Monmouth College - Ravelings Yearbook (Monmouth, IL)

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lemndDr Mnstoryc Class Colors— Crimson and Black, Yell— Oh! Wi: WaelWon! Rahl Rah! Rah? 1901 1 IT IS sometimes difficult for the historian to make history interesting without resorting- to fiction, i ' or the public takes little interest in perusing sta tistics and plain dry facts. Nevertheless, a few events have happened in history that read like fiction, and the historian in making a record of them is often accused of wandering from the path of truth. Therefore it is with much apprehension that the historian records for the last time in The Ravelings the history of the Class of 1901. fc - •iS? ' ' :; ' There are many experiences of the class that he ' ' )] might narrate, but, because the simple truth would • 3 7 ) j -j sound like a reckless exaggeration, he must con- fine his history to the enumeration of the more commonplace. Of commonplace events the most interesting are those of war. The Class of 1901 declared war against the faculty and students in the month of September, 1897. A few have been slain, but their memories will ever remain bright and cheering to ns who are left ;. isome have sustained painful and serious wounds, while others, being ■captured, have suffered inhuman ( ? ) punishment and discipline. A few •weeks more and we will have overthrown the final obstructions and will ' have been honorably discharged. Our Fi ' eshman year was marked with comparative CLuietude, although .at times it seemed as if blows could not be averted. All our m.ana?uvres were unmolested, our physical strength and intellectual mien having- such .a quieting- effect on the other classes that we were allowed the unheard of privilege of holding the annual banquet on Washington ' s birthday with- ■ out being disturbed in the least. The lull which overshadowed the school in our Freshman year was ■ only to be followed by the bloodiest and most glorious campaign of Mon- :mouth College. Although few in number we were mighty in strength. Do we not still hold the Inter-class Field Day Pennant which we won in the spring- of ' 93? Did we not fight the Class of 1902 to a standstill when they dared to challenge us to a foot-ball contest? With hearts swelling with pride and patriotism, did we not g-uard all the entrances to the Audi- torium while one of our classmates scaled the rafters and nailed to the roofthe flag of crimson and black? All during- chapel it floated over our lieads, only to come down when a professional, hired by the faculty, went over the same ground which our amateur took the night before. Did we quail when 1902, with double our numbers, attempted to burn a bogus flag the next nig-ht? No! With a rush and a few well-directed blows we captured the flag, and if you ask most any Senior he can show you a piece of that memorable cloth. Nor did we stop here. Next spring- this same class, still claiming to be our superiors, determined to try con-

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lll 2llj]ij 3 ' ' 13iy!l2i. TIRZA SAMsr»r. EDITOKS. I AtJI. :MAKTI r. ROSCOE .TOXES. PIARKX .JEWELL. WYATT SPRAGrTE.

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elusions with us on the base-ball diamond. You all know how we dressed them up to the tune of 16 to 6, giving to us the base-ball championship, which we again asserted in the following spring when we defeated the Preps. ' ' When, ' neath September ' s glowing sun, the foliage of the trees scat- tered throughout the campus was changed from green to red and gold, a no less wonderful transformation took place in the Class of 1901. We, the erstwhile wicked and bloody Sophomores, assumed the dignified mien, the sober ways befitting upper classmen. We buried the tomahawk and the knife and relegated to the boyish under classmen the color-rushes and the painting, being content to walk the streets, serene and satisfied with our new-found dignity. During our Junior year we bravely attended to every duty. O ' er the ashes of Horace we bowed in humble submission. May his rest be long and deep. Unflinchingly, we wrestled with Demosthenes, and we still bear marks of the struggle. We conquered at last, and he was laid to rest. But, students yet to come, He is not dead, but sleepeth. But why continue this narration ' ? It is not necessary to record the details of how the faculty have tried to stick us year in and year out. We need not harrow your feelings with our endless warfare against zeros. We can only, in a brief way, recount the principal events which have happened in our school years. The history of the class has just begun. Only a few weeks more and each member will go his way, mingle with the busy throng, and do his part toward completing the history of a great nation. So with fond memories of the past clinging to us, such as stealing the bell clapper, dedicating the gymnasium, ' ' greasing the blackboards, and float- ing our class flag from the rafters, let us go out into the world resolved to make history interesting. G., ' 01.