Bryn Mawr College - Bryn Mawr Yearbook (Bryn Mawr, PA)

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16 THE BOOK OF THE CLASS OF NINETEEN-THIRTEEN blacking boots, which must have been hard on the Morris-Brooks-James-etc. Union. Others ran errands on the Pike — and this was before the day of automobiles too,— but then it was that the genius of Schmidt and Matlack really asserted itself. This was obviously why one was chosen to write this article, and that I am able to relate their prowess without bitterness is due to my lofty soul. Schmidt and Matlack were most astute Freshmen; who revealed their peculiar gifts early in the year, as you all will remember, by starting classes, or personally conducted tours, to wit. Who ' s who in college — and why. If I forget the exact methods, I ask the brilliant ' Executors ' pardon, but the scale of prices ran something like this: Introductions — Five cents. Ordinary Celebrities Pointed Out — A penny a piece. I have a dim recollection that English Sharks went two for a cent owing to Matlack ' s prejudices. In the year 1910 the college had a few Snobs as well as Celebrities. In the year 1911, the Snobs were willing to admit in a deprecatory way that they were Snobs — which was of course the beginning of their decadence. In the present era — well, we mustn ' t go into that — the point was that 1910 was an excellent year for the sort of thing which Schmidt and Matlack instituted. It might be said in passing, that there were so many applications for introductions to Elsa that the price was about to be increased, when the Managers realized suddenly that they had in turns been booking Joy ' s orders and she was then, sly creature, on her eighth introduction. We managed to get our thousand, and were going about with our heads in the air until our breath was taken away and our pride humbled at hearing of the fortune 1912 had donated. We must in fairness to our noble and unresting effort, note that as a class we apparently lacked grandmothers. At any rate by Commencement, at the last moment of allotted time, the last neces- sary pledge was given in; and Miss Thomas, who had just risen to announce the college failure, was able to proclaim the college success. I can ' t vouch for the details of this. Katharine and I had stayed over Commencement week to play basket-ball or tennis or

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THE BOOK OF THE CLASS OF NINETEEN-THIRTEEN 15 Clje £n otoment iFunfc Prologue THERE we were on Ward ' s Island, Rosa, Worthy and the unhappy author of the following! Dotty, pursued by Nemesis in the shape of the Brown Tail Moth, could not be with us. We had got to the wretched point of considering what was left to be done. Mary Tongue, who had been bound over in early spring to be particularly prolific and clever, had not sent in a line: and there were others. Worthy turned wearily to me, list in hand. Well, then you will have to take the ' Endowment Fund, ' she said. But Schmidt was to do that, I objected. Yes, but she won ' t. How do you know she won ' t? She has just said so. But perhaps she didn ' t mean it, I said with some hope. I know Schmidtie. I am afraid she did though. Why not leave it out? I suggested brightly. Freshman Year would be too thin then; if you can ' t do it, sighed Worthy, you can see that someone else does. It is so likely in the next two days that I ' ll find someone! I snorted indignantly. Or, perhaps you ' d like me to ask the cook! Narrative Now I know very little about the Endowment Fund except that 1913 pledged itself to raise $1000, and proceeded to do it by heroic efforts, witness Maud Holmes, who used to get up on chill winter days to call people and shut their windows. Some members of the class earned their share by cleaning silver, washing tea cups and even

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THE BOOK OF THE CLASS OF NINETEEN-THIRTEEN 17 something; we had attended Garden Party, dressed in grimy white sailor suits, at first crawling under Denbigh shrubbery but finally shamelessly demanding salad in the broad light of day. We had fully intended to see the President of our country in a tent, but were smitten with homesickness just as his bodyguard of bluecoats arrived on the campus and so failed to see the last pledge dramatically cast at Miss Thomas ' s feet. Certainly the Endowment Fund must have been gained because the college shortly afterwards was able to effect a substantial not to say generous increase in room rents. Proof In the matter of proof, I may as well admit that certain facts herein alleged might not be readily corroborated; and certain statements may not err on the side of con- servatism, but Conclusion It is all Schmidt ' s fault anyway. Gordon Hamilton.