Barnard College - Mortarboard Yearbook (New York, NY)

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JUNIORS its career what need is there for self- praise? Freshmen think they own not only the college, but the universe. The Sophomores, however, vigorously dispute this claim. As for the Seniors — every one realizes their greatness. This is the hour of triumph. Now they rule their little world, but next year they may be unheard of in the vaster world. Then, perhaps, no one will consider them; now they are the cynosures of all eyes. But the Juniors, the happy Juniors, have be- come so great that it i s in truth unneces- sary for them to praise themselves. All Jane Bell Vice-President A brief excursion into the past by means of an afternoon spent in perusing the Barnard Annual of 1894, the original issue of Mortarboard, revealed the following summary of its college career by the Junior Class. Perhaps it was the atmosphere of the Gay-Nineties that inspired the tone of self-confi- dence or perhaps this optimism is a characteristic feature of every Junior class. Whether it be due to one or the other of these causes, we, of the Fiftieth Class, accept the spirit of the first Junior Class History and append a few words in descrip- tion of our own. Three years of mingled sweetness and bitterness we have passed within the loved halls of Barnard College. What hard-won wisdom and experience have been gained in that time. The days of abject despair are over. Gone are the hours when the work was beyond our ability and dread instructors frightened away the few ideas left us when we reached the classroom. Now, no work is too hard — now, no longer can an instructor inspire us with awe. When a class has arrived at such a state in

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was the spirit which pervaded at the sophomore class luncheon, at which Professor Peardon was guest of honor, and Elspeth Davies, class historian, made the occasion a source of much merriment. Junior Show, too, demonstrated that 1938 did not take life too seriously. Parodies on Eugene O ' Neill, Warner Brothers, Lewis Carroll, and Wil- liam Randolph Hearst, humorously proved that It Doesn ' t Happen Here. What did happen here, though, was the stu- pendous, colossal Junior Prom. Held in the grand ballroom of the Hotel Pierre with Art Paulson ' s perfectly-smooth-my-dear orchestra, the affair was just about perfect, due to the work of Ruth Inscho and her co-workers. Of a class which had broken records, it was to be expected that its senior year would be epoch- making. Senior Week plans, formulated early in the term by Chairman Adi-Kent Thomas, aroused expectations of another great event in the life of the class of 1938. Brains were wracked, classes cut, and lunches forgotten in the attempt to render this year ' s Senior Week different. And it was. Senior Week with its All-College Party in the gym preceding Step-Singing, and its Senior Reception in Brooks Hall will not be forgotten. Looking back on its entrance in Barnard, when it had been given a dousing rather than a rousing welcome, 1938 fell to wondering if it would rain on Commencement Day, and if gloomy skies then would really be a good omen as on Freshman Day four years ago. 19

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the world sees that they are the one and only class with both a glorious past and a glorious future. The Class of 1939 is indeed a class with a glorious past and a glorious future. It began its distinguished career with an appearance in angel-robes, a costume which would have amazed the Ninety- Fivers. After a winter of teas — how much our predecessors missed with just one tea a year to promote social intercourse! — and an initiation into Barnard mid-years, the class made its formal debut in Febru- ary, at the Freshman Dance in the Casa Italiana. The other important event of that same Spring was Greek Games in which the joy of participating in the Games was mingled with the disappointment of losing them. A certain two weeks in May revealed to a Freshman just how unhappy life can be, but this was soon forgotten in the gaiety and fellowship of the class luncheon. The class discovered that its second year was much the same as its first, although this time it managed the Soph-Fresh Party and won Greek Games and added to its achievements by its par- ticipation in the Building Fund Fair. The Junior year, however, justified the prophecy of a glorious future. Eighteen-Ninety-Fivers would have viewed the Thirty Nine Steps with consterna- tion, but perhaps they, too, would have liked to join the new charm classes with their course in Im- proper technique in getting a husband. As Seniors, the Class of ' 39 will continue its glorious future, and in the words of the first Junior historian, When a class has arrived at such a state in its career, what need is there for self-praise?