Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-07
OLD TRINITY COLLEGE
The University of Dublin in the
Center of the City.
ON ELIZABETHAN LINES
A Fine Example Is Found in the
Main Building.
THE BOTANY BAY PUMP
No Writ Server on the Students
Ever Escaped a Ducking
There.
By WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

By WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Specfal Correspondence Of The Star and thu
Chicago Record-Herald.
DUBLIN. July 1.-1magine a university
and a campus Of forty-seven acres OF
lawn and grove where Trinity Church
stands in New York or where the post Of
flee stands in Chicago or st. Louis. In
Washington we have something like 1t In
the Mall, where the Museum. the Smith,
sonian Institute and the Agricultural De-
partment are. Trinity College, Dublin,
with all expansive setting of green grass
and grove and Towering shrubs. cricket
grounds and tennis courts. is surrounded
on all sides by business houses, clubs and
hotels. It Is like an island Of verdure in
the midst Of an ocean Of trade and COM
merce. On one side of the campus the
outside world is kept at bay by contin-
uous line Of dormitories and lecture
rooms which overlook a busy street from
the windows of one wall and peaceful
lawn from the windows OF the other. On
the south side the barrier Is high iron
picket fence hidden in wonderful hedge
of hawthorne and laburnum bushes. On
the outer side of that hedge are shops and
street car line that leads to the more
attractive part Of the city.
There are only two entrances to the col
lege green, one at the east end and the
other at the west, and it Is nearly half
the green and among the buildings. The
main entrance and the main buildings
face the Bank of Ireland and look upon
Dame street, which is the Wall street OF
Dublin. There is q little green crescent to
divide the entrance from the street. with
bronze figures of Edmund Burke and
Oliver Goldsmith, two of the most dis
tinguished Of the alumni.
The Buildings.
The main building is a fine example of
architecture and the house Of the provost
which adjoins it is a gem of the Eliza
bethan type. The other buildings are un-
pretentious. They are rather low and
long and plain. In excellent proportions,
but without any particular individuality,
although the engineering building, which
stands out on the campus, Is an exquisite
example of modern architecture and, as
have already mentioned in a previous let
ter, Ruskin pronounced 1t the most beau
tiful modern structure in the United King
dom.
AS you enter through a low archway
under the main building you come into a
quadrangle formed by a dormitory and
an examination hall at the right. Beyond
that is a library. Another dormitory
stands on the left, and the chapel and
the dining hall Che two last have Gre
clan porticos) and directly before you a
bell tower Of beautiful and original de-
sign. erected about 100 years ago. Beyond
the first quadrangle is another. which Is
gloomy and uninviting. The buildings are
plain and the dark stone Of which they
are made is not cheerful. The students
call it Botany Bay" because of the
prison-like style Of the architecture and
its uninviting appearance. The buildings
surrounding it are dormitories. and IN
one Of them, No. II, Oliver Goldsmith
roomed. He wrote his autograph with a
diamond upon one of the panes of glass
which has since been removed and pre-
served in the library, where 1t lies IN
case beside the original manuscript of
HandeIs oratorio, THE Messiah" which
was given here for the first time in 1145.
portion of it was written in England. but
it was completed in Dublin, and sung by
Dublin choral society Immediately after.
Botany Bays Pump.
In Botany Bay Is pump of great age
and much history. In early days 1t was
the focus of academic disorder, and any
policeman. sheriff or bailiff who dared vio-
late the sacred precincts Of Trinity was
purged Of his guilt by thorough duck
ing The origin Of this form Of punish
ment is attributed to a famous DR.. Wilder,
who for many years was provost of the
college. He happened to be crossing the
campus one day when balm, who had
writ to serve, was being baited by group
of students, and called out to them some
thing like this:
':oung gentlemen, be careful that you
do not put him under the pump" and
they took the hint.
Another version Of the story Is that
Dr. Wilder cried out: young gentlemen.
for the love of God don't be SO cruel as
to nail his ears to the pump" and GER
tain authors have claimed that they IN
terpreted him to mean the reverse and
what he had forbidden them. But l am
assured by competent authority that the
former and more humane version Is the
true one, and all agree that ever since
those boisterous days every officer OF
| the law who has been caught within the
college grounds has been given an in
voluntary bath from "Old Mary"
The war between the students and the
police has continued ever since the foun-
dalton of the college, and, as the build
ings are situated in the very center OF
the city, these conflicts have been unex-
have been otherwise. In former days
Trinity boys" never went out of the
grounds without their peculiar weapons.
which were the massive keys of their
rooms about six inches long, and weigh
ing a half pound or more, which they
skirts of their gowns and use very effec-
lively for offense or defense as the case
might be. On one occasion several stu
dents were captured and hustled off from
their fellows to butcher shop where
they were hung from meat hooks. The
rumor ran like prairie fire that the
captives had been impaled, but when the
rescuing party arrived it was discovered
that they were hanging only by the
wristbands Of their breeches.
Examination Hall.
The examination hall has been occupied
continuously since we have been in Dub
lin. Groups of perspiring. anxious stu
dents have been engaged there under the
frowns of their professors trying to show
how much they have learned during the
past year. and competing for degrees.
The walls of examination hall are hung
| with portraits of eminent men, and in
one corner is a full-length painting OF
Queen Elizabeth, the founder. There Is
superstition among the students that
the picture has an evil eye and that who.
ever sits within her sphere of influence
| at examinations is bound to fail. Hence
| the benches in that neighborhood, were
| entirely empty. But certain alcoVe In
| the library was quite crowded. Severa
| full sets of examination papers are pre-.
served from year to year in that particu.
lar alcove. and every day for the las,
three or four weeks it has been filled
with students examining from them.
Across the hall is the chapel. 1t is not
| specially interesting. although there Is