Wellesley College - Legenda Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

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glory of Tree Day, for the honor of our Alma Mater, we long to see an even more transcendent expression of the Beautiful than has been given to the world through ' 98. And however vain may be the longing, it is for this we strive — to inculcate, by teaching and example, that spirit which we possess, of ability to recognize, appreciate and absorb the highest forms of Beauty, so that its repre- sentation will be but the natural expression of — the Soul.

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frequently furnished a most ' 90, with its tendency toward originality, added the touch which modernized the day, by celebrating it a month later in the year. Up to this time it had been celebrated in May — much to the discomfort of those Class Beauties who insisted upon appearing in the gauzy effect of fairyland or in the tissue paper attire of the flower. The weather, never too accommodating, frigid front, so that the con- fusion occa- sioned by col- lecting news- papers for fac- ulty feet, shawls i— «- V for the shoul- ■Vi nei iwf S d e r s , to say nothing of the generally de- moralizing ap- pearance of a few hundred red noses, made the change in date a matter of public rejoicing. But ' 90, feeling that this was not enough in the way of philanthropy, took a deep breath, and laid upon the shelf forever the model of the program, which up to this date had presented the calm and serene emblem of the day, in all its glory of youth and spring. The advance she made in this line we here represent, adding, with apologies to her artist, that the best thing about it was the precedent of change it estab- lished, which ' 91 followed with no hesitation. Since then the form of both program and ceremony has been subject to little alteration. The Senior exercises, varying with the character of the class, are intellectual, or artistically symbolic, as the case may be — rarely both. (Is this another height to climb, ' 98 ?) Fresh- man exercises grow yearly more effective in both color and action ; ' 99 bravely en- deavoring last year to maintain the stand- ard set by ' 98, the year before; and though infancy and its amusements of hoops, rattles and babes in the swinging chair, can hardly be compared to the great drama, at once an intellectual masterpiece and a marvel of grace and beauty — worked out through the game of whist — one must take into account the exceptional character of those who took part in the latter event and deal gently with their followers. Juniors and Sophomores, though still subordinate in action, are by no means inconspicuous, and are in danger of be- coming a rival attraction of the other classes. Last year, when the masterpiece of conception by ' 98 appeared upon the scene, no eye was for leaving it, no ear was open to aught but its occasional bursts of wit. The color effect, so harmonious in its radiance, so daring in its brilliancy, fascinated all beholders, while the grace and originality of the cos- tumes practically blighted all future Tree Days. We are public spirited. We do not want it ' said that the ascent of Tree Day will have found its highest and most beautiful expression in ' 98. For the

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Evolution of Fudge Making RE we, indeed, unwise to sigh for a saddened space over this fading phase of the career of ' 98? Should we heed that inner voice which whispers of official lips compressed over The less said of this the better! and the raised eyebrow and curling lip of alumnae, whose records point so unswervingly to their superior use of time and taste? Shall we attribute our action in this mel- low drama to the unconscious atmospheric tendency toward dabbling in sweets, left by departed spirits, and rusted, unused chafing dishes — senior gifts? Shall we defend our action by pointing suggestively to the balloon-like disappearance of the standard during our course, increasing the reactionary relaxation at every possible moment, or shall we, with the quiet dignity learned only by companion- ship with the C. Dish, assume our rightful responsibility in a movement which has exceeded any other in maintaining that balance of mind and body, so nearly destroyed by the Academic Council, and so essential to the 19th century ideal of a broadened and sweetened womanhood? Prehistoric forms of Fudge were unknown to us as Freshman in ' 94 — that is, in the college menu, although to what extent it had been indulged in, appears at times to be a mooted question. But an habituee of the college cor- ridors for the last three years will, I am sure, uphold us in our mild allusion to the change in the chemical consistency of the atmosphere thereabouts, — a consistency which is in turn being replaced by elements of the new order of Penuci. Tis at just this point that a brief and softened glance at the Rise (and Fall?) of the old order seems apropos. That that rise and fall is bound up with the personal history of a few of us seems no excuse for withholding it from a public whose interest in its development took so lively and material a form. All infringement of the privacy of personal records cannot fail to be pardoned in the light of so great a service to modern history. One reads with streaming eyes and quickening pulse of the origin of the English drama in the solemn and mysterious liturgical service of the early church (cf. ones in Lit. IX), but can simplicity be approached, can pathos be equaled, can grandeur be excelled, in the first representation of the creation of Fudge by its humblest but most constant devotees? There were three of them, two active, one passive but most inspiring. She