The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-09-10
HIS SHOESTRING NECKTIE.
Funny Franks Of Harvard Boys When En-.
tering Secret Societies.

A young man was seen entering one
Of our hotels few days ago clad in q
most eccentric costume, says the Boston
Journal. He wore upon his head an
old-fashioned 'stovc-pipe" hat with
square brim and of rather dilapidated
form, upon his back a full-dress coat,
covering waistcOat of red and white
jersey-in fact rowing jacket-while
In lieu of necktie he wore q leather
shoestring carefully tied in an elaborate
bow in front A green umbrella In one
hand and riding spur upon one shoe
completed the accOutrement Of this
youth.
He was alone in his glory. for no one
else around wore similar luxurious
costume; but he was not alone 80 far
as company was concerned. Some half
dozen young men followed him az no
walked up the marble steps Of the en-
trance-the observed of all observers
and advanced with slow and measured
tread into the waiting-rOOm. There was
a long-faced. yellow-haired stranger
from the rural districts seated at the
table struggling hard with blunt pen
ell to indite few words ON postal
card, evidently note home announcing
his safe arrival in the city. The new
conner marched solemnly up to the
writer and gently scratched the back
of his neck. The countryman turned
around and viewed with establishment
the creature" before him. 1t opened
its mouth and began to speak.
"YOu. l believe, the man who eats
peanuts areP" were the words uttered.
"What?" calculated the man at the
desk.
"Hic, haec, hoe, Mumm's extra dry,
soc ct tum," responded the inhabitant
of the dress-coat and rowing jacket in
q deep. sepulchral voice, while he
emphasized each word by punch
with his green umbrella upon the
floor.
The man from the backwoods started
up in unaffected terror Visions of es-
capped lunatics flashed through his head,
and he evidently expected to have some
act of violence Immediately attempted.
But at this moment roar of laughter
from the door attracted his attention,
and looking in that direction he saw q
half-dozen faces extending into the
broadcast possible grins. The eccentric
invader, too. heard the laughter, and,
apparently recognizing in that signal
that his duty was accomplished, turned
about and stalked sOlemnly from the
hotel. followed at a respectable distance
by his six laughing companions. They
proceeded to- BowdOin square. and there
boarded the car for Cambridge, leaving
it at the Harvard college grounds. In
fact, the young man was not O crazy
person, not an eccentric being, not an
overdudish dude. but bright young
student Of nearly two years standing.
a sophomore candidate for the "Insti-
tute of 1870"
Every year this scene occurs in one
form or another, sometimes enacted in
Cambridge, sometimes in the suburbs,
sometimes with one youthful aspirant as
the single victim, sometimes with two
or three together. and this is almost the
only evidence given to outsiders of the
existence of the institute Everything
else connected with the sophomore so
ciety is kept as rigidly secret as are the
affairs of older societies in later life,
but the humorous exhibitions of the
open-air initiation ceremonies are as
greatly enjoyed by outsiders as by
members of the institute.
Whenever one of the queerly dressed
novitates appear on the college green
score of windows 60 up and as many
heads are stretched out to see the fun
sure to follow. Some old member of
the institute whistles. The "about-to-
be" member Immediately responds to
the call and in obedience to commands
now essays to scramble up tree. now
hops on one foot, back and forth over
the walk, now carefully picks up every
stone that is to be seen and deposits
them at some proctor's door, now war
bles a musical (O ditty or plays the
bass viol using some other unfortunate
as the viol and his own arm as the bow,
and so carrying on the most ridiculous
and laughable maneuvers which one
could imagine. He dances q clog or
walks bow-legged across the ground;
he marches gravely up North avenue.
clothed in whatever fantastic dress his
tOrmentors can devise; he enters con-
dictionary store and asks for one cents
worth of bonnet, or orders q yard of
mutton from the astOnished clerk in q
dry-goods store; he mounts horse car
and informs the conductor that the
wheels of his car are loose and rolling
round, or does anything else which
fate in the shape of one or more senior
members, shall declare.