Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-10-04
FOR THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
THE FRESHMANS TRIUMPH; OR
Three Sophs" in a Elk"
% FUVN W 70 y 2 y
Normal College.
BY SHANGHAI.

BY SHANGHAI.
It was the annual custom, some years a
60, in certain Southern College, for COM
mittees of Sophs. to be appointed to torment
the members of the Freshman class. And
many and ingenious were the methods of
torture invented, for the benefit Of the afore-
mentioned poor devils. One was, lather-
ing with tar and then shaving with f-ow
another, blacking; another, tying the large
toes Of the Fresh, and then jerking him
from his bed There was a we'll known
Soph. in College, at that time, who boasted
that he had reduced tying toes TO science
and that he could tie Fresh's toes together,
black him coynpletelY andlthen jerk him out
of his bed without once aIpking him. An
other favorite practice Of the Sophs. was
smoking these 'Shanghais', as the Fresh
men were sometimes called. The smoking
committee would meet about dark, and then
proceed, in body, for they were afraid to
go singly, to the doomed Fresh's room
Walking in, they would lock the door, help
themselves to seats, light their pipes, elevate
their heels and proceed TO work. Some
times, though, they would get hold Of the
wrong customer and find to their cost, when
it was too late, that they had caught Tar
tar An instance Of this kind | am now
about to relate:
At the time Of which am writing, there
was a tall, digni6ed young man at the above
mentioned College, member of the Fresh
man class, who was remarkable for his gen
tlemaaly department and urbanity of man
ners. Among the younger members of col
lege he went under The euphonious appella,
ton of old Digny.' He roomed alone, on
the ground floor Of the college buildings.
!, Twas bitter cold night in the latter
part of the session, and H. alias old Digny,
! was sitting by glowing hickory fire, work
! ing out problem in Algebra. must men
ton here that H. had been marked out by
the Sophs as an object of especial vengeance
more particularly because they had beer
taunted as being afraid to prank with H
He had been member of college almost
: whole session, and yet had not been modest
! ed. And it is more than probable that tn
= reason given for not attacking him was tn
true one Vexod at the continued insinua
II tions made concerning their valour, tn
= committee resolved to give H. one of tn
= worst smokings that Shanghai had eve
= experienced.
I We left H. calmly and peacefully worl
II ing out his problem let's glance in agai
- and see if the committee will carry oil
! their doughty resolution knock is hear
= at the door Walk in is the answer to
" Three false-whskered Sophs. march gravel
r Z, in, pipe in hand, and the last one locks Il
- - door, puts the key on the table by him, al
i i draws out from his pockets hammer al
- nails and proceeds to fasten the window
this done, he fills his pipe with tobacco, ligh
" " it at the fire and begins to puff out huge VI
~ umes of smoke, the other two following t
example. II. is astonished-and kno
e not whether to laugh at the great gravi
~ ~ and impudence of the thing or to chasti
- ~ them forthc impertinence. A thong ght seer
IA ,nt to strike him-he sits down again calm
~ and proceeds with his problem. In
M -ho meanwhile, one of his visitors has piled wo
- 49, on the fire until the fire place is filled, a
INV NV the blaze now goes leaping cracking a
PS te3 sparkling up the chimney with perfect ro
no. Aud now the room begins to fill slowly W
bod the tobacco smoke and soon the light Of
'b;s lamp is scarcely discernible, except b.
tod luminous spot One of the committee n
v;Id throws large piece of assafoetida on
mere hearth and pours burning Goals upon it,
Tn til the stencil is almost intolerable. III
,orv look around TO see how II. is taking it.
Iooa rises and, taking up the key from the ia
he says: Gentlemen, | am glad to see you
na joying yourselves, hope you will conti
a of to do sony room is at your service till
Nom morrow morning. will say for your
tbar ISOLATION perhaps, that have been a smo
liz IL these many years-good night" Unl
lorn5 n ing the door, he passed out, and lockin
oaon o and putting the key in his pocket, he lei