Haverford College - Record Yearbook (Haverford, PA)

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Arrivini at tlic inn about sunset, after a jolly ride up in a four-horse coach, and having astonished the hotel people by giving the college and class yells, we proceeded at once to the room in which our supper had been prepared for us. After a few courses had been served, the moiu was varied by the reading of successive portions of the history, and afterwards of the prophecy and the class poem. After this many of the members were called upon for speeches, and, though it was a very pleasant occa- sion, everyone seemed a little saddened by the thought of the com- ing separation. A short business meeting was then held, and Sharp was elected to receive the spoon, and the following scheme for a permanent organization was adopted : Article i. There shall be a President, whose duties shall be, {a) To call all meetings ; {li) To preside at all meetings. Article 2. There shall be a Secretary, whose duties shall be, {(i) To take charge of all money and other property belonging to the organization ; {U) To keep the P. O. address of all members, together with a record of the principal events of their lives ; (c) To notify the members of all meetings and to send them any other information which he shall deem of sufficient importance. Article 3. Unless otherwise provided for, meetings shall take place every five years, at which reunions an election for President and Secretaiy shall take place. Article 4. A quorum shall consist of those present at any meeting of which a sufficient notice has been given. Written proxies shall be accepted. W. D. Lewis was elected President, and J. Sharp, Jr., Secretary. About one o ' clock we left the hotel, and the whole of the moonlight drive home was made hideous by blood-curdling 27

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havdng to meet the opposition of ' 87, now succeeded in persuading the students to wear gowns and to take charge of The Haver- FORDIAN. Weary of being led around by the nose by Dr. McCosh, the class ordered a kicking committee to get up a protest, and after a hundred or so had been prepared by the desperate committee, one was finally accepted, unanimously signed, and sent into the good old doctor, who was almost taken off his feet by such a demonstration. The misconceptions of a mathematician in regard to Evolution, which came later in the year, were very spicy, but the discussions which followed only served to show the old gentleman that the class, with one ex- ception, were all going to a warmer climate, whence they will probably frequently return to deceive the ignorant through the agency of the planchette, which, therefore, is synonymous with Tommy ' s H 1 on Wheels. The one exception, as a fit preparation to the perfect being which he will hereafter become, receives none but perfect marks. The Alumni Prize contest added another laurel to the many already in our possession. The judges pronounced the orations unusually good, and awarded the prize to H. S. England, and tzvo honorable mentions (an unusual thing), namely, W. D. Lewis and J. W. Sharp, Jr., and if there had been anything more to win, Cox was there to take it. The festivity of the class during this year was something re- markable. Never was a class as handsomely entertained by its members. C. R. Wood led off by giving us a dinner at his house, during the winter, and Lewis followed with another at his brother ' s house, in the spring. But perhaps the most successful of all was the garden party given for the class by Fred Morris. The hospitality and attentiveness of our host and hostesses was unexcelled, and everyone enjoyed himself immensely. But the climax was reached in our last supper, held at Devon Inn. 26

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bugle solos and rousing songs. And thus followed, as we im- agined, by a continuous stream of imprecations from the people we had disturbed along the route, we at length reached the col- lege and ended our last and most successful lark. On Saturday, June 23d, 1888, was held the first Haverford Class Day, and, however many may henceforth be celebrated, we feel sure that none can ever equal this. Having existed for several years as an idea in our minds, it at last took definite shape on this memorable day. It was a very appropriate consummation to all the bold and original ideas which we had introduced while at college, and, like everything else we have taken up, was a perfect success. Moreover, besides being the first Class Day at Haverford, it did not follow the usual program for such occasions, but contained some entirely novel features. Great credit is due to the tombstone committee for their unremitting care and labor in making the Tablet, the wonder of all who have seen it. A grateful class takes this opportunity to acknowledge the kind and invaluable assistance of its lady friends in decorating Alumni Hall, until that severe and stately room looked gay enough for a carnival. The exercises went off without a hitch, and the audience was very appreciative. The presentations w ere un- usually good, and the reading of the Class Poem was frequently interrupted by applause. Sharp, to be sure, made the melancholy announcement that he felt like a clam, but this was probably because of the acr w ations which he had just received. Commencement passed off as usual, only we think it was a little more interesting than is generally the case. To be sure, we did not have any Wilberforce to address us, but President Sharp- less ' s Baccalaureate, by far the best for many years, ivill perforce make up for that. Sharp ' s Valedictory was unusually thoughtful and unsentimental. When the degrees were handed to us and the word Do pronounced, methought I heard some one mutter Do-do ! and turning round, lo ! it was the Go-at ! 28