The Grand Restoration

The glory that was Mem Hall all but disappeared in 1945 when little men with ropes and blow torches removed its rapidly decaying spires and pinnacles.

Having gazed for a decade, however, at a barren tower, outraged and sentimental alumni have finally prodded the Corporation to finance a restoration of the Civil War memorial to the original vision of its architects, Ware and van Brunt.

But why be satisfied with the modest architectural glories of 1874, or even with imitation Gothic? With a little imagination and more funds the true splendors of the Middle Ages could be recalled. The glare of electric lights should be replaced by the romantic and less expensive flicker of torches. Mass produced desks and chairs are an anachronism; more in keeping would be oaken banquet tables and hand wrought benches. Crossed lances and suits of armor would be more appealing than flags and plaques. In keeping with the medieval atmosphere, the psychological laboratories in the basement should become dungeons and the white mice replaced by Social Relations majors on probation.

More practical still, considering the crowds at past lectures by Toynbee and Stevenson, would be the construction of a moat and drawbridge. Other exterior alterations would include the conversion of the parking lot into a stable, the lawn into a tournament field, and the bell tower into a falcon roost. Gargoyles in abundance would smile upon the entire scene.

To mark the restoration, a Harvard-Yale jousting meet should be scheduled, highlighted by the coronation of President Pusey. He, in turn, would create an order of knighthood among the professors, with teaching fellows and instructors as squires and pages. During the celebrations, the Jester and Fools of the Lampoon might even be entertaining. Such romance and pageantry would finally justify the restoration of that awesome structure--Memorial Hall.