Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-12-27
Frank Harold Writes of Queer
College Custom at Old Oxford

Following is the fourth letter writ
ten to his home here by Frank Har-
rold, Americas Rhodes scholar, who
entered college at Oxford, Eng, this
fall: Other interesting letters from
him will follow:
/ Hartford College, Oxford, Eng,
October 18th, 1920.
Dear Alice: | was mighty glad to
receive yours and mothers letters
this morning. They were the first
| had received from home and | tell
you American stamps looked mighty
good to me.
This week has passed very quietly
and | have been going to lectures
and studying a little. Tuesday l
matriculated and you should have
seen us In our black gowns and little
flat board caps and a high collar
with white tie. The ceremony was
in Latin.
saw one of the old college GUS
toms enacted the other night which
was very interesting to me. Every
one wears dark coat to dinner at
night.
Well, the other night two of the
boys at my table failed to wear their
dark suits according to custom, and
! they were accordingly. scoutched.
They were brought half gallon cup
of very bitter beer. If a fellow is
a real good sport he drinks it down
on the spot. But they have the priv
ilge Of having passed to each man
at the table to take his drink and
whatever is left when it gets back
to him he must finish up. In this
case. the cups were hardly touched
when they got back to the boys and
they were each forced to drink
about quart of this bitter stuff.
l like the ''tea" idea better than
any other one / have seen over here.
1t is a wonderful time to entertain,
that is to invite your friends to your
room for tea. The cost is little and
after tea from FIVE to seven all the
fellows sit around and talk. The con-
versation is usually light before tea
| but after tea some discussion usually
arises and sides are taken. A man
could get a good education here if
! he did nothing but attend these teas.
Of course the men are all well up on
everything and it is surprising what
radicals some of the smartest men
are. | had tea the other afternoon
with South African and an Eng
lishman. Ireland was the chief top
&c of conversation and | learned as
much then as I've read before.
But to show you how reserved
these fellows are, | have been eating
at the table with about fifteen Eng
lishmen, South African, a Canad-
ian, an American, a Berman, and
the son of an Indian lord. | am on
speaking terms with the Canadian,
the South African, the Berman and
the Indian. But with maybe three
exceptions the Englishmen haven't
spoken to me. The two fellows
Marjorie Holman put on my trail
nave been nicer to me than any Eng
llshmen. I've been with them two
or three times, By the way, the In
dams father was the first Indian in
the cabinet in India.
! I've been given senior standing
which relieves me of a lot. | stand
the same examination with Stubs
1.-THE Emory college boy who came
over last january although he has
had nine months here already.
A beautiful sight are the athletic
fields here in the afternoons. You
can ride around Oxford any after
noon and find probably four thous-
and boys playing games And they
are SO polite in their sports. If a
man should step on your foot in a
rugby game, he apologies Anoth,
er thing that is quite noticeable about
the English is that they never ex-
pectorate, not even on the athletic
fields, and to do SO in the presence
of any one is almost an insult.
You write about your learning to