Phillips Exeter Academy - PEAN Yearbook (Exeter, NH)

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istorig of ilslinetgs wo. Cl'lI'llCRZ-I'Illll2l-lJ2l.ll1, Hulla-balu, Exeter, Exeter, '9J. t'nmRs :-Black and White. N September 12, 1888, the citizens of Exeter and the students of 19, A. beheld a steady stream of humanity amble its way into Exeter Remarks of Farmers' Alliance Convention, Meeting of the Society for the Improvement of Crops, were wonderingly given forth. Alas, The saddest words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ' it might have been.' And it wasn't. Ninety- two, with all that milk-your-cow, churn-your-butter air, that caused Exeter farmers to tremble for their livelihood, was sprung upon us. Oh, that this had never been l Oh, that a misplaced switch, manipulated by a switchman or their mothers. had not permitted them to enter here ! The hayseeds that composed that crew were more than a marker to the green Irish girl who saw hanging- out over a grocery store the sign Families Supplied, and went into the place, asking for a husband and seven children. And these, ye gods, are to succeed us as Seniors! Ah, unworthy the thought, hapless the time ! Adage has it, A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Perhaps,-and yes, but would an onion? Verily we think not. Ninety-one's only regret on leaving your classic portals, Fair Exeter, is that Ninety-two, divested of garments that she has rendered far from immac- ulate, will lord it over our late and ever-to-be-cherished domains. Had we the choosing, ,93, '94, or even the unborn champions of '95 would fill our lot and mission in P. li. A. ,But Fate, frivolous and merciless, divines and acts in all. Someone hath deposed and said. Man is tractable, but the combined wisdom and influence of all P. E. A. has been exerted on the sovereign ver- dancy of '92, and has exhumed naught but vacuity-and an appetite for beer. Moral suasion has long since become a soup suicide as far as concerns the guiding of the wily ,92 into the delightful yet rugged path of righteous- .26

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ness. Even clubs have been used, but this bellicose method of procedure has resulted only in the flowing of offensive gore. And so goes '92 merrily on, a howling autocrat in its own peculiar sphere and satisfied with the world in general and its egotistical and faulty self in particular. But enough, let us turn our thoughts to what Ninety-two has accomplished in the P. E. A. athletic world. On a certain afternoon in March, 1889, could be heard emanating from the Gymnasium groans of anguish and shrieks of delight, the latter rather predominating. Free from care were the hearts of Ninety-two, while free from money were the pocket-books of Ninety-one. All future athletic achievements by this class are as nothing compared to this. The Preps. won the tug-of-war in the Indoor Meeting. Oh ! Hercules, thou scion of all that is powerful, thou gazed down with pride on thy worthy lineage, praised an d extolled them to the heavenly beings, but if thou hadst been a friend of the Academy thou wouldst have sent down some healing mix- ture labeled Abnormal heads reduced. As Middlers, '92 bobbed up serenely, slightly disfigured, perhaps, but still in the ring. Revenge on '9r filled the hopeful Middler's heart, and that same revenge was daily growing into lusty manhood. It was evident from the gloaming that something was going to drop. Lethargy, and in a measure fear, was thrown off and '92 put a' class team on the field to punt the pigskin and to defeat '91, In the series of games, '92 wonl-third place and then unloaded her hidden genius on the Academy eleven, and excellent material it was, too. The next excitement was centred in the Winter Tournament, a soft snap for us, as '92 characteristically remarked. By mistake, the snap seemed to have been omitted and '92 fell a martyr to its own enlargement of cerebrum and cerebellum. Figuratively speaking, 193 appropriated the bake- shop in its entirety, ,QI snagging a few buns and the blustering Middlers again dieting on soup. Owing to our limited space we must however quit the deal. Before we leave you, '92, let us give you some advice, advice which we are enabled to give through having passed through Seniordom ourselves. You have too much class spirit. The permanent success of the school is lost in the struggle for the temporary success of the class. You are now the highest class of this school. Deport yourselves so as to be a shining example to the under classes following. Show to ,93, '94 and the soon-to-be-seen '95, that dignity, gentlemanly behavior, intellectuality and strivings for the advance- ment of P. E. A. are your chief characteristics. Why not? Would the fore- going be hard to exemplify? Can you not emerge from your classy skin even as the butterfiy does from the lowly caterpillar? Goodbye, Ninety-two. Preserve Phillips Exeter in its present great standing. I'?zA'. , 27