The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-12
COLLEGE LIFE IN INDIANA.
? The Social Feature.

tnat 1e Is past time Tor breakfast. Tor stu
dents usually breakfast about 6 o'clock.
He rises and rapidly prepares for break
fast. He is in time. however, for his morn
Ing meal. and his landlady informs him
that he need not fear missing his breakfast
even if be is occasionally late. but as he
wrestles with the cold beafsteak. he regis
tiers a mental VOW that. In the future, he
will be in readiness to make the acauaInt-
ance of the coffee and steak while they are
in q warmer mood. He has thus received
his first of q series of lessons in promptness
and method that run all through u college
course.
To-day, for the first time, Will comes into
m contact with college professors.
and he Is agreeably surprised to find, in-
stead Of such Iong-haired. bespectacled
and dried-up specimene of humanity as
professors are frequently represented TO be,
that these teachers are practical men ana
women. Though they are very earnest
and intent upon their work, they have time
to smile and be agreeable. and even to H.
dulge in q hearty laugh with their students
when anything ludIcrous occurs in tho
class. Will now has an opportunity to
measure the ability of his fellows. and be
learns the truthfulness of the old adage
that appearances are Ofttimes deceptive"
For the boys that he had decided would be
bQluluS llSQtS III Tie CLASS TOOTH now prove
to be either extremely Indifferent or else
decided "chumps." while some of the
awkward boys, who never seemed to know
just what to do with their hands. us soon as
their embarrassment wore of, showed that
they did know how to use their brains to
good purpose.
Having made the acquaintance of a num-
Der of hIs fellOw-students. and. by bring
ing mp good lessons, having established
himself In the good graces of the pro-
fessors. Will begins to feel more at home.
As his round of recItations is much the
same each day, he occasionally varies the
proceedings by spending q vacant hour in
visiting other recitations and departments.
wandering into the scientific rooms one
day, he Is given a formal introduction to
the grlnning skeleton, and after shaking
hands with this bony guardian of the drug
scented specimen cases, he feels that the
other relics need have no terrors for him..
80 he divides his spare time the
library, with its immense rows of books.
interesting Dapers and inviting easy-chaiEs,
that entice him TO linger and hold sweet
communion with the master minds of all the
ages; and the Departmental paturalscience.
where are collected specimens of the
animal life from all the zones, brilliant
butterflies and gay plumaged birds from
the tropics. flowers brought from noun
tain and valley, curious creatures dredged
from their dark. cavernous homes In the
depths of the sea, cases OF live snakes q
1XOk5 tnolI INV al thO hauQS VI
the amateur scientIsts, who will presently
pick and cut them to pieces in their in-
quisitive search for the truths of nature.
Occasionally some venturesome youth
makes things lively for q while by letting
the sleepy old Iattlesnake out OF his glass
covered box and giving his snakeshiD an
opportunity to call on his ~neighbors, who,
needless TO say, are seldom at home by the
time the RATHER gets there. Should a pro-
lessor come into the room while such q
sscironav Ia in pr00raaa ha uanaltu afaUa hia
wrath until the guilty student has safely
recRged the snake.
On Friday morning of the first week the
president, In his peculiar. and TO the old
students, very familiar style. announces
that all people have a social as well as an
intellectual nature. and that If We would
be symmetrical men and women we must
not neglect the development of our social
natures. In view of this fact, he says, the
annual college reunion is to be held in the
chapel tomorrow night, when the
students may throw aside thoughts of
books and devote an evening to
social pleasures. A good programme
has been prepared for the occasion.
On Saturday evening, after supper, the
boys appear to be in q state of anxious
expectation, and soon they may be seen
slipping of to their rooms. As the ap-
pointed hour approaches they appear on
the street arrayed In their best bib and
tucker" The new boys. attracted by q
mutual feeling of apprehension, collect in
groups and, gaining confidence with in
crease of numbers. venture forth toward
the scene of the coming festivities. just
behind this group comes another, and you
cannot help noticing the difference between
them. These last boys are talking, laugh
ing and singing and thoroughly enjoying
themselves. though. perhaps. last year
some of these were in the group of quiet
and expeetant ones. while next year the
quiet boys will be in the group of jolly
fellows; and so 1T goes from year to year.
Will and / are fortunate enough to be be-
tween these two groups. and arrive at the
building Just In time to observe the actions
of both. When we step into the chapel We
at once observe O change In it's usual ap-
~pearance. The room IL brilliantly lighted.
The chairs have been arranged In o row
around the spacious room and in q Ouble
row through the middle. The piano has
been moved into the middle OF the rostrum
and every thing has an aIr OF cheerfulDess
and comfort. While We are glancing round
the room and commenting on the appear
ance OF things we notice that the ladies'. as
they arrive, take one side OF the room and
the gentlemen the Other-a somewhat
strange position, Will thinks. for q social.
and so it is; but / remind him that the
young ladies and gentlemen have not yet
had an opportunity to meet, and hence
this seeming GOODNESS. One of the profess
sors, who has taken upon himself the task
OF managing this affair, is now seen moving
rapidly around among the students. He
has o smile and a kind WORD for every one,
and Is exertlng all his energies to entertain
them and to prepare the way for them to
entertain themselves. He Is soon joined by
other members of the faculty, and under
their genial influence the social ice is soon
broken. Where stiffness and order reiRned
n few moments before now all Is confusion.
Formally is dispensed with, and the most
backward md timid newcomer fOrgets
himself and enters INTO the spirit of the
occasion. The music now begins and the
murmur of voices sn bsides to some dearee.
AS soon as the music ceases tho president
comes forward and proposes some game or
calls on some one to make an extemporane-
Gus speech.
While these amusements are in progress
the managers keep q sharp lookout for new
students who do not seem TO be enjoying
themselves. Meanwhile the old students
keep their ey es on the professors, for they
know from past experience that they are
Liable to ue detailed TO entertain the bashful
ones. Hence they NAV be seen slipping
away from and carefully evadlng the pro-
fessors at such times. Our attention Is
now attracted to one of the professors who
is leading a raw youth toward a group of
girls. The professor has the boy by the
coat-sleeve, and is half pulling the reluct-
ant youth, who moves forward as an un-
willing victim TO the sacrIticial altar of
social pleasures. The professor finally
gets the boy IN proper position, aud
introduces him to one OF the young ladies,
when. to the professors utter consterns-
ton. the boy beats a hasty retreat. The
witnesses of this little social comedy
no doubt q tragedy TO the poor boy
SO he offers the young lady his arm aud
moves off. a somewhat wiser man.
About 10 o'clock tho president again
commands silence, and expresses the opin-