Isolationism and Famed 'House Spirit' Maintain Healthy Balance at Kirkland

When a Kirkland man propounds the myth that his is the "friendly" House, the House with "spirit," he is subverting the ideal that his Master, Mason Hammond '25 once set forth for a House community: It must rest, he said, on a delicate balance between "pressure and laissez-faire, hollow heartiness and selfish isolation; in short, between the claims of the individual and these of the whole."

To describe Kirkland House as the "spirit" House is to do it an injustice. Unfortunately, some House Committeemen would like to apply the label to Kirkland. Happily, the label doesn't stick.

There are some genuine and valuable manifestations of House spirit and friendship like the annual Christmas Dinner and House Play; among the less valuable, albeit more robust, manifestations are the occasional beer-busts. Acting as a counter-balance is the spirit of isolation or sheer indifference which prevails among some House members. The opposition of the two spirits produces a tension which is needed and prevents a conformity which is deadening.

Enough Spirit and Talent

There is enough spirit and talent in Kirkland to make possible a House performance of Allen Sapp's cantata, "Little Boy Lost." There is enough indifference to provoke complaints from athletic secretaries that the Straus Trophy will never again be Kirkland's if more men don't participate in House sports.

In short, Kirkland combines contradictory and complementary elements to make it a reasonably successful House. A large proportion of its men are Dean's List students; there are several varsity athletes, and even more who play House ball.

Relatively few Kirkland men write for the Advocate or the Lampoon, or own club ties. But a large number of its 357 members are active in WHRB, the Crimson Key, The Crimson, the Yearbook, the Harvard Dramatic Club, and the Band. Kirkland had two representatives on Phi Beta Kappa's Senior Sixteen list, and two second-place winners in the Boylston Oratory competition.

Master Hammond does not cultivate the acquaintance of his House members as actively as perhaps might be desired; but weekly teas and dinners provide upperclassmen with sufficient opportunity to meet the Hammonds. Most members feel Senior Tutor Ayers Brinser maintains too exclusively a formal, official, disciplinary relationship with them.

Kirkland's tutorial staff, with representatives from nearly 20 fields, is particularly strong in English, Government, and History, with men like Sam Huntington, Bill Alfred, Joe Everingham, and others. The tendency of tutors to congregate at a small table off in a corner of the dining hall has virtually disappeared. More and more frequently, undergraduates find themselves sharing a table with one of the tutors.

Some feel Kirkland is least impressive in its physical lay-out. But even here there are several saving features. The Dining Hall is small, low-ceilinged, and intimate. The Junior Common Room is spacious and warm.

Hicks House, Kirkland's unique library, is divided into several small, comfortable reading rooms. Constructed in the 18th century, the library is a frame building which shelters 16,000 volumes. Hicks House is particularly strong in the classics, English, and history, reflecting the tastes of its Master. An extensive and ever-growing record collection is located in the library's basement, and a Music Room in B-entry's basement provides facilities for listening as well as playing.

Any statement concerning Kirkland's architecture will provoke dispute. Let it be said that some consider its solid Georgian design uninteresting, while others feel it is comfortable and warm. The courtyard shows a lack of imagination in its landscapings but a sunny day can obscure this defect.

Most Kirkland men will shrug off its physical shortcomings. They will talk about the House in terms of its talents, its achievements, its ambitions. And the fact that they will talk in these terms is one of Kirkland's greatest recommendations.

Present size of House: 357

Vacancies for freshmen: 136

Types of room available: 16 doubles, 29 triples, 3 quadruples and 1 quintuple.

Price range of available rooms (per man per term): doubles, $115-180; triples, $100-205; Quadruples, $100-140; quintuple, $105.