The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-02
COLLEGE WARFARE.
Harvard's Bloody Monday" and
IN It's Origin
Ecrimmagcs in Which Donnybrook Tactics
sS Prevail-Tumultuous Sports Which
Often Result In Serious
Injury.

seniors siding with the sophomores and
the juniors with the freshmen. Assem-
bling after supper on tho delta, the
triangular lot OF land on which Memo
rial hall now stands, the two opposing
sides used to Zine up" and prepare for
mighty struggle. Taunts, ieers and
yells of defiance filled the air. Some
times, says writer in the Boston
Transcript, doughty champion from
either side would step forth, and then o
truly Homcric contest would ensuo be-
tween the devoted pair, while the two
hosts, like tho Grecian and Trojan
camps, stood looking on and frantically
cheering. Finally enthusiasm boiled
over and Il general scrinmage fol-
lowed in which the tactics Of Donny-
brook fair chiefly prevailed, the burn
ing desire of each combatant being to
''down' some other combatant, no |
matter who. In the course of years !
these annual scrimmages degcncrated
into brutal fights in which eyes were
blacllened, joints dislocated and bones
not infrcqucntly broken. After at
tempting in vain to moderate them, the
faculty ut last, in 1850, pcremptorily
forbade these encounters. An account
of the obsequics of the sport is to be
found in Mr.. Sibley's journal
Diverted from this channel, the spirit
of class rivalry quickly broke out in the
form of hazing. For dozen years the
fun was carried to excess. Men were
dragged from their beds and held under
the pump, doors were broken down,
furniture smashed and freshman rugs
and mattresses carried into the quad
rangle and lSindled into merry bon
fires.
1t was during this period that the
name "Dloody Monday" was given. to
the first Monday of the college year.
Hazing continued, by fits and starts,
until 1878, when some fragrant outragcs
brought down once moro the wrath of
the faculty. Drastic remedies were mp
piled in the way of discipline. For the
past fifteen years or moro hazing has
been practically unknown at Harvard,
and to-day there is nothing here re-
sembling it or cvincing the spirit from
which hazing springs. 1t is doubtful
whether as much can be said with re-
gard to any other American college.
What is "Bloody Monday" at pres
ent? The visitor TO the college campus
on recent evening would have found
full answer to the question. About
eight o'clock members of the freshmen
and sophomore classes begin to as
semblc in the corner between Mat
thews' and Gray's There arc perhaps
hundred and fifty or two hundred
students on each side They have on
rough clothes and are mostly bare
headed. Wells, groans, taunts arc free
1y interchangcd. In the confusion and
darkness it is hard to distinguish friend
from foe. There arc full us many
spectators as combatants. The Cam
bridge ''mucker" pervadcs the entire
gloom, lends his voice to the yelling
and loudly and impartially adjures both
sides to show more sandi" Half n
dozen policemen are on hand to pre-
vent serious disturbance. From time
to time the opposing sides form in
solid column and rush madly together.
Clothes, eyes and noses sometimes
suffer. 1t is said that one man last
year had his collarbonc broken. But,
generally speaking, it is mild enough
collision. There are no fisticuffs, no i'll
humor, no brutality. In fact, it must
on the whole be called tame, mean
ingless affair. The students themselves
have an air of rather wondering what
they are there for, anyway. by ten
O'Clock all prctensc of enthusiasm is
past. The sophomorcs amusc them
selves by chatting one Of the policemen,
snatching his hat off, and crushing"
him. This sport soon pals, the stu
dents stroll away, and before midnight
the yard is as quiet rs ever.
There is q growing custom among
freshmen of giving punches" to The
sophomorcs on "Dloody Monday" night
in the bibulous and not the pugnncious
sense. Especially, it is said, are the
punches given by wealthy and ROSTER
ing newcomers who aspire to Join the
choice band of spirits composing the
"Diclsey." Some of these dcpraved lit
tie noodles, with unlimited pocket mon
ey ard n burning am bition to be thought
fast" have begun the custom of dis
tributing free liquor. How far the Gus
tom is growing it would be hard to say
am told that there is q movement
among colleges to welcome freshmen in
fashion quite unlike the traditional
one and that in one or two places ban
quets have been given them by the
sophomorcs. Here is change indeed.
How far this movement will go is also
doubtful. At all events there is no per-
sccntion of the freshmen at Harvard
nor the slightest tendency in that dircc-
ton Ills cap is safe upon his curly
head; his toes are untrod; his cane is
rinmolested; no shudders shake his bed
by night. lie swells around the yard
and dormitories to his hearts content
with none to make afraid. Ilazing is
SO wholly and completely thing of the
past at Harvard that no thoughts given
to the subject