The recent article on the future demolition of Thayer Hall ("Thayer likely to be torn down by 2010," Feb. 28) did the College a disservice by neglecting to consider the fate of historic and controversial Dartmouth murals. Unlike the Winter Carnival posters which lead to the second floor of the building or the removable portrait of Daniel Webster near the Blend, these murals will likely share the fate of Thayer itself when the wrecking ball comes unless the College can develop a creative solution for their preservation.
The Hovey Murals, as they are called, were commissioned by the Trustees of Dartmouth College in 1938 and painted by Walter Beach Humphrey '11. The murals were inspired by the lyrics of "Eleazar Wheelock," written by Richard Hovey '85 (that's 1885) -- the man who also wrote "Men of Dartmouth," now known as the "Alma Mater." The murals adorned the walls of the Hovey Grill (itself now a game room in the basement) until they were covered by panels in 1983.
The murals were covered then due to an outcry regarding their content, which many have claimed racist and insensitive. I disagree that the murals are racist and insensitive -- they constitute art, the censoring of which is akin to burning books. Moreover, even if the murals are hateful and derogatory they still should be preserved as a reminder of the past, lest we forget the horrors of history.
Although the murals are covered, the Hood museum holds photographic copies of the eight panels. Unfortunately, these photographs hardly do justice to the artwork, which fills most of the walls in the raised-ceiling basement of Thayer. I viewed the photos through the Hood's website, and noted two possible objections to the work.
First, the images depict male Native Americans in minimal clothing drinking rum and clamoring to catch the drink spilling from a bowl held by Eleazar Wheelock. This image, inspired by Hovey's song lyrics, also focuses on the "five hundred gallons of New England rum" that Wheelock brought from Connecticut in 1769. Clearly, both the song and mural are meant to be comical. In those days rum was transported in barrels, which hold only about thirty gallons. The idea of carting two tons of liquid (the approximate weight of five hundred gallons of rum) into the northern wilderness via horse-drawn cart is a preposterous exaggeration that could only be intended as humor. I can understand how students of Native American decent might find offensive images of European missionaries serving alcohol to indigenous people. But surely, these and other images of alcohol use might offend those individuals who have lost loved ones to drunk driving, or who have been abused by an alcoholic parent. While different groups of people may feel hurt by these images, this is not a sufficient condition for art to be censored.
The other possibly offensive aspect of the Hovey Murals is that they include depictions of nude Native American women, one of whom is trying to read a book upside-down. While some might find this abhorrent, I see it as an essential reminder of Dartmouth's noble history. Upon its founding, the purpose of Dartmouth was to educate local Native Americans, most of whom could not read English. This was the reason for locating the school in New Hampshire. This is a historical fact, not a racist claim. The upside down book conveys the altruistic history of Dartmouth, and any "insensitivity" within the image is the result of outside biases. Wheelock's mission to educate the Native Americans was truly noble and something which should be remembered and honored.
Dartmouth has often displayed controversial art, even in its cafeterias. Several years ago a grotesque exhibit that included paintings of naked humans beings slaughtered like animals covered the walls of the Courtyard Cafe, where students line up to order their meals. Currently this same space displays a photo of a nude boy about six years old that I consider child pornography. While I feel these exhibits are often offensive, they should not be censored. As Voltaire famously stated, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
Furthermore, there is historical value to preserving the murals as a reminder of Dartmouth's past, as racially insensitive as it may be. For the same reason that concentration camps are preserved for future generations, murals that are truly offensive should be kept as reminders of past injustices.
The administration should sponsor a forum on the future of the murals, involving the entire Dartmouth community, to be held in Thayer with the murals themselves uncovered. We are all adults, and can consider the value and future of the murals in an academic setting. Then, a decision on the murals should be made with input from students, faculty, alumni and the rest of the Dartmouth community.
The Hovey Murals must be preserved, not covered up and left to rot until the demise of Thayer.
