Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-10-09
A College "CIass Scrap"

Apropos to the almost barbarous
custom of having an annual "class
scrap," the beautiful campus of
Drake University was the scene of
wild excitement, and fierce strug-
giles between Freshmen and Soph-
mores, last Thursday morning. It
is not generally known that these
annual "class scraps" so universal
with large and well organized
universities are any thing other
than turbulent effervescence of
harmless jollity; but if you will
kindly permit US to give you briet
description of this one, I predict a
radical change in your opinion.
The impenetrable darkness of
Wednesday night had settled
beneath the campus grove. All
went usual until about eight
o'clock, when suddenly a fierce
Freshmen yell shot out from the
blackness of the campus, and dart.
ed like forked electricity to the
brains of the Sophmores, who were
soon seen gathering in little
ominous knots along the borders of
the campus. After a spell of
desultory and scattered struggles.
the Freshmen invaded the printing
establishment and dragged Nor
man Wells, the local printer, ont of
bed and forced him to deliver up a
batch of bills which the Sophmores
had induced him to print.
burlesquing the Freshmen.
Sometime during the night, the
willy Freshmen contrjved to plant a
flag pole on the east side of the
campus, from the top of which the
morning breeze unfurled their new
colors, gold and black, around the
colcrs stood score or more Fresh
men, bare headed and stripped to
the shirt. hurling defiant Wells at
every Sophmore who came in sight.
As the news of the "class scrap"
spread, the crowd of spectators
swelled to hundreds. Early in the
morning the Sophmores organized
on the south side of the Campus
and proceeded in formidable body
to tear down the Haunting Fresh
men colors.
The Freshmen braced themselves
for the struggle, and a GREATNESS
silence crept over the vast crowd of
on-lookers. With a fierce yell the
Sophs hurled themselves against
the Freshmen and soon the lawn
was covered with struggling and
wriggling human forms. Two
Sophs climbed into treetops and
charged upon the colors with
Roman candles, and would have
succeeded in destroying them had
not the Freshmen girls rallied and
repulsed the Sophmore girls who
We're endeavoring to keep the boys
in the treetops supplied with can
dies. The Freshmen had the best
of the fight from the start.
The Sophs grew desperate. One
Chas. Howard, rushed upon the
field with a double barreled shot
gun and before any one could stop
him, fired twice at the Freshmen
colors. He was Immediately taken
in charge by Dean Bell and re-
buked for his rashness.
The apprehensions and fears of
many were realized when, scarcely
two hours, after the first onslaught,
two limp and disabled forms were
carried from the field. One had
but slight injuries about the head
and was resuscitated on the cool,
green grass near by. The other
was carried to the corner drug
store, where it was discovered that
he had the muscles torn loose from
| IAAN AA0o, ohu Al1S
bruised. The doctor said that he
would never entirely recover.
The fierce scrap continued
throughout the forenoon. In vain
the college bell called for recitations
and chapel services; such were out
of the question until the scrap
! ceased. At noon the Sophs acknowl-
edged their defeat, when the Fresh
men lowered their colors and bore
them from the field in triumph.
AS quickly as the CHEEKY sum
shine follows the gloom of drift
ing cloud, did kindly spirit and
good will return to the body of
students after the scrap was over.
These class scraps are tolerated
because they are supposed to be
conductive to a wholesale rivalry,
and emulation between the classes,
but as Dean Bell remarked tho next
morning in chapel, he did wish that
some one would invent more
humane method of developing this
desirable spirit.
The faculty regards them as in
evitable. but endeavors to make
them as mild as possible.