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

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6 THE INDEX. The second loss sustained by the College, and one not likely soon to be made up, is that of the Professorship and the Professor of Veterinary Science. We deeply regret that the financial status of the College was not in sufficiently good repair to warrant the continuance of the chair of this most useful and too little appre- ciated portion of the curriculum. It has been said by some few, however, that it was not so much the lack of gold, that brought this about, as the great proficiency of the students in this branch. They have even presumed to say that the average student knew, at the end of his Sophomore year, more Veterinary Pathology than the Professor himself. If such was the case, it is easy to see that the immense amount of money annually expended upon this department was wasted, as it were. Whichever explanation of the phenomenon was the correct one, the truth remains ; the Professor has gone, and has taken the chair with him, which same is to be regretted. {Exit Prof., followed by Parkinson, loitli basket.) The last loss to be regretted is that of the men of ' 76. Individually and as a class are they mourned by those they left behind. With us, their former under-classmen, the memories of our early College days will always bring with them pleasant remembrances of each and all of that splendid class, the like of which we hardly expect to see again while we are yet undergrad- uates. Some of them we know to be engaged in various pursuits, all with favorable promise of success, and if each has upon and around him the old class spirit of ' 76, success is certain. We now drink (imaginarily) to their good health and their families ' ; and may they all live long and prosper ! There ' s no great loss without some small gain, and our small gain came in the shape of the class of ' 80. And not so very small a gain, either, for they entered with seventeen men, and several new comers have augmented their roll to the goodly number of twenty. The several departments of the College have prospered, in the past year, exceedingly well. In the Chemical and Agricultural Departments, the work of experiment and practice has gone on as of yore, and with good results. In the Military Department, completeness and perfection in everything appertaining to the education of young men in the deadly, yet politically necessary, science of war, has been aimed at, and great progress made toward the attainment thereof. We were all sorry to lose our

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L - feuJWPJtAflW - L r Deak Keaders of the Index : It is now ' 78 ' s turn, and now it is that she rouses her slumbering editorial talent, takes up the pen and the responsibility at the same time, and proceeds, with great hopes, and as great misgiv- ings, to the compilation of a work, sure some to vex, but never all to please. ' 5 And, Eeaders, before we go on, let us beg your kind consideration. Whate ' er there be of good in our little volume, kindly acknowledge it as such, and mercifully pass over our faults, if that be possible. Mercy such as this is indeed twice blessed, even if it is a little strained. The Indexical year, just passed, has been fraught with loss to the College in divers ways. Our beloved and respected President left us in early Spring, for a new field of useful labor at the antipodes, otherwise Japan. At first, this seemed to us a loss, and yet, the thought that our College, after due deliberation and comparison with similar institutions of learning, was chosen from the many, by the government of that far off nation, as a model for the Agricultural College of Japan, and that our honored President, from the fact of his being such, and also, of course, from his own superior qualifications for the position, was selected as the most proper man to found such an institution, and to foster it in infancy, reconciles us to our loss of him, and we count it to ourselves as gain. Ere another twelvemonth has gone by, we hope to welcome his safe return, after a period of labor crowned with perfect success. The College and its ' friends have good cause for honest pride in the selection of two of its Alumni as Professors, the one of Chemistry, the other of Mathematics, in this College at Sapporo.

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TEE INDEX. former Farm Superintendent, for under him the farm prospered well. Visitors were always charmed by his genial, cheerful man- ner, and his kindly welcome lent a touch of pleasure to the otherwise somewhat dull ceremony of looking round the place. His connections with the students were of the most pleasant character, and now, at times, we miss the familiar sight of his sturdy figure, clad in robes of blue, striding through the blos- soming fields, doggedly followed by his faithful canine friend. We wish him all success in the new profession he has chosen. May he increase in this world ' s goods, and lay up treasures in Heaven. Under the wise supervision and fostering care of our newly installed Farm Superintendent, South wick, the Farm has put on a better appearance than it ever before possessed. Great improvements have been made in the way of grading and drainage, where these operations were most necessary to the appearance of the farm and the condition of the soil, and a large amount of land has thus been fitted for cultivation. The crops have all turned out well, both in quality and quantity. The Superin- tendent has good reason to be proud of having obtained so great success in so short a time, and yet greater successes and improve- ments are to be looked for in the near future. The social life of the College, it seems to us, has been improved in many respects. Classes and individuals hold not so much aloof from each other as formerly. Students of all classes mingle together in relations of the most friendly nature, and to such an extent have the restrictions of caste been removed, that the tender Freshmen and the hardened Post-graduate dwell together in unity, forming a veritable happy family. Truly, the Golden Age is at hand ! (Tn the matter of Athletic Sports, a great advance has been made. An association, properly officered and constitutioned, has been formed, having a board of directors, composed of represent- atives from each of the several classes, whose duty it is to arrange and direct the annual series of games. This fall, our success was as marked as that of last year. Eecords were made in many of the sports that stand on par with the achievements of the mighty men of the other Colleges of the country, — institu- tions much larger numerically than our own, and more generous- ly supplied with the apparatus and the opportunities necessary for the practice of such exercises. As the association formed is to be a permanent one, and composed of all the students in