THE BOOK OF THE CLASS OF NINETEEN-ELEVEN 39
Do you remember the first time we changed our class song? We had practised “O, The
Sunny Days of Youth” until the inmates of Pem East thought we were entering upon our
second childhood. At last one evening when “1911 Class Song” was called from Senior
Steps, we formed a solid Freshman phalanx and began. ‘‘O, The Sunny Days of Youth,”
we caroled lustily, then something happened. Like water falling from a great height, our
song broke into a thousand parts and each alone and unsupported vanished, as a drop of
water, into silence. The hitherto suppressed merriment of the multitude burst into a mighty
laugh, which, with our own deep humiliation, is forever fixed in the memory of those of us
who took part in this, our saddest vocal break.
Then, in Sophomore year Rush Night, was, we confess, rather rough. It is presumed
that we broke through the Freshman line, but it is a question whether that break belongs
in this catalogue. It was perhaps a near-break, no more.
This long article is at length justified when it records almost the final episode in our
career. Safely steered through the channels of traditions, and guided through the mazes
of red tape, at the end of our voyage we crashed upon treacherous rocks, unforeseen by even
Amy. Was it because it was our last chance to show our supremacy as Seniors that we should
dictate how many verses of class song the Alumne should sing? Or was it in defiance of
the august chapel choir which has recently demanded that no verse shall ever be omitted?
Or was it to make the revered Alumne feel that they were still Upper Classmen and we
Freshmen longing to make breaks?
Certainly I shall never forget the break we made into 1901’s and subsequent class songs
(even 1909’s, though we blush to record it) with our lusty Anassa. We hesitate to call
this a break, such a complete disruption of traditional etiquette it was, yet what secret joy
we took in it! There certainly were no Upper Classmen to reprove us; we were Seniors.
Even break privileges we could rightfully assume.
Puyuus Rice,
Ruta F. Tanner,
Mary A. WILLIAMS.
