The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1915-10-29
SUPPOSE THIS
were SEATTLE!
Shepherd Visits Oxford Uni
versity; Finds EN-
Studying War
STUDENTS AT FRONT
By William G.. Shepherd

OXFORD. England. Sept. IA
tBy MALL Transfer the scene here
10 Cambridge or New Haven. or any
other American university town.
and you will understand what war
might do to the young men Of
America.
This II n golden autumn Sunday
The professors viii dine IN solitary
state tonight In the vast halls.
Therell be no songs OF students
There are no students. They are
nearly all AT the front. In peace
times the campus OF each college
would be- ihronged with undergrad
yates
To-day they are thronged with
crippled men wearing the rough
blue flannel suits soldiers wear in
lconyalescent hospitals They're
not university men. either
Take matchmaker from Merl.
den. Conn. bridge.painter from
brooklyn. hog skinner from the
stock yards. a railroad brakemen
from Minneapolis and a Frisco dock
hand Put them all on the campus
under the elms OF Yale. conyalesc.
Ing from war wounds and youll
get the spirit OF the scene AT OK.
ford today.
Study Fighting
Tomorrow the halls OF the class
rooms will be full OF busy youths
liut they VIII not be reelting Greek
and Latin. They will be learning
lessons In fighting
Most OF the colleges here have
been turned over 10 the war de
partment Young men from all
over England. who had never ex.
pected TO enjoy so fine a thing as
going 60 oxford. find themselves
sitting daily in the historic halls.
learning how TO XIII They are to
become commissioned officers.
How do the townsfolk take ~?
It's deaihly hard on them. They
live. In peace times. on students.
Now there are no students. Most
OF the town boys have gone TO the
war The town glrls-weil. out on
the little River Cherwell. that
winds thru oxford. you'll see them
this afternoon. three or four togeth-
er. drifting in punt. knitting or
sewing. every one doing eomething
FOR some soldier AT the front.
War TAX Taboo
a few lucky ones have found
Young men. aither convalesccnts
from the oxford war hospital. or
youths from the officers school.
and they sit about on the thick.
fiye-oentury-oii turf. talking quietly
or reading
Whatever they're saying or read
Ing. you may be sure IL IL not about
war ThA, theme IL taboo.
Back at the ioo-year-oid Miire
hotel. juw before dinner. you say
10 the iandlady. as you have been
tipped by an oxford man TO say:
is I; necessary 10 dress for din
ner7"
I'm sorry TO say (; Isn't" she
says. Before the war u Was a
custom never TO permit any gentle
man TO 20 I'm TO dinner except In
evening dress But the war has
changed II all We cant insist on
such things nov
hut when you come down 10 din
ner in an evening jacket, Just to
please her. che comes up beside you
and whispers.
Writing Paper In Mourning
1t was very kind OF you. Thanks,
so much"
Upstairs. in the writing room.
YOU see black. bordered stationery
In the racks on the writing tables.
Has the landlady lost somebody
in the war;" you ask the porter.
No. sir. That's for our guests
Shift all you've seen at Oxford
I this afternoon 10 the university
town nearest YOU. Then you can
begin to understand what the war
( IL doing TO England.