Lowell Technological Institute - Pickout Yearbook (Lowell, MA)

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THE PICKOUT 1917 The next morning the sun rose an hour earlier than usual. Could Old Sol have had an inkling of the strange doings of the night before, that he should rise thus early? It may have been; who knows? At any rate when the sophs crossed over to school that morning, a glorious, awe- inspiring sight met their wondering eyes. For there, emblazoned on the bed of the Merrimack in gorgeous, glowing red, as if heated by some internal fire, were the freshman class numerals ! 1917 Forever ! Chagrin and dismay struggled for the mastery on the countenance of every soph that gazed on the noble sight. To this day instructors long- to sit and dream of that glorious October day spent in freedom from the pestilential sophomores. For so intent on vengeance and speedy ven- geance too, were they, that not one attended class! In a short time they had enlisted the sympathies of the 13 Club, and with the help of this powerful body succeeded in capturing two little Freshmen and parading them through the streets of Lowell. And that was all! Small revenge indeed ! That this early manifestation of the freshman spirit dismayed the sophs is evident from their utter lack of response to the freshmen ' s apparent willingness for a football game. As for the flag rush, they were only too glad to let the appointed time slide by without appearing on the scene. Therefore 1917 won the flag rush without so much as striking a blow at the flag of 1916! The basketball game? Oh yes! You see the freshmen played such a straightforward, chuck full of science game, that the sophs re- sorted to football tactics in order to win enough points to balance the score in their favor. 1917 played basketball, and not football; just remember that ! Midyear exams came and passed harmlessly over our heads. The grim hand of the reaper of poor scholars touched but lightly here and there in our midst. 1917 held steadfastly on her course and ere long April sunshine and showers was with us. For several days subdued excitement had been written on the faces of the freshmen. What could it mean? Plainly the sophs were puzzled ! Ah, little they dreamed what lay in store for them ! And then, toward the close of a beautiful spring day, disaster fell upon them! In the twinkling of an eye the freshmen descended into their midst, and seizing their president, along with a few others equally desirable, rushed them off to serve as waiters at the freshman banquet. What a banquet that was! What a jolly good time everyone had! How the sophs prowled around our banquet hall, peering in through the windows, like wolves baffled of their prey ! Was there ever such a night? Was there ever

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Cfje Class of 1017 Ah! well do I remember that day in September way back in the year 1914. ' Twas a red letter day for Textile, and also the first day of Textile for the class of 1917. And what a day! A chill northeast wind blew freezingly o ' er the banks of the Merrimack. Gusts of a premature snowstorm swirled and eddied around us; it was as if the very heavens knew and realized what a momentous occasion lay unfolded beneath them. It was with many misgivings, and much inward trepidation, al- though to all outward appearance we seemed as brave as lions, that we gathered in the library that eventful morning. If we had had a few uneasy fears, they were fully justified, for no sooner had we registered than presto: out on the campus the sophs had us, coats inside out, pant legs rolled to the knees, shoes and caps off! Ah, what a race that was ! Round the campus we ran, sprinting for dear life. Once only did we run the gauntlet, and then, there amid the swirling snow and struggling sophs , there sprang into existence a wonderful sensation in the heart of each fighting freshman. People call it class spirit. To us it seemed a bond, a tie, which had thus suddenly sprung up to bind us firmly to one another for years to come. Like a flash we turned on the sophs in a body. Out of the way, you curs ! Down with them ! Open that door ! Oh! you would, would you? Take that, then! In the twinkling of an eye the sophs were scattered to the four winds, and our first great day at Textile was over. From that day on heroic deeds have been performed, deeds of dar- ing, deeds of violence, and deeds which will place our names in the halls of scholastic fame forever. All these have made the name of 1917 famous. ' Twas a dark and stormy night. Overhead the clouds scudded across the horizon in dark, obscure masses. One could hardly see his hand before his face ! It was on just such a night as this that two daring freshmen crept stealthily o ' er the rocky bed of the Merrimack. What could they be doing? Ah, a gleam and then a flash of light! They seemed to be searching for something ! What could it be? At last they stopped, and late home-goers hurriedly crossing o ' er Moody Street bridge, had they stopped to listen, would have heard the peculiar swish, swashing sound of a paint brush skillfully applied. Suddenly all sounds ceased, a few gleams of light darted haltingly over the rocks, and then all was dark. 21

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THE PICKOUT 191? such a banquet, such eats, such sport with the sophomore waiters? Never! Up-Stream Day that year was one grand lark for the freshmen. We almost won the baseball game with the sophs; in fact most auth- orities believe we did, as the score keeper got mixed up a little when trying to add up the runs made by the sophs. At dinner we nobly upheld our reputation and did full justice to the wholesome food served by the Page Catering Company. Finally came May with the customary ordeal of final exams. And then we were free for four long months. £econt) Hear The long summer passed, and while the last few days of September still lingered, as if loath to depart, the class of 1917 returned to Textile. Originally consisting of 46 members, we are proud to relate that only seven men dropped out, which shows that 86% of the class returned. Is that not a record to boast of? It was with memories of that day just one short year before, when as freshmen we had entered Textile for the first time, that we gathered near the library door to renew acquaintances and to inspect the newly arrived freshmen. What a timid, shrinking lot they were! No sooner had they matriculated than off to the locker room we took them. Off with their shoes and stockings, was the cry ! Coats inside out ! Hats and caps in the wheelbarrow! Before long the freshmen were thoroughly cowed. Soon we tired of the pleasant diversion of walking them around the room in their stocking feet, and as the majority of them seemed to want some fresh air, we allowed them to file out on the lawn. Arrived there, several wrestling matches were staged, and on the whole a most enjoyable morning was spent. Thus ended the first day of our second year at Textile ; but oh, how different this day had been from that of the previous year ! While being comparatively active in athletics during our freshman year, we, not deeming this sufficient, started in the fall of 1915 by plac- ing several of our men in coveted positions on the football team. Again, in the following spring, a goodly number of men held up the honor of 1917 in the baseball team. What more could a class do for athletics? Soon came November with its chill winds and its frequent light snowstorms. ' Twas on just such a chill day as that in which we as fresh- men had entered together into Textile, that we as sophomores held the annual Freshman-Sophomore football game, and flag-rush. The fresh- men, over confident of victory, fell down before the valiant men of 1917. 23