Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

Text from Pages 1 - 52 of the 1890 volume:

ffjorccstcr polytechnic institute 6eorgc L (Sordon Xibraru o( o5 to r 1 - 4 ? J iU .TTu .HV. ' UU rULYT£CHN C. POLYTECHi-u;. WPI spec CocL. T ni tote i2 { 10 THE TECH POLYT£ ji i n iu DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. Merrill Waldo Allen, West Brookfield. Louis Edwin Booth, Worcester. James Hugh Clancy, Worcester. David Rufus Collier, . Eugene, Oregon. Harry Porter Crosby, Maynard. Harry Phillips Davis, Worcester. Charles Henry Faulkner, . . Keene, N. H. Frank Arthur Gardner, Worcester. Charles Harvey Jenness, Chicopee. Paul Beagary Morgan, Worcester. George Herbert Nutt, Worcester. George Williams Perry, Putnam, Conn. Clarence Knight Prince, Worcester. Elmer Cook Rice, .... Worcester. Stanley Hale Rood, Worcester. Lee Russell,. Worcester. Arthur Lincoln Smith, Springfield. Charles Frederic Treadway, Cleveland, Ohio. Windsor Thomas White, Cleveland, Ohio. SPECIAL COURSE. Charles Sumner Cook, Worcester. WASHBURN MACHINE SHOP. POLYTECHNIC DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING. James Prince Anderson, Springfield. William Lewis Smith, Worcester. Joseph Henry Devlin, Worcester. Francis Wilcox Treadway, Cleveland, Ohio. Loring Nelson Farnum, North Andover. Henry Everett Warren, Leicester. Edward Henry Rockwell, . Leominster. Harrison Parker Wires, North Brookfield. Arthur Parks Smith, . Springfield. INSTITUTE DRIVE, LOOKING SOUTH POLYTECHNIC DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY. Herbert Ernest Austin, Julius Walter Bugbee, Everett John Lake, Arthur Burgess Larchar, Holden. . Shrewsbury. Rockville, Conn. Webster. Ellis Warren Lazell, Warren Eugene Mumford, Charles Austin Pierce, Albert Joseph Reinbold, Jr., . Spencer. Webster. Worcester. Worcester. APPROACH TO BOYNTON HALL. CLASS HISTORY. EDRDE HERBERT NHTT, CLASS I T is with a feeling of no slight responsibility that the historian of ’90 begins his task, for, while the class in itself may not be exceptional, many of the most brilliant leaves of the Tech his¬ tory have been turned in its presence. No equal period of time can boast of so many changes and additions,—antiquated systems have been abolished and progressive institutions estab¬ lished ; gifts of inestimable worth have been made by our bene¬ factors ; the Institute is now known by a differ ent name, and with increased vigor and redoubled advantages, it proceeds to fulfill its mission. We were but just entered as apprentices, when the mu¬ nificent gift of the Salisbury Laboratories was announced. To be sure, the destruction of our “gymnasium” and the felling of trees so dear to Professor Gladwin occasioned no little sadness, but this did not hinder us from lending our voices to the songs of universal gratitude to our worthy friend. Having participated in the ceremonies attending the laying of the corner stone, and having watched with eager interest as the building grew, course by course, we entered the finished structure, the first Senior class to enjoy its increased facilities. Soon after this, a change occurred which, however, will affect future classes more than it did us. The discovery was made that the Institute would have to confine her endeavors within narrower limits or devise some means of raising money. Although the chemistry dues still continued to be a fertile source of revenue to the heavily burdened treasury of the Institute, something else must be done to relieve the financial strain. The name Free Institute was changed to Polytechnic Institute, and the catalogue HISTORY. announced that “tuition will continue to be free to a limited number of students who are not over twenty-one years of age.” Directly after the adoption of the new name, through the exertions of a member of Ninety who seemed to be the only man who was con¬ fident of the success of his undertaking, the Institute was admitted to the Intercollegiate Athletic Association ; and such a boom was given to athletics, that later in the course the faculty felt obliged to impose restrictions upon it. Ninety has always taken an active interest in Athletics, and if Field-day did not award her the palm, it was never because she was afraid to enter her proportion of contestants. Although fortune did not favor her with many record-breakers, her ability and record for team work has been an enviable one. For two years of the three, her base-ball team secured the championship, and until the sport was restricted, her foot-ball eleven held easy sway. With the allusion to foot-ball, one of the darkest pages of the Class History is presented to our view. In vain were our earnest appeals for the re-instatement of foot-ball. Silent witnesses of many a manly contest, the goal-posts stand decaying monuments of a restricted game. Perhaps, after all, this action by the faculty reverted to our good, for little did we dream when we were arguing for foot-ball of the many pilgrimages we would have to make to Dr. Smith’s Shrine, the Public Library. The change in the marking system, whereby the custom of giv¬ ing each student only his rank in the class, was abolished, and the system of letters substituted, met the hearty approval of the whole IO class, being especially welcome to those whose ranks had ap¬ proached the “fifties.” It is a tradition that the Middle Class is generally respon¬ sible for all the pranks which are played at the Tech, but Ninety was an exception, for her evil spirit manifested itself in her Junior Year. During the first half, fun was at a discount, except, per¬ haps, in the free-hand drawing room, but when the spring Field-day came around, a brilliant opportunity was presented. On the morning of that memorable day, Division B had shop practice, and as the members arrived, it was noticed that Ninety- One, who then constituted the Prep Class, was unduly excited over something. They kept coming down stairs in groups and going to the door, whence they cast proud glances in the direction of the Fair Grounds. Ninety looked also, and were not a little surprised to see a mammoth standard, bearing the figures “91,” floating over the scene of the coming sports. This would never do, so two Ninety men at once repaired to the Fair Grounds, and, although detected once, succeeded in escaping with the coveted flag, which was carefully hidden until it was wanted as a decoration for the hall on the night of the half-way supper. This episode placed Ninety in a light of suspicion which was increased to a glow when she attended the Musee on the night after the half-way examinations. The other classes were well represented, but, when the performance closed and it remained for the police to select the “ first six,” Ninety, alone, was considered. After a spirited interview with the irate manager of the troupe, the boys were let off on terms which seemed more favorable under the peculiar circumstances that evening than they have at any time since. The next evening we partook of our half-way supper. An oc¬ casion for the recollection of past exploits, the supper itself must not be forgotten. Our speakers, fired with enthusiasm at sight of the captured standard of “91,” which adorned a large part of the wall, handled their subjects to the delight of all. Our toast master, so anxious to merit the honor bestowed on him that he scorned to put the pink lemonade to his lips, surpassed the expectations of the class and confirmed the excellency of its choice. ’Twas at this time, too, that the General delivered his maiden speech. What other class can boast of a real General ? Selections by the class orchestra and Ninety’s representation in the Banjo and Guitar Club contributed largely to the success of this supper, which must ever hold a prominent place in our recol¬ lections. We were now the traditional Middlers, and every piece of mis¬ chief perpetrated from this time on, was promptly laid at our door. Our reputation, which preceded us in the Junior ex¬ tended through the Senior year,—if the Doctor’s pumpkins disappeared, we were the cause ; if his hitching-post was sawed off, we had done it. One night, a carriage belonging to a mem- .ber of the faculty took a ramble in the field of Bliss, and was there disintegrated. Although we were Seniors, and in spite of the fact that one wheel was impaled on a goal-post and a Middler was seen walking the next day with a painful limp, the President treated us to a confidential talk. The approaching final examination and the exit of two of our number sobered us so that nothing could induce a Ninety man to lay aside his dignity, even for a moment,— unless, perhaps, we except the class suppers. The various organizations at the Tech are greatly indebted to the Class of Ninety, some for the impetus which led to their form¬ ation, and others for a large proportion of their membership. The Banjo and Guitar Club, the idea of which was conceived and successfully carried out by a Ninety man, was one of the most flourishing clubs that the Institute has had, and gave every indica¬ tion of becoming a permanent organization. The success of the Banjo Club was followed by the formation of a Class Orchestra, which enjoyed a happy life of more than a year. The rehearsals and public appearances of these two musical associations afforded a most pleasant diversion from the monotony of almost constant study, and the clubs bade fair to outgrow the local fame which they soon acquired, when the President confronted them with the para- POLYTECHNIC ii graph in the catalogue which allows a Tech one night in the week for recreation. This accomplished the death of the Orchestra, and the retirement of the Banjo Club to a life of more modest preten¬ sions. The Camera Club owes its existence to an exhibition of photo¬ graphs by Ninety’s amateurs, and we can only hope that the vacant spaces left on the membership roll by the exit of Ninety will be as creditably filled as they have been—with the names of some of its foremost members; and that in the future its exhibitions will be as creditable and pleasing as those in the past. But the clubs have not all been for recreation alone, as the mem¬ bers of the Political Economy Club can testify. This organiza¬ tion was formed at the suggestion, and continued under the leader¬ ship of Dr. Smith. Composed wholly of members of Ninety who were studying Political Economy, this Club had many a lively meeting in which the economic questions of modern civilization were discussed. When we recollect that the Thompson Club has collapsed, and that the O. T. V. is no more, we should hope that so worthy an association as this might have every year a large, active membership. It would be an injustice to some of the members of the class not to mention that association of shy and retiring dispositions known among the students as the Sons of Rest. The information which the historian has at his disposal concerning this society is of a vague and disconnected character. Immediately after initiation, the members receive new names, by which they are forever after¬ ward known to each other. During the Prep year, he who was known as Jigger was the controlling spirit, and after he left the Institute, the partnership of Sweeny Seal interpreted the Con¬ stitution and By-Laws,—if they had any. The history of the Class, as written beforehand by the Faculty, is exactly similar to that of other classes, and may be found in the study and recitation plans of any catalogue. It has often seemed to us that work has been crowded in with too little regard for recreation, but a retrospective view shows that we have had many a good time, in one way or another, and that our self-denial in the constant application of our minds to study has so much the better fitted us to hold our own in the race of life. The time has now come for us to leave the Institute, and, laying aside any unpleasant recollections and treasuring those of lasting joy, it is not without a sigh of sadness that Ninety closes this chapter of her history. A farewell tear for old associations, a parting tribute to those whose wise instruction has guided our efforts in the acquisition of knowledge,—and we are gone. May the Tech never have a less loyal class than the CLASS OF NINETY! INSTITUTE PARK. CLASS ORATION. THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER. Mr. President, Classmates and Friends: ITHIN the past twenty-five years, no feature of American civilization has passed through a greater and more im¬ portant series of changes than the newspaper which now comes to our homes as an almost indispensable adjunct to our well-being and happiness. It is interesting to note these changes and it is fascinating to speculate upon the possibilities of such an influential factor in American life. The average Yankee is very fond of giv¬ ing advice, especially to the editor of the paper for which he pays his yearly subscription. He goes into the sanctum of the country editor fortified with a jug of cider, or a turnip of extraordinary size, and boldly outlines the only policy which the meek and humble individual at the desk before him can follow consistently or with any surety of holding his subscribers. He writes letters to the managing editor of the city daily, signed, “ One Who Knows,” or “ Pro Bono Publico,” stating in vivid language the best course of action to be pursued. In exceptional cases, he makes a per¬ sonal visit, accompanied by a large club or other weapon. In noting these changes and in speculating on these possibilities, there is no intention of formulating rules which shall guide news¬ paper publishers for all future time. Our friends of the profes¬ sional press are so strongly wedded to their idols that they will laugh at the unprofessional views of the ignorant, but, possibly, well-meaning outsider. But t$ie topic is a live one and can be discussed profitably by even the most humble layman. In questioning the aims and motives of the newspaper, we run the whole gamut of human passions and weaknesses. In debating whether The Independent Newspaper is, or is not, worthy of long life and happiness, the very heart of what is intended to be purely an ethical discussion seems to be reached. The American daily stands unique as the only newspaper in the world. Europe has most excellent journals of its own, but its newspapers are the product of American thought and American enterprise. The best features of its journals have been borrowed, in a great measure, from American sources. The ‘ ‘ Thunderer of the English People,” although now furnishing only a very innocu¬ ous quality of that commodity, has been, in the eyes of the average Englishman, the highest type of a great and powerful journal. But a nation that laughs at the humor of Punch must, of necessity, be constructed along mental lines totally different from those of the American people. The Londoner is inclined to look for the following-out of old customs and traditions in his journal. The New Yorker wants his news fresh and hot, and he wants his newspa¬ per to inaugurate a new reform, or exhibit some new phase of strik¬ ing individuality, with the rising sun of every day. How important, then, in view of the fact that our country leads in everything that is bright and enterprising in the journalism of to-day, that the fountain head be kept pure and unsullied,—that our newspapers be conducted with the highest aims and loftiest purposes, to carry on and on the march of human progress ! The truly independent newspaper is a beautiful thing to think about. It is the incarnation of right, of justice, of high-minded purpose and lofty ambition. It is almost too good for this earth. In its perfected state, it deserves to put on wings and quit this abode of sin and wickedness forever. But there are intermediate stages,—stages in which a condition of things, different from that now existing in the great majority of cases, will be applauded as an important step in advance. A newspaper thoroughly independent is subject to the demands of no political party or religious sect. It is free as the winds of Heaven to criticise men and things. It is dependent on no hu¬ man passion, or passing fancy, for its support. It serves a con¬ stituency intelligent enough to understand that right and truth are the only standards by which human conduct should be judged. It is far enough removed from the influence of the counting-room to estimate men and measures for their true worth, not for their business relations to the management. It is clean and decent in presenting its facts. Above all, it prints the news, no matter with whom it conflicts or whom it injures or benefits. This is an exacting state of things, truly, and it is needless to say that it defines the policy of but few of the newspapers of to-day. But the process of evolution is continually going on, — if the next twenty-five years show as great a change as the past, we can hope to find almost anything at the close of that period. Let us take the New York newspapers for a passing illustration, for they typify American newspaper work. There are some forty dailies, of which the Sun, the Times, the Herald , the Tribune and the World are the most noteworthy. The Sun is as bright as its namesake. It is dazzlingly eccen¬ tric. It publishes the news, and all the news, and it does it in the best English. Although thoroughly popular in its treatment of base ball, prize fights, bear stories and other sporting matter of surpassing interest, its editorial columns bristle with learned dis¬ cussions on theological, historical and linguistic topics. It caters to no special class. It is sarcastic and cynical to the last degree, and in politics it is very peculiar and extremely radical. It is lia¬ ble to shift its position on certain political subjects several times in the course of a political campaign. It has the most thoroughly able staff , if not the largest, of any New York daily. If the Sun leans toward independence, it does so not as a matter of principle, but because it wishes to be eccentric. The Times is a thoroughly good newspaper. It is pure in tone and caters to the best tastes and the highest classes. It gives special attention to the topics most closely connected with the life of the business and the professional man. I think it can be said to be the most independent, in the best sense of the word, of New York newspapers. It is honest and true in its editorial columns, and often, in its desire to bethought wholly independent, becomes over-zealous in championing the truth, and drifts toward partisan¬ ship. But, as a rule, it is clear-headed enough to see both sides of a story and to present the whole to its readers. It is neither so newsy as the Sun, nor so brilliant. But it is conservative, and maintains its dignity at all times. The Herald has the best foreign news, and its local matter is served up in a more readable manner than any of its contempora¬ ries. Its headlines are veritable works of art. It is weak in its editorial department, which is lifeless and vacillating. It is rich enough and great enough to be a better and a stronger paper, and it probably would, were its owner not so constantly away from the helm. The evening issue of the Herald, the Telegram, is much brighter and more piquant, and is, consequently, more readable. The Tribune is offensively partisan. A Democrat, in its eyes, is forever damned. It can, in no sense, be termed independent. The Sunday Tribune is the only redeeming issue of the week. In literary value, that issue is unsurpassed by any newspaper, and its literary features, in a great measure, atone for its wretched politi¬ cal spirit. The World has immense resources, and presents more exclusive news than half its contemporaries combined. It is, by far, the most enterprising of the metropolitan newspapers, and has the largest circulation of all. Its specialty is the defence of the weak and defenceless, and in this line it does very commendable work. It is not especially dignified in its editorial columns, and is re- ported to be considerably under the influence of its counting-room. It has an immense staff of news-gatherers and it works them very hard indeed. A greatly overworked department is that in which the circulation affidavits are prepared. If any newspaper can afford to be independent, these newspa¬ pers, and those in other large cities, certainly can. When the star-eyed goddess of reform begins her onward march of triumph, a beginning must be made in this quarter. And, indeed, the question of independence in journalism is purely a financial one. The great dailies of the large cities, of assured financial success, are allied to some special political party only to increase, to a greater degree, the power and influence which they have over their constituencies. To have a power like the Tribune in the days of Horace Greeley, —that is the one ambition of a newspa¬ per after it is put on a paying basis. And, too, every man likes to be on the winning side,— this seems to be the object of some of our so-called independent papers,—they wait until the usual signal lights are run up on high before declaring their policy. The question of expense is the only thing that troubles a young and struggling journal. Its editor starts with the highest minded purposes. He is to reform his district, weighing everything by the standard of right and wrong, always deciding in favor of the right. After a few months’ floundering in a sea of uncertainty, sub¬ scribers dropping off one by one and the paper gradually getting into a most ridiculous and humiliating attitude on the fence, a po¬ litical leader comes into the editorial room some day, writes a check for $5,000 or so, and the paper blossoms out in the morn¬ ing with a definite purpose and a candidate for Congress. Then a new lease of life begins. The candidate sends out immense numbers of sample copies, and members of the opposing party buy the paper to see what is going on in the camp of the enemy. It is a temptation which a young and struggling journal cannot hold out against. It is not thought business-like, in these days, to start an independent newspaper. It simply does not pay, as a rule. In the case of not a few “journals,” it pays to be independ¬ POLYTECHNIG, ent until the largest financial inducement comes into view. Then it pays, again, several times over, to jump in the direction of the largest inducement. But when a newspaper is put on a financial basis as solid as a rock ; when it owes nothing financially or in the line of personal favors ; when its conductors look for no rewards or distribution of party spoils at the hands of the men whom it helps to elect to office ; when it can take a certain side of a question as a matter of principle, not of patronage,—then, and then only, can it look for¬ ward to its greatest and best development. Should this great American people, the most enlightened nation on the face of the globe, in a country of freedom the very air of which tingles with the spirit of independence, be guided in its affairs of home and State by a press which cringes under the demands of a party boss as the slave cringed under the lash before the war? Let the spirit of’76 assert itself as it should, in the breast of every Ameri¬ can citizen. Shades of Horace Greeley ! Would the Tribune under his leadership have countenanced the subsidizing of the Re¬ publican press of the country, including itself, and indorsed a general family and editorial administration ? On purely ethical grounds, none but the independent newspa¬ per has any reason for existence. The great newspaper of to-day wields a great influence. The thought that the news which its hundred or more reporters bring in must be colored and distorted to meet the views of one man who presides at the head of the financial department, is enough to shatter all high ideals of right and justice. Oh, for that day when might shall not dominate right ! That sentence is repeated at many commencement exercises about this time. Will it come soon? Assuredly, no. But when it does, there will come with it a spirit of love and good-will, so fraternal in its nature, that the Recording Angel can clip from the Repub¬ lican press and paste in the Judgment Book,—due credit being given,— the absolutely true life history of the most ultra Demo¬ cratic leader who has gone before. ELMER COOK RICE. TENNIS COURTS. CLASS DAY. JUNE 2 m PROGRAMME. MUSIC. Overture. —Pique Dame, Suppe MARCH. Dorscht. Wiegand CLASS ORATION. The Independent Newspaper. Elmer Cook Rice. MUSIC. Song for Cornet, ..... Rieger Mr. McCauley. CLASS HISTORY, George Herbert Nutt. CLASS POEM, MUSIC. La chasse Infernale, .... Koelling STATISTICS,. Clarence Knight Prince. MUSIC. Clarinet Solo Variation Brillante—Op. 1 8 , Baerman Arranged and performed by Mr. H. I. Osborne. TREE ORATION, Joseph Henry Devlin. MUSIC. Gavotte. ( a ) First Love, . Berger Coring Nelson Farnum. (. b ) Students’ Favorite, CLASS OFFICERS. President, Vice-President, Secretary, FRANCIS WILCOX TREADWAY . EVERETT JOHN LAKE. • . . ALTON LINCOLN SMITH. Treasurer, HARRISON PARKER WIRES. I