Princeton University - Nassau Herald Yearbook (Princeton, NJ)

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I2 Hisfafy Q' like Class Qf '96. to make themselves at home. They required no urging, but it wasn't money for the college Y. M. C. A. that they were after- what they wanted was a real live Freshman. Mudge did all kinds of stunts that night Qby requestj, and when assistance came he was discovered balanced on his stomach along the top of the door, swimming for dear life. Friday, the third day of our college experience, dawned not bright and clear, but all in a death-dumb, autumn-dripping gloom, in plain words, rainy, as Princeton days are very apt to be. The day passed uneventfully for us, except for such trilies as being shoved off the sidewalk at every opportunity, removing our caps whenever the imperative two fingers were raised, and undergoing brief but animated colloquies with bands of Sopho- mores gathered about the entrances of Dickinson. As evening drew on, the suppressed tone of excitement among us showed that something was afoot, and, indeed, the word had been passed that the rush was to take place that night. . About eight o'clock we assembled on University Place in front of Goldie's and marched up to Nassau Street, gathering our men as we went. Down Nassau Street to 'Washington we marched, and up Washington to the east entrance of the campus. We were by this time a formidable body, in column of fours and packed solidly rank on rank. Keep together, boys, keep close together, was the cry as we tramped up between East College and the Old Chapel. At this moment the dark masses of '9 5 were seen advancing toward us and with an exultant yell at seeing our hated foes delivered into our hands, we rushed them with thunderous speed. They were not backward and fell upon us with spirit. ' F We met them good and large, The Sophomores at the double and the Freshmen at the charge. The two columns collided with an awful shock, the iirst three

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Hz'St01gf qf the Class gf '96, II opposition, while William Strong McGuire polled a heavy Lawrenceville vote and was declared secretary-treasurer. Then an athletic committee, devised for nobody knew what, not even themselves, was chosen after a desperate contest. They were: On football, Barnett and Parsons, on baseball, Anderson, on track athletics, Alford. This last important business over, the Junior president in- formed us that '95 would tender us a reception outside 5 we must keep together and not try to avoid the kind offices of the recep- tion committee, but charge Sffdlghl ahead Our newly-made president put himself at our front and with the rest just chucked in anyhow, we burst forth from the Old Chapel and pell-mell into the Waiting Sophomores. It was lively work for a couple of minutes, and I can see the astonished Sophomores yet as they reeled before our thronging hosts. We burst their ranks asunder and marching down in front of Dickinson gave a lusty cheer for our own prowess. We then separated to repair the ravages of war, and to wonder if ,QS would dare to dally with us. Well, they did. O, yes, they did! That very night the fun began. T About eight P.M., Sally Bostwick and Monk Godfrey were seized while buying some fruit at Zazzali's, and led quietly but firmly out Vandeventer Street. There they were relieved of their purchase,with remarks of ff how appropriate, and made to kneel down together. Then one of the Sophs produced a small can of green paint and-but why describe so painftjful a scene? When the two horror-stricken Freshmen were released, Bos's face resembled the campus on a spring day, while Godfrey be- came known as the Princeton Zebra. Fred Mudge has always lived here in Princeton and been mixed up in college affairs, nevertheless, when three men called at his house that evening, representing themselves as collectors for the Philaclelphian, Fred, being a minister's son, took the careworn bluff in good faith, Indeed, he invited them right up to his room and begged them

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HZiS'f07fj! qf the Class W' '96. I3 ranks being forced off their feet and into the air by the pressure behind, where they fought and kicked friend and foe alike. The pressure is terrible, suffocating, but shove! shove, boys! In another instant the opposing ranks weaken and give sullenly back and We know that we have defeated '95 in the first charge. Twice more did they gather and twice more did our resistless phalanx hurl itself upon them. Finally, after a fierce melie, in which order was abandoned to fight at will, the Sophomores broke incontinently and fled in confusion. We had won the rush and held the cannon, while giving cheer after cheer for our victory. Who in our class can ever forget that rush? The desperate strain of man against man, the fierce thrill which betokens the rousing of the slumbering barbarian, the wild excitement and gratification of the victorious moment. Some one has said that a rush presses the members of a class so close together that they can never grow entirely apart again, however diverse their aims and interests may be in the future, and I am sure it was so with us. Ours was the very last of the old-time struggles, for rushing is now no more, but it was a noble chapter with which to close the book. So we departed to our homes, celebrating our triumph in the words of the poet: ' Twas thus that we battled That night in September. They were rushed, riled and rattled- O, let them remember! The following day, Saturday, passed rapidly enough except for those lucky GQ mortals who were invited to dine with the Soph- omores-and thus peacefully closed the week. How full and busy those three or four days had been! We had bought our text-books, located the recitation rooms in Dickinson, battled with the Sophomores. I think none of us had ever lived quite so long in so short a time. On Monday of the next week practice for the class baseball