Towson University - Tower Echoes Yearbook (Towson, MD)

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THE TOWER LIGHT On Wings of Time T would be difficult to discover a more unusual celebration than that which was held in and around Hagerstown, Md. this fall. This Little World's Fair , with its unique standing, marked not one anniver- sary, but six. . . From September 4th to September 17th, Hagerstown bade welcome, to help observe this astonishing coincidence of dates: B The 75th anniversay of the Battle of Antietam The 200th anniversary of the settling of Washington County The 175th anniversary of the founding of Hagerstown The 150th anniversary of the cruise on the Potomac River of the first Steamboat invented by James Rumsey The 100th anniversary of the first railroad in that section. A quarter of a million people crowded into Hagerstown in those two weeks, and their visit was rewarded by parades, commercial displays, a sham battle on the held of Antietam, an address by the President of the United States, athletic games, balls and dances, and numerous other public festivities. In such a mixture of solemnity and gaiety were the six events commemorated. Special emphasis throughout was placed on the anniver- sary of the Battle of Antietam, partly because the funds appropriated by city, county and nation were for that specific purpose, and partly because of all divisions of the joint celebration, Antietam offered the mast unusual opportunity. . , Activity in Hagerstown centered at the Fair Grounds, where corps of workmen labored to prepare various buildings, displays, attractions and settings for the big pageant. Some 10,000 trees were shipped to the grounds by the State Department of Forestry to lend additional atmosphere to the Hfty-two acre Fair Grounds. Every conceivable type of object of histori- cal importance or interest was displayed in a Historic Objects Museum. Flanking the approach of this building there was erected an amphi- theatre, sponsored by Baltimore City, seating 2,500 people and presenting daily vocal and instrumental concerts together with two Little-Theatre productions per week. Farther down the midway there was plenty of excite- ment to be found in the Wild Life Exhibit. From the east came the constant pufhng and noise of whistles of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- road's priceless relics, the same which drew people from every section of the nation to the Fair of The Iron Horse in Baltimore some years ago. Rich in museum pieces, the railroad ran special tracks to the Fair Ground and into the pageant path for its use in that connection, and opened for inspection their proudest possessions in modern railroad equipment. The principal event of every day was the pageant, for which selected 9 1.33 B9

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THE TOWER LIGHT The winners of the first four places in the contest are given cash prizes totaling at times as high as one hundred dollars. In addition to that they are privileged to crown a girl who is their choice as the queen of love and beauty. The winner crowns the queen, the runner-up the first maid and so on down the list. Jousting , or tournament riding, as it is sometimes called, is to me one of the Hnest contests or exhibitions of skill that has ever been intro- duced to this continent. To become a good rider one must first secure a fine horse and work hours and hours to train him. It makes for a finer understanding between humans and animals. Secondly, it gives a man the feeling that he is a part, a vital factor, in the progress of time. Jousting has been handed down to us and we are passing it on, keeping alive in the memories of the ages past, present and future, a very in.terest- ing part of the life of the Middle Ages. Certainly the characteristics of the knights of Chivalry, namely, honesty, courage, sportsmanship and kindness, would be an attribute to any of us today. Participating in the game of jousting is a means of accomplishing those ideals. Men like Lancelot, Sir Galahad, and Richard the Lion Hearted exempliied men to be emulated by a rising generation. Finally, but no means least, tournament riding tends to provide for a wiser use of our leisure time. To be a success one must practice at least an hour and a half daily. This practice gives one an opportunity to develop mental alertness, physical capability, and a deeper understanding of the fact that history is a series of steps marking the progress of mankind. MELVIN COLE, '3 6. CEM Return to Life In the past when one was offered green vegetables in mid-winter, he coud be fairly certain that they had come from that great American tradition, the tin can. The frosted peas, beans and corn served to the students in the dormitory gave the first hint that civilization had ridded itself of tin shackles. These vegetables look and taste as though they had just been plucked from the vines. A scientist on a vacation inthe Far North, by making a hole in the ice, caught a fish which froze very quickly when it reached the below zero atmosphere. Stiff and hard it was dumped into warm water to thaw out before it could possibly be fit for the frying pan. Several hours later the scientist was amazed to see his catch swimming serenely in the tub. This return to life puzzled him until, by experimentation, he found that not only fish, but all kinds of flesh, vegetables and fruits could be kept fresh for an indefinite period of time by a similar quick freezing process. M. T. AND H. D. 8

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THE TOWER LIGHT persons rehearsed under the directions of John B. Rogers Producing Com- pany. It was chiefly through the pageant, On Wings of Time , that the anniversaries other than the Antietam Commemoration were observed and their importance depicted. In keeping with every phase of the joint event, the pageant sounded the keynote of toleration in religion, toleration and impartiality in the stand of Maryland in the Civil War and the toleration of today that still keeps dear to Maryland its title of the Free State. The theme adopted for the pageant was the Spirit of Tolerationn and it was around this that the pageant was built. As planned, the pro- gram opened with a prologue of assembled flags of nations, a guard of honor, the spirits of Peace, Liberty, Brotherhood, Faith, Charity, Sincerity, Industry and Progress. A massed choir of 500 voices sang Land of Hope and Glory to complete the prologue. Thirty-two definite scenes inter- vened between the prologue and finale, comprising the body of the pageant noting constantly changing decades. The Hnale, against a background of skyscrapers, planes, and modern engineering feats, consummated the idea of the Spirit of Progress. The cast formed into a gigantic wheel of Pro- gressg turned, holding at its hub, the Spirit of Tolerationg and in turn, each spoke an achievement, till the Wings of Time spread over the entire nation. Doms ELDRIDGE, Sr. 7. Q2QC.?-2.65 A Faculty Suggestion Poor Dr. W. D. Funkhauser, professor of Zoology at the University of Kentucky, exhausted all his resources, but to no avail. After weeding out all ineligibles in his course on heredity the enrollment was still over one hundred. Something had to be done, so Dr. Funkhauser made this announcement at the first session: I'll warn you students at the beginning that Iim a boring lecturer. This class is made up of lectures entirely. The first half of the course is very dry and technical-with many scientific names. The seating arrangements are very unsatisfactory. Most of you won't be able to see the board, and diagrams on the board are an important part of all my lectures. If you are nearsighted there is little hope for youf' Interpreting creaking of seats as weakening, the professor continued much encouraged The grades are based entirely upon the hard examina- tion at the end of the course. And you sink or swim. Ihave no mercy. Now do I see any volunteers who would be willing to drop the course? No one stirred from his seat. 10