Spirits Run High in Kirkland, as Deacons Offer House Forums, Theatricals, Yearbook, Monocled Beerfests

Just short of Eliot's meat and drawbridge the wayfaring Freshman may find refuge in the hostel of undergraduate vitality, midst the Georgian stretches of Kirkland House. Sacrificing towers, gothic frills and the trimmings to the more pretentious castles along Mt. Auburn Street, Kirkland has watched its legend grow from the strong soil of diverse interests that make up this cosmopolitan House. More than any other, Kirkland has managed to fuse its genuine cross-section of Harvard into a tightly-working group that yearly supports its teams with periodic rallies, and its activities with the only House yearbook to grace local shelves.

Annually this unrehearsed enthusiasm channels through the various House Committees and filters out in the widest offerings of House Forums, House refresher courses, amateur theatricals and interest group-projects. Within a recent week, the Common rooms played host to a forum on the contemporary English novel, another on the United Nations, a recital staged by the House music group, and the weekly play-reading session. Season this melange with the stout ale of the Deacon's traditional Nocturnal Collations (beerfests with a monocle) and spice with the Society for the Preservation of The Species and a savory offering it is.

Lying close to the intellectual heart of the House are the tutorial opportunities and the University's most comfortable (and largest) House library. Both institutions bear witness to the bustle in the air--the library employs a revolutionary landmark as its quarters while the tutors breathe life into a dying tutorial ideal by offering special review courses in three fields. Professor Mason Hammond '25, and Senior Tutor Paul Vivisaker top a staff that boasts youth and versatility.