Johns Hopkins University - Hullabaloo Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

Page 19 text:

THE CLASS SYSTEM AT JOHNS HOPKINS. FRIESHMAN in one of our colleges is said to have paid his first, and only, visit to the library of the institution, for the purpose of finding out what a certain famous author had written about our class. To him, '93 had but one meaning, nor could he doubt that the class would furnish a theme well worthy the genius of Victor Hugo. We may pardon our young friend's innocence of literary history, in consideration of the generosity of his feelings, and the incident, however apocryphal, does not exaggerate the place which class associa- tions' and interests hold in many a collegian's mind. The history of our colleges shows how strong the sentiment of class loyalty has always been among students, the characteristic features of college life, both good and evil, have beenhintimately connected with it. This feeling is carried by most persons into subsequent years, and the fact that a person has been one's classmate gives him a claim, which few will disown, to recognition and sympathy. XVhether this sentiment will be as potent a factor in the academic life of the future, as in that of the past, may be doubted, the introduction of fraternities, the increased size of classes in the larger colleges and their consequent division into sections, the multiplication of elective studies-changes such as these, within recent years, have undoubtedly tended to modify it. One disadvantage of the class organization, which it is difiicult to overcome, is, that it prescribes a uniform length of residence for all, irrespective of differences in acquirement, capacity, and industry. This unifomiity is, at most colleges, rarely disregarded, except by occasional 13