St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-10-14
Amherst and its College.

JOhnsbury, is a very pretty place. It
is four miles from the Connecticut river
and the Holyoke range, in the fertile
river valley which produces, besides
the usual crops of the upper valley,
peaches, pears and like fruit in album
dance. The long broad streets lined
with elms, the college buildings and
the business blocks, strike the eye of
the stranger at once. The New London
Northern r. r. passes through here,
and the Massachusetts Central is slow
ly being built. At present they are
grading the road and digging with a
steam shovel through clay cut which
is 33 feet deep at one point. This road
when completed will be the shortest
route from Boston to HOOsac Tunnel
and Albany, n. Y. A stage also runs
from this place to Northampton max
ing connection with the Connecticut
River X. X.
OF course the college is the greatest
interest of the town. 1t has built up
the place III business and in many
other ways. A place with two colleges,
% professors, and 500 wide-awake stu
dents, is kept pretty well educated.
Besides the well-known college there
is the Massachusetts Agricultural col
lege, with two fine brick buildings, hot
houses and gardens about mile from
the other college. About hundred
boys attend here and sometimes foreign
students learn the American waya of
farming and agriculture. Amherst
college has ten buildings, five brick
ones, and five of stone. OF these, col
lege church and Walker Hall are the
handsOmest and most expensive. The
college church ia D granite structure in
the shape of a Greek cross, and cost
$4,000. Walker Hall named for its
chief donor, the late DR.. VIM. j. Walk
er of Newport r. l., is made of granite
with red sand stone trimmings, and
cost $l30,000. The college has just
been presented, by recent graduate,
with large clock. This with its four
faces is placed on the high square
tower of the chapel, and rings by cleo
tricity. The college library contains
1000 volumes, but the rooms are quite
small and the books are stored away
for want of room. The cabinets are
large and full of specimens. The col
lection of models and casts of statuary
is excelled only in this country by the
one at the Boston Art Museum. The
gymnasium is fine stone structure,
amply provided with all apparatus
that growing person needs. 1t il
under the charge of a physician, who
who looks out for the health of each
student, and gives lectures on health
during the freshman year. All stu
dents are required to attend the regu-
lar gymnastic exercise lasting 30 min
utes, and continued throughout the
whole college course.
The present freshman class numbers
about 95 students, coming from al
parts of the Union. Secretary Win.
dom's son and a Japanese, whose name
is KOyanO, have entered this class
Several students have also entered the
upper classes, so that there is proba-
bly, over $50 students in college and {
corps of 25 professors and instructors
Two Chinese students who were il
college have been recalled by the EN-
peror. There were about hundred
Chinese in different colleges through
out the United States and their return
to China is reckOned mistake. TIL,
newspapers about this time are Civ
ing reports of the "rushes" in differen
colleges, and the hazing by the sophO
mOres, but there has been no rush o.
tussle between the classes here, and II,
: hazing. AS student enters here h,
signs a contract that he will obey til,
college laws and be gentleman. |
he fails to do this he is dropped an,
the contract is broken or he is put Ol
; probation and the class are responsi
BILE for him. If the class violates an,
rules he is then dropped and can ente
! any other college if he wishes. Thu
, students are kept within bounds. Thi
new system was adopted last year an
! was very successful. 1t is nearly tn
same this year. We are the envy q
r college students elsewhere, who ad
mire the system and note the improve
: ment in the college, which is fast risin
to the standard of model one. A.