Purdue University - Debris Yearbook (West Lafayette, IN)

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History of the Past Year Ml-: man of philosophical mind has said that history should be the statement of the effect of events upon a Iieople. rather than a mere record of those events. In siuh a combination of past performances and present londitions affording a basis for future predictions, it ould seem that the desired result had been attained. And so. in our own chronology for the past year we see past influences involved in the present, which will ill turn mold into form what is yet history unmade. For the last time returning in the autumn to Old Purdue and her fa- miliar scenes, we could not but note the obvious changes which have taken place in our brief career of four years. We could not but note, mentally, our first impressions of the campus, the buildings, the faces which are now so familiar, and the absence of the faces of some who have since passed from within our midst. We have seen the completion of more than one new building and the addition of much new equipment, all of which is toward the ever rising standard of the institution and the men which she turns out. We have seen on the athletic field seasons of varying suc- cess. We have contributed from our ranlcs to all the activities of a college life. So ends a brief retrospection. September of 19n9 dawned upon the Class of 19in as Seniors. The for- malities of registi ' ation over, and hav- ing become well initiated into the rou- tine of school W ' Orli, attention was cen- tered upon the prospects of the football field. But only disappointment was to be our lot for another and our hist year. The absence of former stars of the gridiron, together with other causes, seemingly unknown and irreme- diable, brought us no semblance of the old-time success of which we might well be proud. In mid-season Coach Speik ' s resignation was requested by the Athletic Board, and Coach Jones 17 vas put in control. The results were no mere gratifying, and at the end of the season the Athletic Association voted to grant no football insignia for the year. The night of September 17 saw the sixteenth annual contest between the two lower classes. The usual and ever strenuous melee being over, three hundred-odd painted and bedraggled Freshies were led in chains to Stuart Field where the customary antics were performed. The Tank Scrap, time-honored and unique, will ever hold its place as preeminent among college class scraps. Although now pulled off under a new system which is obviously the better, nevertheless in the minds of older classes the contest has lost some of its strong features by being under the regula- tion of a fixed set of rules. But may the Tank Scrap ever remain a fea- ture of the annual history of Purdue, and may lack of spirit on the part of no class ever let it die. Chief among the material changes about the campus has been the addition of four new buildings, viz.: Farm Mechanics. Stock, Judging Pavilion, and the New Shops. During the summer of 1909 the large stack of the power plant was torn down and replaced by a new structure, and a new Custodis met our eyes as we re- turned. In the faculty organization a few- changes have been made. The depart- ment of Applied Mechanics has been separated from the Mechanical Engi- neering department, and Professor Dnke.s. of Case School of Applied Sci- ence, placed in charge. Professor Han- cock left us early in the year to accept a professorship in another college. Dr. Herman Babson has been made head of the German department, while several other new names have been added to the instructional corps. The football season and Thanks- giving over, now came a lull in athlet- ics and other activities, and all awaited with pleasant anticipations the holi

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days which should break the monotony of class-room work. Then a brief two weeks ' respite; and the long grind, the last lap for us, was begun. With the coming of the basket ball season and the loss of one of our best players, things began to look gloomy: but the cloud raised after the first game, and the student body as one man stood back of Coach Jones in his effort to turn out a good team. Due to the efficiency of this ma- chine, I.afayette saw two monstrous Night Shirt Parades, one after the Illinois game and one after the Minnesota game. The team was so good that it was thought unnecessary t o have a parade after such an insignifi- cant game as that with Indiana. Our debut into indoor track meets resulted in second place in the Conference for us. The development of Myers, McWayne and Calvin, in addition to the old standbys — Hench. Richards, Gannon and Wason — has helped our track prospects wonderfully. Then came the warm spring days, and with them the call for baseball. There ar ' j several stars missing: but as we go to press no one doubts that Xick will be able to develope men to fill all the vacant places, and natu- rally w ' e look for a comfortable place near the top of the list when the But the im))ression should not be gained that athletics receive all our attention, for such is far from the real facts of the case. Throughout the year we have had from time to time the pleasure of listening to many of the foremost men of the country upon various subjects. And nside from lectures of a more or less technical nature, through the good offices of the Purdue Lecture Course, we have had the opportunity of hearing many men of world-wide fame. Among our Uiusical organizations the band has played a very impor- tant part, and has won only praise from every source. The selection of Mr. Emrick as director, after his leadership for the four years while he was a student in the University, has made the high standard of the organi- zation assured. While the Glee and Mandolin clubs have not been very active durin;; the year, the Orchestra has played its usual important part in the musical programs of the year. Along dramatic lines, the Harlequin Club has had the most successful season in its history. The City Chap, George Ade ' s latest musical comedy, was presented to three record-break- ing houses in Lafayette: and the performance at Indianapolis was in every sense a hit. With tlie opening of spring and all its accompanying activities, then we first began to realize that our college careers were nearing the end. Enjoying for the last time the athletic events, the convocation exercises, the 1911 Junior Prom, and the various other social and entertaining fea- tures, we say goodby, for the last time as students, to the scenes which fo.- four brief years have been so closely interwoven with our lives. So has closed the year 1909-10 : and we can safely say that it has been the most enjo ablc of our college years, and one of the most brilliant and successful in the history of Purdue. New Shops