Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/1997/11/02/letters_to_the_editor.php
Sunday, November 2, 1997
Bosworth Does Not Speak For Dartmouth
To The Editor:
Sorry we couldn't make the 60th for 1937 last June. Transportation around the fruited plains of Hanover, compounded by parking problems, seemed an insurmountable.
I have just received the letter from Stephen W. Bosworth announcing the retirement of James O. Freedman in June '98. If he speaks for the Board of Trustees, I see little hope for the future until the present board has been replaced by members with a better grasp of reality. The same goes for a great many faculty members, who have tenure and unfortunately will no be replaced for many years.
For Mr. Bosworth to say that 'Jim will leave a Dartmouth that is stronger than at any point in its history' shows a lack of understanding both of the history of the College and what its underlying ideals should be.
I commend The Review for its courage against the unrelenting pressures of a PC administration.
Sincerely yours,
Jake Mosser '37
Kennebunkport, ME
Review Must Rediscover Its Edge
To The Editor:
I am enclosing my check and hope to continue to receive The Dartmouth Review this year. I must confess, however, that I have been disappointed in the quality and content of the writing during the past couple of years. It seems that the standards of excellence in journalism have suffered. There appears to be less wit in the humor and less passion, and less sophomoric enthusiasm and outrage. The prevalent tone seems to have deteriorated to whining.
The Review set the standard for its field years ago. I congratulate you on your position as Editor-in-Chief, and hope that you will take seriously this plea to return the paper to its former glory.
Sincerely yours,
Gregory M. Cook
Chester, CT
View From the Forest
Dear Mr. Bosworth,
The most gratifying experience that I have received in ten years from Dartmouth College was your letter of 7 October, 1997 announcing the resignation this June of James O. Freedman. A very large percentage of the Dartmouth Community agrees with me.
Freedman may have raised the academic level of Dartmouth, but he also has torn asunder many other parts. It will be many years before the Dartmouth Community heals and made whole again, especially the alumni detachment. Freedman's legacies from the University of Pennsylvania and Iowa are testimonies to his low esteem at these institutions.
Your overly praise-worth letter makes me wonder if you 'cannot see the forest because of the trees.' As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, your primary duty now should be to find the successor to Freedman who will restore Dartmouth College with the principles that are the foundations of its greatness as a liberal arts college.
Sincerely,
E. Smedley Ward, Jr. '43
Sharon, VT