Seventeen-year-old Frank had entered Dartmouth with his nineteen-year-old brother, Dwight, in 1864. By 1866 it seems that they had gotten into some trouble, at least some of which Frank was willing to own, per his father's letter: "That he has thrown snowballs at Charles and Rowell at their window, he freely acknowledges, but as firmly denies throwing the bottle." It's not clear what or whom the bottle hit, or if it contained anything, but apparently Frank was a habitual offender and that those incidents alone did not warrant the suspension. The faculty minutes of November 23, 1865, concerning Frank's suspension state that he had a record of "previous disorderly and unscholarly conduct" and indicated "his complicity in recent serious offenses." Unfortunately, those offenses are not listed in detail.
I was curious about the "obscene" book that the letter mentioned in the letter, Observations on Morbid
By the time Thomas Bartlett writes his letter his older son, Dwight, is dying of consumption and has already left Dartmouth to return home. Ultimately, Dwight died in April 1866 with Frank by his side, something that would not have been possible but for the younger Bartlett's suspension from college. "It seems now that the request of Frank’s mother that he and Dwight might never be separated will be complied with," Thomas Bartlett writes in the letter. In a postscript he adds: "Frank performed his last act for Dwight last night. He wet his lips for the last time, rubbed his hands and saw him expire."
Frank never returned to Dartmouth, as his father wanted him to stay home. nearly thirty years later, in a passport application dated 1894, his profession is described as "Director of Foreign Tours". He left the US for London, England, that year and died there in 1899 at the age of 50.
To look at the letter from Thomas Barlett to President Asa Dodge Smith, come to Special Collections and ask for Mss 866228.2. To judge for yourself the prurient nature of John Adams' Observations on Morbid Poisons Chronic and Acute, request the book online from the Dartmouth Library Depository online; the call number is Depository 616.091 A214o.
Such an interesting story! How times have changed on what is considered unacceptable! I remember being fascinated with illustrations of the human body in the Encyclopedia Britannica. In the mid-1800’s I would have been expelled in the fourth grade!
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