| Show Reminiscences of the Border School By IKE RUSSELL I Once upon a time in a university far over oyer the Zion border an old man with grey streaks which betokened 0 not tie the dawn in his hair sat brooding brooding brooding brood brood- ing over the Department of English Poetry He had a love and it was Browning And in certain unofficial unofficial unofficial cial and wholly places it was rumored that his lectures on Milton told less of the blind poet than they did of Browning One OneL L f I I day a young pr professor fessor who loved met the old professor off duty and the old ld professor said with hard feelings in his heart What can yo you see in in- He writes merely rhythmic rot rot The answer was What you do-you see in Browning the writer of mere vagaries The students who flock back to fo toUt Ut Utah h this fall are interested n not t at atall atall all ll in a University over the border But Rut this much I will say and I believe believe believe be be- lieve it that it-that that there is an age in the life of every everyman man man when man when he is s susceptible susceptible susceptible sus sus- of being greatly moved by new influences influences' in his his' life and the poet who is most alive and most potent potent potent po- po tent at the age when a man mati man is most susceptible will bec become me to him THE poet and reign over over his life ever after At this this' age too a a man man ought to come t to his University and make a mother of ot her for it is is' is the age when he is is- most trusting usting and most liable to love his college passionately passionately passionately passion passion- while he is with it and nd in memory when he drifts away on the four winds of of the world with his sails properly trimmed and certain beacon lights lights' set set before him Sundry Seniors of all degrees of sourball were were sitting on one nig night t j at at a table of consoling themselves themselves themselves them them- selves as Sef O will pry Qt on liis last night before they forsook t l ic l of men college-men to enter that of theoffice theoffice the trie office boys The question of first loves came up and it was demanded that each fellow there tell the true story of his first love affair without without without with with- out benefit of varnish or concealment concealment concealment conceal conceal- ment of any particular When the tales were all told it was found that over half had some favorite school schoolteacher schoolteacher schoolteacher teacher as the heroine These good worn tired faces then of college college college col col- lege professors often perform duty as household gods where they little dream of the homage done them I 1 have been asked by the Editor to tell what I remember of older University University Uni Uni- University days and since I am sure I have been asked to write only because because because be be- cause I can remember remember remember-I I wish it were possible to describe confes- confes some of the opinions I once held of good men and true in the University of Utah Faculty For it was my good fortune to go to the University in those susceptible believing believing believing be be- lieving years when a man gets his first impressions of life and sees for forthe forthe forthe the first time dimly the man he is going to be twenty years away In those days the controlling spirits spirits spirits spir spir- its of the University were Dr Talmage Tal- Tal maze maee who wanted to see you in his office on a little business connected with a note addressed to you in red ink and a little absence from elocution elocution elocution tion class class Dr Whiting who had a couple of pet alligators down in the basement which were always in danger dang r of dying and a botany party running about the grounds grounds Prof Cummings sf who wanted you to join the Athletic Association and had money to advance for a fence running running- about the football field field field- Frederick Reynolds who was nervous n nervous ner ner- r- r under the strain of his first year a io a ate t cher acher and was vas willing to togo cao go ct out ii 0 K ake the eleventh man n the ghe to team ln 1 if f e eleven I even s students t u d en t s c co o u be b gotten gotten out out and and last but not least Augustus N Norvall orvall the First who wanted you do every- every things he lie said quick and locked locked locked lock lock- ed the buildings on the strike of five These good men and a few others others others oth oth- ers down their influence on the lives of those below in the undergraduate undergraduate un un- undergraduate and prep ranks and made up the experiences which the youngsters were to feel Organization Organization Organization Organ Organ- there was none The school was governed entirely by decrees from the Presidents President's office and the student body dealt with as individuals individuals individuals never in bulk A class was often composed of ten year first-year preps five seniors and a dozen scattered representatives of the in intermediate intermediate in- in intermediate half-dozen half of years Hence those days were days d ys of heavy It was not uncommon uncommon uncommon mon for fifty members of a class to crowd around a bulletin board at Christmas and find that only sixteen sixteen sixteen six six- teen had received passing passing- marks in inthe inthe inthe the course The other thirty four had only the consolation of of seeing their names and grades on the board and the silent joy of contemplating contemplating contemplating plating an immediate and permanent permanent permanent perma perma- nent return to the farm The life that was not influenced by bv the faculty gathered about certain certain certain tain trysting places which might have grown sacred to many generations generations gener gener- generations of Utah men men had not the University moved up tip on the hill hm and made new outs hang for the students while at rest There was first of all the Chronicle Den which was littered with exchanges and comfortably filled with a long l lunch table Lunch hour in the Chronicle Den was an event every day For there gathered the men most vitally interested in the University University and and the women too too and and they told each other laughing the while all that was to be known of college af af- fairs I might almost say that several several several sev sev- eral affairs grew up during those hours that have resulted in such announcements announcements announcements an an- as are usually made through a marriage bureau Then there was the path to the N Normal onnal Building where there was free strolling strolling- between classes and the rocks about the grounds where people people peo peo- people loved to linger ling longer than their lunch and studies required On Spring mornings it was quite a common sight to find half a dozen girls gathered on one big big- boulder holding a seminary on Cicero or if Tom McKay popular and nd slender wasn't around actually studying from books The upper stairways were popular in the absence absence- of Prof Marshall who had a seminary room on the third floor and a constant constant constant con con- stant order on his lips lios to clear the hallways and step lively Words fail when it comes to describing the library It was vas the habitation of a noisy typewriter which was constantly constantly constantly con con- being being- beat to death by the master of the place Preps enjoyed the privileges of a large larg-e reading room and advanced students of the alcoves which were mostly filled with signs telling you vou not to remove valuable books Woe was after him who showed a happy countenance there especially if he did it out loud Of the social life it is hard to say anything anything- definite for what we had was unknown and in an intangible shape even to us There were no definite traditions no normal customs customs cus cus- customs toms no processes by which a freshman could be kept thanking God he was alive most of his days t. t i II i If the Chronicle was too badly in debt we held a lawn party and competed competed competed com com- with the regular lunch counters counters counters coun coun- for a day while the editorial board prepared food for the multi multi- tude The picture of a long table spread under a tree with J Joe oe Cannon Cannon Cannon Can Can- non the editor chief w washing shing dishes while the faculty and students students students stu stu- dents ate sandwiches at ten cents per survives among memories of the social affairs And then too there were dances through the winter winter winter win win- ter always labelled CHRONICLE BENEFIT at Christensen's hall We paid for the hall in advertisements advertisements advertisements advertise advertise- ments that were printed in red on the cover We had the social cliques that always always al- al alV V ways form along the lines of congeniality congeniality congeniality con con- geniality and social ability But they were not strongly enough marked to be named until suddenly there was born the first organization tion of the soci social l world It was called The College ollege Women simply simply simply sim sim- ply and it had at the head of it Lucile Lucile Lucile Lu- Lu cile Hewett who perhaps is the only woman who ever served a as president president president dent of a college athletic tion She went after the famous Marshall seminary on the third floor and finally had it dedicated to the uses of the so social ial Pillows and couches not to mention chafing dishes and tea tables were installed and the University had a social c center center cen cen- n- n ter at last A That we had the socially lame 1 halt and blind among us was made painfully apparent each year when the Wise Leaders among the crowned crowned crowned crown crown- ed heads and dead heads of the faculty faculty faculty fac fac- called us all together and spoke on such delicate subjects as the number of collars and baths one ought to have per month But withal with with- al those were happy times and n not t t destitute entirely of memories that grow blessed with hallowing age Item A football fumble in the snow at our own goal posts at tl the e end of a game which had been play played ed entirely within our twenty-five twenty yard line Sprague and Tripp through the line and a long streaked race across the field to a victorious touch down that gave us about the only victory we ever got in those days Item A large rough-house rough in Miss l Brotherhoods Brotherhood's big drawing room on the third floor by the Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Me Me- drawing students followed by a highly scandalized and indignant indignant indignant indig indig- nant faculty investigation and an assessment to reclaim a few derelict derelict derelict dere dere- desks Item A large collection of students students students stu stu- dents out on the football oval burning burning burn burn- in ing and digging weeds in the hope of making a practice ground that would develop a victorious team And so the old students student's memory runs and his pen And he wishes the there e might be no ending in the call of Today for un dreaming acI ac ac- I tion On the hill today the University University University sity has a new life and a new environment environment environment en en- to affect its freshmen She has every opportunity for the growth and maintenance of traditions traditions traditions that ought soon to grow so j strong that a freshman will have nothing to do but to spend his first year learning them It is necessary for him to learn humility while young that he may grow proud when aged for as I said before there are certain years when one ought to come to a University different different different dif dif- ferent years perhaps in the life of each individual but limited in every case and the life it seems to me ought to be so organized that taking taking taking tak tak- ing him in as a boy it turns him out as a man conscious of his power and with his life aimed in the direction direction direction tion it will follow through the larger larger larger lar lar- ger world Then his college becomes becomes becomes be be- comes as four years in clover where if he be an industrious bee he can gather enough sweetness sweetness to spread out over a whole life of useful serious serious serious ser ser- ious thought |
