The San Francisco call., 1909-11-07

task OF the freshmen, who for many
days have been gathering material,
Two thousand barrels, a dozen tall
pines and an assortment Of telegraph
poles, with several dray loads OF boxes
and boards, have been piled into .
huge cone hundred feet around at
the base and perhaps so feet high.
Long and hard have the freshmen Ia
bored over this gigantic piece OF ha1dt-
work Last night their toll eliminated
in an all night vigil about the sacred
pyre lest some marauding horde from
Berkeley visit the campus and reduce
the piece de resistance to prematurs
ashes. Banjos and mandolins. songs
and stories whiled away the long dark
hours, until the gray shafts above Mt.
Hamilton brought daylight 70 the
campus and the vigilantes crawled
away TO sleep. Nor were the fresh
men alone about their pile; under the
Palo Alto sequoia glimmered another
watchfre the whole night through; and
40 miles UP the bay on Charter Hin
their classmates OF the rival college
were watching silently about the great
stone "C' that hangs above the campus
The Bonfire Serpentine
Cut now the watch Is over and the
big night has come The red Ht
inner quad is the scene of tho ssrpen-
tine for half an hour, when suddenly
a yellow flare bursts from the baseball
diamond. the sky lights up for miles
around and the bonfire serpentine 10
on Higher and higher leap the hames-
San Jose 20 miles away. climbs upon
It's house tops The inner quad red fires
have gone into eclipse and the long
arcades are silent. Around the bonids
swings the serpentine. four abreast.
swaying and singing. The Berkeley
nA 0f
pyre watches for another instant. then
the flames lick 1t and suddenly It's un-
digested meal of bombs hurls It into
atoms The goods hold the bleacherh
The rest OF the fifteen hundred, hatlesA
coatless. swing about the fire. now two
abreast. now IN single file, now In o
great ring. hands clasped, around the
pyre, nearer and nearer, singing ma
yelling, while the band plays on and
the flames leap high.
Great, gaunt Encina, the mighty
stone bulwark OF the Stanford ira
ditions, watches benignly over the
scene. She is used to such things
yelling and singing, shouting and ser
pentining are all an old, old story Yea
she knows that even she is young os-
fore the generations to come, who also
will yell and sing. But tonight IL her
night. Her sons and all the sons OF
Stanford are at play at her very feec
and she stands proudly in the yellow
light, knowing that the traditions She
guards are safe with them
Over behind the protecting trees lies
the quad. She, too. is young, with her
frst generation still at their work and
play. Inner quad and assembly hall
are dark and she Is deserted now. But
tomorrow will come with its hum or
life and work.
The flames die down and midnight 10
drawing near. Not so many swing IN
the serpentfne. Some crouch on the
ground, their eternal enthusiasm tenn
porarily vented. and some bolder spirits
have sought the bleachers where befors
the coeds were alone. The freshman
joins the old grad In sheer WEAKNESS OF
body The flames are lower-now
great disk OF embers marks the spot
of the once mountainous pyre-
Beside the embers the human serpent
coils itself closely into a knot. Now
the band plays more softly With heads
barred to their college hymn they sing
Hail. Stanford, HAIL" The freshman.
because his four long years are all be-
fore him and his heart Is full, sings lus-
tiIy The old grad. because his four
short years are over a8Uhis heart is
very fun. sings. too. when the last
strains from the foothills to the bay"
have foated from the thousand boyisn
throats, the yell leader raises his arms
Big Varsity" he cries. The final cheer
is beloved forth hoarse but still en-
thusiastic. The serpentine breaks up.
the band goes hone. the freshman seeks
his bed and the old grad the night
train for the city. and the fifteen hun
dred slowly melt away
And the ffteen2 They have been in
bed for the last two hours Such ex-
hibitions OF exuberant youth have no
interest for them. They will watch IL
a while with good humored tolerance.
but they would much rather be In bed.
For tomorrow they will go up into the
hills for a "a hour sojourn IN the
haunts OF the simple life and on the
following morning they will return.
1t is rumored that another crack ag-
gregation OF Is Rusbyites from Berke-
lev will be on hand TO meet them. and