Columbia University - Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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were seen in the lapels of many yearlings. Of the erasing of that sense of importance little need be saidg those same men who had been feted to distraction suddenly became the meekest on the Campus. At the call for candidates for the cane spree team, a large number of men turned out. After a period of several weeks' training, the 1930 entrants surprised the College in the sprees held before Christmas by annexing four of the seven canes. This victory over the Sophomores entitled the Frosh to the privilege of smoking their class pipes on the Campus after Washington's Birthday, a boon of which many availed themselves. Student Board deemed the Class of 1930 capable of caring for itself in the Spring semester and opened the polls for class elections. The results of these elections showed that Edward Joyce had been elected presidentg joseph Hagen, vice-president, Elbert Twaddell, secretary, and William Blaisdell, treasurer. Under its own leadership the Class of 1930 entered the Dinner Week contest with determination to win. With the Dinner and Vigilance Committees functioning per- fectly, they held an undisturbed and excellently managed dinner at the Hotel Shelburne in Coney Island. One hundred and fifty men sat down at the banquet, which was unmarred by the presence of Sophomores, with the exception of the two who were held as captives for the occasion. Although the yearlings were unable to reach the Sophomore dinner in time to break it up, they won an informal victory through having more men attend their own affair and escaping without being molested. Toward the end of the Spring semester elections were held once again, this time for the officers of the Sophomore Class. james Campbell was chosen to head the class in the following year, with Charles Harris as vice-president, while Elbert Twaddell and William Blaisdell were re-elected secretary and treasurer, respectively. Final examinations brought to a close the days in which the Class of 1950 were known as Freshmen and in which they had to wear the black cap and green card. With the passage of the year went the assumption of humility, the experience of Hell Week, the mingled emotions of being introduced to the wiles of the Apollo Burlesque chorus. The summer vacation was filled with expectations of a new, greater year, and the wisdom of Contemporary Civilization crammed into Freshmen heads was already passing. SOPHOMORE YEAR Summer vacation lasts only four months, but sometimes it has the effect of that number of years. Certainly the class which had won the Dinner Week contest of the preceding semester with such enthusiasm did not return to College as the immature Freshmen they were when they left it in May. The disappearance of the Freshman cap produced a marked change, instead of plunging madly into inter-class activities the men of 1930 held aloof. The era of 'lnon-collegiatenessn and half formality continued. The opening day of the academic year came and went unmarked. The traditional welcome to the new class of Freshmen seemed to have passed into the limbo. When, before the start of classes that morning, a group of forewarned Frosh gathered around the sun dial prepared for the worst, they were permitted to remain there unmolested. Student Board had decreed the death of Freshman hazing. Besides, 9 o'clock classes had become unpopular with the Class of 1930, whose members certainly would not disturb themselves for a crowd of mere Frosh. But with the renewed participation of the Sophomore Class in college activities, that attitude soon passed. Fo'otball practice had already started when the class returned to Morningside Heights. Malcolm Bleeker, Remey Tys, Bill Buser, and james Campbell were already figuring in the headlines of the metropolitan papers. Track and the minor sports drew in their share of Sophomoresg and soon, with men out for managerial positions, the

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REMEY TYs GEORGE ODOM JOHN HENRY JOSEPH HAGEN Vice-Preridenl Prefideizf Secretary T1'eafzz1'e1' HISTORY CF THE CLASS GF 1930 PRES:-:MAN YEAR RIDE goeth before a fall, and prep school seniors enter college as freshmen. In September, 1926, another group of yearlings entered into the Columbia fold. Groups of waiting Sophomores pounced on every Frosh on his way to his first class. The captured ones were borne to South Field and there were submitted to certain indignities. It was literally a Frosh Welcome, and it did the new men good. When the Sophomores had tired of their fun and had left the harassed Freshmen alone on South Field, the latter realized they were all of one body. The Class of 1950 had come into eixstence. With black caps on the top of their heads and green cards prominent in their jackets, these yearling soon learned the meaning of the word humility. But the abrasions which accompanied that lesson were more than made up for by the feeling of pride they experienced whenever the cry '30 this way! was heard on the campus. The holding of the Song Fest brought the men of 1930 out to the South Field stands in a body. Under the guidance of the vigilant Sophomores, they went through the college songs and cheers until the latter were satisfied with their knowledge. Some unfortunate Freshmen, however, displayed an ignorance of songs that brought them swift punishment. Any Frosh discovered looking nonchalant or merely mouthing the words he should have been singing was escorted from the stands by the Sophomores and was liberally daubed with shoe blacking. At the conclusion of the last song, white tags were distributed to those men who had successfully passed the test, and the Black Avengers walked through the Campus seeking yearlings without these symbols. An opportunity was given the Class of 1950 to avenge its past indignities with the annual Frosh-Soph tug-of-war. As usual, the Freshman outnumbered the Sophomores. Those few of the latter who showed up and dared the prowess of 1930 were soon pulled through the stream of cold water which marked defeat. Not content with the success, the Frosh picked up the hawser and paraded around the Campus with it in a dance of victory. Rushing came in November and brought with it a new, exaggerated impression of the importance of the Freshman. For a brief ten days the Class of 1930 was king of the campus. Dances, dinners, and theatre parties were showered on its members without stint. On the tenth day the fraternity bids were given our, and a new flock of shiny pins

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publications, the band, and the orchestra, the Class of 1950 was in the full swing of the college year. Emboldened by the lack of disciplinary measures at the start of the semester, the Freshmen discarded caution and neglected to wear their caps and cards. A surprise assault of the Black Avengers put a quick stop to this state of affairs. Unexpectedly they donned their black costumes and dragged their old pillory box to the area in front of Hamilton Hall. All yearlings without caps, cards or black socks were promptly imprisoned in the stocks. Although the tug-of-war proved to be a 'Waterloo for the forty Sophomores who turned out against ten times that number of Freshmen, one of the'most successful of song-fests was held in the South Field stands. The University Band, clad in its new blue uniforms, made its initial appearance on the Campus to lead the Frosh in the College songs. Some of the words and most of the melodies of Smzr Sami and Rom' Lion Roar came from the throats of the meek yearlings, as many of them were led from the stands and smeared with blacking because of too great modesty in singing the songs. Not a sign of rebellion came from the now subdued Freshmen as white tags were given to those who had successfully passed the test. As a fitting end to class activities for the winter session, the Sophomores trounced the Frosh in the cane sprees, winning five of the seven bouts. Peyser, Odom, Pettit, Arnold, and Brown marked up the winning units for the class, while Pirone and Fiordalisi were trounced by their opponents. Committee appointments were announced by Campbell before the Christmas holi- days, Baruch had been named previously to head the Vigilance Committee for the songhfestg and now finances were put in charge of a group of men under Stanley Wilson, and William Blaisdell was appointed to take charge of dances. Meanwhile, Howard Vincent was selected by Specffzfor to be editor of the next issue of the Blue Book. Dinner W'eek re-opened the traditional conflict between the Sophomore and Fresh- man classes soon after the mid-year exams. Student Board re-organized the contest along a system of points by which a definite winner could be chosen. The listless attitude of the class at the beginning of the year seemed to have been left behind as its members organized for the struggle. The Class of 1951 held its dinner at the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn. More than 150 yearlings were dining quietly in the hotel when fifty Sophomores intruded. Not waiting to attack individual men, they overturned tables and ruined the dinner in a thorough, systematic way. A storm of eggs and tomatoes was directed at the Frosh before they realized what it was all about. A good scrap was in progress when police reserves arrived, dispersing the Sophomores. The Student Board penalty of fifty points for this attack scarcely lessened the pleasure obtained from it. The Amber Lantern Inn in Flushing had been selected by the Dinner Committee, under George Banigan, for the Sophomore banquet, and careful plans had been laid to convey the members of the class to the inn. The time of the dinner strategically was set at a late hour of the night, to throw the Frosh off the scent, but the plan did not work well, for, when the Sophomores arrived, they found the Freshmen lined up outside. The owner of the inn grew panicky at the thought of a class scrap within his walls and called for the police. The latter, arriving on the scene in short order, refused to let anyone enter the inn. Still remembering the class welcome that they owed the Frosh, the men of 1950 offered to hold a free-for-all battle in one of the nearby fields, but the yearlings wisely refused and left for home. Basketball received its group of 1950 men in Magurk, Tys, Blatterman and Mid- dleton. The election of Magurk to the captaincy of the team while still a Sohphomore was one the several forms of recognition of athletic ability accorded to members of the