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Boiling, fretful excitement, hard work and long hours are a thing of the past in the Tercentenary Office, Lehman Hall, and the U. S. postal agents are carrying the brunt of the remaining work as hundreds of congratulatory letters pour in daily from alumni, faculty, and delegates who attended the Celebration two weeks past.
Jerome D. Greens '96, efficient director of the occasion, who will not resume his former position of Secretary to the Corporation until November, has had a chance to lean back and philosophize on the occasion. His post of Corporation Secretary has been held since last spring by George H. Chase, John E. Hudson Professor of Archaeology and Dean of the Graduate School of arts and Sciences.
Salient Significance
Looking slightly worn and in need of the well-earned vacation which will start this Thursday and last until the middle of October, Mr. Greene singled out yesterday morning what he considered the salient historical significance of the Tercentenary. More than being a birthday Celebration, it was an occasion on which Harvard shared with other institutions of the world and the general public the supreme feeling of faith and confidence in the endurance of higher education. It was an occasion which proved that such institutions as Harvard would hold their influential position, despite social or economic upheaval.
Confidence
From hundreds of letters Mr. Greene has received the impression that even hard-boiled graduates were moved and that all who attended came away inspired.
Memorial publications
During the next two months, four memorial volumes will be published about the Celebration. The first will be a complete record, including the texts of the principal speeches. Three other volumes will record the three collaborative symposia held as a part of the Tercentenary Conference, namely "Independence, Convergence, and Borrowing in Institution, Thought, and Art," "Authority and the Individual," and "Factors Determining Human Behavior." The individual papers in the physical sciences and biology will be published by the authors through their own channels, it being felt that such papers would be more useful to Scholars if published in the usual technical journals. The four volumes to be published by the University will be edited by a committee consisting of Dumas Malone, Director of the University Press, Edwin, B. Wilson, professor of Vital Statistics, and Mr. Greene. Records of Event
Mr. Greene explained that all other records of the event, in the form of letters, programs, etc., would be filed in the archives of Widener, along with the packet sealed by President Conant which is to be opened in 2036; and certainly those in Cambridge 100 years hence will have a quantity of material to hash over.
Artistic Side
Rambling on, Mr. Greene spoke of the artistic side of the Celebration, involving decoration, music, and design. He placed special emphasis on the services rendered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra which performed four times, that is, at three regular concerts and the service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance.
The work of the Tercentenary chorus, manned by undergraduates and graduate members of the Glee Club, and assisted by the Radcliffe chorus was also praised, as well as the performance of the Boston String Quarter who played compositions of Harvard graduates in three concerts of chamber music.
Pierre LaRose '95
Particularly valuable was the work of Pierre LaRose '95, formerly associated with the English Department and expert on heraldry, who designed the new arms for the University, the Tercentenary banners, and the flags.
The new Harvard flag evident in many places during the Tercentenary containing only the three open books, with Ve-Ri-Tas, on the bright red background was a development of LaRose. According to heraldic rules, the basic color of the flag should not necessarily be Crimson, but any bright red. The official Crimson color is correct for academic gowns, in as much as it is the livery color. This new flag has not been officially adopted by the University as yet, but such action may be considered in the future, according to Mr. Greene.
Tercentenary Medal
Another technician mentioned by Mr. Greene is Graham Carey '14 who designed the official Tercentenary Medal. The design follows very closely upon the usage of the seventeenth century. Further, old methods of die-cutting were used by the metal founders, so that the finished product is in a fitting ancient style.
Decorations for the Tercentenary Theatre were handled by the University architects, the firm of coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch, and Abbott.
Degree Recipients
Mr. Green also spoke of a certain mis-understanding which has arisen concerning the recipients of honorary degrees, and he mentioned a letter published recently in the Transcript by Henry D. Sedgwick '82, who objected to the fact that no great musicians or artists had been honored by Harvard.
According to Mr. Greene, this type of man was not intended to be included on the list. As an example he classed musicians, artists, or business men as practitioners, and not fundamental theorists and scientists. Harvard he said wished to boner only this latter class, and for this reason a degree was given to a great musical historian, no a musician, to a great fundamental economist, not a business man.
More Letters
Turning to another phase of the Cele bratien, Mr. Greene spoke of the compliments which his staff here received for their excellent work on details Many have written prairies the smoothness of the execution of the schedule which lent similar to the occasion.
A seemed Instalment if the artists will be published in the "Crimson" tomorrow morning.
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