Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-11-01

as turned down the street toward his
rooms, you're not going to bed yet, you
Know-though 1t Is fully half past ten.
You wouldn't sleep well at all. You've
nad quite too much frivolity tonight for
your Harvard system. You'll have to
take O little erudition to quiet your
nerves. I'm going to steer you up
against the Friday Night Club;
they're an esoteric lot; they'll make
you think you're back in Boston all
fright"
We found a dozen young fellows in
evening clothes sitting comfortably
about on chairs and window-seats One
OF the college instructors. young look
ing and pleasant looking enough to be
student. was sitting in a Morris
chair reading from Clough's poems,
and interjecting. in the most informal
way, critical observations and COM
parisons. Everybody was at perfect
ease and it was all thoroughly unaf-
fected and delightful. An intellectual
| taste for literature was never more
happily prosecuted nor was the prob
lem of keeping touch between faculty
and students ever more fortunately
solved. When the reader had ended,
everybody reached for fruit and cigars
and cigarettes that were placed about.
Some one told a Mitchell story and the
young instructor matched it with an
other. and that lead to stories of bon
mots that had come second hand from
other celebrities. The fellows slipped
away one by one just as fellows do
who have chanced in for no particular
purpose whatever; and finally my
senior and 1 found ourselves under the
stars on the campus.
"Shucks," he said, 'it's too early to
go to bed. Isn't there anything do
ing?" He looked about from dormitory
| to dormitory, but there was not light
| In any window. II know" he said
quickly, as inspiration came, well
rouse up Jolly Roger (This invention
is dedicated to the god of anonymity.
The real surname is one that every
person who ever read a newspaper
| would recOgniZe). He raised his voice
| in a stentorian roar which seemed sac
| rilege in the midnight silence, 'Oh-h-h!
Jolly Roger"
Il have MT met him, you KNOW" l
said, with some apprehension as to the
possible feelings Of a man who should
| be turned out of bed to receive a
stranger. -.
"Oh. 1 don't know him either" said
| the senior; "but that's all right-he's
only a sophomore you know.
"Jolly Roger came to a third-story
| window with some blankets wrapped
round his pajamas. "Open your door,
Roger" said the senior, we're coming
up
| n As we stumbled up the dark steps.
the senior explained that Jolly ROg-
| er's'' father had sent him phonograph
| and the young man had had rather
| more than his share of callers ever
| since. start up the machine, Jolly,
| ordered the senior, somewhat per-
| emptorily: and we two sat and talked
| while the boy pulled the draperies oi
| his blankets close about him and
| wound off tune after tune-he not pe-
ing included i'm our conversation at all.
From time to time, belated stragglers,
hearing the music, dropped 1n' untll
| there were enough to sing the Wofds u
Dolly Gray" which they did with a
Youthful exuberance of energy. Ana
as they sang Goodbye, Dolly, l must
leave you," they pulled their features
into expressions of sadness and waved
their hands and handkerchiefs, and
| shaded their eyes for a last, longing
look at the imaginary Dolly. The
room rang with songs and good
natured horse play for an hour or
more.
i II believe" said, as we came down
the steps, Il have assisted at Prince
ton haZing."
THAT'S about the size of it" assented
the senior. 'The senOrs and juniors DO
things like that to the sophomOres, ana
the sophomores get even by making
the freshmen take off their hats to
them-if they catch them where there
nobody looking That's about all there
is left of hazing, here"
There may be mothers whose lndls-
nation is excited by the thought OF a
,uckless sophomore dragged two hours
| from his beauty sleep to run phOnO-
i graph for the amusement OF crowd Oh
j upper classmen. The very last tc
share their indignation is that same
sophomore. The only discomfort he
exnerienced was his difficulty in con-
cealing his delight. For him 1t means
friends that he would never have
known: it means, perhaps. election TO a
club of good fellows: it means tha'
"Jolly Rogers phonngraph' VIII DC
| the landmark Of a college generation
the point of departure for college re-
miniscences for many years to come; II
means that an entire college generation
will speak Of him as good old Roger
Il means that ten or twenty years
hence. in New York, or Washington
someone whose acquaintance he made
this night will come up behind him and
slam him on the hack and say. Hello
loliy Roger" And for all these things
II is not too much to pay great deal
of the sort of hazing that still survives
at Princeton.
Moonlight is moonlight everywhere;
granite towers and ivied walls are just
granite towers and ivied walls; eims
are elms. and ancient brick buildings;
vouth is youth eternally and college
campuses-though it be heretieal TO
cav lido not greatly differ. Yet there
was a sweet enchantment, walking
} | atbwart the moonlit patches among the
.ba ,ows Of the elms and the buildings
oftar midnight when there was