Princeton University - Nassau Herald Yearbook (Princeton, NJ)

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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

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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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I4 Hisfofgf W' Zke Class of '96. series began. A call was issued to our class to produce a team and a number of 'fwould-bes were inveigled down to the 'Varsity field. The following men appointed themselves a nine: Mary Anderson, catcher 3 Big Petty, first base, Arty Gunster, third base 5 Pierre Ward, short-stop, Cas Burt, left field 3 Curly Smith, right field, Jimmie Small, second base, Harry Bergen, centre field g Doo Wilson, pitcher. They played throughout the week, not indeed with varying fortune, for the wheel spun in one direction only, but very creditably for a Freshman team. On Saturday, October Ist, the great game of the week, that with the Sophomores, was played. It was like such games usually are- a terriiic din of horns and cheers, a gorgeous array of colors on the part of the Sophmores, much jeering and cat-calling on the part of the Freshmen directed by the Juniors. The band which 'QS had brought up from Trenton was completely silenced by the thunder of our voices and compelled to retire. As for the game, that was a secondary consideration, although I may remark, incidentally, that Dame Fortune still whirled her wheel unchecked, but only after our efforts at rattling the Sophomore pitcher had almost succeeded. Life had a keen variety and zest now for a while, owing to the tireless endeavors of our foes to impress upon us our general and particular unworthiness to be ranked as sons of Old Nassau. One night a crowd seized Frank McDonald on his way home from his club and perceived in him, at a glance, the poetical genius which has since made him so notorious. So they escorted him down Stockton Street for some distance and, stretching him flat on his back across a stepping-stone, suggested CPD that he compose a lyric for them, extempmfe z'1zsz'rmz'e1c In this posi- tion, which was one scarcely favorable to metrical arrangement, Mac couldn't think of an original line to save his frightened soul, so he began to recite in a pathetic tone, Now I lay me down to sleep. Thereupon one of the Sophs, wiping his eyes