The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-10-14
THE BULLY CLUB.

The courteous invitation extended to
President Hadley by Mayor Studley OF
New Haven to review the students
torch-light parade from the city re-
viewing stand is but one of many evil
dences OF the good will that notably
characterizes the present day relations
between Yale University and the COM
munity in which it stands. This mu-
tual friendliness of town and gown has
of late years become as firmly estab-
lished as it was undreamed of half
century ago. Jeers and fisticuffs, if not
cut and thrust, were the regular order
when the "townies" and ''gownies' met
in the early part of the last century.
To bear the brunt Of battle in those
encounters there was elected by each
class a committee of defence COM
manded by the class bully" who also
acted as presiding officer at class meet
ings The Senior bully was the col
lege bully, and the guardian OF the
Bully Club" which was not an af-
filiation of kindred souls Gas the name
might imply, but very substantial
oak cudgel, calculated to make. In
Mercutio's phrase, a grave man. OF
any whom it hit Now the Bully Club
first became famous in this wise. In
the early years of the century party
of students went to Fair Haven, which
then went by the name of Dragon, for
an oyster supper. The discourtesies
practiced on them by the "townies" so
angered them that the next night they
returned with reenforcements to ad-
minister punishment. In the fray that
L,,11 Of fn11nw
who appeared to be the leader of the
Dragoners, welded a huge club, form
ed from an oak limb with gnarled ex-
crescence on the end" This emblem of
the Dragon power became the center
of the Yale attack. After fierce
struggle the weapon was captured and
borne in triumph to the Campus, and
became forthwith the staff of authority
Of the Senior bully. This was handed
down from class to class with solemn
rites which were an important part of
Presentation Day ceremonies. In the
year 1888 opposition to the name bully"
became so strong that a reform party
elected presidents to serve as mod
erators-not without much conflict with
the bully sympathizers A free fight
on Presentation Day in 1910 as to
whether President or Bully should mar
shall the procession resulted in the
speedy abolition by the faculty of all
class officers, and to this day Yale is
one of the few colleges where class
presidents are unknown.
At the instance of the students of
Yale arrangements have been made to
decorate the grave of Elihu Yale in
Wrexham, North Wales, at the time Of
the bicentenial, The Vicar of Wrex-
ham, the Rev w. H. Fletcher, will be
present at the celebration in New Ha-
ven, but he has prepared, in connection
with a student committee, a suitable
order of exercises which the school
children of Wrexham are to carry out.
There will be hymns and the grave IS
to be covered with wreaths Of laurel
and punches of violets
Among the most interesting of the
engrossed forms of greeting and con-
gratula ton now being received by the
Yale authorities on the occasion of the
bicentennial is one from the Japanese
graduates Of the University's various
departments OF the whole number the
"a residents in Toxic have forwarded
very handsome scroll in kakemoors, ex-
pressing their best wishes. The scroll
will be exhibited with the other greet
ingS.