The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-22

e less frequent. And in the place Of
9 Joints grizzled and toothless face comes
than of Francisco Bennati, round
smiling son of Italy. Old Johns place
in the hearts of Harvard men is UNI
changed He is still old John. He is
still spoken to with the same respect.
He is still helped out when his cart
gets old, and he still is the mascot
But fresher fruit and more regular calls
win trade. That is why Francisco Be-
ninati is daily gaining ground. For fifty
years John has had the field to himself.
College sentiment has kept rivals away.
John has made money. He has defed
custom in his bookkeeping. He trusts
everybody He never calls for his cash.
Yet he makes 1000 per cent. He has
built q house and has neat pile hoard
ed.
But his Italian rival comes recon-
mended, Professor Charles Eliot Nor
ton knows him. Beninati is not dago
He is an educated italian. Professor
Norton is the head Of the Dante society.
He is a professor of Italian. He finds
Beninati congenal and worthy man.
That Is why he recommends him to be
worthy Of help. And Hugh Bancroft,
the oarsman, gave him letter also.
Beninati is no ordinary fruit vender.
When he has shown his letters and sold
his fruit he drops you a little card. The
card tells you that he Is an experienced
tutor in Latin and Italian. Beninati If
he succeeds, will not end his days as
the Harvard fruit vender and mascot.
He may yet be the professor of Italian
and Latin. But he Is starting as John
started He is going from door to door
with two baskets on his arms John did
this up to the sos. Now John has dom
key and several carts, the gift of class
es And John says the freshman class
has got to have those carts painted.
Perhaps the Med Fac will do it. They
keep their paint brushes going of late.
John is as much a part of Harvard
as the old yard. He is as much a sight
of Cambridge as the glass flowers or the
Washington elm. Visitors to Cambridge
want to see the college yard, the glass
| flowers and John. Every man or wo-
fan who has ever seen football game
/, has seen John. He always drives round
the field, large stovepipe hat with n
crimson band on his head, and in his
hand a Harvard flag with which he
whips his lazy donkey into a trot. Again
he staggers about from age among the
crowds in the stand and sells his pop
corn cakes and oranges. Even there a
Harvard man has but to say
'Il pay you next time, John"
And Johns answer always is: "All
right, FIRM
John Lovett, or John the orange man,
has had most interesting career. His
life has been part of Harvard. He is
link between the past and the present.
He knew President Eliot as student,
and saw him chosen president. He knew
and remembers John d. Long, Roose-
welt, Wood, William E. Russell and was
personal friend of Longfellow, Agas-
slz, and Lowell He has seen Harvard |
grow from a college of 300 or 400 men I
to 5000 Johns memory is peculiar. 1t
is hard to understand his talk. You
have to learn his dialect. You ask him
If he remembers anything or anybody,
and even though the date be a century
back, he answers, II remember"
over fifty years ago he was living in
County Kerry, ireland. John decided
to, come to America. Two brothers
had come before him, And with the lit
tie red trunk (even then he had Har-
ward color filled with potatoes and oat-
meal for his journey he walked to Cork.
From there he took steamer to Liver
pool, and then sailed to America. He
landed in Boston All that he had was
an empty trunk and a shilIelah. He
has that shillelah yet. For few years
John worked about Cambridge on odd
jobs Then one day, when the Harvard
baseball team was playing on the old
common, John watched the game. 1t
was hot, and soon the men stretched
themselves out under the Washington
elm for a rest. Somebody asked John,
a red checked young Irishman, to bring
some water. John got the water, but
it was not plain water. 1t was molasses
water, with ginger and vinegar in. it.
Irishmen and farmers know the drink.
But it was new to the Harvard boys. 1t
quenched the thirst, and they began to :
ask John questions. His wide brogue
pleased them, as 1T has generations
since. They found that he was poor
and out of work. They told him to get
some fruit and sell it at the doors. He
lid it, and that was his start. Soon he
was John the orange man." and John
he orange man" he has been ever since
1t was not until the sos that the men
began to take him about aus mascot
once, in 'S8, he went down to New York
IN the Fall River boat. He began to
sing his pet version of 'Erin-Go-
3ragh." The mate told him to keep
Iuiet or he would be put down below.
The mate had not reckoned with his
lost. The host was the 300 Harvard
mem on board Loyalty they came to
lis aid, and John remained on deck and
ang Erin Go-Bragh," verse after
'erse till put off. This song is not the
riginal. John scorns the old music and
words. But he sings it rarely now. His
'oice fails him. Yet when artificially
Apply he often pipes out his own words.
John is a wit. Two stories will show
t. One day some visitors ask what the
Christie ct Ecclesiae" on the shield
1eant. Johns answer was:-
"Oi don't be quite sure frien', but OF
links it names to hell wild Yale"
And that is Johns motto. John will