The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1919-12-08
N, j, JOURNAL OF 4S
YEARS AGO IS FOUND
Eugene Field Literary Edi-
tor of University Missou-
rian's First Issue.
LIQUORS ADVERTISED
Paper Describes Picnics and
Examinations of 1871
Had Poetry, Too.
A copy of the first Missourian pub

Had Poetry, loo.
A copy of the first Missourian pub
lished has been discovered.
Across the span of forty-eight years
the spirit of Missouri comes to the
undergraduate of today in the mod
est columns of the University Mis-
sourian, Volume l, Number 1, dated
June 1871, copy of which was found
recently by J. G. Babb, secretary of
the University, tucked away in the
vaults of Academic Hall.
Tucked away at the foot of one of
the three-column pages, of which there
are eight, is a bit of writing that
brings back spring and early summer
poignantly as the scent of apple bios
SONS. 1t is this:
Lovely May has passed away
Leaving US flowers and berries.
Balmy' June now holds sway
Ripening apples and cherries.
$50 sang a freshman. No wonder
he looks back upon the last of May
and the first of June with so much
enthusiastic joy, for then it was that
strawberries were so plentiful and
people were so social. For several
weeks strawberry festivals were num-
erous and many entertainments were
given by our professors to their res
pective classes, on which occasions
Strawberries and cream were served
out in the most generous profusion
If our whole college course were
thus, we might truly exclaim How
sweet is the pursuit of knowledge
Supported by It's Friends.
Eugene Field was the literary edi-
tor of the first University Missourian
1t is possible that he may have written
all or part of the first editorial, which
is headed "Salutatory." In it the edi-
tors announced that the University
Missourian would be supported en-
tirely by it's friends; that it was a
purely literary college paper; that its
aim would be ito encourage correct
ness in composition, to engender a
taste for choice reading, in fine to
promote self-culture morally and in
tellectually.'
The staff of the monthly was as fol-
lows: H. W. Ewing, editor-in- chief
]. Newt Basket and James Cooney
associates; Eugene Field, literary edi-
tor; Joseph H. Dryden, local editor;
N. W. Allen, business manager.
Some irreverent, irrepressible per-
son succeeded in getting this slap at the
University Choir past all the editors
The University Choir is an enter
prising organization and strives to
keep fully up with the times. They
favor us every morning with new and
popular pieces, such as "Rock of Ag-
es", Nearer My God to Thee. They
sing these pieces fully as well as they
did two years ago."
To counterbalance these little slips
into jocularity the long articles were
written ON such subjects as WAS Ju-
das a Traitor?", Love Gifts" { a dis
sertation upon the suitableness oi
rings as presents to sweethearts, with
quotations from Homer, Dante
Shakespeare, ad lib.) "The Nature oi
Spirit" and of Man as a Spiritual
Being, 1.-The Hypocrite", this last was
evidently written by some unhappy
man with painfully ingrowing in,
trospection).
Picnic of Olden Times.
But, in spite of these weighty ques.
tions which engaged the thoughts ant
pens and pencils of the men and WON
en- of II, the social life went merrily
on. In the first number of the month.
ly there is remarkable bit of fine
writing telling of "Pic mic" at Rocl
Bridge. The writer loads up the hap
py students and the town boys ant
the girls from Stephens and the girl.
from Christian and deftly takes then
out to Rock Bridge. Then he say.
They mixed with the woods ant
hills A little later he describes tn,
wild scramble for the top of the hill
upon the announcement of dinner
After dinner he records with an i'm
pressionistic touch of wordcraft tn,
wooing strains of the violin urgin.
the young folks to "trip it neel ant
toe beneath the trees"
At this point it is probable that tn,
patience of the writer became ex
hausted-or the editor told him to Gu
it short-for the story ends abruptly
thus:
THE picnic was a success and al
returned to town feeling well repait
for all trouble they had :, undergone
climbing steep bluffs, pitching rock
down high hills, and masing geese
of themselves in general"
An inkling of the nature of the stud
les of those bygone years is given il
these few words about the examina
tions.
1.-The examination of the Universit.
classes began Monday morning an
d.