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

Page 17 text:

One year of college life lias passed away, and we are again called upon for our communication to the Index. Several of our men have left during the past year, but others have come in and we are still the largest class in college. Our first year here passed very pleasantly, and we feel sure that during that time we have gained the confidence of t]ie Faculty, and have taken a high rank in scholar- ship. We can boast, especially, of excellence in chem- istry and mathematics ; and we think no class ever read more French, in the same time, than we. We have aided in ornamenting the college grounds by setting out about fifty elms along the various drives near the college. This custom is, cei ' tainly, a good one, and we hope it will be kept up as well by the classes to come as it has by the preceding ones. We have departed from the old custom of the college, by getting class canes instead of class pins. The canes are neat, solid looking sticks, and are fully able to sup- port our youthful frames at all times. The Freshmen, no doubt, appreciate our kindness to thein. With tlie exception of administering a little medicine to one of them, who was very ill, if his pale face was any indication of his feelings, and kindly re- lieving another of the weight of a cane, with which he seemed inclined to burden himself, we have let them alone. Strange to say, on the second night of the term.

Page 16 text:

THE INDEX. Perhaps we are not yet altogether undeserving of the wild-cat reputation which students used to have. The Junior class is, perhaps, as bad in this respect as any other ; now, classmates and collegeniates, can ' t we obtain a higher perfection in this respect, and overcome some of this thoughtlessness and carelessness ? Among other things that have transpired, in the past year, is the very acceptable change in military instruct- ors. We feel now as if we had a military teacher who understands us and takes an interest in his and our work. Militaiy matters begin to have a pleasure and to have an object. Early in the term the Sophs, came like birds of prey, who scent their flesh from afar. The amount of burnt cork they destroyed was astounding. The old clothes they wore were peculiar. They were bent on doing glori- ous things to Freshmen, but their designs, like other bad, barbarous ones, amounted to but little ; they doubtless had good reasons for this attack ; their assembled wis- dom must have been great, for, when we consider that one Sophomore is wiser in his own conceit, than seven Juniors, who can render a reason, it is not strange that they should follow unkind and ungentlemanly college customs. Is it not about time some of these poor thread- bare customs were done away, and a step taken above these things to something more worthy of our time and better calculated for our powers ? Who, classmates, would have thought, two years ago, that this time would be here so soon. We can look back to some of the pleasant times and enjoyments that we have passed, to the little that we have learned compared with what there is to learn in this vast field of knowl- edge we see spread out before us. It behooves us to make a better use of our time, that we may get a full benefit of our two remaining years. Let us do what we can, as students and athletes, to maintain our spirit of class independence, and remember the requirements of our motto. S.

Page 18 text:

10 THE INDEX. when it was the custom of the Sophomores to tuck the Freshmen nicely into bed, so as to make them feel more at home, only five or six of the Freshies could be found around the dormitories, as a mania for sleeping down town seemed, to have possessed most -of them. This same night our infant, at the head of a valiant crowd of Sophs., made a midnight visit to one of the new ar- rivals, but finding himself confronted by a graduate of Yale, he thought it would be prudent to retire and in- gloriously retreat. One evening, near the first of the term, when we were quietly studying, we suddenly heard a cry for ' 78. Of course we obeyed the call and found that it proceeded from the Freshmen, who were on the Campus, yelling as loud as they could. By the noise they made they must have been inspired with a great deal of courage, but we soon formed our men and sent the thermometer of their ardor down to zero, by giving them a little rush backward, for exercise. After this, we shook hands, and since then our relations with them have been very pleasant and friendly. There is a great deal said, at the present time, against rushing in our colleges. But we can see no harm in rushing as we do here, where such good feeling exists between the classes. Now, we will close, hoping that when we again have occasion to write for the Index, our numbers will not have decreased, and we shall have gained much in knowledge. H.