New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-17

Promenade Week which began to-day. is likely to
| see this year important change In one OF 'ne
oldest of old Yale customs-the stunts or the
freshmen IN the peanut gallery of the Hyperion
Theatre across the street from the campus. dur
ing the annual Prom Glee and Banjo Club con-
cert Every year the freshmen have taken up
large part Of the attention of the society audience
this concert by filing the theatre with all kinds
OF paper missiles during the performance Every
year more and more strenuous attempts nave Deen
made to put stop to this freshman pracuce, anu
In moro than one year disobedience to the demands
Of the faculty that the stunts be dropped, has
resulted in the loss of the freshman baseball game
with Harvard in the spring. This year another
tack has been taken by the upper classnen, who
each year try 10 stop the freshmen from making
wastepaper basket of the pit OF the theatre during
the giee club concert An editorial IN THE Yale
Daily News" this week called attention to the
horrible disaster which occurred In Chicago
theatre during the vacation" and made of the
Iroquois holocaust the text for severe denuncia-
ton OF the Yale freshmen. who annually endanger
the lives of the audience at the Yale Prom con-
cert by fire. 1.-THE News said: THAT of
paper thrown from the gallery might kindle
blaze that would throw the audience into panic
To spoil the fun at this concert and there has
been a great deal of good fun in 1t in the past.
seems too bad but when chances considered
the affair 1t has been In the past, cannot be
considered a Jest" ''The News went on say
that the university did not think 1t necessary to
exclude the freshmen from the gallery. but 1t
consider the question carefully" to the end that
from unselish standpoint he might his
influence to prevent what would only make peo-
pie feel uncomfortable and perhaps make the con-
cert dangerous" THE News" further stated that
every year the managers of the Hyperion Theatre
have stated that If too much weight was some day
put the low railing of the top gallery, where
the freshmen colgregate. 1t would certainly break
The university generally has taken THE News's''
editorial the starting point for vigorous cam
al
concert. 1t is expected. also. that the freshman
leaders WILL for the first time this year. put stop
to the throwing Of combustibls material into the
theatre pit. 1t only a few years ago that
paper balloon was dropped from the gallery with
a powder fash ignited in its basket. from which a
light wrap the gallery railing below caught
fire. the escort OF the owner reaching over the
gallery and putting 1t out with his bare hands
Sometimes after concert the theatre floor is found
to be ankle deep in light paper stuff showered over
the upper gallery railing through the performance
and 1t is the danger of fire TO this that has started
the long continued protest against freshman antics
on concert night on this new tack.
To all of the two three hundred girls who
come down to NewHaven annually for the Junior
Prom" from all Of the social centres east OF the
Rocky Mountains. the Yale Junior Promenade
Week Is round OF pleasure. But to the seven
or eight hundred Yale undergraduates It Is m>re
than pleasure. IL is delirfum that is punctuated
with complete suspension of all the usual college
duties and a frantic attempt TO catch up with the
procession by moving the heavens and the earth
to give each of the fair guests 'the time Of
her life
The good times that the girls have at a college
dance like the Yale Prom are better known than
is the kind of a time the undergraduates them
selves enjoy. The girls come. and conquer;
the undergraduates are conquered The trouble
for the college men themselves begins early in
the year. AT chapel junior viii pass small
AorC ri liz. 81 ,zIra
other chap to stick his name down for a dance
with Miss So-and-So." On the campus. the
fence. In the gymnasium. IN ciassrooms. on the
stone steps of the recitation buildings and IN the
dormiory entries these cards exchanged until
each girl who is coming to the Prom has had a
long list of men selected fer her to dance with
most of whom she has probably never heard Of
Then. day or two before the Prom week begins
and when the first instament of the queens
arrives. the actual trouble begins. Undergradu-
ates assault the strongholds Of the high priced
landIades with demands for accommodations for
their fair visitors after the rooms in the leading
hotels are taken up As the undergraduates IN
most pay for the whole expenses OF their
guests. the money begins to leak away at the
first signing OF contract fer a for the girl
and her chaperone SO day or more. Flowers
have TO be ordered and at the Glee and
Banjo Club concert and carriages for the germans
and the teas and the concluding Prom" and ar
engagements made for the scores of teas in the
dormitory rooms. And then the girls arrive and
everything goes by the board for their entertain
ment. The sweaters and old hats OF the usual
week OF the college year disappear II by magic
and the silk hat and gloves and long coats take |
their place. If a does not possess these ar |
ucles he makes no bones about borrowing them |
from some other fellow who does. but who Is in |
the freshman class and IS not to be allowed TO at
tend the Prom or in the senior class and has no
girl TO take Of.
On Sunday the fellows turn out early and wait