuniorhighschool.Thiswasanimportant eventinmylife,sinceit meant movingontoanewerandlarger schoolwithpupilsfromothersectionsofthecity.Evenatthat ageI wasalways eager to meet people, and the thought of coming intocontactwithsomanynewfacesintriguedme.Icontinued myhighscholasticrecordinjuniorhighschoolandwaschosen highest ranking boyin allthree yearsat this school.Inaddition,I servedontheDebatingClubandactedassportseditorforthe school paper.Besides engaging in legitimate activities,Ipublished (in conjunction with two of my cronies)a scandal sheet.This was anillegalpieceofjournalism,sinceit wasnotrecognizedbythe school.However,itwasverypopularandmadethingsveryin-teresting at times.My conduct was still the subject of seriouscon-cern by some of myteachers,but this phase of my career wasover-looked bythepowersthatbeinviewofmyexcellentscholastic record. The broadeningofmycontactswithotherboysandgirlsdur-ingthisperiod(1932-35)seemsverysignificanttome.It was duringthese yearsthat Itookonaverycosmopolitanattitude to-wardlife - aviewpointwhichIhopeisstillwithme.Bythat I mean that I began to appreciate the feelings, viewpoints, and habits Digitized by Google 38ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT of others whodidnot think exactly asIdid.I learnedthatthere wasa place inthe world(at that time it was a comparatively small worldtome)forathletesandscholars,extrovertsandintroverts, DemocratsandRepublicans,ChristiansandJews,etc.Ibelieve that during this period Iwastaught the value oftolerance and ap-preciation of the other fel1ow'sviewpoint.Today Ifeelsonythat more of myfellowmenarenot convinced that thisisthe only way tolivehappily,butIhaveconfidencethatthroughaprocessof slowevolution,wewillsomedayhaveaminimumofhatredand intolerance. Summer workenabled metopay foral1myclotheswithout any help frommy parents.AIl through my school yearsI earned money during the summermonths, andIamthankfulforthisbecauseit taughtmethe valueofmoneyandthenecessityof working bard to get ahead. In1935Ienteredhighschool.It wasalargeschool-about 1800pupils - andIimmediatelybegantotakeanactiveinterest in all the activities, both scholastic and extra-curricular.In the field ofscholarship,Iagainwasattheheadofmyclassasfarasthe malemembershipwasconcerned.Ididnotconsidermyselfbril-liant - infacttherewereafewothersinmyclasswhomIcon-sideredbetter scholars.However,Iwasluckyenough(hereIam not being modest)to obtain highenoughgradestobeappointed Salutatorianoftheclassatgraduation. Space limitations forbid much further direct quotation from thisstory.Let it sufficetoaddthatindescribinghis'many highschoolactivitiesthewriterhasoccasiontousethesug-gestive words "President," "Editor-in-Chief," "National Honor Society,"and others.That these are but indicativeof acon-sciouspurposeisshownbythelastsentenceinthissection. "It ismyopinionthatscholasticachievementissignificant only when accompanied by accomplishmentsin other fields." Of the remaining three native-bornof foreign-bornparents, one isnow a college dean, a second is director of industrial re-lations and personnel manager for a large manufacturing con-cern in his own home city, and the third is a college professor. The lasthaswrittenseveralbooks.He isco-authorofasuc-Digitized by Google BACEGJlOUNDS39 cessful text in his subject which has been published in England as well as in America, and has had wide adoption.In the latest yearforwhichareportisavailableit wasusedinnearlysix hundred colleges.Allthree of these men are, and always have been,citydwellers. Russia,Sweden,andSyriawerethehomelandsoftheir parents.Economic pressure wasa factor in the coming of all threefamiliestoAmerica,thoughintwoofthecasesaddi-tional factorswere involved.Moreover,economic betterment for all was a definite result of the move. All entered successfully intocommerciallifeinAmerica,andreachedlevelsofpros-perity which,while of verymodest figure according toAmeri-canstandards,wereprobablyfaraboveanythingtheycould have achieved in the lands of their birth. Totumtoothermattersnowthatthebarefactoffinal economicbettermenthasbeenstatedwouldbetomissthe high adventure of these three families as they came from lands acrossthesea.ThevoungSyrian,enteringinimagination into experiences in which he had no part, says that his mother's "far journey" was apageintheimmigrationmovementwhichindramaandin significancetoAmericanculture andhistoryisonaparwiththe daysofthe pilgrimsorthetimeof thecoveredwagons.Mother, whosefarthestjourneyhadbeentoDamascus(abouttenmiles away),reluctantlybutbravelyleftfamiliarplacesandfriendsto embark withtwochildrenjust barelyintheirteensonatrip into a new andcompletely strange world. Just before the ship clearedthe harbor at Beirut,Syria.Turkish officerscameaboardinsearchofmaleChristianswhomightbe stowing away in order to escape draft in the army.One such young man in order to avoidcapturejumpedoverboard.Asympathetic but ignorant bystander threw Mother's suitcasesoverboard,think-ingtheywerethe propertyoftheSeeingyouth.ThusMother's trip wasdelayedunderstressofbuyingnewwardrobe.Thetrip acrossthe water wascrowded.unsanitary,anddifficult.Steamship linesapparentlybadnottimeinmidstofboomingtradetodif-ferentiate betweenimmigrants and cattle. Digitized by Google 40ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT Unable to speak the language of thiscountry, Mother could not comprehendtheforcedseparationofherdaughterandherson fromher at EllisIsland.Apparentlytherewassomequestionas to Mother's eyes, and she wasp1acedin a detentionroomto await furtherexamination.In her panicandfearoverthechildrenshe wentfromonepersontoanotheraskingintroubledArabicfor information about them.She offered her gold bracelets to a female attendantwhoreadilyacceptedthempromisingshewouldbring backwordastothewhereaboutsandsafetyofthechildren.No wordevercame back,but the next daymother andchildrenwere joinedtogether and enteredthe United StatesinJanuary,1912. DadhadgonetoBostontomeethisfamily,butmotherand childrencamedirectlyto another city inwhichthey weretolive. Withthe helpof anaddresswritteninEnglish,Mother enlisted the assistanceof acabbie(horseandcarriage)whotookthemto the address,actually about twoblocksaway,andtheninsistedby holding up two fingersthat he wanted two dollars for the ride.Two dollarsin1912wasasmallfortune,but Mother wastolearnlike somany immigrantsthat ignorance of Americawouldmakethem apreyformanyselfishindividuals.Ayearafter,onJanuary1, 1913,Iwasborn, and it wasinthe heart of thiscosmopolitan and industrial city that I wasraised. The hegiras of the other two familieshere considered, from their homes acrossthe seato this land of promise, have much ofinterestinthem,eventhoughtheymaylacksuchnear tragedies aswererecounted above.FromRussia and Sweden theycamein earlylife.The Russianfamilyfoundthisland "wonderfulinmanyways,but not quite alandofmilk and honey,andlifewasoneofeconomicstruggle."The sonof the familywho istelling his own story and whohasjust been quoted, writes that his father "became a citizen of the United States assoon as he waseligible, but he also identified himself withhisownethnicgroup.He helpedfoundaforeignlan-guagedailypaper,The Forward."Thisfather,likesomany others, had left Europe to avoid military service.Will the sons ofour "land of the free"ever be forcedtofleetofardistant places at the ends of the world for the same reason?The three Digitized by Google BACltGllOUNDS41 childrenof thisRussianfamilywholivedall graduatedfrom high school, but only the youngest wasable to attend college, "thanksinlargeparttotheProfessorAugustusHoweBuck EducationalFund." The Swedishfamilycame hereonthewaveof"American fever"that sweptEuropeinthe lastyearsofthenineteenth century.Thefathercameatthe ageoftwentytoworkfor over fiftyyearsforthe same firmof tailors.During the child-hood of hisonly son the hoursof laborweresolongthat he hadusuallygonewhenthe boyroseinthe morningandre-turned at night after the latter wasin bed.Thus it wasto his mother that her son"turned most frequentlyforcounsel and guidance."He tellsusthat shefirstcameto Chicagoat the age of sixteen for a fiveyears'stay.Then after a yearspent in Sweden she came back to America and settled in Boston. She felt that, being there, she could more easily return to the old country.SincethattimeshehasneverreturnedtoSwedenal-though she has kept inconstant and intimate correspondence with her familythere. My mother'smigrationto the United States hasalwayspuzzled mealittlebecauseshewastheonlymemberofherfamilywho camehereandpermanentlysettled.Certainlytherewasnotthe economicpressurethatwasthecauseofmyfather'smigration. Mymother'sfamilywascomfortablysituated,perhapsevenwell-to-do,certainly muchbetter offthantheywouldhavebeeninthe United States.Ithinkmymother'sdecisionto cometothenew worldwasbasedonherdislikeofclassdistinctionandprivilege inanyformandhergreatlovefordemocracy.Perhapsanother factor may be found in the restlessness that has characterized mem-bers of her family.One brother went to sea and later settled down in Rhodesia in Africa where, with a partner, he owned and operated a ranchformany years.At another time heoperated a business in California, and again in Stockholm.When I met him there a short time ago he was yearning to return to Africa again.Another brother spent some fiveyearsonthe westernplains of the UnitedStates in the ninetiesasa cowpuncher beforehefinallysettleddownasa Digitized by Google 42ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT businessman in Stockholm.The younger sister also traveled widely. She wasa college graduate,a schoolteacher,and anaccomplished artist.At onetimeshewasgovernessintheNobelfamilymade famousbytheNobelpeaceprize.Shetraveledonascholarship incontinentalEuropeandcountriesoftheMediterraneanand eventuallycametotheUnitedStatestocontinueherstudies.It was perhaps the same restless spirit that caused my mother to break withthe oldandseekthenew whenshe wasonly sixteenyearsof age. When I wasborn onMarch4,1908,our family:circlewascom-plete.There werethree other children - all ofthemgirls.I sup-pose asthe only boy andthe youngest inthe familyI mighteasily have been spoiled by my older sisters.However,motherhad been brought upinthe older tradition of familydiscipline andours was awell-orderedhouseholdinwhichrespectandobediencewere expectedof the children.We werea veryintimate familyandre-main soto this day.Mother wasthe leader of the household both inour workandinourfun. The quotation abovewasspoken into adictaphoneat odd moments bya verybusymanl The early years and education of these three men themselves nowclaimattention.Thattwoofthemstartedtheirclimb froma distinctly higher level than would have been theirs had theirparentsremainedintheirownhomelandsgoesalmost withoutsaying.Thatisprobablytruetoalessdegreeeven of the boy whose parents came from Sweden.Here in America atthetopofalltheaddedprivilegesstoodthefreepublic schools in which allthree of the boys wonhigh honors.This, however,shouldnot be takento meanthat they enjoyedthe confining routine of schoollife - quite the contrary.One of them writes: The greatest unhappinessofmychildhoodwasgoingto school. Althoughmyteacherswereallfriendlyandcompetent,theyhad been trained in the educational philosophy of that day.Experience had made me receptive to discipline but the unmotivated lock-step character of classroomprocedure foundnoresponsivechordinmy Digitized by Google BACKGROUNDS43 heart.Schooltomewasadreadfulplace.Eventothisdaythe my odor of that old schoolbuilding with its oiled800rsgivesme a sickening pain in the pit of my stomach.Idon't thinkthis atti-tude ever left me during all of my primary and grammar school life. Ihadthe misfortuneofbeinglikedbytheteachersandwasfre-quently held up as an example for the other students.Nothing can cause a youngster more mentalanguish.Outside of schoolIwasa robust,happychildplayingintenselywiththeotherboysinthe neighborhood. The experiences in Boston of the boy of Russian parentage tellofstartlingalterationsthatfollowedtheupwardmarch of his familyfromEurope to America.He writes: Gr.munarschooldaysbringbackmemoriesofcoastingdown Beacon Hill and the Boston Common.Both were really hazardous and we youngsters suffered our share of casualties.Ido not have a clearrecollectionofmyteacherswiththeexceptionofeighth grade, the firstmale teacher Ihad had.He wasasplendidperson, amanof high standards whocommunicated hisvaluesto hisstu-dents.Manyofmyhighschoolteachersarevividinmymind, especially the men, but this may be because the experience ismore recent.Ihad many excellent teachers at the BostonEnglishHigh School.The year of my graduation,1921, happened to be alsothe centennialyearof the foundingof the schooland asIchancedto beclasspresidentIwasappointedto theCentennialCommittee which held frequentmeetings with some ofthe politicians of Bos-ton.Of thesemeetingsInowhavevividmemoriesofdisillusion-ment.Thereweredrinkingand8agrantandshamelessefforton the part of the committee to usethe centennialprogramfortheir ownpersonalbenefit.OneincidentIrememberquitewellcon-cerns an outstanding member who had been given the responsibility of handling the programs for the occasion.I discovered that he was pocketing a good share of the proceeds fromcertainof the events, and in great dudgeonI fqlOrtedthe matter to the committee.To my great surprise,anddismay,they laughedthe matter off,andI rememberthatoneofthegroupremarked,"He'llmakeagood politician."That occasion was to celebrate a century of progress in education I Digitized by Google ACHRONICLEOFACHIEVEMENT Like the other two, the story of the school yearsof the boy of Syrianparentageisamixture,parthappinessandpart-something else. I enjoyed school and strove successfullyto earnthe teacher'sap-proval and to be first on the Honor Roll.In the third grade I won thecity-widereadingcontest,andasoneoftheindirectrewards wasgivenaccessto ~library of children'sbooks,whichIhungrily read in eager batches.I readmuchthrough allmy school years. The cityteemedwithvariousnationalitygroups.It wasneces-saryformetoprovemyrighttobeconsideredanAmericanand this was done through superiority in the classroom, through prowess on the athletic fieldand whennecessary through powe