Lehigh University - Epitome Yearbook (Bethlehem, PA)

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dependent spirit of the Burr s personnel for it was suspended twice during its sojourn on trie cam- pus, the final blow falling in 1955. A fourth pub- lication, the Lehigh Quarterly, which devoted its pages to articles on technical subjects, alumni news, and some attempts at creative writing, failed after two years existence primarily because of a general lack of student interest. So-called variety magazines have had a rocky road to travel at Lehigh finding opposition from the faculty on one hand and lack of student interest on the other. Three more such magazines made valiant attempts at success. The Review started out as a literar ' and philosophical magazine for intelli- gent students but forgot its primary aim and fol- lowed the Burr in 1940. The Bachelor had a short life in the early 40 s and, after the second orld ar. the Goblet sprang into e.xistence and sprang almost as quickly out ol the picture in 1949. The Brown and White, first published in 1894, led a much less stormy existence and is today one of the two student publications on campus. Not all attempts to organize outside-of-class activities had the trials and tribulations of the Burr and its fellow publications. Interest groups got together, organized societies, and en- gaged men from all over the country to visit and talk with them. The first of these was the Chemi- cal Society, begun in 1871, and reputedly the oldest student chemical society still in existence. Shortly after its founding, the society changed its scope to include natural history. Following closely upon the heels of the Chemical and Na- tural Historv Society came the Engineering So- ciety (1873) which was the sponsor of the ill- fated Journal and Quarterly. The idea and value of such interest groups caught on at Lehigh until every course had its own club or organization and students who lound mutual interests often established such groups as the Christmas Hall Telegraph Club. Honoraries, another [jliase ol student activities, apparently had their beginning at Lehign when A 1 5 CHARLES RL ' SS RICHARDS HOUSE Prof. E. H. Williams. Jr., recognizing the lack of a Phi Beta Kappa to honor outstanding achievement in the field of engineering, organized the first chapter of Tau Beta Pi at Lehigh in 1885. Since that time, this society has been adopted by 91 of the leading technical schools of the country. Phi Beta Kappa followed in 1887. As a result of the efforts and foresight of thou- sands of men who have planned and partici- pated in the fjrofessional, interest, avocational, and honorary groups throughout the history of Lehigh there are over eighty different directions in which the Lehigh man of today can expand his extra-curricular horizons. Any discourse of the benefits which are avail- able to an undergraduate today cannot bypass the name of Richard Harding Davis, one of Le- high s most famous undergraducUes. Although he never graduated Irom Lehigh (he was ex- pelled), his tremendous energy, his sharf) wit, and his general personality have done a lot

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started with tnree classes in residence at Lehigh, the Special Schools having been opened, and no less than fifty students had affiliated them- selves with the polytechnic school. Packer Hall, a gilt of the founder, was first occupied in Sep- tember 1 868 and thus the University was off on its career as a full-fledged personality — as a real influence in the lives and thinking of the people who were destined to come in contact with it during the ensuing years. Extra-curricular life began as undergraduates formed the Junto, an honorary literary society of which all members of the faculty and Board of Trustees were automatic members and to which students were elected. Another phase of non- academic life created quite a stir on the campus and surrounding Bethlehem when several not too gentle pitched battles occurred between the Lehigh students and town roughs in Bethle- hem and South Bethlehem. Publications were also one of the first organ- ized student activities on campus. In 1875 mem- bers of the Junto established the Epitome as a publication of the sophomore class. Written in somewhat flowery language, the first Epitome was a paper-bound volume and, by its own ad- mission, did not claim to be a literary publica- tion. Responsibility for publishing the yearbook was taken over by the junior class in 1884; not until 1951. however, did the senior class begin publishing its own annual. Except lor a short- lived publication by the class of 76, the Lehigh Journal, the next literary endeavor to raise its staff among Lehigh students was the Burr which operated under the motto, Don t sit on me. The faculty apparently had little regard for the in- UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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WILLIAMS HALL toward establishing such campus organizations as Mustard Cheese and Arcadia. The former resulted irom a group or students who met in a local beer parlor, Rennig s, to hear men and women oi theatrical fame who were travelling in the vicinity and to consume a delicious (so they wrote) meal of oysters, bread, mustard, and cheese. The organization selected the title of Mustard Cheese when, as was quite natural, their interests turned to amateur theatrics. Thus, on April 10, 1885, the group, following the sug- gestion of their leader, Charles Belmont Davis who was aided and abetted by his brother, Richard, presented its first real production. Sir Dagohert and the Dragon, in the old Sun Inn. According to somewhat hazy records, an original play, Mary, the Child of Misfortune, by Richard Harding Davis, was presented a year earlier by a few members of the group. Richard Davis was also one of the most out- spoken opponents of the secret fraternities and societies which had become prevalent on campus by the middle of the 1880 ' s. To show his oppo- sition to such organizations, Davis got together a congenial group of students which met in local taverns for pipes, beer, and gingeralia. Also included among the activities of this group, the Arcadia, were philosophical discussions and box- ing. In 1894, when dissension arose over the question of cheating in University exercises -one student often added the words Co. to his work — this group came forward with the sugges- tion of an honor system for the student body and thus Arcadia began its functioning as a liason between the students and the faculty. A constitu- tion was drawn up to administer the system and, with various campus leaders as members, Arcadia stepped out in the role it has had ever since -student governing body. Many reorganiza- tions took place during the next half century un- til a group of energetic World War II veterans drew up and secured the adoption of the present constitution providing for a democratic campus- wide election of members. Athletics also had their beginnings at Lehigh about the time of Richard Harding Davis. Al- though many intramural and intraclass skirm- ishes had taken place from the very beginnings of the University, baseball was the first intercol- legiate sport to firmly establish itself and the an- nual game with Lafayette dates back as far as 1883. Lehigh, too, was one of the pioneers in the IC -lA s, an intercollegiate athletic group, join- ing the newly formed organization in 1876. La- crosse, which was introduced in 1884, rapidly advanced due to Arnold K. Reese, 89, who cap- tained and trained the team throughout his col- lege career. Lehigh won the Lacrosse Champion- ship of the United States in ' 90, ' 93. ' 95 and ' 96 all of which speaks very highly of Mr. Reese s coaching ability. Football was also among the original sports at 12