Reed College - Griffin Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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T REED COLLEGE ANNUAL -2. 1915 mm SOCIAL LIFE OCIAL activities, while not allowd t0 overshado the They ar open to guests from outside of the college as wel as to students main purpose of study, ar nevertheless students. carried on with much the same enthusiasm at Reed Contrasting with these ar festivities the informality of as they ar at other colleges. The fact which which is strongly emfasized. The annual Halloe'en party in makes social life at Reed unique is not so much which the freshmen entertain the rest of the college is one such U the sort of activities indulged in as it is the atti- occasion, and the New Year's Eve watch party is another. tude of the students towards these activities. It has been the Rally night, which has been held for the last two years, is policy of the institution to develop a normal and wholesum so- cial atmosfere for all the students, and every effort has been made to realize this ideal. To this end, social affairs hav been made as simple and as democratic as possible. Exelusiv or- ganizations of any sort ar not to be found at Reed, because the students realize that they do not conform with the ideal of group solidarity which they hav set for themselvs. The whole social situation may be sumd up in the words tta normal amount of social activity for every student? Tho democracy is the keynote of the social life of the col- lege there ar certain functions of a rather formal nature each year. The first two of these, the sofomore reception and the President's reception to the new students, ar primarily for the Purpose of getting the freshmen acquainted with each other and with the rest of the college. The other two ar clas affairs, 7 V w H , v the Junior Prom and the commencement reception and dance. 1914 RALLY RIGH I QLARFILT

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i188j R E E D cost of commodities manufactured in Oregon and VVashingtou. The XNashiugton team sought to. sho that the real labor problem on the Pacific coast was not a matter of lo wages but rather one of unemployment. They did not, however, clearly demonstrate that the minimum wage law would increase that evil. The University of XVashiugtou's affirmativ team at Seattle effectiv pointed out the evils of low wages, but placed the min- imum wage as high as nine hundred dollars. Such a wage in- Volvs a large number of men in the two states and made such negativ arguments as driving out industry and increasing un- employment particularly effectiv. So in reply to their argu- ments the Reed uegativ team pointed out the radical nature of the law and its impracticability. Particularly emfasized was the fact that no source of production would yield the required COLLEGE ANNUAL + 1915 increase in wages, and that the increast cost of production re- sulting from the passage of the law would drive many much needed industries away from Oregon and NVashiugton. The judges at Seattle wer James A. Haight, Mr. Vivian M. Carkeek, and Reverend Sydney Strong; those at Reed Dr. George Rebec, Mr. F. D. Morrison, and Judge XV. B. Gilbert. The debate is, of course, past history, but history which for us stil holds a thril. Reed was awarded the unanimus decision in both debates. When news was receivd from Seattle of the result there, the campus exprest its joy in torchlight proces- sions, appreciativ yels, and hilarius congratulations. XVhiCh was after all as it should be, since there wil never again be a next time with quite the same zest to it. For this was Reed's first inter-collegiate debate! ..a.....-.-.-.;.:.:-.,.,-..e.-.. -..ZK4.' ..---..i...-.- - v. . ......

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H401 R E E D COLLEGE ANNUAL + 1915 another time when all, even seniors and faculty members, for- get their dignity. Stunts ar the main feature of the celebration, and it has been suggested that the name ttStunt night be sub- stituted for the Rally on the college calendar. Campus Day, River Day, and College Day, tho described elsewhere, deserv mention with other social gatherings, for at no time during the year do the students get together with more complete unity of purpose, either for working or playing, than they do on these much-talkt-of occasions. Prominent in the list of the years entertainments is the costume party on VVashingtonis birthday. This is probably the most picturesque and elaborately pland party of the semester. The costumes ar usually representativ of varius periods in American history and ar workt out with no little ingenuity and historical accuracy. Dancing, tableaux, and special music form parts of the program. Dancing has been the most popular form of amusement during the last two years. The students hav been trying out the experiment of student body dances on the subscription plan, to which the women can come unescorted and the men ttstagi, if they ar so inclined. This plan, which makes possible a much larger attendance, has workt very successfully. The Comus Club, an organization of the men of the college, has also held a series of dances. All the gatherings which hav been mentiond ar open to every student. There ar, naturally, other affairs which take in different parts of the student body. For instance, the women of the college hav occasional dances from which the men ar excluded, and the men, under the auspices of the Christian Association, hold ttbachelor celebrations, of varius kinds. The different houses of the dormitory entertain for each other both formally and informally in their social rooms, and the men and women ar given an opportunity to meet each other in an atmosphere of mutual good felloship. Dancing is by no means the only form of amusement. Ice and roller skating, cros-cuntry hikes, picnics, banquets, sym- posia, and other forms of social intercourse ar increasing in popularity. Dramatics, too, offers a great opportunity for the students to become better acquainted with each other. On the whole the plan of social life has workt successfully. Tho taking an original stand in this, as in many other things, the students have been able to develop, in spite of all tradi- tions to the contrary, a sane and wholesum atmosfere of com- radeship and mutual cooperation.