Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16
UNDERGRADUATE HUMoR
English Students Who Main Fun for Than.
selves and Othsra
They Shine Most Brightly ek ne
Conferrfns Of Degrses-Aa In
terestin4 Custea.
From rt.BitA

AA0 ouoca8ToQuAt0 II U CrcotuFS Oh Cl430
peculiar to himself. and bafles classin-
cation He speaks q language OF his own.
has his own code Of etiquette and morals,
and his own sense Of humor. When he an
nounces that . Cats man has been
pioughed In the stinks," he merely means
that st. GATHERINGS man has failed In his
Natural Science Tripos examination: but
even this verbal ambiguity may be pardon
ed in a man who buys his butter by the
yard and cultivates learning ON '-squish."
His huE1or. proud a. he In of 1t, II sell
dom equal to his learning, and is rather
frank than witty. Once a year. however
cabined 1t may be at other times, this hu-
NOR breaks bounds and runs riot in de-
nance OF proctors and vice chancellors.
This is In common" when his university
tinguished outsiders Then the underEradu-
ates gather In battalfons and fill the gallery
OF the thcater in riotous crowds.
Every undergraduate to for the nonce q
privileged punster. a licensed humorist;
and every man tries to outvie his fellows In
daring witticisms The rafters shake with
topical songs, and many an old gentleman
IN the area Is paralyzed by a request to re-
be.
oxford men cherish the memory of the
day when John Bright and Oliver Wendell
homes. gentlest Of autocrats. received
III,
Holmes. with his slight. boyish figure and
amtable face. made a strong appeal to the
gods in the gallery, who. to a man, decided
to protect him. at ell COSTS from the on
slaught Of the public orator.
1t Is always the Latin orator who is the
chief butt Of undergraduate wit, and on
this occasion nothing but nerves of steel
would have brought him through the or
deal.
DO mind your pronunciation. sir" the
gallery shouted, "even the Doctors laugh
mig at to quantity again sir and
vice chancellor, get him Principal :"
Now. sir, take a deep breaah-one, two,
three" DO tell the doctor the joke. he's
looking over your shoulder, SIR"
These were few of the thousands of
comments which descended on the regius
professor of civil law; thick as autumn
leaves and singing as hailstones.
When Browning presented himself for his
degree, red cotton nightcap was gently
dropped on his head as an appropriate dec
Grafton; and when Nansen was crowned"
BARRIERS pole cunnlngly wrought in color
ed paper served to remind him Of his title
to academic honors.
The undergraduates mustered in great
force to honor Nansen with their wit, and
Professor Cloudy, the Latinist Of the occa-
sion. had a time sufficiently warm to dis
pei all thoughts of arctic SHOWS. Speak
up, sir; do put a little life in it," Pull
yourself together" assailed the weak-voiced
professor on every hand. Shocking Latin
sir; where did you learn it," Proctor, do
set the professor right"
During his really eloquent speech Pro-
lessor Goudy introduced the word Jam"
now. mot JAM" a young alumnus cried;
bears grease Is the thing for an arctic
explorer. When the ceremony was over,
and DIR. Nansen in his gorgeous robes of
doctor Of civil laws was released. an UNDER
graduate shouted out. do give DR.. Nansen
some brandy-the professor has frozen
him."
Wttticisms such as these are character
istic, If not brilliant; and IL brutaIly frank
they are at least full of good humor
Perhaps, however, the palm of under
awarded to the Trinity Oxford man who
was sent down. a few months ago. The
occasion was a solemn one, and the under
graduates decided to invest It with becom-
ing gravity.
At the hour appointed for his departure.
hearse, drawn by a long named black
horse. drew up at the college gates, and the
undergraduate took his seat among the nod
ding plumes. Two friends, clad In black,
took up positions on each side of the horse 8
head, and a crowd of undergraduate mourn
ers formed a procession behind the hearse,
In this solemn form the cortsge wendell
Its way slowly through the Oxford streets
toward the station, the crowd of mourners
being gradually swelled by hundreds of
Vais the happy dec BASED" improved the
occasion by speeches of fitting solemnity
from his bad eminence"
when the station was reached the
corpse was carried shoulder high to his
train. while hundreds Of lusty voices Joined
In singing 'Britons Never Shall Be Slaves
and AUD Lang Syne."