The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-10-16
FIGHT EnR 4 1issaME.
Great Rivalry Between Cambridge and Harvard
Universities.

whats in name?" has recently had
rather amusing exemplification in a
discussion concerning thu use of the
name ''Cambridgeport' when applied to
a certain section of the university city.
Now, the center of all things Canta-
brigham is, as everyone und :rstands, Hair
ward university. In consequence that
part of the city containing the university
is much more important than any other
portion, and every man who has besn a
Harvard student knows that from time
immemorial there has been an almost
uncomfortable feud between residents of
the Port" and those living in old Cam
bridge. Many, many years ago, before
the days of horse cars there was soma
geographical excuse for the distinction
between the two sections. They were
really some distance apart. But even
before electric cars brought the res,den-
tial streets of the Port" within five
minutes of the heart of old Cambridge,
1t was hard for the outsiders to see why
the line should be 50 tightly drawn be-
tween the two places.
The houses in one section were as well
built, as handsome, as in the other; in
de=d, the comparison would often have
been in favor of Cambrdigeport The
people, too, of the latter section made in
every way as good an appearance, or
even better, for Cambridg sport not only
contains good many rich people, but
on the whole its residents are more
given to following the prevailing fash
ion.
Moreover the dividing line between
the two sections was invisible. 1t was
supposed to extend through the center
of street at tha top OF Dana Hill, and
the people on the old Cambridge side of
the street were supposed to look down
with proper scorn on thoss. on the port
Side.
Accounting For the Prejudice.
Some persons accounted for the preju-
dice by attributing it TO tough fights that
used to take place years and years ago
between the schoolboys of the two sec
tions. But the real truth probably is
that the people Of Cambridgeport, be-
cause their interests lay largely along
business Inns We're regarded as mere
money getters by the literary people of
old Cambridge, who forget that within
their own borders We're many persons
not connected with ths college. There
is no snobbishness SO ridiculous as that
which develops in a college town. For
many years the women of old Cambridge
have been saying that 1t was really i'm
possible for them to visit people who
lived over the line in old Cambridge on
the other. But though many heart
burnings have been the result of this
feud between the two sections, on the
part of the women at least, it is only
lately that have known men to take
up the question.
The special form in which it came up
the othsr day was in relation to the
postoffice. Cambridge has for some
time been one of the stations of the Bos-
ton postal district, with Cambridge and
Cambridgeport Offices as we'll as offices
in oth.r sections The old Cambridge
Office Called Cambridge was the point
of main distribution and to insure
prompt delivery letter to Cambridge
port had to be addressed Cambridge
port"
But without entering into all the in
t1fcacies of our postoffice, 1t is enough
to say that when it was proposed 10
call the different Cambridge stations by
letters of the alphabet thers arose the
greatest opposition on the part of all
Cambridge. Lately Postmaster Thomas
conceived the idea of making tn. off ce
in Cambridgeport the chief station and
Of dropping the port" from the name
At meeting held in relation to this
the mascul.n4 feeling on the subject
showed itself. One real estate owner
said that he had great difficulty in sell
ing property when buyers heard that 1T
was locatsd in Cambridgeport. BY drop
ping the last syllable of the name prop
Now, Cambridgeport contains the fine
city hall and has always been the sat
of the city government. The word
port is a misnomtr, for although this
section of the city borders the Charles.