1. But like so many liberal and left Granite Staters catcher grew up in snowy Charlestown,
observers, Dowie retreats from his own John O. Harney N.H., where “the growing season is just
critique. Early in the book, he describes too short” for ballplayers, how Fisk
foundations as “drag anchors” on social The New Hampshire Century: made his home in New Hampshire even
change that are “bland, self-congratula- Concord Monitor Profiles of One after making the majors, and how the
tory.” By the last (and weakest) two Hundred People Who Shaped It, church bells rang in Charlestown at
chapters of the book, Dowie has Felice Belman and Mike Pride, Eds., 12:33 a.m. after the favorite son famous-
resorted to platitudes: “A healthy University Press of New England, ly coaxed a 12th inning home run over
community leads to a healthy commu- 2001, $19.95 Fenway Park’s Green Monster to win
nity.” And, “If America is to become game six of the 1975 World Series.
more progressive in fact and outlook, New Hampshire has been bucking
it will be, in part, because its philan- regional and national trends throughout
thropists seek social progress.” the past century, growing when the rest
Dowie complains that the dominance of the region shrank, embracing local
of conservatives in the “civility” debate rule as state and federal powers grew,
must be matched by “progressive” foun- going its own way. Who made it so?
dations whom he hopes will put more of Editors of the capital city’s daily news-
their money where their mouths are. paper, the Concord Monitor, look at 20th-
I am reminded of the old joke about century New Hampshire by profiling 100
the group of women who return from a famous and not-so-famous people who
Catskills vacation. They complain the have called the state home: from
food was bad and, of course, there teacher/astronaut Christa McAuliffe to
wasn’t enough of it! Dowie seems to poet Donald Hall to U.S. Supreme Court
think philanthropy would improve if Justice David Souter. There are less
only there were more of it. famous shapers too, including a
Ultimately, the book’s weakness is its stonewall builder, a computer expert and
inattention to how the extraction, accu- a survivor of the Spanish Flu of 1918.
mulation and distribution of wealth The book is edited by Monitor editor The editors offer a fascinating account
could change. Mike Pride and former Monitor city of the life of labor leader Elizabeth Flynn,
The author sees capitalism as eter- editor Felice Belman, now with the from her activist grandfather’s role in a
nal, despite its very short Washington Post. plot to set up an independent republic in
history. He is suspicious of the public The collection is written in the easy Canada, through her shuttling the chil-
sector and the intervention of journalistic style of newspaper profiles, dren of striking workers’ out of harm’s
government officials, bureaucrats or making some of the pieces frustratingly way in Lawrence, Mass., to her leadership
special interests in allocating money. Yet brief. Exactly five paragraphs are of the American Communist Party and
these suspicions, though understand- devoted to John Sununu, the high- her state funeral in Moscow.
able, contradict his thesis about tech era governor who dogged Of course, places and times are
democracy, and his earlier suggestion Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis not really shaped only by people’s
that foundations are inherently throughout the 1988 presidential elec- good sides, and The New Hampshire
“ademocratic.” tion and was rewarded with the chief of Century’s panicky exits when lives go
Yes, in these days of Clinton and staff job under the elder George Bush. awry gets tiresome. For example, the
Bush, Yeltsin and Putin and numerous A profile of the first two women elect- chapter on Sherman Adams is good
others, it is hard to imagine an exciting ed to the New Hampshire Legislature, enough, but the scandal involving
democratic system of public govern- Jessie Doe and Mary Louise Rolfe Boston textile manufacturer Bernard
ment. Yet the logic of his Farnum, weighs in at just three para- Goldfine that ultimately cost Adams
argument still fails. If foundation graphs, but is interesting nonetheless the perceived role as Ike’s righthand
schemes to slightly mitigate the worst of given New Hampshire’s national leader- Yankee is relegated to a single mention
capitalist excess through a bit of ship in electing women lawmakers. About in the final paragraph. The lack of
philanthropy have been a dismal failure this phenomenon, the editors quote 1990s preparation offered the reader for New
for a century, why will it change now? House Speaker Donna Sytek: “You can Dealer Gov. John Winant’s 1947 suicide
always find women in the world’s lowest- is even more perplexing. Ultimately,
David Wagner is a professor at the paying jobs.” New Hampshire legislators the profiles are endearing, if a bit eco-
University of Southern Maine’s School today earn $100 a year for their service in nomical—just like New Hampshire.
of Social Work & Sociology and author Concord just as Doe and Farnum did.
of “What’s Love Got to do with it? A A longer essay on Carlton Fisk is a John O. Harney is executive editor of
Critical Look at American Charity.” home run, explaining how the Red Sox CONNECTION.
CONNECTION SUMMER 2001 45