Stevens Institute of Technology - Link Yearbook (Hoboken, NJ)

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activity until January of 1912, when the Freshman Banquet was held in Hoboken at the Rathskeller. For a class function, it was a rather poor showing, since only thirty out of the whole class attended. That dampened the spirits of the diners in no way, however. The next mile-post to be passed was the week of midyear examination. No Freshman knew exactly what to expect, and he went to exams with his heart in his boots. When these came to an end after a week of diligent boning and buriiiug of the midnight oil, the Freshman Class found its number sadly depleted. The new term ushered in the beginning of the athletic season but the freshmen got started late and their lacrosse and baseball teams did not show up well. 1915 seemed fated with hard luck. Before the class realized it ,another exam period had been passed thru and the supplementary term had come to an end. When I9I5 returned in September, 1912, it was no longer green and verdant. As in the Freshman year, however, 1915 went down to defeat. She won only the Flag Rush and the Tug-of-war, losing the Cane Rush, the Tie-up, the Football Game, the Track Meet and the three canes in the Cane Sprees because the few faithful, peppy members went against odds too great for them. Beyond accept- ing defeat, the Sophomore Class did little but work in the UP. Lab. and bone over Mechanics and Math. until February, 1913. Then about fifty members went over to New York and devoured a bunch of eats at the Hotel Flanders and afterward listened to some of Charlie's stories. During the spring, however, 1915 seemed to pluck up some pep and won first place in the Interclass Track Meet. The Sophomore Lacrosse Team was composed of good n1en, but somehow failed to pull more than one game from the series of three with the Freshman Team. But 1915 got their pipes just the same. Soon exam time rolled around again and a few more 1nen were cast out, after they had taken direful vengeance upon Old Man Calculus by cremating him. Supplementary term passed in short order, as did the vacation, and 1915 came back as the junior Class. No more green button caps and grey round hats and no more tearing of clothes in rushes for 1915. juniors had become too dignified for such nonsense. They were the spectators who looked on and laughed-they were interested only in social functions and in publishing the Link. Of the former the junior Prom. stands out the brightest. On February 6th, 1914, the Castle became resonant with music and bright with light and laughter when about forty couples gath- ered for the annual junior function. If the juniors did not know how to Win athletic a11d rough and tumble contests, they could at least dance. They knew how to eat, too, as shown later at the Hofbrau Haus, New York, where some forty-one of them assembled for the annual beefsteak dinner. Then activity l

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r SC Hzktory of The Class of 1915 . ITI-I mixed feelings of oy and dread our one hundred and twenty young fellows passed thru the portals of Stevens one Friday in September, 1911, to enroll their names in the Freshman Class. Not many had a clear idea of the obstacles they were to encounter before many months had passed away. Of course, President Humphreys explained the system that they would work under and how the weeding-out process was conducted, but they were too strange and bewildered to give proper heed to the President's words. Not until later were they to remember them. At the time of enrollment they were busy with their thoughts, induced by the formidable placard they had seen in the lobby threatening them with dire punish- ment if they infringed upon the rules of conduct set forth on that placard. Wlien, on the following Monday, they were told to prepare for the Cane Rush, it was with fear and trembling that they huddled together to obey. Their defeat was the beginning of the making of them. After they had tasted Sophomore blood and come out of the fray with only torn clothes and a few bruises, they were heartened even in their beating by the knowledge that as soon as they became acquainted with one another they could fight the enemy with back to back of friend. In this belief they were more sure after they had mixed under the hospitable auspices of the Y. M. C. A., which had held the Freshman Reception in their honor. Greatly outnumbering their enemies, the Sophs, the Freshmen went into the Flag Rush determined to pull down the flag, but the rules gave their opponents too decided an advantage. So again they suffered defeat. The same happened in the Cane Sprees, when the Sophomore representatives, by reason of their experience and a knowledge of the game, took the three canes from their opponents. Again, in the Tie-up, from which too many Freshmen absented themselves, the latter were again defeated. They did show up better in the Tug-of-war, probably because of the heavy anchor at their end of the rope. Be that as it may, they had lost too many events to hope they would get their class pipes. Early in November, at the Track Meet, the Sophs inflicted still another defeat on the Freshies to the tune of 59-67. The next week, after the main Soph-Freshman contests were over, the Fresh- man Class organized permanently. The interclass battles had served to bind it and incidentally to indicate the good men, those who were to carry the burdens of activity as time progressed. The Freshman basketball team was fully organized about this time and played four scheduled games and several others, but was beaten in every one. The football team enjoyed no better fortune at the hands of the Sophomores in December. Beyond this there was little other Freshman

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Q if . N g M c E H .gsvq Sf as juniors ended with the publishing and sale of the Link, which came out in May. . 1915, by the time she returned to take up senior work, had thinned consider- ably, about fifty-seven out of the original class of one hundred and twenty re- maining. Seniors now, that handful took up the final work, which was to indicate who would or would not deserve a sheepskin. Gnly one event, the Senior Frolic, occurred to break the monotony of daily problems and unannounced Louie quizzes. That day of the Frolic, seniors left dull care behind and gamboled thru the streets of Hoboken as they might have done when they were Freshmen. Then up on the Held, after witnessing the Tie-up, Tug-of-war and Cane Sprees, they played a little game of football, drinking dark brown beer for sustenance during the game and intermissions. The day was over too soon, and back to the daily grind they came, each to see how good a grip he could get on that M. li. that will be handed out in june. HISTORIAN. l -Q , , 1 . A 'WJ uh, ,