Lehigh University - Epitome Yearbook (Bethlehem, PA)

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History of ' Eighty-three. TWO years have flown ; the third is partly gone ; and as we clamber up the hill of knowledge the time that once seemed so long glides, alas ! but too swiftly by. We cannot look upon our past career but with a feeling of inward pride and satisfaction. The victories we have won, the common toils beneath which we have groaned, the friendships and associations we have formed, the pleasures that have been our own, all have strengthened the bond that holds us to our Alma Mater and to each other. It is not our duty to chronicle the events of a great empire that have transpired in the course of a thousand years; or to record the struggles of vain ambition for power and fame. The upward course of thirty-six young men, who are equipping themselves for the battle of life, and lay- ing the foundation of future and more extensive study, during one of the most laborious, but at the same time most pleasant, years of college life, constitutes our theme. Continuing the history of the illustrious career of the Class of ' 83 from the point where our former historian left it, the first event that stands aloft from the rest, and demands special mention, is the publication of our Epitome. Being the first public display of our literary talent, it was with eager expectation that we awaited its issue. When at length it was announced that the Epitome had arrived, the rapid sale of all the copies, and great demand for more, rendered it a success financially ; while its kind reception by the public attested its merit in a literary point of view. This was due, in great respect, to the prudence of the board of editors in yielding obedience to that well-known maxim, by which ' 83 has been guided in all its actions, that whatever is worth doing at. all, is worth doing right. The monotony of the class-room was broken by an occasional visit to the great manufacturing cities. The boys were immensely refreshed by these trips, and, judging from the disconnected stories that circulated for several weeks, one might infer that they lost sight of the purpose 16