Williams College - Gulielmensian Yearbook (Williamstown, MA)

Page 11 text:

Baliuravetw. - -- 1 , 4: ' -- f . . science grows slowly, we learn on lmost excellent atlthority, and a brief study of the steps of this growth V paves the way for scientific analysis and discussion. p E Q Whether GUL-making can be called a science or no, it is true, perhaps, that a brief sketch of the history of this book may pave the way to the words we would say to our readers by way of preface. . ffvoiuimi XXXi., our GUL purports to be, and if the figures be true, .and our arithmetic is no worse than it used to bein our early days the GULIELMENSIAN must have been founded about 1856. The early history' of the publication, like that of many another great institution, .is somewhat obscure. It was at that time, and for many years after, a mere catalogue of the secret and other societies, with no attempt at the rich paper, engravings, stylish binding, and fsometimbesj corre- spondingly fancy prices, of the modern product. I , A , By slow steps, it took one more of a literary character, one of its first essays in that line being, according to his own account, a joke Aon, our esteemed Professor of Poli-tical Economy. Q The class of '7o claims to have been the first to give to the GUL a distinctively literary character. They introduced illustrations, beau- tilied the cover, and raised the price to thirty-five cents. Asia reproof for this temerity, the members of the Board were stuck fclassic term lj to theextent of about fifteen dollars apiece. Q 'But little else worthy of mention has occurred in the history of the book, if we eXcept the financial venture of the avaricious Board of ,83, whose wicked deeds and awful fate have become a traditional warning to succeeding Boardsj ' So, through various vicissitudes, and by means of reasonably suc- 5L. , ,.

Page 10 text:

x Good masters, take it not unkindly, pray, That I have been thus pleasant with you all. ,iililll Sind Sie auch vorbereitet-gefaszt auf Alles, was geschehen kann ?- Wir miissen das Schlimmste erwarten, Wie das Erfreulichste. Le moyen le plus sur de se consoler de tout ce qui peut arriver c'est d'attendre toujours au pire. ' Si quid dictum est per jocum, Non aequum est id serio provortier. - flpicfrov psrpov 561114

Page 12 text:

. - ' -da -a volume cessive stages, we reach the GUL as it is before YOU to Y' representing at least much more labor than that of our worthy pred- ecessors of the class of ,57. J And you, my dear readers, what will you do with it? .Will You kindly stop us in the street to tell us that the cover is unartistic, and the paper poor, the drawing wretched, and the jokes old? Will you write a nice little satirical review for the Lz'f, which picks out all our bad qualities, and says not a word about our few good ones? Will you send a copy to your best girl, with a little note inside, asking'-her to return the volume when she is through reading it, as youLcan't afford to buy two this year? Will you, in short, forget the anxious editor, who sits, worn out with toil and empty as to pocket, and strains his ears to catch the sound of the praise that is neverspoken, and the shekels that never clink? You may not do all these things, but we fear you will. We expect that. We hardly dare' to ask for more. And yet, most worthy patrons, this we do desire. Believe that, what- ever the results may be, our motives, at least, were good. We have tried to be fair in our jokes. We have tried to be easy with the habit- ual butts of college wit, the men whom any one may joke about for nothing, and we may have touched a few who are'not used to such treatment. If, by any chance, some one among you Ends a grind upon himself that is not fair, we beg his pardon, and ask him to realize, if he can, however faintly,Sthe dearth of matter that a GUL Board meets. For men must laugh, and the GUL come out, whatever be the consequences. But, to the winds with prefaces ! It is very easy and delightful to write of all the great things one is planning to do. A very little plan an immense amount of explanation and comment- QTY- Whether Our good intentions have resulted in something ,sub- stantial, or must be relegated, with the great mass of their kind to 7 the proverbial pavement of-of-let us say Troy for politeness, Sake 7 will sometimes bear -judge now, all ye that read. 6 Wai