CLASS OF 1908
From the ends of the earth we came into Hanover, one hundred strong, on the afternoon of June 21st. The Fifth Reunion of the Class of 1908!! Since the year before Mike Stearns and his able corps of assistants had been preparing for this greatest of all reunions, and now his efforts were well repaid. There was Merrill, come all the way from Los Angeles with his wife and little one; there was Eberly from Oklahoma, bald and fat as a bear, but still recognizable; there was Cams from Nebraska,' with not quite all his family; Norton from Minnesota, and Blanpied also from out of the West. Then Knight and half a dozen others from Illinois, and so on ad infinitum, until the roll-call mustered one hundred.
The garb of the Heathen Chinee was the order of the day, and after the handshaking had subsided, uniforms were given out according to sizes, and the Yellow Horde assembled down at the "Broadway" headquarters of the class. Each "Chink" was then armed with a torch of red or green fire (from Keith's fireworks factory), and we began our pyrotechnical peerade around the Campus. The grand finale was staged opposite the Inn, where we erected a huge set-piece, bearing in blazing letters the characters, "08". The company then adjourned again to the "Broadway Office" for the night.
On Sunday every one sought his own amusement. Several of the .boys went to church, thereby disclosing a marked change in habits during the past five years. Others chose to call upon those members of the faculty who had allotted them the lowest marks while they were in College, the object presumably being to give a strong impression to the professor that the quondam delinquent student was still able to earn a living.
On Monday morning the throng of Yellow Men again appeared in front of Dartmouth Hall to have their picture taken. The costumes were very effective, especially when the men were massed together — the trousers were a deep blue, the coat cream-colored, into which was woven, a flower design. The feet were encased in sandals and white socks, and the head covered with a pig-tail and Manchu hat. With' the exception of the head-gear the costume was comfortable and easy to don and doff.
After the picture taking, we sought the Campus, while our erstwhile baseball heroes warmed up for the affray with 1910. The game was called promptly (after numerous delays) and there were many close plays (when by chance some one caught or hit the ball). After four heart-breaking innings the game was called on account of 'wet grounds. The umpire's decision was in favor of 1908 by a small margin. Badger and Thompson excelled for 1908, the former catching two out of every three balls and the latter striking out all of the opponents who did not secure runs or were not retired by Kid Richardson. Kid played the game of his life, stopping every ball that hit either him or his pipe.
Toward evening the Yellow Peril gathered together for the invasion of Lebanon, not as of old by twos and threes, but en masse. The trip to the Rogers Hotel of "Cedarhurst" was made by coach and motor car, and upon arrival we marched around the public square under the glare of more red and green light. Having sufficiently aroused the town to our presence there, we retired to the hotel and sat down to partake of the eats and drinks provided by Dr. Fiske and Art Blood, who had charge of that particular feature of the reunion's entertainment. The event of the evening occurred when Dr. Fiske approached the banquet hall from the rear, laden with a bowl of ice water. Just as he neared the proper depositary for the bowl, his posterior pedal extremity came into juxtaposition with that immediately anterior to it and the receptacle passed from his control to the floor, where it remained in a thousand pieces. There was a noticeable scarcity of ice water for the rest of the evening. Joe Donahue presided as toastmaster, and fulfilled his duties with his usual eclat, savoirfaire, and pate de foie gras. There were one or two other speakers during the evening, among them Dr. Fiske, who was forced to leave the hall early in order to attend to an important case. Glint Bills was the life of the party. His wit and humor flashed and sparkled like the wine in the empty glass before him. It is the consensus of opinion that the speeches lasted until well on toward morning, although there is no absolute authority for this statement. Suffice it that we awoke in Hanover the next day.
About ten of the clock on Tuesday, we joined the marching "grads" headed for Alumni Oval and the Amherst-Dartmouth ball game. This was "wash-day", and each Chink was burdened with part of the equipment ; there were ironing boards, washtubs, irons, clothes baskets, clothes reels, and all the paraphernalia pertinent to a first-class laundry. Upon reaching the Oval we set to work, washing everything in sight and somethings that were not. Various performances, amusing and otherwise, continued during the ball game.
Thus abruptly ended the Fifth Reunion of the Class of 1908, so far as the class as such was concerned. Many said good-bye at two o'clock that afternoon, several more departed at midnight, until on Wednesday morning there was but a scattered handful' left. The reunion was successful from every standpoint, and great credit is due to Stearns and his cohorts. More than half of the class returned, which is a big showing in these days of large classes and high cost of living. There were nine wives, two sweethearts, and one child who came to "reune" with us. The Fifth Reunion is a trying time for the gentler sex, hence their presence was the more appreciated. We hope that the few who came enjoyed themselves as much as we enjoyed having them with us.
Here's to the Tenth! May we all meet again in 1918!
Secretary, Lawrence M. Symmes, 115 Broadway, New York
