University of Tennessee Knoxville - Volunteer Yearbook (Knoxville, TN)

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O'NiT you tarry a moment, kind reader, and let us have a word with you befoee you proceed further in the perusal of Perhaps we may be able to i7 which will this book? say some little hsomethiug raise: the: intrinsic value of such a vol- ume in the scale of your estimation. At least, may we not hope, after what we shall have to say, you will look with a more: libe 'al, forbearance upon the many defects of the work, which you are sure to find before your critical eye shall have scanned its pages to the: end? Since we came here last September, another eventful year in, the history of the University has slipped away and that almost without the notice of those who figured in the making of its history. The life, as it has existed on the t'HilYi during this session, is peculiar in itself to that of any preceding year. You cannot pick up any former annual, or any previous publica- tion of the University and find in it a record of our deeds for 1901-1902. Before this publication they were. things of the paet-of defective and fading memory. They are now things of imperfect record The students of the University have chosen us as a board to collect and reproduce as nearly as we could, by means of photographs, sketches and. literary effort, a picture of this particular University life. And how far we: have succeeded Let. us cntreat you, therefore, not to you shall be the. judge. be too severe in your criticism of what we have done. XVe have encoui'iterred many diliiculties as we have gone along, some of which we have overcome- in a manner, and others which have been absolutely unsurinountable. In the iirst place, after all the plans and schemes which we could $ short. of what. they should have been. Preface possibly devise for tho purpobe of raising money, the tinanees which have gone to the support of this publication have fallen On account of this we have been compelled to abandon many features which, if perfected, would have added much to the attraction of the Volunteer. In the. next place. we have not received the en- thusiastic support of the students which we should have re- ceived. But. we are not surpriretl at this, for, be it said to our discredit, this lacl; of interest is more or less prevalent in all our stud ent enterprises. Pardon our saying this much in vindication of ourselves, lest there should be some itlemon-eatersi? who would be prone to inflict upon us criticisms which we have not thJSCil'VCtl. Tn spite of all these difficulties. however, we have endeavored to make. our work a success. Aside from the regular phases of University life: which have necessarily been published in eyery volume since the Volunteer had its beginning, we have intro- duced one or two new features. which we hope will meet with general, approbation. I'l'ereterfore the lletlical and Dental Dee partments of the University have not received the attention They belong: to the institution, and are other Department. which they deserved. as truly a part of it as the La 3 or any Consmluently, through the. ingenuity and energy of our excel- lent Business lVTanager, we have this year given them a much broader representation than they have. formerly had. 0111' work along this line. however, has been somewhat detective on account of its novelty. But we hope that those who succeed us will take up the plan which we have instituted and bring it nearer to perfection in the future. 1Ve believe it will serve as a means of bringing about a more intimate relation and a feeling of greater brotherly love hetween the students of both depai'-t1ncnts 0f the University. You will find in this number of the Villunteer portraits also

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of the Governor of Tonncsrce 21nd of the Trustees of the Uni- versity. This is also a new toature in the publication of the annual. It has hoeu our ambition this year to print the- face of every person connected with the University; and we have met with almost complete success. You will notice, then, in turn- ing through, that this is more of at real picture: of the: University and its life: than anything else. We have cut out, as will be seen, a great deal of the catalogue material which has formerly appeared. If you wish that, you can find it in tho Ui'iiversity ftecord. XVO have aiso zihandoned many of the long class and society histories, which have long sinco grown monotonous by repetition; Moreover, we have not endeavored to make this book a publication of great literary merit. If you vant litera- ture. you should read the t'L'. T37 Magazine; we are sure it would satisfy your literary dosir is and give you much delight. th have, however, printed a few poems and short prose pieces which we thought would add to tho intlorest of the book. XVith a due consideration of these remarks, we: wish you to take the book, and, if there is anythingworthy in it, we hope you will enjoy it to its full extent. If we have succeeded in giving; you anything which, in future years, will bring back fond memories of distant tifar-ott' things and battles long ago77 at the fniversity, we will feel fully repaid for our labor. Wit: wish to thank very gratefully ovary one who has lent us his aid in this work, and especially are we: grateful to Messrs. Berry, Peterson, Ryder, Alien, Gilbert and Copeland, to whose untiring efforts the publication of this volume is largely due.