New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

caught Willies enthusiasm by this time. and
began to count with the preacher, half audibly
at first, and then, as the spirit Of the thing took
them, louder and observation-disclosures In
less time than it takes to tell it the twelve
hundred undergraduates were counting with the
preacher who, although decidedly aghast at the
commotiOn he had caused had to continue
"Efght-nine-tenr' at the end OF which the
preacher in unison with the entire chapel sald'
And NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS."
But undergraduates do not often act so I'M
POLITELY to a visiting preacher as that, paFuS'
as has been explained above, because the preaCh-
ers generally are the best known clergymen IN
the country. When a dull speaker does some
way or other get into the preaching list the stu
dents make every effort to show him proper az
tention Sometimes. however, this is rather
hard thing for crowd OF over LnOusdHu
young men to do. Recently preacher occupied
the pulpit at Yale who had an lntermlnaDle
number of ''secOndlys" and "thrdIys." He took
UP more than the short half hour WnlCn 1aIe
custom has allowed for Sunday sermon anu
at the end became rather tiTesOme. His taVorlte
transitional phrase was Now let US turn 10 the
other side" When he first said this the boys
paid no attention, but later on they made spec
tacular use of it. One turn mad IeIt tnelI! an an
with their left legs crossed over lnelI El6HI
knees On the next Now let US turn the en-
tire chapel brought their left knees down stimuli
taneOusly and crossed the right legs over. IhlS
made such a sCraping of feet that the preachers
voice could hardly be heard and there were no
more turns"
preacher has taken enough of the undergrad
uates' time is for the students tC ShufHe their
feet here and there at first, and afterward, II
the speaker pays TO attention. al over tne
chapel. The wise clergyman Will usually take
this hint and cut out the end Of his sermon. II
he doesn't it Is likely that the entlre ChapeI vii
after a while get so noisy, with such multi
tude of small ShuffiingS, that he might as wen
sion as 90 on. At other times the undergrad
nat got Gn6HPnlV afflicted
sneezes or bad coughs. One or two men VIII
cough and instantly half the men in the chapel
Will seem to be afflicted by severe forms OF lung
trouble. This whOOping and sneeZing Will con-
tinue until the preacher sees the point and lntl-
mates that he is about to close, When, as II Dy
magic. the noise ceases. But these attacks are
not at all usual 1t is only in the rare cases
nowadays of unusually dull talker that the
students any of these methods OF showing
Morning chapel which is compulsory at Yale
has become such a habit with Yale undergradu-
atpS that they rarely take the tTHINie TO MS
behave, even under exceptional conditions once
in a while a stray dog or cat viii wander into
BatteH, but it viii he hardly noticed unless 1t
makes disturbance 4 dog OF any sort hnoS
a friend in a student generally, and the stray
ones that get into chapel are taken care OF by
some man. once in a while a dog finds his way
in in the spring term. when the doors are open
as one did several years aEO. This animal had
no rarticuIar breed, but was Just a dog" He
marched into the senior ais'e as the prayer
opened looked about yaUned, and walked
Sedately UP the aisle. WaSGIn@ his tail while
aisle and Snlcker went around the ChapeI. Inc
dog went on to the choir stalls and then tried to
get up into the presidents pulpit, but was pulled
back by sophomore, letting out a yOWI as ne
felt himself grabbed This was Just at the
Amen and the CHAPEL broke into laughter,
in which even the president Joined.
Once III while a particularly festive sOph3-
mere WilI bring in some animal on purpose to
disturb chapel A few years ago usually
stafd high stand let ont small green
snake in th. sophomore aisle that he had caught
the afternoon before for the purpose Letting
the reptile out in the aisle. he expected, would
create diSturbauC" at once. and II did The
wriggIing snake glided uT the carpet. and at
once the quiet Of the chapel was broken by a
stampede Of men to the seats Services we're
nearly broken up, the men who couldn't see
what was going "rUhHrTeG' over those who
could and everybody drew his trousers legs up
in mock fear Of the miniature serpent. Witch
kiss the campus superintendent finally dis
patched the snake with his care and II was car
ried out by the coIored sweep of the chapel amid
cheers when the services We're resumed. The
quiet student who had caused all the trouble
escaped because of his reputation, while an in
nOrent man lost his cuts for the remainder OF
the term.
butt of campus jokes though il has always
been A pODular thing to get into il. Nova
days the choir manages, through better in
struCtiOn than formerly 70 "Warble religious
lays with a good deal OF musical finish But
some years ago it maugled its hymns pretty
badly It used to he standing Joke among
the undergraduates as to the number OF slips
the choir made, and whenever one OF these
occurred the entire chapel jeeTed. In the choir
jteelf DrauES have lately been out of Style. but
a Fnu- wear, ago most amusing things occurred
in This way. One unpopular first bass who
had an inordinate COnCeit to his own sing
Inr- and who always took the seat next the
a,Idiaure WAS made the victim of q clever
trick hy, his fellows The first basses had a
soI0 mart in an anthem for several bars and
the conceited junior made good deal OF
his own part IN 1t. The other first basses ar
ranged the game" before the service and when
This mart came In the anthem suddenly stoDr I
singing leaving the junior 10 bawI out alO.r
1T nm FIpU' to the great delight of the audi
euCe and his own chagrin.
"BOvinS PreXy out" has been for generations
n treasured tradition at Yale. The seniors only
have this privilege. Immediately after the close
of each morning service and on Sundays the
president leaves the pulpit while the students
stand and then makes his way down the
senior aisle, the seniors right facing In their
pews as he approaches, and then suddenly
bending over like jaCkknlves he comes
abreast Immediately falling in behind him and
rushing him to the corridors. This Is one
of the oldest ard most popular OF Yale GUS
toms but 1t sometimes gives the president
a bad three minutes. This is when, as often
haDDens the crowd Ct his heels IS pushed
Forward by the aislefRs OF behind when
thay are forced TO wplk faster and faster.
almost treadng on tFa presidents heels, till
tba Drocesslon half way down the aisle. ee
corHes dog trot ara then almost run, .
president having to take his cholce OF packing
IN into the Eurging crowd behind him or sprint
ing for safety. ,-,. -, - =,
-. WaWf| n WFEP rs