University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

Page 22 text:

I ' HE INDEX. Some of our men liave tried to o et muscle by various ways, senile ball playing-, others practicing in the gymnasium, hav- ing no doubt very good reasons for this training; but our professor of military with probablv equally good reasons, has had us fiont into line bv the ' right turn. Some not caring for so much exercise of muscle, have quietly stood and looked at the Freshies using theirs upon their hopping double step. We have not drilled with the eight pounders this season, but hope to and probably shall, it tliev do not travel off without their limbers. ' 77 came here strangers in a strange land, without know- ing our ways, and being almcjst irreconcilable about the loss ol no ' ue caresses ; whac was more befitting in us, having just lett their placi ' S, than lo go and do all we could to condole with chem tor their loss,es, and try to enlighten them in our ways. ' e paid them one or two calls, and one evening as we were liaving a quiet little time together, airing their room.s, and preparing them for a good night ' s rest, ' 75 made their appearanc.-e, prol)ably welcome to the Freshies and cer- tainly so to us ; now when they very selfishly demanded the care of these Freshies, and erv ungent Itmanly told us to clear out, we felt oljliged to CAXxy them out, and left them outside in the care of ' 74. We could not see but that Freshmen had as good a right to carry a cane if they wished, as a Sophomore ; but for cus- tom ' s sake, we felt obliged to remove this support 01 the.r infirmities ; alter ha ing ccjnsulted ttie Secretary of the Fac- ulty upon the subject our leelings have changed. Here we would say to all classes coming after us, that it is neither right nor gentkuianly lo follow customs, especially poor ones, and in this newly founded institution, founded for a comparatively new purp(;se, let us do away with all these silly old college cust jnis. We hope hereafter that the rights of all persons, as persons, will here be respected; and now let us say to th(jse who will be inclined to scoff at this sudden revulsion in opinions, that these sudden revulsions are some- times the most permanent ; and that betbre they judge us harshly they will think of the obstruction we met with in trying to make custcnn a law. K.

Page 21 text:

THE IK-ib.. . ' 76 began its second ye:u- of labor at its Alma Mater, with full ranks, numbering iiiin y-threc ; but now we have but thirty-one, having had the mis orsune to lose two of our best men. It is now the largest class in college, but we hope our successors will far out- uniLer us. Our relations with the faculty have generally been very pleasant. They are liked, and much lespected by us, and while (;ne says he has lost faith in ;v, still we hope by follow- ing our motto, Think and Work, ' to gain the respect ot the others, and to regain his lost faith. It is with sorrow that we think of the death of our behjved Prof. Clark ; he was a highly educated man, who only wished during the perform- atxce of his duties, to have the students learn, and who did all in his power to help them ; and though some might not have appreciated him, yet we shall all remember him with feelings of affection and respec t. We have endeavored to do our part towards beautifying the grounds, having set (jut some si.xt}- maple trees ; but what is mucii nearer and dearer to us is our class tree, vvlucli we hope will at some future time rear its beautiful he.iu ar abcjve the surrounding buildings. Yes, our class ti ee is forevergreen, its apex points upwards alwavs, and it is to us who planted it a great incentive to more noble acts and higlier as jira- tions. Our class pins are diamond in form, and mic;ii tiicy really are, for they remind us of friendships as jrccious, and we hope as enduring as the diamomJ.

Page 23 text:

THE INDEX. The class of ' 77 enters colleg-e with her members number- ino- twentv-tvvo. We certninly hope that there will be no diminution of the present number, but rather an increase; and that the succeeding- years will find us all here, struggling on to the desired end in the same sound health and good spirits in which we find ourselves at the commencement of our Freshman year. We are pleased to find in our class one member from Japan, and another from Brazil. The number of Foreigners sent to America to be educated increases every year. This fact shows that the excellence of American institutions is be- ing recognized all over the world. We hope that these gentlemen will be the means of bring- ing more of their countrymen to these shores to be educated. The other members of the class are all fair specimens of Yoimg America and possess a great amount of pluck, that quality which is so essenlially necessary to success in life. . Having safelv run the gauntlet ot second-hand furni- ture dealers, booksellers and society runners, we are at length settled down, and have come to look upon the brick walls of the dormitories with less feelirgs oi homesickness than were at first exhibited, and n nv regard them as our homes. We have also become yjerfectly familiar with the road lead- ing t o the boarding house ; and alter witnessing the feats of some of the members, when there, we must conclude that they were sent away from home in tl)e interest of home economy, as well as toprocure an education.