New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-14
RUTGERS, In RAIN,
HAS CELEBRATION
Colonial Folk Brave Ele-
ments to Give Events
of $50 Years Ago

from a star Correspondent OF The Trihun..l
New Brunswick, n. j., Oct. IA
little more rain during the early part
Of this afternoon and the historical
nageant commemorating the l5Oth an
niversary Of the founding of Rutgers
College would have had to end with
the Buccleuch ball. As it was, the gal
LIANT young squires, in their satin coats,
and the stately young bellies, in filmy,
hoop skirted loneliness, with cleaning
shoulders and bare heads, showed not
a little grit in seeing their episode
through. And they had their reward
the rain stopped.
The Buccleuch ball took place about
the year 1870. 1t was simply one OF
the red letter incidents in the history
Of Rutgers which the pageant sought
to portray. There were six OF these
incidents. The first depicted the ar
rival of the Dutch settlers in New
Brunswick ir 1880; the second tne
granting of the charter 10 Queens Col
lege. 1906: the third the reading OF
the Declaration of Independence in
New Brunswick, l776; the fourth the
laying Of the cornerstone OF queens
Building, 1909; the fifth the ball at
Buccleuch the elimination of ante-bel-
lum social life, and the sixth the nag
raising OF 1851.
It took many score of young men and
women in powdered wigs and Colonial
costumes, in Continental uniforms and
hoop skirts and in the grotesque regalia
Of early Victorian days to encompass all
these scenes, not TO mention the al
legorical prologue and epllogue, the
former to represent the medieval state
of learning when Rutgers came into
being and the latter its expansion since.
Natural Amphitheatre Used
They enacted them in a natural am
phitheatre on the college farm, with
the college farm pond at their back
and an audience of two thousand cover
ing the slopes in front of them, SILVER
ing in overcoats and huddled under
umbrellas.
Members Of the colleges glee clubs,
past and present, accompanied by
band imported from Trenton and CON
cealed by trees on the ponds edge, con-
tributed the musical selections for each
episode. In Episode /, for example, the
Dutch settlers, who appeared on the
opposite side of the little pond, which
i'm this scene corresponded to the Rari-
tan River, while waiting for the ferry
could be heard singing the 27t.- Psalm
in its old Dutch setting.
When the charter of the college was
granted, Ills EXcellency William Frank
lin. Governor OF the Province of New
Jersey, and his councillors approached
10 the strains of "Rule Britannia"
They were joined later by petitioners,
ciergymen and laymen in "God Save the
King"
Possibly the most elaborate episode
was that Of the flag raising. which
contained a speech by the president Of
the college, Theodore Frelinghuysen,
denouncing secession and calling his
country to arms. The students gath
cred about him sang "The Flag of Our
Union" and, following the flag raising.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Finally a company of soldiers on their
way to the front marched by, 20 be
Joined by students. and the crowd dis
persed. singing "Tenting on the Old
Camp Ground"
Governor Fielder Presided
In the morning Governor Fielder
presided at the opening ceremonies in
commemoration of the anniversary in
the First Reformed Church. William
H. s. Demarest, president Of Rutgers,
made the opening address Among
other speakers was the Chevalier W. l..
F. van Rappard Dutch Minister to this
country, who said Queen Wilhelmins
had directed him TO be present to con-
vey her congratulations TO Rutgers and
to wish it continued prosperity.
In the academic procession which
preceded the morning exercises were
delegates representing Oxford and
Cambridge, the University of New
brunswick, the Imperial University of
Toxic. McMaster University, Meizi Oak
min and l2l American colleges and uni
versities, nine theological seminaries
and nineteen learned and patriotic So
cieties