Goucher College - Donnybrook Fair Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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no more than send a written invitation to membership, at the proper time, to those it desired, would find that its more dignified course would give it prestige and make the privilege of joining it attractive. The unfortunate custom of having a different tand a loweri standard of conduct for college boys from that which we enforce for other boys does not find a parallel among us. Hazing was about the only thing among us that had this Havor, and that has been given up. Our college atmosphere is wholesome. We may well be proud of the spirit of our college life. With sound, womanly ideals and a body of pleasant traditions we have the essential things. But let us not be afraid of that which has no precedent. The statement that a certain thing has always been done among us in a certain way may not be a proper argument for the continued observ- ance of the custom unaltered. It may as well be a good reason for change. Let us apply year after year the test of judgment to our college customs and let us discard, perhaps only temporarily, those which seem to have lost their vigor and be in danger of becoming a burden. A class may occasionally render a real service by thus breaking the tyranny of some tradition. And let each class he as proud of its success in introducing something of spice and freshness into the college life as of the faithfulness with which it has supported our good traditions. 11 She llasnit had Bible. nor Physics, nor Psych, Her studying amounts to a laugh; And yet She's a dear little Junior maid, Our mascot! Miss Mildred Metcalf. .-' .. -atzhahi

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One who knew our College in its earlier days must have been impressed with the ease with which customs became established. We seemed to feel our newness and to be very ready to accept as traditional a custom of no more than two years standing. If one class did any par- ticular thing the succeeding class seemed to feel that it would better follow its example, and then the classes coming after felt that it would be sacrilege to fail to conform to the ancient tradition thus established. The class prophet who first used lantern slides to illustrate the prophecy did a bright thing and made the Class Day exercises unique and delightful. The method was so good that it stood the test of several years use, but for a few years it has seemed to some of us that it is difficult to make this feature of Class Day as fresh and entertaining as at first. The pictures recall too plainly those of other years. It seemed a relief last year to have a respite from this custom. Doubtless, there will come a time when such illustration will again be enjoyable. It is a method for occasional use. There are good customs, bad customs, and indifferent customs. A few are so good that they improve and ripen with age, like wine. There are others that become tiresome and lose their flavor. A Chinese egg may command respect for its age, but it is more appropriate to a museum than for present use. We need in our college life some fine old customs, both the more pretentious and the delightful little things that do so much to give characteristic flavor. We enjoy also from time to time other things whose chief recommendation is their freshness. But let us be careful to choose the wine and not the eggs for preservation. I thought it was fun to have 1907 adopt a class bird as well as a class flower, but I sincerely hope no other class will feel the need of following her example in this regard. There are some customs which have been proven good and will stand repetition year after year. Senior dramatics seems to be such an one, as also does the habit of sister classes enter- taining each other. But that all of these entertainments should always take the form of a play does not seem so certain. Nor does it seem assured that in senior dramatics a Shakespearian play should invariably be chosen. It may be well occasionally to choose plays Whose adequate presentation is not quite so dihicult. Should the Class Day program be a stereotyped one, following always the same form, or, would it be well occasionally to depart from the established form either to a minor degree, or perhaps fundamentally? Is this customary program one of the things which become better with age? I think we have very few customs that are inherently bad, but there is one of which I can not help speaking and I can not think of anything pleasant to say of it. I mean tifraternity rushing, It is not altogether unnatural that this custom should have arisen, and when once started it was very likely to be carried to excess, yet it is dimcult to understand how the fraternities can be so blind to the requirements of their own dignity as to engage in any such scramble for new members as we see each Fall. I believe that any fraternity which would do 10

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FRONTISPIECE 2 MEMORIAL WINDOW 'ro MRS. GOUCHER. Advertisements A Forgotten Romance After Word . . Algonquin Club, The A Maid and a Man -5..: v1 Annual Novelties A Romance in High Life A Sonnet to 1906 Association of Ideas, The A Theory of the Beautiful Athletics . B-A-L-T-I-M-O-R-E Behind the Scenes . . . . . . Bells, The . . . . . . . . . Biological Club . . . . Board of Editors of Donnybrook Fair Board of Trustees . . Boult? . Chemical Association Class of 1906, The College Calendar College Choir College Settlement . Contributors . Contributory Club . . . . Custom for Custom's Sake in College Life Dedication . . Donnybrook Country Fair Ecclesia . . Empire State Club . Evolution . . . . . Extracts from Four Different Notebooks Faculty . . Faculty Dramatics . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 162 194 115 170