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No "brave Sophomore," who "filled up his glass" with the "jolly crowd" at the American House on the 13th can fail to remember the occasion as one of the pleasantest in his college course. Nearly three fourths of the class were present, and filled three large dining-tables.
The greatest praise is due to the committee, that, in the short time given them, the arrangements made were so satisfactory.
The literary entertainment of the evening opened with a short speech from the President, Mr. H. P. Jaques, in which he congratulated the class on the occasion which had brought them together, occurring as it does but once during the course, and said that he hoped the event of the evening would serve to correct the impression so generally prevalent among the proprietors of the Boston hotels, that it is impossible for Sophomores to hold a class supper and conduct themselves in a becoming manner. He then introduced the orator of the evening, Mr. J. F. Botume.
Mr. Botume gave a short history of the career of the class since its entrance, touching on its record in base-ball and boating, and alluding to the abolition of hazing as an act which the class would look back to with pride hereafter.
The President then introduced the chorister, Mr. S. H. Jecko, who responded with "Lowlands," the chorus of which was rendered with great spirit by all present. The great improvement of the chorus singing on that of similar occasions in the past was due entirely to Mr. Jecko's efforts previous to the evening of the supper, and the arrangement he adopted in seating a number of the best singers of the class around him.
The Poem, by Mr. W. L. Chase, which followed the singing, possessed those two best qualities of post-prandial verses, - brevity and wit. It contained several good hits, and was, in many respects, the best thing of the evening. The President then introduced the Toast-Master, Mr. W. S. Andrews, who proposed as the first toast, "Our Alma Mater," and called on Mr. Samuel Sherwood to respond. Mr. Sherwood said that he hoped this would not be the only supper of which the class, as a whole, would have the pleasure of partaking, but that the custom would be kept up after graduation, and that there would always be a large representation of the Class of '76 on future Commencements.
The second toast was, "The Class of '76," to which Mr. R. W. Curtis responded. Mr. Curtis's peculiar province had been, to a certain extent, invaded by Mr. Botume; but he brought out several new points of interest in regard to boating and ball matters, concluding with a touching allusion to the Cricket Club, which, he remarked, had played one or two games during the year, "with more or less success."
The third toast, "The Societies," was replied to by Mr. A. A. Wheeler, on the part of the Athen&aeum, and Mr. G. H. Bradford, in behalf of the Institute. Mr. Wheeler gave an account of the work of the Athen&aeum during the present year, and in conclusion, drawing his inspiration from "Req. Physics," presented a very pleasing picture of the two societies shining as sister stars in the College firmament. Mr. Bradford spoke of the unusual good feeling that had existed between the societies during the present year, and hoped that it might continue hereafter.
The Toast-Master then gave the fourth toast, "The Literary Interest," and called on Mr. R. S. Culbreth. Mr. Culbreth's reply was witty and enthusiastic. Taking novels and the novelist as a theme, he spoke of the great advantage of a course of general reading in college. In reply to the fifth toast, "The Boating Interest," Mr. D. C. Bacon gave a short statement of the plans of the University Crew for the coming summer, and said that although the class had been somewhat unfortunate in losing a good many of its boating men, still "seventy-six" in all probability would have a crew on the river in the spring. As nearly every one of the speakers had alluded in one way or another to the "Ball Interest," Mr. N. W. Perry found the subject rather exhausted when he rose to respond to the toast. He recapitulated the record of the Nine, however, and said that he attributed the success of the Ball Nine to the great interest shown by the class in base-ball matters. To the toast of "Woman" the Toast-Master called on Mr. G. W. Green to respond, which he did in a neat speech, in the course of which he had occasion to use the quotation, -
"The world was sad, the garden was a wild;
And man, the hermit, sighed, till Woman smiled."
By a lapsus linguae, he gave the last line, -
"And Man, the hermit, smiled, till Woman sighed."
We doubt whether Mr. Green is really in league with Dio, but the sentiment is certainly worthy a true crusader.
The last toast, "Our Future," was very happily responded to by Mr. C. F. Thwing. Arguing from the great names which our roll contains already he predicted a glowing future, and his reply was one of the best of the evening. After the regular toasts many informal ones were proposed and drunk, among which were the Advocate, Magenta, C. T. Co., etc. The "Odes," written by Mr. C. A. Dickinson and Mr. R. W. Curtis, were finely rendered by the chorus.
The regular toasts were very handsomely printed, and furnish, with the Songs, a neat souvenir of the occasion.
As most of the company present walked out,
"We with singing cheered the way,"
and with the exception of a little altercation with the "minions of the law" in the shape of Port Peelers, reached Cambridge safely in the "sma' hours," having fully demonstrated the fact that Sophomores and Sobriety are not wholly incompatible terms.
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