Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

Page 31 text:

History of ' 88. ■J HE CLASS of ' 88 became duly incorporated as a finite part of the V. M. I. September 5th, T884. Stragglers dropped in by ones and twos, until it numbered forty-nine. Association soon developed our slight acquaintance into the stronger ties of friendship, and then into love. For various reasons needless to state, some members have left us, and now we number forty-two. We are the smallest class in the school in number, but a very good showing has been made, both as scholars (?) and soldiers. Any one who has ever been a cadet knows the hardships of the rat, or Fourth Class men. The rat appears in the full verdancy of youth at the V. M. I., eager to become a cadet. He reports for duty, and then comes the tug of war. He is put in a room away up among the clouds, on the fourth stoop. For want of something better to do, he wanders aimlessly about barracks, and, after one or two brief interviews with Col. Shipp, he concludes that his room is the proper place for him. The jokes, of which he is the butt, and the pranks that are played upon him, make him long for the time when he will be a rat no more. But more is in store for him ; immediately after tattoo, his honorable predecessors of the Third Class come into his room to disturb his peace of mind, armed with bayonets, scabbards and paddles of all characters, too horrible to describe — they file in. Aston- ished at having so many visitors, he asks the reason. The only reply is a tap on the table, ' and the awful words get over rat, ring in his ears. The performance is of a short duration, but very affecting. The dose is repeated in special cases. The next night the same tragedy takes place ; resistance is sometimes tried, but resistance fails. He is overpowered by superior numbers, and then the never-failing bayonet scabbard is applied vigorously by the unrelenting arm of the old cadet. The novelty soon wears off, and the rat is left to himself for a brief period, but before him dances a gloomy vision — that of the day o n which he is to don his white trousers. Every cadet knows the awful result. But even after all these hardships, he learns to love the old V. M. I., and in the years which are to come, whep the rat of the class of ' 88 will be old and gray, no doubt tie will wish himself back, as in the days of old, a rat at the V. M. I., to be enlivened by the bayonet scabbard of ' 87. Rat. C. L. McCoRD, Historian.

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22 THE BOMB. Knox, F. W., . Alabama, Langhorne, G. T., Virginia. Le Hardy, C. A. , Georgia. Leonard, Nat Missouri. Lewis, H. G., Virginia. Long, Lee, Louisiana. McAlpin, J. W., ... Georgia. Michie, J. C, : . . . Virginia. MiLLHiSER, C, Virginia. Miller, H. S., Ohio. Newton, J. K. M., Virginia. NoRRis, W. J., South Carolina. Peery, a. M., Virginia. Perry, C. B., Texas. Redfield, J. M., ' ....... New York. Reid, L. W., Virginia. Smith, C. F. , . Pennsylvania. Tams, H. p., Virginia. Taylor, R. B . . . . Virginia. Terry, T., .. . . Virginia. Thompson, L. S. , Ohio. Trundle, H. H., Virginia. Turpin, F. M., . . . Georgia. Tutwiler, H. M., ., Virginia. Van Ingen, J. S., Louisiana. Ventress, J. a., Louisiana. Walker, B. P. , Georgia. Webb, H. P. , Virginia. WnrrE, M. V., West Virginia. Total, 57.

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Fourth Class. B. SMITH, President. L. H. CHARBONNIER, Vice President J. B. FORD, Secretary. Color, Green. Alexander, H. H., . . . . Room 94 . Archer, J. McI., Alyett, p., Badger, T. N., ..... . Baya, H. p., Camden, G. L., Charbonnier, L. H., . . . . Cochran, W. B., Cralle, a. K., Dangerfeld, a. G. , . . . . Davis, S. G., DeValin, cm., Fauntleroy, J. D. , . . . . Ferrell, H. L. , FlLCHETT, J. M., Flowerree, v. W., .... Ford, J. B. , Ford, G. L Garnett, W. H., Harman, C. p. , Healy, J., HooE, J. D., Hopkins, R. M., I ' Anson, R. F., Kane, R. R., McGarland, H. B. , . . . . McCoRD, C. F Virginia. 95 Virginia. 93 Virginia. 106 Virginia. 94 . . . . . Florida. 6 ] West Virginia. 108 Georgia. 91 . .... Virginia. 102 Virginia. 38 Virginia. 93 Maryland. 91 District of Columbia. 18 Virginia. 66 Virginia. 48 Virginia. 61 Mississippi. 97 Virginia. 91 . , . . . Texas. 94 Arkansas. 104 Virginia. 93 Virginia. loi Virginia. 64 Texas. 106 Virginia, ji Virginia. 66 Tennessee. 6 Missouri