Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-10
HARVARD IVES GONE.
Walls of Two Halls Barred After More
Than Century.

What Boston Common and it's elms are
to Boston people, the Harvard yard and
at very infrequent intervals, anything
happens to the yard and the ivy, the out
cry from old grads" is as loud and long
as is the storm of remenstrance that peri
Odically arises over the conduct of the
Common. But now Harvard yard has met
with a loss as irreparable as that to the
Common when the fine row of elms Dor
dering upon fremont street. had to fall
before the burroWing of the subway. Two
of the finest walls of ivy in the yard have
been torn down and cut off at the roots
and the brick walls, that used to be COW
cred with mass of green leaves. spark
ling brightly in the sun from early spring
until late in the fall, are bare. The de-
struction of this ivy, which used to cover
the south wall of Massachusetts Hall
from foundation to the roof, and the east
the very peak of the ridgepole, was not
malicious, but was brought about by force
of circumstances.
Except for the destruction of some of
down of some of the trees, nothing could
make such q change in the appearance
of that part of the yard as the removal
of the ivy from Massachusetts and Har-
ward. Massachusetts is the oldest build
ing in the yard and some of the stalks of
the ivy where it has been cut Off near the
ground two or three inches in diameter,
show that it was not long after 112O, when
the building was erected, that the ivy
first began its climb. Doubtless many of
the plants were sturdy young groWthS
when Gen. Washington took command Of
the Colonial troops at the nearby famous
elm since named after the father of his
country. Other plants were likely the for
gotten memorials of distant classes whose
ivy orations meant something beyond the
delivery of a tioWery and supposedly witty
Grafton within Sanders Theatre. The ivy
on Massachusetts was not as conspicuous
by any means as that on Harvard Hail.
from the fact that it did not face the
yard.
The bank of English ivy on the end of
Harvard Hall was about the most notice
able thing in that part of the yard. Just
inside the johnson gate it was flanked by
old Hollis Hall on the one side and by
MasSa chusetts on the other Its roots
were as deep and its vine as heavy as that
on Massa chusettS although Harvard Hall
one across the way. When the ivy was
removed a few days ago it was found that
the wall was simply plastered with the
accumulated dust of years. In some
places the layer of dirt was from two to
three inches thick and baked as solid as
plaster. With the removal of the vines
this dirt had to be scraped away allowing
the red bricks to come to light after being
covered up for perhaps a hundred years.
The cause of the removal of these two
fine banks of ivy goes back to last winter.
After more than century of Weathering
New England winters, whitening in the
late fall, only to spring up brightly in the
early spring, and to reach full bloom by
class day and commencement the sturdy
old vines had to give way last winter In
the spring, just when the buds We're get
ting ready to burst through their winter
covering there came an unusually warm
spell of weather. Notwithstanding their
experience of years the old vines made a
mistake at last and let the tender young
shoots uncover themselves. Then there
came a prolonged season of cold, raw
weather and the vine was winter.killed.
1lt fl1n iyvxy n1xs
came out in spots and it was apparent
that the vines were dying. They were
carefully nursed through the summer by
the Harvard forester and everything was
done to enliven them, but it was of no
avail, so few days ago the vines We're
sawed off near the roots, and the walls
cleaned. OF course the ivy will start
again, but it will be many generations be-
fore the seniors will have their class day
graced by as fine natural decorations on
Harvard and Massachusetts as those that
have graced the class days of 03 and pre-
vious classes.-Boston Evening Tran
Scrint