Evening star., 1935-05-26

House Party Week,
is not yet over. But
in the great majority of them thoughts Of best
girls Tor best boys) have been put completely
out of mind and exams are alone the focus. So,
it is best, think, to turn aside from the story
of Junior Proms and House Party Weeks and
all the lighter and more romantic facets of
college life, and briefly indicate the sequence
of scenes typical of these pre-graduation
weeks - scenes which are essentially serious.
First. there is the strain of suspense about
the examination results whether they are to
bring, or withhold, the coveted Phi Beta
Karpa key or magma or summa cum laude.
or whether they are to bring passing average
to the hundreds who ask no more than safely
secured Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sci
ence those two promises Of future success
for which so many American parents reduce
their budgets to the bone and scrimp and
save in order to give Mary younger or John
junior the golden advantages of college
education.
During the last week the JOY of the success
full in having won their coveted degrees and
the gayety of preparation for the festivities of
commencement inevitably camouflage an un-
derlying sadness. Each one knows that
separating roads may make the promises
between boon companions to see each other
often little more than faint hopes. That the
atmosphere is drenched in emotion is evident
in almost every group of seniors: photographs
are autographed and exchanged not only be-
yhrN
friends. but even between those who thought
they could never forget their four years of
annoying differences.
Any definite schedule of commencement
week can not be given since it necessarily
differs in each of our thousands of colleges.
But let US say tnat graduation exercises take
place on Monday. On the Friday preceding,
there is probably the senior ball. This is as
different in character from all the house party
dances that have preceded it throughout the
year as christening is from children's party!
Instead of scenes of romance multiplied
almost as many times as there are girls, or
men, in college, the commencement picture is
of festivity that includes the whole family.
Parents. grandparents. aunts, uncles and little
brothers and sisters arrive in hordes.
Since visiting families either stay at the
hotel or the inn or in the houses of those who
take boarders during this period, graduates
best girl usually comes with his family. Or
perhaps she has already made arrangements
to go with her own family Cf her brother or a
relative is also a member of the graduating
class, or with an intimate girl friend whose
family is taking her. She goes to his fraternity
house, of course, to dinner or to afternoon tea
or to whatever each house can give during this
week for its visitors.
Another typical event of commencement
week is baseball game on Saturday after
noon This is either a serious game between
the home team and that of a neighboring
college, or possibly bwlesque between the
present team and picked stars of yesterday.
And on Saturday night perhaps show is put
on by the graduates of five, ten or fifteen years
back Or possibly on Saturday evening there
is torchlight parade that ends in dancing
around bonfire made of barrels and boxes.
into which are thrown the books of whichever
subject each student disliked most.
At a small but beautiful college for women,
pageant is always given outdoors at sunset
on the verdant campus from which the sun,