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

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When Time, who steals our years away Shall steal our pleasures, too, Then mem ' ry of the past will stay And half our joys renew. How swiftly the years glide by ! How short seems the time since we were Freshmen, looking forward longingly to the day when we should be Seniors ! How impatient to have completed our college course, to walk forth with honors crowned, to join the madening crowd ! How eager to reap, giving no thought to the sowing ! How hasty to cry victory, not thinking of the hard-fought battle ! Well, time has left us at the coveted station. We are Seniors. The day is very near when we shall be cast loose from our Alma Mater. Not without some sinking at the heart, do we now think of that hour when we must bid farewell to scenes and faces made dear by four years of close relationship. We review with feelings of regret those plans unfinished ; those wishes not con- summated. We ask ourselves, Has it been all for naught, — our college life? Is the harvest worth the seeding? Is the vic- tory worth the battle? The answer conies reassuringly. Our garner consists of full measures of healthy knowledge well suited to feed vigorous minds; sound bodies, enlarged ideas, with capac- ity to expand them ; a higher appreciation of a manly and self- sustaining character ; a closer acquaintance with God through His matchless works. We are well pleased with the harvest. Our years here have been full of activity. Many subjects have claimed our attention and interest. Language, with its awful intricacies ; Philosophy, with its dreary formulas ; Chemistry, with its magical reactions ; Botany, w ith its wonderful revela-

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TBE INDEX. College, it is more than probable that the custom of having Fall Athletics will be kept up in years to come. Aud now, since the province of the Editorial is limited to a review of the year and gossip of a general character, we pause. To our readers, who have patiently followed us thus far, we would say : If in the succeeding pages be found anything that is not as it should be, impute it to the devoted editors of the work, and give all the honor of whatsoever is well done to our beloved class. Those who will succeed us in the year to come, we would thus advise : Avoid our faults, and profit by whatever of good you may find herein: If we fail, be not dismayed. Mark but our fall and that that ruined us, — fail not to publish the Index. We would here take occasion to thank all those who have, in any way, aided us in our work. The compilation of these pages has, indeed, been a pleasant task, and it is not without much regret that we relinquish the pen, doff the editorial robes, exchange the sanctum for a study, and relapse into the calm seclusion of private life.

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10 THE INDEX. tions ; and Discipline, with its stern front and order. We have touched all these subjects and many others no less interesting. We have learned that agriculture is a science, and not the brain- less employment that many make of it. Intelligent observation and practice will always find, in this field, their greatest reward. Nothing can be more salutary than the study of nature and her laws ; it creates liberal views, and tends to form anti-conservative minds. We look upon her designs ; we see the harmony prevail- ing all her works ; We contemplate grand results wrought out by simple processes with marvellous precision. Such training qual- ifies the mind to entertain great possibilities, and progress, which is but the weaving together of right ideas, is the result. Our classmates have been dropping away from term to term, so that now, less than one half the original number remain. We have just bidden farewell to one of our most respected members, who was obliged to leave us on account of ill-health. He was a faithful scholar, who gained the good will of Faculty and stu- dents and made many fast friends during his stay in college. We wish him a speedy recovery. During the last term of junior year we were called upon to sustain a great loss. Our honorable president was invited to other fields of labor. Perhaps no other man in the country was so well qualified to accomplish the undertaking upon which he is engaged ; it is certain that his work here has met with widely extended approval. We miss his energetic appearance, his ring- ing voice, his valuable instruction, and, above all, his example of ceaseless industry. We were proud to send away such a man, and we support our loss with equanimity. We are not of those who are inclined to fall into the distaste- ful habit of enumerating class exploits and excellencies, — of try- ing to shine on paper. If we have not anything to boast of, well and good ; if we have, it will be much more meritorious to say nothing about it. We hope that the motto which has been adopted by the class of ' 77 while in college, will cling to its members through life, — Aim at the Highest. B.