Muhlenberg College - Ciarla Yearbook (Allentown, PA)

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FOREWORD o many readers of this hook the Ciarla means merelij a record of the events of the college year, the organ- izations on the campus, the life history, true or false, of a number of Juniors, and a few pages of humor. To those who are responsible for its publication the CIARLA means countless hours of suspense, days of activity, and months of labor. During the compilation of this volume we have found that a few college men are humorous, a few are piteously humorous and a few have no humor whatsoever. We have also discovered that the student considers it a freedom of col- lege life to express frankly his viewpoint, whether it regards the faculty or his fellow students These different viewpoints are contained in this volume and if exception is taken to any) of them, revert back to the statement concerning “the freedom of college life.’ We offer no apologies nor ask for any compliments on the accomplishment of our task. The completion alone gives us the satisfaction that we have upheld a tradition which is older than we, the tradition of publishing an annual, The Staff

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Robert R. Fritsch 0 MAKE the Bible a familiar book to every student at Muhlenberg and to give them a clearer understanding of world religion is the work in which Professor Fritsch is keenly interested. Not only does he teach the students of the College but practically every day in the week finds him lecturing and teaching before one of his many classes outside of the College. Rev. Prof. Robert Fritsch was born September 10, 1879 in Allentown. His father was for several years engaged as a colporteur for the American Tract Society and at present is selling religious books. Both his father, John G. Fritsch, and his mother, Sarah Y. Fritsch, are still living. The ancestors of his family on his father’s side came to this country from Germany in 1764, while his mother’s ancestors came to Philadelphia thirty years earlier. Prof. Fritsch was educated in the public schools in Allentown and in 1896 was graduated in the Allentown High School with first honors. In the same year he was confirmed as a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church by Rev. Doctor J. A. Singmaster, now the President of the Gettysburg Theological Seminary. He entered Muhlenberg in the fall of 1896 and was graduated with first honors in 1900. In the Fall of 1901 he was elected a regular member of the Faculty of the Allentown High School and for six years taught Latin. On June 30th, 1904, he married Miss Carrie M. Fehr, the youngest daughter of Rev. C. K. Fehr, who for more than fifty years was a minister in the Evangelical Church and who filled several important offices in his church. She is a graduate of the Allentown High School and of the Moravian Seminary for girls. They have two children, Dorothy and Charles. In the Fall of 1907 Prof. Fritsch began his career as an instructor at Muhlenberg as a substitute for Prof. Horn, his classmate of the class of 1900, who was granted a year’s leave of absence to study at Harvard University. Prof. Fritsch had charge of the Greek Department for that year. Meanwhile the student body under the ad- ministration of Dr. Haas was beginning to grow and the need for additional help on the faculty was becoming apparent. Professor Fritsch was retained as assistant to Dr. Wackernagel in the German Department in which capacity he served for about twelve years when he assumed full charge of the department upon the retirement of Dr. Wackernagel. In addition to this work he also taught English Bible. Meanwhile, in 1903 he was given the degree of M. A. by his Alma Mater; in 1904 that of Ph.B. by Illinois Weslyan University and in 1908 by the same insti- tution the degree of M.A. for advanced work in Latin. In 1909-10 he took several Saturday courses in French and German at the University of Pennsylvania and from 1910 to 1913 he took the three year’s seminar course in German Literature under Dr. Learned, at the same institution. In 1921 it became evident that, because of the enlarged enrollment, it would be impossible for one man to continue teaching the two subjects satisfactorily. Having been given the choice between the two subjects, he chose the Department of Religion. In 1915 he was ordained in Philadelphia by the General Synod of the Lutheran Church. In the Fall of 1916 he assumed charge of St. Joseph’s Lutheran Church in East Allentown. The Department of Religion of Muhlenberg College feels its obligation to carry its influence out into the churches of the various communities. Prof. Fritsch has had unusual success with Bible study classes and attendance at these number from four to eight hundred people. Professor Fritsch has always endeavored to advance Muhlenberg not only in its influence in the church but also in various other lines. It is because of his unfailing devotion and interest in college men that we have dedicated this book to him.

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Ciarla Staff Editor-in-Chief . . PETER BRATH Assistant Editor-in-Chief . . GEORGE R. SELTZER 1 Associate Editors 1 H. TYLER CHRISTMAN i FREDERIC EIDAM J GUSTIE J. CHERNANSKY j JOHN P. JORDAN f MORRIS L. SHAFER WALTER E. RUTT Business Manager LOUIS E. EDWARDS Assistant Business Managers ( ALBERT J. UTZ | ROBERT F. ORR Advertising Manager . . PAUL J. SMITH Assistant Advertising Managers ( ' CLYDE H. KELCHNER | WILLIAM F. HILLEGASS THOMAS A. GREENE 1 ARTHUR J. NAGLE , BERT F. KRAUSE Photographers J | ALFRED A. KOCH I A. PAUL SNYDER Art Editors ! l GEORGE M. SIEGER 1 ELMER E. ZIEBER Ex Officio Humor . . ALAN F. WEINSHEIMER Art , . SAMUEL WOLF