The San Francisco call. [volume], November 13, 1910, Page 13, Image 13

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

Tha San Francisuj Sunday Call
BREAKING IN
THE "FROSH"
AT STANFORD
Unusual Photographs Show Exactly
How Verdant Lads From City and Cow
County] Alike Are Inducted Into Col
lege Life by the Kindly Sophomores
WHEN Stanford opens In the
fall time honored customs are
observed in a series of hap
penings during the opening
week. At the outset the sophomores
snd freshmen hold the stage and after
the bSgr underclassmen rush the entire
college unites to participate in those
events which carry out the traditions
of the college.
With the appearance of some 500
freshmen the sophomore dons his
bright red hat and blossoms out on the
campus with one thing uppermost In
h!e mind— to teach to the incoming
class those things which he has learned
by long, hard experience. The young
hopeful leaves his home probably for
th« first time, and with a paternal
blessing boards the train to enter the
field of. higher learning. It Is up to
the "soph" to Impress upon this fresh
man the folly of his "prep" school
ways, to teach him subserviency to
the upperclassmen, to Instruct him
never to smoke a pipe on the campus
and to compel him at all times to wear
hisr "postage stamp" cap, which desig
nates the greatness of his Importance.
The freshman's fondest hopes are
realized when he steps on to the cam
pus. Awestruck with the wonderful
surroundings, he dreams of the day
when he will receive his decree, when
he will have completed his college ca
reer and will walk out Into t the world
to make a name for himself, his fam-»
ily and his college — but as he dreams
he feels a light tap on his shoulder.
Six red hats appear behind him tilted
on the heads of as many burly sopho
mores.
_ Tou're a freshman, aren't you?"
There is usually little need for an
answer. The new arrival is taken so
by surprise that* his answer is slow to
:ome! A nervous, foolish grin spreads
across his countenance, and speaks for
itself.
"Wipe that smile' off and get in line
with the rest of the animals."
And thus the young hopeful falls in
line with half a dozen of his other un
fortunate classmates, and marches
down the row escorted by a score ot
"sophs."
"Give' your 'prep' school yell," roars
a fierce voice.
The freshman steps out, hesitates a
moment, and -after several threats
bursts forth in a more or less faltering
voice with a classic such as this:
. "Watermelons; pumpkins, squash,'
Spudville high, by gosh."
When the howling mob Is quiet'agaln,
the lockstep brigade is, once more
given the command to proceed down
tne row. Any trunks whloß are to b«
moved are most carefully handled by
this willing a ggregatlon. . They en
tertain the various sorority houses with
songs and yells, the stories of their
lives and other things of equal Interest.
And so throughout the entire first week
the freshman remains. Ihe chief source
of amusement for the college and the
supreme Joy of the sophomore., -
The grand finale to all underclass
men rivalry comes when sophomores
line up against freshmen in the annual
rope tying contest on the varsityfleld.
This rush originated at Stanford some
yearn ago and has been ardently ad
hered to since that time. According
to custom, the "sophs" on the night
preceding dlstribute,the freshman post- :
ers around the campus announcing the
coming battle and setting down a num
ber of commandments which the fresh
men must observe to the letter.
When the great day arrives the two
rival classes assemble, organize and
march .to the field,, prepared for war.
With abput 2,000 spectators in the
bleachers and the opposing armies liried
up at either end of the field, the pistol
is fired and the struggle is on. Four
hundre.l huskies come together in the
human roundup.
The sophomores, because of "better
organization and more experience, take
the lead from the start and* the fresh
man soon finds himself singled out and
struggling for. supremacy with four or
five of his opponents. ' His hands and
feet are tied after he has made a few
fruitless attempts to free himself and
he is carried to the "morgue," where
he is held in captivity until the end of
the conflict. The, battle rages on for
about half an hour, which; is usually
ampje time' for the second year men
to vanquish the foe, and the* entire
freshman class discovers that they, are
cooped up In the "morgue" and; de
feated at the hands of the "mighty
sophs."
Each succeeding freshman class en
ters the rush with high hopes of, being
the; first '\u25a0;-; class's that ever subdued the
sophomores, and the "sophs," realizing
that defeat 'would mean disgrace, en
tef. the contest with the "do or die"
spirit. The "sophs" are often outnum
bered, but their lighting; spirit, to
. gether with the knowledge gained in
their last year's defeat, brings
out victorious.
, The culmination of the' rush finds the
breaking up of all interclass 'rivalry.
No longer do "class numerals prove
. themselves a dividing line, but all band
together ! and join han J3 as l Stanford
men. •, %'\u25a0 . : /'\u25a0 :,'.'\u25a0-\u25a0;. ' ...."\u25a0' ". : -, \u25a0'\u25a0'•\u25a0•'\u25a0.'
College spirit and college ; life ara
manifested at their best on the night
of ttie big football rally. No Stanford
-man fails to appear in the hall on that
occasion," and for thefirst time in many
.months tho walls resound with the'var
: Blty. fi The yelPleaders: hold: sway dur
; inglthO' early ; part of the .evening "and
I every man throws out his voice with
all the latent 'enthusiasm he has stored
upHhrough the; summer. _
;The varsity football captain Is called
upon to speak, and with one Whoop the
: : entire assembly : goes wild;, hats f fly In
the' air rand the: hall re-echoes .with
cheers for' several minutes. He r is fol
lowed in turn by the coach and trainer,
who are accorded a similar welcome.
With speeches, intermingled .with deaf
ening cheers and lively songs, the even
ing passes. Every man who is 'able to
stand the training signs up as a candi
date for the team, and as the evening
draws to a close all arise and sing,
"Hail, Stanford, Hail."
Not even the spirit on the bleachers
is more impressive than the enthusiasm
dlsplayed at this, the Initial rally of
the season. On leaving this great gath
ering all are imbued with a. spirit that
never dies and all are glad to claim
Stanford as their alma mater.
The last of the festivities is the pa
jama "parade, which breaks the silence
of the night during the week following.
Encina hall, the men's dormitory, turns
out about 400 strong, carrying torches
and banners, together with horns and
bells to announce that they are on"i>»
rade. No spot on the campus Is ml3sed
by this picturesque aggregation, which
keeps the air alive with noise and s&ng
until the midnight hour.
Such Is the manner In which the stu
dents open the college year at Stanford.
These activities hold sway during the
opening week,' and then the college
man turns to his studies and becomes
a "stude."