June 11, 1929

Speaking to the 238 members of the Class of 1929, the faculty and guests at Commencement, President MacCracken attacked a false sophistication and artificiality in contemporary American life and urged a return to honest discussion and frankness of opinion. The artificial quality of discourse extended, he said, to all areas of the culture—colleges, churches, music, social arts and politics. “The result,” he proposed, “has been a new artificiality, which makes culture, home and education peppy…. Sophistication takes refuge in virtuosity and makes a stunt of expression. It’s mechanism is that of dictation and inflation…. Trivial thoughts are spun out in familiar bunk.” Deliberative thought, expressed in plain and lucid language, MacCracken urged, needed desperately to be again practiced and valued.

Master’s degrees were awarded to Margaret Cornelison ’27 and Lydia Ilse Hecht ’29. Annual gifts to the college totaled $210,000.

The New York Times