University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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1HE F By PROFESSOR HENRY MORSE STEPHENS. THIS is not intended to be a record of what happened in Berkeley or in the University during the Great Days of April, 1 906, the days of the fire in San Francisco, which followed upon the earthquake of April 1 8 ; nor is it intended to be an account of personal impressions, since the writer remained at Berkeley throughout the period ; least of all is it intended to be a full and complete account of the various activities into which the University, as well as the citizens of Berkeley, were suddenly plunged in their desire to do what lay in them to alleviate the distress produced by the very suddeness of the calamity in the city of San Francisco. The compilation of a record of what happened has been the chief business of the present writer, as a member of the History Committee appointed by the Committee of Fifty, for many months past, and he does not think that the editor of the Blue and Gold would thank him for a mere extract from the forthcoming history ; the personal impressions of a stay-at-home, whose anxieties were con- centrated from the first moment upon the safety of the Bancroft Library in San Francisco, and upon the collection of materials for the history which he contemplated from the very first, are of no especial value ; and the statistics of the relief work accomplished belong to another place. This article therefore will only touch lightly upon certain general aspects of the effect of the Great Days upon the University community. The first impression made upon the minds of those members of the University who reside in Berkeley was that of the shghtness of the damage done by the earth- quake to the buildings of the University upon the morning of April 1 8. In the stillness of the morning hours, produced by the cessation of all traffic, it could be seen that, while chimneys of Berkeley had suffered and particularly that the High School had been badly rent, the buildings of the University stood intact, except for the overthrowing of one or two chimney pots. So sound did the University itself

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California. By A. E. ANDERSON , ' 08. QUEEN of the oaks and the poppies. Queen of the strong and the fair, Here, on the breast of the hill-side. Rear we thy flag of the bear. Out of the strong cometh sweetness. Forth from the hills dawneth day, Fair thou shalt lift us and guide us, Strong thou art ' stablished for aye! Hail from our hearts, California, Far through thine oaks let it ring! Wreathing thy brows with the poppies, Thee do we honor and sing. Thine be an image of beauty Shrined in our hearts for a light, Strength of thy strength be within us Strength for the true and the right!

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appear that attempts were made to hold classes during the eight o ' clock period and it was not until later in the morning that the seriousness of the situation in San Francisco began to be appreciated. Then and not till then did the members of the University realize how splendidly their buildings had stood the shock, and in the days that followed when the extent of the wreck of the buildings at Stanford began to be realized, the splendid work of the builders of both the old and new buildings of the University of California became a subject of pride and thankfulness to all who had ever been connected with the State University. But while we may echo a year afterwards our gratitude to architects and builders, old and new, for the way in which they placed our foundations upon the rock, yet we should remember that a University is more than its buildings and bear in mind that the income of the University has been seriously affected by the events of last April. The details of the loss the University suffered through the fire in San Francisco can be seen in the last report of the Secretary of the University. The details can be read there, and it is enough to say here that in addition to the loss of the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art and to other direct losses amounting to nearly $36,000.00, the income of the University has been reduced by nearly $ 1 00,000.00 a year through the burning of income-producing buildings in the city of San Francisco. The State -met this loss of the University for the remaining months of 1 906 by a special grant made by the emergency Legislature of $83,800.00, which enabled the University to continue its work without impairment of its efficency to the end of the year. A University is more than its buildings, yes, and a University lives by more than its money income ; the real effect of the great days of April has been upon the souls of those who dwelt in Berkeley last April. It has been said with justice that the disasters of last Apnl are more mem- orable for the spirit of gay courage and of earthquake love, which manifested itself in all classes in San Francisco, than for the material damage done by earthquake and by fire. It is good for every man and woman