The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-12
SOPHS WIN RUSH.
Exciting Contest at Washburn Over
the Canes.

In the hardest fought cane-rush in
the modern history of Washburn col
1ege, the sophomore class last night
broke the precedent and won the first
rush that has been won by second
year men for five years. 1t was prob
ably the most evenly matched rush
between the Washburn lower classes
IN recent years, there being about 35
sophomores to only 40 freshmen in
the fray. The usual foregone conclu-
sion that the freshmen would win be-
cause of their prSponderance of num-
Der was notfceably lacking this year
because Of the unusual strength of
the second year men both numerically
and physically. whereas the freshman
class is distinctive for it's men of dim
inutive stature.
The rush was run by rule The most
important specification was that the
freshmen should carry their canes
through the main gate of the college,
on College avenue, not before the hour
of p. m; that the freshmen should
carry their canes up the chapel steps
and that they should carry them back
from the chapel steps and get them
through the gate going north, not la
ter than 1879 p. M
Professor Harshbarger acted as ref
cree and Brown, Voorhis and Prof
McEachron as judges. The football
men who were barred from the rush
by Coach Weede policed the side lines
Slightly before the schedule time the
girls of the rival classes were On the
battle-ground to be seen by their red
lanterns and heard by their tin horns
and yells:
"Rickety. rickety, rackety, boom,
Who, what, which, whom. Freshmen,
Freshmen. 19011! Roll 'em UP, shake
'em up, seven come eleven, freshmen,
freshmen 1911, makes the world seem
more like heaven"
One of the pretttest things about
the cane rush is the class loyalty of
~ ~rT--Ie- I, - L,
roes in the thick of the battle.
AT $40 the freshmen charged the
gates of the walled Washburn. The
sophs met them with a countercharge
and out of the darkness with organ
lied precision swept a rope taut and
doublelined and by this device the
canes were swerved to the left. The
freshmen then entered the footgate
and carried their canes in a few min
utes with some exertion to the chapel
steps, In entering the footgate the
freshmen violated an unwritten law
founded on the custom of rushing
through the road gate, or it might be
commended that they violated regula-
ton No. 2 saying "the freshmen shall
carry their canes through the main
gate on College avenue"
AS soon as the referee announced that
no canes had passed through the pro-
ceased pursuit and stood on guard for
a trick play, which by the way, was
their mementary habit Until the last
few minutes of the fray no innocent
citizen could approach the gate without
undergoing a careful scrutiny and may
hap a rib-search for canes by husky
soph on sentinel duty.
The Freshmen sitting on their canes
on the chapel steps thinking the day
Cor night half won were naturally dis
heartened when informed by the judges
that carrying the canes through the
proper entrance to the chapel steps
was yet thing of the future for the
cane rushers of 1911. Submitting grace
fully to the inevitable the army of the
offensive clapped their bones together
and withdrew to the inner sanctum of
the chapel for a powwow, resulting in