Johns Hopkins University - Hullabaloo Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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As the newly-arrived spirits in the H Purgatory stand in amaze at the many strange things they see, so we, in our first year, were naturally over-awed by certain beings like the dazzling Eddie Whiskerosus, and the ubiquitous William Devr--s, and the cigar- smoking, fund-gathering William Klapp, but as we grew older and more at home with the University and its inhabitants, even the mighty Achilles became known to us by the more familiar appella- tion H Paul. Our first class meetings were not as peaceable and amiable as one would judge from the present aspect of the class. Many a time did King Aiolus raise his trident and break open the cave of the whirlwinds, to let them loose among us and in the ballot-box. Two successive revolutions brought about as many complete changes of officers, not until one half year was over, did we obtain any- thing like stability in our organization. Although we enjoyed the tumult as much as any Frenchman could do, in our shiftings of ministries and cabinets we never felt it incumbent upon us to de- clare anybody an enemy to the state, or to set him adrift beyond the borders, but our animosity culminated in a general, well-meant handshaking, and in such lasting good-feeling as has not been equalled by many classes of the j. H. U. B. B. Shreeves was our first chairman 5 he has always had the glory of the class at heart, especially when its deeds were to be celebrated before the public. Ralph Robinson has the honor of having been our first presi- dent, but shortly after his inauguration he made H il gran rifiuto, and S. Guy Snowden was appointed in his place. S. Guy wore no glasses then, nor did he think that his eyes would soon break down for him under the strain of ffischylus and Plato, and cause him to take refuge in 790. He has been elected an honorary member of our class just as the noble president of our second year, W. T. Wat- son, who was prematurely drawn away by the charms of the medi- cal profession, and is now already bewitched to spout volumes of blood-curdling yarns and H interesting cases. The 22nd of February of this year, the eleventh anniversary of the J. H. U., was a great occasion for us. On this day we for the first time flourished old gold and marroon ribbon, with which Shreeves had presented us, and what with class colors and our class yell, we were the only class that gave any signs of its existence. 19

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was suffering from a malady that could strike the professor's im- agination, or unless irremediable circumstances demanded his presence elsewhere, when nothing more important was going on in class than a written recitation in history, or some searching ques- tions on the Second Book of Herodotus, or a quiz on the by-gone woods of Kent, or the sunken islands of the Pacific, or a lesson in Chaucer, or, or, ik 1' if aa' iff, and even in such cases our model boy felt himself constrained to show his face in the class-room, though circumstances did compel him to disappear immediately after roll-call. After such experiences, upon the high road of our early career we were stripped and searched, but received no bodily injury, except that in some cases our personal vanity was not alto- gether pleased by some cautions against the neglect of a certain article of toilet. A course of lectures on Hygiene, attendance compulsory, followed thereon and the attendance was so good, that on several occasions at roll-call, three other men besides the owner answered to his name. Again we were taken into a mysterious room, whose note of welcome was a peculiar sound, spelt Beeyzmo. After we had learned how to breathe and to say ik, it, ip, and lost sheep, we were initiated into the mysteries of passion and of madness especially, we were told where to go to get our clothes made 5 we were shown how to pick up a lady's handkerchief gracefully 5 how to sit, stand, bow,-in short, everything, until, to borrow a favorite figure of our professor's, until we could do like the frog, who, as you all know, jumps when he runs and stands up when he sits down. The breathing exercises brought up the old story of the student who tried to improve his breathing by laying three immense lexi- cons on his lower respiratory organs. Poor soul, he is now breath- ing unobstructedly in the land of shades. There is a story of a similarkind floating around somewhere in the Chemistry Minor about another bright lad who took home, in his pocket, a large piece of phosphorus from the Laboratory in order to exhibit its funny properties before mamma and the girls. When all are gathered round the genial Hreside, the hero suddenly recollects the treasured article, by the sudden commotion in his pocket and calmly grasps it in his hands, where the phosphorus begins to show certainly very wonderful properties, alike surprising to the family and to the ex- perimenter himself. But let us not wander from our subject. 18

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The year came quickly to a close with spring sports and Fi- nals following hard upon, a constant source of terror to freshmen. We were greatly reduced in numbers, upon entering our second year, many a good fellow had disappeared from our ranks, and the vacancies were only partially filled by some valuable contribu- tions from other classes. In this year the class was scattered in small sections for special work, and there was no P. H. E. or L. E. P. to bring a large number together, we therefore had recourse to frequent class meetings. Classmates ! it would probably be well to allow an ignorant outsider, who wishes it, to be introduced into one of these class-meetings, to show him what wonderful fellows we really are, let him imagine himself suspended in mid-air, as it were, taking a bird's-eye view of the situation. He will see first Il Signor Emilio Parlato from fair Sicily, who has just risen and with stentorian voice demands a point of information. Next to him, Will Hilles, buried in his chair, his upper lips lightly curled by a complacent smile, half betraying an abundant store of dry wit, which only on account of an aversion to exertion, is prevented from seeking expression. There sits Horatio Warren, our class poet, sunk deep in the gulf of meditation and anchored there, his hands in his pockets, his long beard resting heavy upon his bosom, his legs stretching far under the chairs in front of him, like the widespreading roots of some mighty oak. Near him sit Reeves, Bernhardt, and other eminent philosophers of ours. There are the two tramps, Harrison N Edes, chumsg the for- mer is our treasurer, and is so honest that he has never attempted to tramp to Canada with our funds, though he has made the dis- tance thrice over in Baltimore county. Probably he has never been sufficiently tempted, for our funds only amount to three coppers which our treasurer himself donated to get his office. Edes is the venerable recorder of our minutes for '88-'89, and helps to run the tramp club, which means running yourselfto death, and he thinks that spending the night in a barn or hay-loft thirty miles from town is the most enjoyable recreation imaginable, his chum agrees with him. In the farthest end of the room are Roszel, Lazear and Cooke, all men of muscle. Passano is not among these. Billings had. a special clause in the constitution made for him against smoking in class meetings, he stayed away after it was passed. Thomas and Keidel are here to-day as a special favor. The three doctors from 20