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

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Second Fragment HAVING made a hurried trip to the outside world that it might be encouraged by the signs of their awakening, they returned for their second year. The first thing that they did was look for the lily which they had carefully labeled with a yellow tag before leaving. Their consternation was great when it was not among the other yellow-tagged articles and so was their horror when, after a frantic search through window seats and among old May-Day costumes, they dis- covered it at length in the furniture sale at the end of the hall. They learned from the older Bryn Alawrtyrs that this was a customary occurrence. It was still looking fresh and that helped them immensely. They realized that the care of their lily was going to be a very complicated matter. People would ask such upsetting questions about it, and would refuse simply to feel an answer. A few said it was because they didn ' t articulate properly, so they agreed to vibrate more seriously this year. Also most of them thought it would be a good thing to develop the learned activities that lead to reasoning. There were many sages who helped them in this period of their development, but there was one who took the lead, who was very English even if she ware not in England. And they would have loved to see the picture postals of Oxford quad- rangles and Anne Hathaway ' s cottage had the cards ever gotten to their side of the room. But there was a large scope in this course for their enlivened minds to work in, — the intricacies of the relation of John of Gaunt ' s second wife to John Gower ' s first had to be mastered, and a fascinating table of languages memorized. But another sage had told them that a good memory rule was to avoid getting hit on the head and so they had no difficulty in performing the amazing feats expected of them. Of course they had their perplexing moments. We shall mention only one of them, — the occasion on which they were told that a posthumous child was one born after the death of his mother. They had not been going once a week to the Medicine Lady ' s without learning something. So they broke through their confusion and rose in a body to declare their higher knowledge. The next day yet another sage contributed to their store, and henceforth they would always remember that women were absolutely the superior in the bearing and early nourishing of children. And just at that time, when they had grasped this astonishing lact, there re- turned to the fold a great figure who regretted this superiority. They paid her a visit in the beautiful mansion kept aside for her and their first thought was What a perfect setting for our lily! But instead ol a lily they found that the great lady was more concerned with a hook on the education of the industrial classes which she urged them to give their lathers and uncles for Christmas (one binding two dollars; the other a dollar and a hall.) Hut a lew words must he added about senile cil (lie sages whom we have already referred to. ' 1 here was one who devoted himsell to the study ol (he behavior in (he animal kingdom in order to explain that of the Bryn Alawrtyrs. White rats were among his favorites and In- used (o starve (hem lor days to see how they compared Page Xhivittn

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SOPHOMORE YEAR

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with students. The class on their side began starving white rats too. It was in this course that they realized how great was the danger imperilling their lily; it might be proved an illusion of the Muller-Lyer type or, still worse, be the result of a pre- paratory set! The Medicine Lady was a great help to them, for she showed them how healthy bodies made healthy minds. And then a strange man came to tell them in a low, slow voice how healthy minds could be made into happy minds. Henceforth, they would know at once what to do if they found themselves beginning to scream when they heard water rushing into a bath tub. And also they were exceedingly glad to know about the befuddling effects of alcohol on the brain. They could never allow that to happen to them and they urged onward those who passed the rule forbidding the dangerous article to the members of the cult. To prove how fine those brains were becoming we shall mention the fact that they succeeded in discovering the animal song of the Class of ' 33. This was an epoch-making event and required the cleverest imaginable stratagem, being able to tell, for example, just what size spy would fit under what bed. Our class had reason to be very proud of itself. They were very joyful at the end of the year when they realized that in spite of appearing to neglect it, they had given their lily just the right kind of care and it was blooming more beautifully than ever. This time they didn ' t bother putting a tag on it before leaving. Page Fourteen