The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-01
YALE COLLEGE.

Presentation Of the Wooden Spoon-History
Of the Spoon-Interesting Exercises and In.
cidents.
NEW HAVEN, June 80, 1862
Last evening the leading attraction Of Presentation
Week at Yale, the presentation Of the wooden spoon
by the class Of 40 and the accompanying exhibit
ton occurred at Music Hail. AS on each previous
observance Of the custom, the hall was filled to re-
pleton with gayly dressed, but heat tortured
audience. VINO, struggle as hard as they could with
generous sized palm leaves. were unequal to the
task of keeping COOL Each student was there
with the fair maiden with whom during his
collegiate course he has walked. talked, rode and
sailed and many OF the younger alumni were
present and looking evidently with interest at the
''college widows' they had spent 80 many pleasant
hours with in days gone by A few OF the older
alumni were present, and had their hearts made
young again by witnessing the adoraaon paid TO the
spoon.
The history Of the wooden spoon is involved some
what in the mist which Is often found en-
velopng the origin OF any time-honored Gus
tom. The first recorded instance Of its being
presented at Yale was at the exhibition
OF the class Of 4s. For two or three years the per-
sonaites and improprieties permitted IN the ex-
hibtion brought upon 1t stigma; but the class OF
'52 adopted new method, relieving the custom Of
the Objectionable features The faculty were invited
to be present, and ladies for the first time were
allowed to attend. For several years the spoon was
given to the unfortunate young man who stood last
on the list Of appointments for the Junior exhi-
bilon, and II he refused the doubtful
honor the colleagues selected one Of their number.
The exhibition then occurred in April, about the
time Of the occurrence Of the Junior exhibition, and
was designed as buresque upon those exercises.
At length 1t became the custom to best0w the spoon
upon the most popular man in the class, without
reference to his scholarship, and such Is the rule In
Last evening the exhibition was fully equal in in.
tercst and In point OF success TO most OF It's prede
cessors. Theodore Thomas orchestra was present
and opened the exercises with an overture, after
which the opening load, entitled 1.-THE Perfect
Brick,n was produced. The design was good, but
this opening feature. Upon the stage were what
appeared to be three huge bricks, two lying down
S
and retired. Samuel st. John McCutcheOn, Of Plain
ss T. gave sse i S4oess saa'a'oFF ss
mixed Latin and English with iattery for the ladies
ana congratuIations for the Seniors, containing
Of the Welcome It was on this occasion Of ordinary
| merit The "Wooden Spoon" song was given by o
Received anu sncoTed The
Mr.. Jas q. K. Mcclure, Of Albany, n Y, presented
the spoon, In brief, un0stentatiOus speech, which
| was great Improvement upon Its many dry and
| tedious predecessors in other years. The happy
Augustus Cleveland, Of this city, who also made
brief and appropriate reply IN acknowledging the
the cordially expressed opinion, have not erred in
| selecting Mr. Ceveladd as the popular man Of the
| A very good college drama, entitled "His Little
| Game and How 1t Worked" was then produced In
an excellent ana quite entertaining manner. It was
ways the wires are pulled to Secure elections to the
| show committee. young lady and q love affair
o. on hs censr Of tine Win rs
group Of singing students a was given Jackson
in stentorian tones his "Here to day, ana there
tomorrow sweep no ?, to the great merriment OF
night by lecture on philosophy, with experiments.
This morning the freshmen have appeared with
su r BY White diamond shaped kind Of
brim, from which bangles blue tassel. This fore
noon the farewell class poem OF me class OF 1869
| was delivered by Lyman II. Bagg, Of West Spring
field. Mass. 1t was fair production. Tie
class Grafton was given by HenryA. Beers, OF Hart
replying to those who urge selfeducatlOn and also
to those VINO claim that the education received at
college is not practical enough the merits Of self:
| hardly In an impartial manner. The Grafton was
Of sd eyncea ability ana ne
prfzes-First, Charles D. McNaughton, Jackson,
Clark prizes junior class-First, Morris +. Tyler,
| New Haven; second Dwight W. Learned, Plymouth,
Conn. Freshmen prizes-First, Benjamin H0ppln,
| New Haven; second and third, equal, J0hn II.
| Hincks, Bridgeport Conn.,; David j.. II. Wilcox,
Port Richmond N. Y. Berkeley PRIZE for excellence
| In Latin cOmpostion-C h. White, Philadel-
pha. Clark prize, for excellence IN mathematics
Erastus Q. Case East CRANKY, Conn. After singing
| an ODE Farewell Old Yale" to the tune Of "Aud
Lang Syne," the exercises were concluded, and the
audience, which was large one, dispersed and at
noon the class sat down to Q dinner at Alumni Hail.
In the afternoon the class history was read. The
class first gathered beneath the college elms sur
rounded by several hundred OF their lady friends
and others, and smoked their long-stemmed clay
pipes while the first historian read, but the rain
| commencing to fall a movement had to be made
| into the chapel, which was effected about four
O'Clock. The historians were Messrs. L. H. Bagg. Il.
B. Richardson Edward H6aton and @. II. Smith. The
papers they read contained rehearsal OF the various
jokes perpetrated upon and ludcrous accidents that
have happened to the members OF the class together
with reference to any peculiarly attending Those
who have died were also appropriately spoken Of
| After the reading, which was concluded about SIX
O'Clock, the class ivy was planted the college pro-
fess0rs visited and cheered and then the class
assembled together for the last time at Alumni Hail.
| and with tear-bedewed eyes and warm and cloee
hand-grasp babe each other adieu This concluded
presentation week at Yale.
UNION CollEcf