West Virginia University - Monticola Yearbook (Morgantown, WV)

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f » B • RLUMNl Try Officers for 1 899- 1900. President. Seeretar;y and Treasurer. Hon. J. R. Trotter. Prof. Robt. A. Armstronsr. ' ' Come, dear old Comrade, you and I Will steal an hour from days gone by, The shining days when life was new, And all was bright with morning dew. The lusty days of long ago, When you were Bill and I was Joe. Your name may flaunt a titled trail Proud as a cockerel ' s rainbow tail, And mine as brief appendix wear. As Tam O ' Shanter ' s luckless mare; To-day, old friend, remember still That I am Joe and you are Bill. You ' ve won the great world ' s envied prize And grand you look in people ' s eyes, With Hon. and LL. D. In big brave letters fair to see, — Your fist old fellow! Off they go! — How are you, Bill! How are you, Joe ? Bill is serving his third term in Congress, where he has won a degree of distinction that makes him the pride of the state that has sent him to the national capital as one of its representatives. Joe is a physician practicing in a small town in Wisconsin, where he has gained the high esteem of all 23

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cordial and heart- felt manner. This week of release from duties does not seem to separate the students one from another and from school as does X-mas or Summer vacation. Convocation week over, and the student begins to look about him to see how he can accomplish the maxi-um amount of work with the minimum amount of study, during the enervat- ing weather of April, May and June. All nature is rich with allurements which entice the student from his books. The campus has grown green in a single day. The soft, warm breezes have kissed red buds on the maple branches. The birds, exiled by winter ' s heartless bans, have x-eturned on the wings of the South-wind, and in merry songs and ecstatic flitting to and ffo. celebrate thereconquest of their summer domain. The quiet streets of the town grow shady and the river ' s placid surface invites the dip of the oar. Surely sjaring comes in no more beauty anywhere than to Morgantown. As soon as the April air ceases to numb the lingers, the base ball players begin to train and practice every afternoon. The same crowd of spectators that watched the development of the foot ball team, gather on the athletic tield and with equal intei ' est speculate on the chances of a suc- cessful season. There are always a few old players, true and tried, that give the enthusiasts no concern. There is the pitcher of last year whose prowess in the box won many a loud, prolonged cheer. But several of the old favorites are missing from their positions and all despair of ever finding others to till them with equal ability. But after the first game, last year ' s heroes are not so prominent and the player of the hour is the centre of base ball interest. Up until Commencement day, the gala days of college life are those whereon we meet here at home some rival team on the dia- mond. Commencement week comes all too soon. The anxious senior has haunted the librai ' y for months searching dusty volumes for material that will make his Thesis immortal. The last day arrvies. From the hand of the Registrar he receives the parchment which testifies to his attainments. This diploma means many an hour of toil and worry, many a hard struggle and bitter failure. The recipient ought to be proud of it, but for the time being he can look upon it only as a certificate, legally delivered,. that his college days are over. What Commencement Day means to the senior — what tender ties he breaks with bitterness, what hopes of future life he looks to for consolation, what high resolves and lofty dreams of noble usefulness, what rushing memories of the dear past days till his heart too full for utterance, we shi-ink from attempting to relate. These are matters for the genius only to touch. So is the whole story of College life. Its sunshine and shadow, its friendship and rivalries, its victories and defeats await the wizard ' s wand to brine: them into life on the written page.

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■who know him, but he has not prospereii in a -woi-idly way above the aver- age country doctor. They were class mates in the old W. V. U. back in 187 , and, while in school were the closest of friends. They heard from each other for a while after they graduated, but finally their correspondence ceased and they lost track of each other. Bill, after teaching school for a year or two, studied law and began practicing in one of the larger towns of the state, which he now helps to represent in Congress. Joe studied medicine ia Baltimore and on completing his course went to Wisconsin. They had not seen each other .since leaving Morgantown the day after their graduation. Joe had heard of late years though of the success his old friend was meet- ing with and knew that he was in Congress. It was while Congress was in ses.sion in February of th= present year that Joe found it necessary to go to Washington to look after some busi- ness. One of his first thoughts on finding out the occasion of his going- was, that he would have the opportunity of callins: on his old friend. Bill, and of renewing the friendship of college days; and he had not been long- in Washington before he found out the residence of the Hon. Wm. R. and went to call on him. Bill was not at home when Joe called, but he did not have to wait long- until he returned. Of coui-se Bill did not recognize him at once, but it didn ' t take him long to make himself known. The greeting was such as would have done any college man ' s heart good to witness. How quickly did those old fellows forget all about house-bills and doctor- bills and everything else but Morgantown and University days. Bill had an important engagement with a fellow congressman that night, but he telephoned him an excuse and gave orders to the servants that no callers were to be admitted during- the evening. And then they went to work. Their whole college life was reviewed from prepdom to commencement day of their senior year. Jokes, pranks, larks, and snipe-hunts were all remembered, and all their flirtations with the Morgantown girls of that day were called to mind. Joe learned from Bill that the two girls to whom they had been particularly friendly while in school were still living in Morgantown — the senior members of the Society of College Widows — making themselves useful by giving pointers to the girls just coming on. When they had talked and laughed over all their personal experiences, they discussed the other members of their class and then their Alma Mater in general. Bill remembered that he had in his library copies of The Monticola, published in ' 96 and ' 99. He fetched these and they looked over them together. Joe, somehow, had not seen a copy of either issue and he was intensely interested in looking over them. In the volume of ' 96 he found a complete list of the classes that had graduated fi-om the Univer- sity up to that time, in which were given the names of the members of each 24