Hamilton College - Hamiltonian Yearbook (Clinton, NY)

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32 THE HAMILTONIAN. ' l AWSUMMHRY-HF' I Socigzby Men. S. CP., - - 1 1 A. A, Q., - I9 Uf. Y., gg JY. yr., ZQQ J. Y., 2,2 A. lf. E., I5 0, J. X., 18 TOTAL, 122 Students. SENIORS, - - 35, IUNIORS, , 63 SOPHOMORES, .42 FRESHMEN, 44 '1NU'1'AL, 0 184

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ili-T 34 THE HANIILTONLAN. -+233 SI. +- H,ocTrrov 5'p0uv, alfa noizou. RNCE more '83 voices her musings on College-life, and proudly but sorrowfully J? gives utterance to the thoughts that are destined to be her last contribution to the pages of the Hamiltonian. In these fast speeding weeks of the last year's winter term, the Senior in the midnight silence of his lonely room throws aside his books, seeks his easy chair, and in well earned repose. puffs clouds of smoke into fantastic shape,and in solemn retrospection looks back to the outset of his college course, His fancy carries him to that sultry September day in the old bare Examina- tion hall. when silent Professors stood over him like grim sentinels, while he unraveled Homeric verse and wrought out roots and demonstrations, and in various other ways proved to those ogre-like watchers that he was qualified to begin the four years' course which would end in glorious 1883. He blows forth heavier vo umesiof -smoke and sees the campus rows of Freshman year, the memorable ride to Utica to hear John Kelley speak, the algebra show, the class suppcer, and all those other events of the nrst year in college. How they came trooping bac at Memory's call-those good old days! The victories of Sophomore year. the class bolts, the Chapel rushes and the canerow q -the ducking and rowing. and setting up of Fresh, the long-to-he-remembered stolen ridelto Oneida, the snow ball fight with '84g the pleasures of Junior year. the work and trial and trouble as Seniors. His revery grows deeper and deeper. He forgets his class and its deeds and thinks of himself alone. He contrasts the Senior of to-day with the Fresh- man of four years ago. With cool and critical eye, he surveys the two personages and estimates the differences, the changes, the development, the growth. His mind lingers over the question, How much good has my college course done for me. He hurries with willing speed from remembrauces of sins and omissions: from thoughts of duties uuperformed, of opportunities unaccepted. He dwells upon the pleasant associations and firm friendships he had formed with members of his c ass. The thoughts come fast and thick. The clouds of smoke rise higher and higher and then fade and float away. The old chapel bell ringing out loud and clear in the still night air, startles the medita- ting Senior. The visions of the past depart with the fading smoke, the dying sound of the bell's familiar peal and the dream is ended. In this fashion does the Senior review his college life. It is but a natural act at the end of so definite an epoch in onels life as a coiuse in college, to glance at the records which memory has so fondly made. '83 to- day stands on the thres old of her graduate life. The step out into the thorough fares of bustling humanity is not yet made. We pause and take one long last look at the scenes in which we have taken such a prominent part. A few more turns of Father Time's chariot and to-day's Seniors will be to-morrow's graduates. In the busy, jostling world '83 will soon take her place, and then prove what four years of Hamilton's discipline have done for two and thirty classmates. In the few years that have sped by since we first took the sounding halls of Alma Mater, many changes have taken Elace. Many members of the faculty, who -were here in the earlier years of our course ave gone, and others have come to dll their places. NVe have seen the movement for a substantial endowment assume definite shage 'g the old 4' Gym 'l repaired, and the Chapel rejuvenated, yea, even to a new pulpit. arney, the man in b ue no longer carries baggage. One tree less towers up on our broad and beautiful campus. Two Fraternities have taken up quarters in the Eells Hall, and the old Huntington Iproperty. while ground has been purchased for the building of a third society Chapter iouse. The neutrals have become an organized society .and rejoice in the name of Emersoniansi' We have seen improvements in the curriculum, in the methods of appointing Prize Speakers, and of competing for K. P. appointments. We have seen changes in the system of recording and excusing absences, Qand as a re- sult, an increase in the number of absencesj We have been experimented upon, acting each year as a passive subject for the faculty wizards to test some new scheme upong and as a result. we can point to many accomplishments gained from the college course which no other class in ate years has attained. Particularly can we instance our proficiency acquired from the facultgs kind experiments upon us in French and German, in Hillls Science of Rhetoric, t e Foundations and Metaphysics. But per- haps it were well that these things should be overlooked. '83 will soon stand at the parting of ways. Tender memories of the past will crowd upon us, and the last solemn act of graduation will bind with golden link our student life to the great struggling world. We are rapidly approaching the border line of new hoges and new experiences, and even now the ear can ear the ebb and flow of life's mig ty ocean. A few more weeks and we will be launched on the great sea. Our destinies will call us to different flelcls of labor. but never shall we forget our four happy years with Alma Mater. V Never shall we be false to our Greek H given watchworcl ' First for right, then for fight.