Montana State University Bozeman - Montanan Yearbook (Bozeman, MT)

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NINETEEN TWELVE astrously; yet insofar as it can be cut clown without leaving out essential facts and considerations, it is made more readable and acceptable to the critical eye of the average student body of America. To attempt to produce a book, every department and every page of which would be enthusiastically read or viewed by all who either purchased or inspected the book, is lar beyond the hope of even the most sanguine worker on any board of annual editors. So the ideal in the mind of those who have constructed this volume has been to make every page fill the position of either a necessity, or of an interesting feature to at least a few probable investigators. Whatever else may he true of the book which now lies before you, it is certain that everything in it is not original. No pretense to total originality is made. Handicapped by the short time of one year, into which many things have been crowded, and limited by finances, many features which would have added greatly to the intrinsic as well as sentimental value of this book have been abandoned. Plans for some of the. various departments have been greatly hurried and do not represent the true conception of them; others in comparison have been overdone, but probably from necessity. In conclusion, we wish to thank Mr. Xoah Kirbv for his conscientious assistance in the preparation of drawings; Mr. Gilbert Griffith for his valuable work along the same line; Miss Viola Fisher for her pioduction of the copy from which many of the headings in this book were reproduced; Schlccten and Williams for their willing assistance and valuable work; the Bureau of Engraving and the Great Falls Tribune for their expert work; and many others who have contributed largely to the publication. Pclorc closing forever the connection of the present staff with the enterprise designated at The Montanan, they wish to voice a desire that their dealings with the many unforeseen obstacles which confront that institution will have the result of pointing out new paths or of making old ones more passable to those who will succeed them year after year. A great deal of pleasure has been gleaned from the experience, and training achieved which will probably he valuable in future life; and. like their predecessors, the staff here expresses the hope that their creation will not only be appreciated, be successful as tilling its designed place in the school, but will also serve as an additional guide toward the perfection of a better publication in the future. Page it

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THE MONTANAN Jntrniiurtxnn OURIXGthe course of its four years of existence.the junior annual. The Montanan, has come to fill an important place in the institution. To it is devoted a great deal of time and attention with the purpose of providing students and facult) with a history of the varied activities of the college. This history, if confined to a dry statement of facts, would be intolerable, and so the institution known as the annual has grown to be featured principally with pictures and scenes connected with the life of the year past In preparing this volume an effort has been made to profit by the experience of the predecessors in the field. The tireless work performed by those who have had charge of previous editions should bear and has borne fruit by making possible a stead) improvement up to this time. Probably the most conspicuous changes which should make for a more interesting volume have been in the shortening of the articles on class and society history, the introduction of a more detailed account of athletic activities, the recognition of the remarkable growth in literary activity, and the presentation of the names of those in the various group pictures. For the stranger the last named innovation, or rather, extension of former policy, is probably the most important. A sea of faces with no means of identification is little less than confusing to the ordinary observer and this has led to the adoption by many of the annuals published in the country, of the policy of presenting the names with the pictures. W hether or not the athletic activities of a given year have been universally successful, it is always interesting to have a brief account' of the different games and of the causes which contributed to success or defeat. Relieving in the truth of the above statement, the annual this year presents such summaries, with the schedule of results in addition. To devote all the space and attention to the athletic events would be unfair under any conditions, but doubly so when it is considered that more rapid strides have been made in other lines this year than ever before Owing to this expansion and growth, opportunity is offered for making more of a feature out of debating, speaking, and other literary efforts. Probably the feature of former editions which has commanded least attention has been the history of the societies and classes. This is a necessary part of the book, and total neglect of it would result dis- P a g e 10

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