Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA
Newspaper Page Text
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."