Albion College - Albionian Yearbook (Albion, MI)

Page 33 text:

Now, a day was fast approaching, But at length the strife was ended. And impatient were we waiting, i ' i, A And the Sophomores, dejected, Our first step was to be taken -g - 1 If ll . - ,ce Who survived the rag-ing' battle, In this world we'd newly entered. 334 -Q! .. 4 ' ' ,...g IM' Hunted out their hats and neckties Hours and houl s the girls were busy, 25552 sg? u X f f H, 1 i..-.5.,.. il' 141-Om the dust before the Chapel, Yards and yards of ribbon using. 5--e' ' 13' l '-' My And l'Cfl1'0d i11 51111011 SUCUCC- Then one sunny Autumn morning, l .. ,FB P mf AH' ' hawaii- F: , 2- l . . g . . is M , 't ' 14, AW, 1 + But what is that waving pioudlv. When the chapel bell was ringing, 'wx Q : WWE!! V , Fhit. ir tl I t 1 I . xy In we marched with heads uplifted, C: f i ig, I7 A 'M' - K, ifqw t' ' 1. ld mb On, me 'm,u'm H step' WCa,.ing green and gold' Om. Colors, tl if .9 'ffl ,N ny, 2 tin the Lab latoi by s su m mit. . X- X 21, X 1 fi-. -.. , . . .- unconscious of our beauty' nfl, t . V ., f ,Ii 2 L: 7 1 lb .the B 1 tibll 11111.11 Hslg of tl lulnph, Of our strength and other virtues. 8 , p is 1, ,V 4 ! Bom-mg piamly 1900! But the rest were not unconscious, J, . .1 Jf f M i iii lh Nirffn ,Q When the battle dire was over, And the Sophomore was trembling, N , I up A , 1 Uneventful flew the days by. D1'0adi11g Sore the wmmg Confhct' in i N , --ffl Each one was a rebetition . Q 1 i ,7 ' , fi ' Of the one whose Wake it followed, Ages, that eventful morning - kb ex sgff 1 ,U . . , Q. - 1 ',, ' l ' 1 - - - l Seemingly that chapel lasted. ' t me .W K ' 011Cm0111m.: du' mg Llmlld c ' There were read these two announ But at last 'mid looks admiring, Out we marched As that ever famed six hundred In the mouth of Hell rode boldly, to-woe or triumph, Then began the deadly conflict, Hand to hand they fought together, Long and loudly raged the battle 'Twixt the Sophomores and Fresh men. In the door the Freshmen maidens Now despaired and now applauded. To and fro now surged the vict'ry, First with one, then with the other. Madly clutching at the colors, Like an ocean wave advancing, Came the Soph'more, then retreated. -33... Which iilled all with dire foreboding, That the Preps and 1900, At a time and place conflicting, Each should hold important meetings. Now the Preps were young and foolish, Had they been endowed with wisdom, Had they dived deep down in science To secure its hidden treasures, Their own reason would have told them That two things cannot, by Nature, Occupy a space together. Promptly at the time appointed, All the Freshmen were assembled, Seated there in solemn conclave. cements

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It was '96 in-Autumn, In the red and golden Fall time, And the college bells resounding, Far and near their echoes sending, Reached our ears and gave us warning That we must away to college. There a page lay, white and spotless, On which we must leavevour record, Though in tears we left the home nest, Yet how joyous were our heart-beats, And such lofty aspirations, ' And such noble resolutions, As accompanied each one hither! We were Freshmen' And how joyous Were the thoughts which filled our bosoms. Ol the glory and the gladness, if And the happiness how boundless, That we felt as college students! And the castles so ephemeral, Which we built of airy fabric, Were so beautiful and wondrous? Dreams sped fast from mystic Dream-land, Dreams of all the bright to-morrows, And the foot-prints deep behind us, , Wliich we'd leave upon the bright sands, On the gridiron and the diamond. True we were reviled and laughed at, As are all despised Fresh men, But we bore our persecution, Witli a calmness and a patience, Worthy of the ancient martyrs. When we saw the Seniors boastful, How our hearts were filled with rev ience For the Juniors we felt envy, For the Soph'n1ores, fear and tremblin Only toward the Preps so tender Was our dignity asserted. Then there rises up a picture, 7 Which inspired such awe and rev ience, That we held our breath in silence, That we looked with adoration, That we made a low obeisance- 'Twas the Faculty before us, As we saw them first in chapel. We began our life in college, Swiftly dancing, gay and joyous, Sped the first weeks, all ,unheeded We had learned by observation All the college ways and myst'ries, We had learned the subtle meaning 4 U9 d S6 Of such words as ' flunk an pony, Quin, conditioned, plucked and buzzing, in--i We had learned to finc t e Lo-op, We had caught a glimpse of Greekdom, All our boys now wore high collars, Made their hair part in the middle, We had written home the wondersg Some had learned to make their schedules, So they left six hours for buzzing, We had had our first class meeting, All our officers were chosen, And to make the story shorter, We had come into existence, As the class of 1900.

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Presently there came a rapping P And a timid gentle tapping, Then the door was softly opened, And there peered in from the darkness, 5 Trembling Preps with faces pallid il And their hair stood up with terror, Yet they vainly had imagined, They could drive away the Fresh men. Then uprose brave 1900, Bold courageous 1900, And the Preps, all in confusion, Vanished quickly in the darkness, Scattered in a single instant, Like the chaff blown by the storm-wind. i But beware of youthful fancy, When 'tis ruled by fear and anger! For they planned to do us mischief, Planned by stealth to do us mischief, So they lay outside in ambush. And as he was going homeward, Seized the leader of the Freshmen, Then with trembling hands they bore him Through the rain-storm and the darkness, And with cruel hands they bound him To a tree upon the campus. Then the wind used all its fury, And the rain used all its lashes, Sadly, cruelly, they beat him. Soon the Freshmen missed their leader, Missed his presence from their number, 'Twas in vain they all sought for him, 'Twas in vain they called so loudly. But to make the story shorter, 1900 found the missing, With the gracious Preps' assistance, Who did not find bolts and door locks, Barricades of chairs and tables, Proof against the Freshman valor. And in chapel in the morning Many Prep seats were quite vacant, Many Preps wore downcast faces, And they bowed in meek submission, And in silence begged for mercy, Ev'ry time they saw a Freshman. From that day the Preps, we noticed, Were much sadder and much wiser, And 'twas said by good Dame Rumor, Not one Prep e'er told his best girl, How he tied down on the campus President of 1900. Now before my closed reyes passing Is a happy, joyful vision, Merry mirth and jolly jesting Of that night, to us eventful, When we held our Freshman banquet And a transient smile of pleasure Wreaths the dreamv lips of Mem ry, As she shows this well-known picture Long the Freshman's face was paling Day by day his step grew slower, And to him life seemed a burden. All this told a taleof study, Told of wee' sma' hours of study, So he dropped three hours of Latin, Planned an eve of recreation,