Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-11-01

we get out of this scrape?" HE must
be dead, or insensible. or he cou.d not
help hearing our calls; but his body
must be gotten out-some one must 60
down and bring him up" At last.
one holder than the rest volunteered
and descended, candle in hand, to the
bottom of the ladder. His foot had
scarcely touched the floor before there
was an unearthly howl and wild
scramble; a moment later our vol
unteer appeared above the floor
with face upon which rage
and fright were struggling for
the mastery. As soon as he
could get his breath he stated that
Bastien was all right-in fact, had at
tackled him with club, and he exhib-
tied a lump already forming on the
side of his head, the result of WELL
directed blow. The reaction caused
| by this announcement only intensified
the feeling against Bastien, and he was
commanded. under the direst penal
ties, to come forth. After much par
leying he consented. No sooner had
he reached the floor of the atelier than
he was pounced upon by score or
more OF yelling students, bound hand
and foot, and laid upon large draw
ing-board; this was raised upon the
shoulders of the stronger of his perse-
| cutors, the rest of them forming q pro-
cessiOn.
Imagine the grotesque effect of a
motley crowd of students, the greater
number of them bare-headed, clad in
their working-blouses, which were al
most all Enthusiastically decorated. each
man carrying lighted candle-it had
now grown dark-marching with
measured tread around the beautiful
Pompeiian court of the Ecole des
Beaux Arts and chanting the Dead
March from Saul at the top of their
voices. After several circuits had
been made the marshals led the way I'd
the fountain situated in the center
of the court, and Bastien was uncer.
imoniously dumped headlong into the
water.
Unfortunately for all concerned,
some of the officials of the school,
whose attention had been attracted by
the uproar, witnessed the latter pOr.
ton of this escapade, and Immediately
gave orders for the atelier to be closed
for three months. This order is con-
sidered one of the greatest misfortunes
that can befall the students of tho
school, for the reason that when the
door of the atelier is closed and the
official seal placed upon it, on no con-
sideration can it be opened until the
limit of time prescribed by the order
has expired.
When it was known that this order
had been given, there was wild rush
to remove all available articles from
the atelier before it could be executed.
Drawings, books, boards, instruments,
etc.. were quickly gathered and car
ried into the court, and when the gen.
darmes arrived to lock the door, the
room was partially dismantled.
The students of the closed atelier i'm
mediately held meeting and appoint
ed committee to procure suitable
rooms as near by as possible. Here
they could work until reinstated in
their proper quarters. Their Patron
was duly notified of the affair; he made
no comment, but visited his class reg
ularly in their temporary home. He
probably considered that being obliged
to pay rent and incidental expenses his
class were sufficiently punished.
l have dwelt somewhat at length
upon this affair, as it was the worst
case of hazing that saw in the archi-
tectural department of the school, and
was the only instance that I knew of
the closing of an atelier.
1t is a serious thing for the French
student to be deprived of his neatly
finished drawings, which the patron
tells him are good enough to receive q
prize or mention. Usually, it is the
innocent who suffer more than the
uAAeS, IOT IuOSc WHO are away dC INC
time of the escapade are the ones who
have every thing locked up.
To the foreign student the loss of
mention or prize would seem
trivial thing, but to Frenchman it is
very different; these prizes and men
tons are their stock in trade, and the
more of them that they can obtain, the
greater chance they have of ultimate
ly gaining the Grand Prize of Rome.
Moreover. if they leave the school to
seek situations, their standing as
draughtsmen and chances of employ
ment are largely dependent upon the
number CT prizes and mentions that
they can show.
The French student, however, is q
hard worker, but in a peculiar way.
For instance, in each concOurs of the
school. two months are given in which
to render; now, after the first sketch
is made and handed in. the majority