Vanderbilt University - Commodore Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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20 THE COMETS Albcs, who was the dude ol the Class, in so far as that name is applicable to taste an l style, but not attended with any opprobrium, was there, with all tin; old-time char- acteristics. I was glad to hear that he is a successful lawyer, and has made for himself a name at the bar which will live long after the soul is freed from his body. Itonta, with his “meek and lowly'’ look, gave pleasure to tin occasion by his genial countenance and the cordiality with which he greeted his old chums. 1 learn that he became quite an admirer of the fair sex, since he was Historian of the Junior Class and took occasion to record the “mashing” capacity of several boys, lie soon married, settled down as a banker in Harrodsburg, but this bustling life did not suit him much; he therefore retired to the country, where he now resides, surrounded by an intercstinfi family, and fields smiling with peace and plenty. Burke went out from the University buoyant with the air-castles which he had been building, and thought some day he could tell his classes incidents that occurred “ when I was in Leipsie.” Securing a little school, he taught for awhile—just a little while. Somehow, the directors did not like his way of imparting the art of pedagogy, and told him they could dispense' with his services in the future. Always proud, Purke did not like that kind of treatment, and decided to betake him westward, where the star of empire shineth, or words to that effect. So, he did not teach. At Austin, he put up a candy shop, where he might have become princely rich, but Jay Gould saw the oppor t unity, and entered the il sweet” field in opposition. Fate seemed to say, like the Church-street police, “Move on ! ” and he moved, booking ever at the Star of Umpire, lie came upon the beautiful prairies, where his heart’s fondest desire suddenly made itself known ; he is now a dashing cow-boy, as free as the beasts that roam the plains. Davis thought the law was just the thing for him, and prepared himself accordingly. Settling in one of the little towns of West Tennessee, he hung up his shingle, with his name in bright, golden ltd tors. “ lie lisped in numbers, for the numbers came;” that is to say, numbers of bills, etc. He was a man whom the world did not know how to appreciate, and thus the bar lost one of its rough diamonds. Disgusted with spending his life in waiting for clients, he hied him to Oklahoma, where he became quite an influ- ential citizen—after the others had been disposed of by internecine warfare. Paul Jones (not he of naval fame in tin War of 1812, but our own lazy Jones, our sometime poet, that never astonished the world even with spring effusions) came, loyal to his old Alma Mater, to mingle once more with us, some of whom lie had not seen in three decades. He is the same old fellow, a little scarred by the battle of life, but his countenance indicates that his has not been a life of uselessness. Learned left the University ready to survey the world with his engineering know]-

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•' THE COMETH- 19 without any consultation as to our desire or aversion to assuming its cares, set down amid a great multitude of peoples, and left to choose between the good and the bad. There is the first step in the problem, illustrating the mutability of Fate, the immuta- bility of Heaven. We are not the architects of our fortunes— “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, Hough hew them how we will” We are but the tools of Fate. “ The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together; our virtues would be proud, if our faults whipped them not; and our crimes would despair, if they were not cherished by our virtues.” Our nature is, therefore, dual. We are taken away with the same utter indifference to our wishes. These reflec- tions of a philosophic cast intrude themselves upon me, and claim my attention, this sultry, hot July afternoon, to such a degree that I cannot refrain from penning them, the various little arguments so conducive to inactivity notwithstanding. Suggested, as they are, by the general Alumni meeting, and particularly by the Beuniou of the Class of ’s'J. at the Commencement in June, 1 emerge from the “innocuous desuetude” into which I had fallen, and derive pleasure from these afterthoughts. It is simply phenom- enal to witness what changes thirty years have made. Hip Van Winkle's astonishment could not have been much greater, though he slept twenty years. We have been awake, yet thought it hardly possible that such revolutions could be wrought. The old Campus that was the delight of every student’s heart, the buildings, so massive and so admirably adapted to the purposes for which they were erected, still stand, which fact makes them all the dearer; but the improvement, the additional structures, make it the nourishing University it is. Such liberality of spirit prevails, a thing sadly lacking at the close of the 19th century, and as an immediate consequence, advantages have been taken. 1 was struck with the healthy inter-fraternity spirit manifest on every hand; the same old Creek letters are still there, and though others have from time to time entered, it seems as if something were against them ; they languished and became factors of the dead past. Hach has striven with honest emulation, as in the time when we “of ’80” were there. Beautiful chapter houses have been built, and are really the objects of chief interest to visitors. But the Class of ’80 concerns me most nearly, and 1 shall make a few notes, for my own reference and pleasure, of the several graduates who wended their way into the busy world. The reunion was, hi every seneo of the word, a success, and it did my old heart good to see friends, of some of whom I had not even heard in more than a quarter of a century—almost a life-time.

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3 THE COM KT - 21 edge—and apparatus. Wending his way to Mexico, Central America, and at length to South America, he became quite proficient in carrying the chain; but the funniest thing in the world is that he carried the chain so well that his superiors would not think of his promotion; that hoy might have made America famous but for the selfishness of the chiefs of the party. Thus is the country robbed of another genius. “ Full many a gem of purest ray serene,” etc. Another pedagogue was Low a. lie, however, did not lind it a bed of roses, and early substituted in its stead the profession of the law. lie was quite successful in handling the accused, invariably sending them behind the bars, when he appeared in their defense. It was never known why lie did this, but it could not have been done better if he had tided never so hard. There is an incident, at once amusing and sad, told of him. A client of his was arraigned, charged with murder in the first degree; circumstantial evidence was overwhelmingly against him. and Lowe’s heart bled for the poor fellow. He concocted a bold scheme, however, whereby lie hoped to save a life. Changing apparel with the prisoner, to whom he bore a remarkable likeness, he was carried into court, in which he thought he could clear himself by proving an alibi, or making a pathetic speech. Things went against him, and lie was sentenced to “ hang by the neck until dead, dead, dead!” This, notwithstanding his protestations that he was himself. His base client had meanwhile slunk away; the likeness was unfortunate, and the poor fellow paid the penalty a few years since. Of course, he was not present at the Alumni meeting, much to our regret. Luttcrloh left us in 1 -.si) with 15. S., bent on healing the sick. Ho studied medicine in the Medical Department of Vanderbilt, graduated therefrom in two years, and went to North Carolina, where he became quite a successful village doctor. He carried health wherever he went, and desired to alleviate human suffering, rather than gain fame by some great discovery, for this modest reason, the world has heard little of him. Ho married—aye, he «lid—took unto himself a wife, and has lived in conjugal happiness, lo! these many years. Ho did not disguise the fact that his family affairs and increasing business prevented his attendance. He has an interesting (?) family of thirteen, in whom he is quite wrapped up, with his strongly paternal nature, his big, sympathetic heart, and his love for all mankind. .1 Lems made his way for Gotham town, and plunged into the whirlpool of that busy metropolis, and I regret to say I do not know what he is now doing, or why he did not attend the Alumni meeting. Such is life! Friends drop out of our memory when we are occupied with our own battles, and are as if they never were. Merriam was the Faculty LVpresentative at our Commencement, and enlightened us