The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-03-20
hAZiN1 THE HAZERs.
A Vermonter ant Another, Now n sena-
tor, Who We're E IuaI to Emergencies

Talking Of huzing," said university
club man the other evening in the hear.
ing of Kansas City Star reporter. "Tm
here with some l1phasis and accent to
say it is not always success. was
with party of students once who, hav-
ing set their aca lenic hearts on hazing
rough and uucouth specimen from
Vermont, repaired to his room about
III O'Clock one yht to perform these
rites. There were seven Of the in-
vaders, including myself and we
collected in tho corridor outside the
freshman's door. In order to be i'm.
pressive in our ,ntrance, at given
signal we hurled ourselves against the
portal and burst it in. recall feel.
ing of pride as the door went in at the
success of tits first step, but nothing
distinctly afterward.
I'm the dim religious light that
sifted through the curtains from the
swinging moon we beheld long,
sparse, and meager being who flew out
of bed and fell upon u.s. He was silent
as a bulldog, but quick and ferocious
as cat. never saw such creature.
The whole affair did not last 10 minutes,
and its close found myself and the other
hazers battered and bruised and out in
the hall.
81 thought only one man inhabited
that ROOM said a sorrowful sophomore
as he felt of his various features in an
effort to measure the distance so far as
he, personally, was affected. There are
at least 10, for l counted them, to say
nothing of the large African gorilla
which threw me out, and which l take
it they maintain as pet
There was no one in there, however
except that one Vermonter, and he did
not even attempt to close the door after
us, such was his contempt for our
prowess.
I'VE did not go back into his room.
We could have gone, of course. but we
saw that it would consume great deal
of time and the hour was late.
"'Say, you Vermont manr said as
we were about to leave, Il trust you are
not mean enough to report this to the
faculty?'
mot at ALL he said. 4 like it Como
again any time you please
Another time, continued the racon-
teur, "a party of us had been out on that
sacred night, Halloween, tearing off
gates and signs, and otherwise disport-
ing ourselves after the fashion of college
youth the world around. We had
brought about cord of broken store
signs up to Jim Martins room and were
merrily burning them in his big fire.
place. The ceremonies were at their
height when two or three professors ex-
cited to the movement by Indignant
townspeople, whose signs being ravished
had followed us to the college gates,
raped loudly at the door for admission.
Something had to be done, as it would
never do to let in the professors and
those broken evidences of our guilt
around.
"A man by the name of Jack Nesbit,
now State senator in Nebraska, was
equal to the pinch, however.
1T was rule of the college that no
professor should be denied entrance to
room, no matter the hour, unless the
occupant was engaged in prayer. In
event of the present progress of this
religious exercise, the professor was
made to wait until the amen and
could in nowise complain.
AT the first rap Nesbit broke into
prayer. In a loud sonorous tone he
sought mercy for himself and his COM
panions Continuing, he beleaguered the
throne of grace in behalf of the college,
as well as the professors, singly and
in body. Next the students all
came in for notice by name, and in hulk,
as well as every attache of the place to
the small person who cleaned knives
and forks in the kitchen. No one was
sighted or overlooked. Then Nesbit
went for the Government, and prayed
for the nation at large; then the Presi-
dent and his pressing needs were
named, and Divinity was pleaded with
for their fulfilment; then all the de-
partments and various officers of State,
and when they were exhausted all the
States beginning with Maine and end
ing with California were interceded for.
After this Jack went to Europe, and
beginning with England related the
necessities of each government, and
sought their satisfaction. From there
he went to Asia, to Africa, then to
South America, and so on, until he was
drifting among the islands which dot
the Southern seas Meanwhile the rest
of us turned stokers, and crowded the
signs into the fireplace, where they
roared and leaped almost to the limits
off general confagration. Just as Jack
was landing at Auckland the last
splinter went up in smoke and the dis
gusted professors were let in. The
prayer must have been almost an hour
long, and as the teachers filed in Nesbit
closed with some quotation from ST.
Mark which refers to those who, seek
ing sign, shall find it not