New-York tribune., 1918-06-19
Less Than One-Seventh of
Original 725 Seniors
in Attendance
Spreads Hooverized,
With Gayety Absent
Tributes Paid to Heroes
Who Gave Their Lives
for Country
ispeeiol Dispatch to The Tribune>

Special Dispatch to The Trtbume)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass, June 1S.-What
eas left of the class Of 1918 at Harvard
held its Glass Day exercises to-day.
Ninety-eight seniors. or less than one
seventh Of body that had once num-
bered 7o5, formed in struggling line
in front of Holworthy Hall at 10:45
a, m. to march to Saunders Theatre.
Four OF the class have already been
killed in action. All three of the mar
shals, George Percy, "Billy" Murray
and John Franklin, were absent--in the
service. Their places were taken by
Lieutenant Morrill, Wiggin, Cadet Fred
orick II. Stevens and Lieutenant
Thomas c. Thatcher. who were sta
toned near enough to come to Cam
bridge. Thatcher Nelson. the class
poet, is lieutenant in the army; his
poem was read by Ralph C. Brown, q
student in the naval training school,
OF the ninety-cight that were left
many were in uniform. The band
played & brave tune as they started, but
the procession extended barely from
the corner of Stoughton Hall to the
middle entrance of Holworthy. There
was, however, snap to the steps
across the pebbly walks that was differ
ent from the easy gait of former senior
marchers. These boys were marching
somewhere.
Not Like Other Days
All the stage properties of former
class days were present, but some
row they looked rather tawdry and
futile. The imitation Japanese Ian
terms dangled from the stately elms
with all their former seductiveness.
and the temporary white bandstands
,send fountains had been dragged out
irem under University Hall Cor wher-
ever it is that they are kept 362 days
IN the Year, and were doing their best
to make the occasion. familiar.
But it wasn't. Itt.was an event by
itself, alone in HARVARD history, ex-
cept for the graduation days of the
e Civil War period.
=. And, inspiring and proud an occa-
silent hopes of those who. watched
would have revealed an overwhelming
opposition to its frequent repetition.
Class days We're never meant to be
ike this. The scarcity in the attend
ance of seniors was naturally dupli-
Gated in the number of parents pres
ent. The piles Of collapsible camp
chairs. which usually are the scene
OF refined sauabbles between tired rel
atiTes who want to sit down, were left
almost intact.
Here and there under the trees were
groups OF proud matrons in silk dresses
and suede gloves, with fathers in the
conventional and uncomfortable black,
each pointing out the wrong buildings
10 10, the others and trying to find
harry" somewhere among the musi-
clans in the band
Yard Pitifully Empty
AT even scarcer intervals could be
seen that ultimate raison- detre of all
class days-the young girl pleasing to
lne eye But the intervals between
shmpses were distressingly long and
ane yard was pitifully empty. Which
was too bad, as the recently natural
lzed elms had never looked more like
trees, and the breeze was of unusual
freshness for class day
mere were no exercises in the
stadium n The long dusty way down
poyiston Street, which on other class
oays has been thronged with seniors
q. ana under-class men, graduates and
beautiful young persons, all on their
way TO near the ivy Grafton and throw
I; cohiettl at one another, was to-day
glarlngly deserted. The ivy Grafton
Was delivered in the quadrangle be-
niAa Sever Hall. where a miniature
ssaolum crowd was gathered to hear
oewell n. Dunton and to toss stream
efs IN the regulation manner.
put somehow 1t was not a very gay
sight That the crowd, too, felt GER
.sin repression was shown by the fact
mar they waited until the proper time
oe1ore throwing the confetti, an in
ss.ance of self restraint before un-
snown in Harvard class day annals. In
sacs after the singing of "Far Har-
sard, which is the official cue for the
eo'ored-papcr battle to start, it was
Hscessary for the ushers TO throw out
several decoy bundles in order to get
sae crowd going.
Inc spreads after the exercises were
sso poignantly reminiscent in theil
meagreness of their former glory
..oss OF them were abandoned entirely
sna What few there were consisted
mne on,eny Of gatherings of people who
,nuhched ,u;lnhed food administration sand
. %,.ches and remarked on what a quiet
esss M day it was.
Inc Hasty Pudding Club, formerl,
sn sne meeting place for twice as many
siucsss as the clubhouse would hold
al oi whom insisted on dancing at once
psrtaking Of the sumptuous cola.
son' to-day opened its doors for the
ss. TINE in more than a year ano
~ seo lemonade to quiet gathering
sh.seve ~ seven couples, who danced now anc
aen IN q desultory fashion. To-niph,
ans.eos s ceiGo's doors were closed again 10,
"heetner year.
s.,sller after dark the yard was Illuminated
~ 2 larger number came out to watch
IN ne fountains play than had appeared
wssse ne afternoon, but tickets to the
a'a Tor the evening festivities have
way way of being distributed amonf
rny;r'ny people who like to see what i:
Ea,nx on, but whose connection witt
os.sard Is no more intimate than tina,
ssHihed by trading in Harvard Square
nv a1out .1ut o'clock the quartet san,
sh. 'ns steps of University Hall. takins
eas. s place of the regular glee club con
OH On the steps Of Widener. Amonf
t. II college songs they sang "Here'.
ssonnny Harvard" and although tn,
yasa was written~to the old John Har
ehn..ere mere were many who Joined in tn,
Hsr,.as VINO sang to young Johnn,
wsa wsavaard, aid, descendant of the founder
elss himself sang in the yard with tn,
fhrss. club on his graduation ni1b,
Il years ago and who was kilie,
H.;si~Icn when his whole regiment n,