University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IBT01I 01 8 - jf is somewhere said that it is difficult for a person to speak concern- ing himself. For, if his deeds are great, and he does not do justice to them, he wrongs himself; whereas, on the other hand, if he speak the truth about them, extenuating in nothing their greatness, the envious smile, and straightway condemn him as a boaster. In attempting to write of my own class, I have experienced the same difficulty. If I write its true history, giving due credit to its actions, other classes will say that I am boasting ; so, on the whole, I have thought it better to present here the history of the class as written by a totally unprejudiced person. The students, I have no doubt, are all aware that the Dean of the Faculty

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THE BLUE AND GOLD. 19

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THE BLUE AND GOLD keeps an account of all that takes place at college, and that these accounts, written in Latin according to a time-honored usage, are inscribed in a large book called Annales Maximi Universitatis. The following, then, is AN EXTRACT FROM THE ANNALS. (TRANSLATED LITERALLY FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN.) I. In 1878, A. D., in the presidentship of Dux Jacobus (Captain Jack), there came to the renowned shores of Berkeley a class, such a one as for splendor of talent and stability of virtue had never yet been beheld by human eyes. Even the upper classmen (superiores classes), who are al- ways known to despise greatly and vehemently the in-coming Freshmen (noves homines adventes), were not able but that they might look on them with an unfeigned admiration, mingled with a feeling of awe. Accord- ingly, just after they had been enrolled at the University, as was the custom both in the ancient and the present days, they met in bloody bat- tle the Sophomores (Sapientes Stulti), than whom, before the advent of ' 82, none had been more celebrated both for courage and strength. The fight was waged on the old campus, with much slaughter on both sides, even till towards the setting of the sun. On that day great deeds of valor were accomplished by both parties, many being borne away from the field bleeding as to their noses and blackened as to their eyes. The battle was carried on hotly without decision, until the Freshmen, drawing themselves up once more into battle array, and forming a solid phalanx, drove the Sophomores from the field of contest with ignominious rout. This was the first of the great deeds done by them, and so they continued according to their beginning. A new spirit was breathed by them into college life. They introduced and worshiped new gods, namely, Intel- lect and Morality, in place of the old one, Bacchus, which heretofore classes had esteemed the most worthy of reverence. It is a custom of University men, Bourdon the Freshman - destroying having been overcome, to burn him alive, and bury him to the sound of horns and drums, with much display of fireworks (cum magno splendore operum ignis). But when they had conquered this enemy, which they did easily and I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to the Freshman who kindly undertook for me the translation of this extract.