Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-06-01
FIRST EDITION.
Class nay at SxvnrthmOre.

| THE SENIORS CLOSING ExERCIsEs-THE CLASS
| tpApE SURRENDERED TO THE JUNIORS PBEsEN-
TATIoNs, oRArIcNa. Nc.
Special 10 the Commercial.
| Last 7tli-day was Senior class-day at Swarth-
more and the several exercises and cere.
monies customary upon that occasion were all
Gully and creditaby performed in accordance
with tho programme, and much to the interest
and entertainment Of the faculty, students and
| a largo number of invited guests.
| At II O'Clock precisely, the President OF the
Glars, Martha Mcllvain, tapped the bell for
order, and in neat little speech opened the ex-
| ercises OF the day. welcoming the guests and
claiming the privilege OF "class day, that of
being egotistica.
At the close she introduced the historian,
Helen Il. Comfy, who gave somo laughable
| Incidents connected with each year OF their col
lego life and made many witty personal illusions.
which wore highly appreciated by those under
| standing them.
1.-The Old Clock in Tho Hall" furnished tile
subject for racy and brilliant poem by w.
Hance Ridgway, in which that familiar pieco Of
furniture, but probably none too accurate
time e-kceper, with It's bronze horse ornament on
the top was first subjected to minute and
SARCASTIC criticism, and then made to tell OF
most marvellous scenes 1t had Witnessed, since
years ago it took its station beside the dining
room door. With some coaxing it was induced
to become quite garrulous, on matters OF local
and oven general interest, its observations and
running" comments, especially in co.educa-
tiou. boing droll and evidently timely.
The Grafton "No New Thing Under the Sun, by
II. W. Lippincott was thoughtful production,
meriting some claim to critical ability. in which
q charge of plagiarism against Lord Byron was
we'll maintained, and some strikingly parallel
passages from Greek or Latin poets given, and
compared with the description of the ocean in
Childe Harold.
The young man, John r. Richards, who
prophesed tho future Of his classmates. went Tin
imagination) to the Academy of music and fell
asleep. Tho phantom scenes that were enacted
on the STAGE he described in sufficiently clear
coloring and outline to make them recognizable.
The presentations, by Oliver Reese, Jr., gave
probably the most amusement, when three
large, but neat wooden boxes were brought upon
the stage, and when opened, were found W con-
tain respectively a pair of immense spectacles
for their hereditary enemies, the Juniors, a
large blue cap for the Sophomores, and an enor-
nous rattle striped red and blue, aud set round
with memberless tiny bells for the Freshmen
"a tribute to our verdancy, presume" as one
sprightly number said, with the good-natured
acceptance which proved its appropriateness.
Beside dead looking twig OF a tree, on the
EAST Campus" was placed platform, to which
the audience now hastened, and stood round on
tip-toe in the hot sun to try to catch a glimpse
OF the seniors depositing box full OF relics,
photographs, &C., under a granite block, which
they watched till It was cemented into its place.
After thus seeing themselves. buried and their
tombstone erected, they proceeded to give
through Martha McIvane, the spade which had
dug the grave to their successors, the Juniors,
with what seemed to outsiders no very cordial
feelings OF goodwill, to judge by the plainness
with which they admoDished them of faults that
evidently wore not monopolized by that class
alone, nor always dropped at the close of the
junior year. The spade was accepted i'll polite
speech, by Edwin Mitchell Jr., and an original
ode was sung, and then the class-day ceremonies
of rs were over.