University of Southern California - El Rodeo Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

Page 24 text:

i1.l selves sitting under the motto, Wisdom will die with usef, It seemed so good a joke that at the end of the exercises the President of the junior class was called to the platform and presented with the Button-partially in retaliation for the motto mutilation-with instructions that it should always remain in the Senior class and be jealously and care- fully guarded. From that time it has passed from the outgoing to the incoming Senior class with seeming' regularity. By the time it reached the class of '95 the bar had become so loose that it was replacedxwith a silver one. NVhen it reached the class of '98 they were compelled to place a new back upon the now historic emblem, and in 1900 the rim had become so worn that a silver one was put on itf' So the history of the old tin Button may be traced. However much the llutton itself may have changed through all these years, its his- toric significance and the jealousy with which it is guarded still remain the same. Many an interesting' tale might be told that has come down to the students of today from the early history of our University, and it would he a pleas- ant task to recall themg but traditions for the most part have been noted here, that take the form of cus- tom, because they are the ones that have more vital interest for the student life of today. I af , ' 5 gif l WY? 23

Page 23 text:

if K X TK 4 i 5-ffqir - tv - -fit T Q- 9 jQmTF.:N jf . it f v ' Wt vie it 'T -' I -- nu sf!-1 f 7 left as a remembrance a sun dial placed upon a gran- ite pedestal. The Seniors of 'OS were both patriotic and generous in presenting a large American flag and a fine pair of bronze lamps for the entrance to the main building. The class of '09 has already added a silver-mounted gavel to these gifts, which will always be prized among us. Of special interest from the traditional standpoint is the Dog-on-Button, which is also carefully guarded by the Seniors. This is its history as told by C. E. D. Ballon, '99: The Dog-on-Button originated with the class of 1893. The members of the class were Robert T. Hall, li. E. Hall, Frank M. Lapham, Charles H. W'insor, Minerva Cook and Ellen Emery. I am under the impression that either R. T. Hall or Frank Lapham were responsi- ble for the advent of the button, for they were both great hands for practical jokes and fun. The But- ton was a prize with a nickel package of chewing gum. One day one of the members of the class sprung a joke in class on one of the professors and the button was immediately passed over to the guilty classman to wear. The idea was so novel that the class kept the button constantly changing from one to another throughout the year '92-'93. At the Senior Class Day exercises in -Tune, '93, ac- cording to the custom of that time the Junior class did the decorating for the occasion. The Senior class motto was 'WVisdom will die with usf' The exercises were held on the front porch of the Col- lege of Liberal Arts building and the motto was placed around the archway, over the entrance. A few minutes be- fore the class appeared for the exer- cises a ,Tunior climbed no and placed an e after the word us of the mot- to so that when the grave and rever- end Seniors came out they found them- 22

Page 25 text:

Twenty long drawn-out sighs! Twenty girls snuggled guiltily down for those last delicious forty winksf, This is six- thirty in the morning at the Girls' Hall. llut an hour later- what a change! The insistent summons of the japanese chimes are answered by each of those twenty girls, but in vastly dif- ferent ways. Mrs. Collins stands at the head of the table and watchesg first, the one or two girls who are always on time and who are always quite prepared for the day even to their stocks and beltsg then come the hungry girls who are always on time but whose collars and belts are always missingg finally, the rest of the girls come in with a wild rush and scramble, showing plainly that their forty winks have lasted until just live min- utes before the breakfast bell rang. X'Vhat a sight! There are short dressing sacks for the small change, and usually a long kimona for the girl with the most hair, a funny Chinese-looking blouse for the athletic girl, and other charming effects too numerous to mention. llut, at last, everyone is assembled, the Lord's Prayer is repeated, chairs are drawn back, everyone sits down and the day really begins. Dormitory spirit. Of course you have heard of it, but to get the real concentrated essence of the condensed article you have to live right with the girls and be a part of that spirit in order fully to appreciate and understand it. First, last, and al- ways the girls are good friends. To be sure it is kind of hard to realize it sometimes, for these same good friends do stunts which make the offended want to say things. Now wouldn't it exasperate you to come to your room late some night and find your bed all taken to pieces and stacked outside the doorg the contents of your bureau drawers suspended from the chan- delier: your pictures tacked neatly on the floor and your rugs gracing the ceiling? All because you had kindly and generously told the girls to make themselves at home while you were gone! And then wouldnlt you want to throw things when the girls stood around afterward and moralized on the evils of get- ting into a temper over trilles? Wlell, liess didn't throw things, she pinched, and since then the two musical girls have had to ' 24 5524 it