The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-28

When time, who steals our years away,
Shall steal our pleasures, too.
The memory of this night will stay,
And half our joys renew"
When the three hundred young boys and
old sang the last song, joyously gave to-
gether the last yell and turned down the
empty glass with the last warm toast at the
Sigma Chi banquet at the Columbia Club
last night there not one who failed to
read the truth in the quatrain which fur
nished inspiration to the POSTMASTER, Col.
Charles l.. Jewett. of New Albany AS a
feast for the Sig stomach it was more than
good. but the viands served to the Sig
heart were dainties rare on the toastmas-
ter's menu.
The dry humor of George Ade searching
in and out of the highways and byways of
human nature, the bashful wit of Booth
Harrington, hesitating and timorous, but
brave enough in the presence of his frat
ers, dignified rollicking of Judge Vinton,
the measured sense of the words of Scot
Butler, the swinging oratory of Senator Cy
Davis, and all together the messages to
the boys carried by the men who have gone
from Hoosier college halls to win fame
for themselves and glory for the State
were components Of an intellectual treat
seldom enjoyed by any society.
Around the banquet tables in the Co
lumbia Club dining room sat men whose
signatures are good for millions on the
Bank of Fame. Art letters, the bench, the
bar, the counting room and every one of
the activities of life were brilliantly repre-
sented Despite the atmosphere of great
ness which might have been oppressive at
any other function there was nothing to
intimidate nothing ponderous soul-weary
about the Sig banquet. Honors, dignities,
laurel crowns. all were forgotten and the
banqueters were boys again, there to sing
the old songs and tell the old stories Of
college days and fraternity life.
NAMES TO CONJURE WITH.
There was Col. Charles Jewett of New
Albany; George Ade. Booth Harrington,
Judge Henry III. Vinton, of Lafayette:
Judge u. u. Wiley. of the Appellate bench;
President Scot Butler, of Butler College,
Judge Benjamin +. McCann of Dayton,
o.; Senator Cyrus L. Davis. of Bloomfield; !;
Stuart S. Nj. Eide. of London. England.
and host of men whose names will live
for while.
The decorations were artistic and lnu-
sual. Across the end of the banqueting
room blazed the sign that was given to
Constantine, I'm hoe signo vinces," the
motto of the fraternity. Around the room
Sigma Chi crosses in colored incandescents
glittered and cleaned. Streamers of elec-
tric lights wreathed in and out from the
crosses on the walls TO the sign of the
fraternity. Palms were placed among the
tables 10 relieve the brilliancy of the elec-
trical decorations.
While the dinner was going on groups of
men who had gone to college together
gathered at the tables and sang the songs
that Us ed to ring in halls and on the camp
us. The appearance of popular Sig was
the signal for an outburst. and no matter
how much dignity crowned the head of
the victim, he came in for share of the
rapid fire. When Ade made his appear
ance Colonel Jewett gave the signal and
the orchestra started '"rhe Girl from the
West" from AIDES new opera Peggy
from Paris" Harrington was hailed as
statesman and savior of his country, and
grinned pleasantly. The bandnage flew
far and spared not. Colonel Jewett told
the boys that IL was just twenty years ago
that he had served a. POSTMASTER ct .