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Page 32 text:
“
It was not until the sixth of November that the Freshmen ' s caps and gowns came, and we could give them their lanterns. Of that time-honored ceremony, I confess my recollections are sketchy. I remem- ber that the words of the Greek hymn were almost impossible to learn, and the tune quite so, for myself at any rate ; that the lanterns were uncommonly pretty, with dull green shades set in heavy iron frame- work ; and that the night was very cold, and so dark we nearly lost the Freshmen who were waiting for us somewhere between Denbigh and Taylor. When we finally discovered them, we thrust our lanterns upon them as quickly as possible and scurried back to Pembroke Arch, where the upper classes had already assembled ; and there, our proteges quite forgotten as they stumbled through the halls with their lights, we sang, Here ' s to everything in the college world, beginning, of course, with, Here ' s to the Dean, Is it bin or is it been? We had not yet exhausted the innumerable variations which can be wrought upon that couplet whose infinite variety time can never wither nor custom stale, when the Freshmen reappeared, and we nudged them into parting with their dear caps, while we sang, Gracious Inspiration ; and then we all dispersed to our rooms. But not, let me hasten to add, to study or to sleep. Far from it ; for then followed the last of the cap and gown nights. It was, I remember, in a spirit of lofty altruism that the boldest of us started out on the night ' s campaign, undaunted by the warning cry of No personal violence. Not for our own amusement did we relinquish sleep and study, but because the Freshmen would never sufficiently value their academic costume if they did not have to guard it first, because a little hazing of this sort did more to promote good-fellowship than a dozen teas, and because we had never ceased to regret the neglect we suffered in this respect in our Freshman days. I am afraid 1903 never appreciated the favors we showered upon them that night. They were such guileless creatures in those early days. They did not know that the key of every bureau drawer in Merion was cast in the same mould ; or that even a drawer with an individual lock may be easily rifled by pulling out the drawer above ; or that the trick of hiding a gown in a couch pillow is as old as the corner-stone of Taylor. And with the rediscovery of each old trick, the pile of loot in the room which served as citadel grew, so that when morning came we marched out with arms laden. Then other Sophomores from Denbigh and Pembroke added their plunder to ours, and we strung them about the campus in front of Taylor with triumphant glee. And I know not which added most to our final hilarity, the disdainful airs of the Juniors, who even in Sophomore days had scorned such pranks, as they entered Taylor all gownless, or the aggrieved looks of the Freshmen as they filed by in gowns whose rents and tatters bore witness to three years ' servitude. 28
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Page 31 text:
“
Soph Y( omore I ear. As I have been overhauling my Sophomore memories and Philistines, the remark of someone to the effect that Boston is not a place but a state of mind has occurred to me, again and again ; and I have wished enviously that I could claim the witticism for my own, so that I might, without fear of plagia- rism, make the statement that Sophomore Year was not a succession of events, but a mental condition., For it was not so much what we did in our second year of college that made it different from every other, as the sporty, bumptious, world-is-my-oyster spirit in which we did it. With what enthusiasm we plunged into the giving of our play ! I remember how we used to sit, even those of us who took no active part in it, cross-legged on the Gym floor or perched on bars and horses, through the long rehearsals, tingling with pride and delight. And the day after the actual performance — was there a Sophomore who did not have blistered hands and a raw throat ? Even now, looking back at it from a five years ' perspective, it appears to me a very charming bit of high romance ; and I am sure the Philistine ' s praise was fully deserved. The class of nineteen hundred and two, says that judicial organ, certainly deserves great con- gratulation. Their performance of last Friday evening was distinctly first-rate throughout, and furnished an adequate proof that even the most difficult of plays may be successfully staged at Bryn Mawr. ' The Adventure of Lady Ursula ' is by no means an easy piece to act ; nevertheless its many difficulties were successfully met and overcome by this ambitious class. The masterly way in which the problems of the Gymnasium stage were solved won the admiration of all who have ever been concerned in college theatri- cals, for it can truly be said that the whole performance was artistic and complete to the minutest detail. The occasions are certainly rare when a play has been given in which the parts have been so felici- tously assigned. Miss Clinton as ' Lady Ursula ' made a very winsome heroine. She looked her part to perfection, and her impersonation was throughout charming and naive. Miss Rotan ' s graceful and finished rendering of the hero ' s rdle was an unqualified triumph. In a long and difficult part she sus- tained a high level of acting, and, unlike most amateurs, was able to cut an important figure without ranting and overacting. Her costumes, too, showed the best of taste, and were both artistic and appro- priate. In the humorous parts of the piece, Miss Yeatts as ' Mr. Dent ' made a decided hit, and Miss Spencer as ' the Rev. Mr. Blimboe ' fairly brought down the house. In fact, there was not a name on the program that does not deserve mention and praise, and the greatest credit of all is, perhaps, due to Miss Douglas, whose excellent management made the play go off smoothly from beginning to end without hitch or pause. 2?
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