College stories; Sports stories; Yale University -- Juvenile fiction
From mountain, shore, city, town and country came the throng of
students like an army of youth, to take up the work of the college
year at Yale, which opened her doors to them on the morrow. Men from
all classes were in that motley throng which surged and billowed
around the corner of College and Chapel streets, for this night was
the night of "the rush," which tradition says shall be the first
event of the college year. There were Seniors, in their new-found
dignity of seniority; Juniors, nearer by a year to the coveted goal
of a degree; Sophomores, who by the passage of time coupled with an
adequate stand escaped from the ignominious position of the youngest
class, and last, but not least, the Freshmen who, to-night, began
their existence as a class. But the Freshmen kept themselves aloof
from the upper class-men, perhaps for reasons of offense and defense
for they were to be tried out later on, and did not want to be found
lacking.
Bronzed giants whose bulk proclaimed them to be at least "football
material" shouldered their way through the crowd and the air was
filled with the chatter and hum of many voices. Greetings between men
who had been separated for the summer were heard on every side.
"Hello, Dick. Mighty glad to see you!"
"Glad to see you again. It's great to be back, eh?" and the speakers,
with a hearty hand-grip would pass on and repeat the formulæ with
little variation, to other friends.
Suddenly the blare of a brass band cut through the chatter. Marshals
sprang to the work of getting the parade in order, for a parade
always precedes and has come to be part of "the rush." These men,
conspicuous by their long-handled kerosene torches and the 'Varsity
Y emblazoned on sweaters (for only men who have won the coveted
letter are eligible for the position of marshals,) began to separate
the groups.
"Seniors, this way!" was the shout.
"Juniors, this way!"
"Sophomores, this way!" And, quickly following the command, the
various groups, in the order named, dropped into line and, led by the
marshals with torches swinging, went dancing down Chapel street to
the compelling melody of a popular college marching song.
"Freshmen, this way!" And to the shout, which was caught up and
echoed up and down the line, the new-comers to the halls of Yale
dropped in behind the Sophomores, feeling themselves, for the first
time, a class instead of merely a huddled group without a bond of
any kind. Dancing as merrily as their predecessors to the strains of
the band, the Freshmen went swinging down the street imitating to
the best of their ability the zigzag sweep of their elders. Hands
of strangers touched for the first time and arms were thrown over
strange shoulders and the feeling was good.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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