VALE ALUMNI wWwHREKLY
THE LATE “HANDSOME DAN.”
Sympathetic Tributes to the Great
Yale Mascot.
Since the death of ‘‘Handsome Dan’”’
many tributes have been paid to Yale’s
old mascot. One of the most apprecia-
tive was the following from the Hart-
ford Courant:
“ ‘Handsome Dan,’ who at one time
was conspicuous among Yale athletes,
has died in England. Dan was a bull-
dog and he wore the blue ribbon. This
marked his allegiance to Yale and also
indicated his ‘Murphyite’ principles. He
never looked upon the wine when it was
red, but was satisfied with blood. In
personal appearance he seemed like a
cross between an alligator and a horn-
ed frog, and he was called handsome
by the metaphysicians under the law
of compensation. The title came _ to
him; he never sought it. He was always
taken to games in a leash, and the
Harvard foot ball team for years owed
its continued existence to the fact that
the rope held.
“Dan was a no stranger hereabouts.
He spent a summer with a Hartford
family and was taken by them to the
Adirondacks. One day he insisted on
starting with a party bound up Mount
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Hopkins. Part way up the climb, Dan,
who weighed a good many ounces to
the pound, gave out. He was tied to a
tree beside the path and this party
went on and spent the day on the
mountain. No other party went UD,
however;.that day. Other parties pro-
ceeded until they met Dan; then they
went home to report progress. He
thought he was detailed for guard duty
—and so did they.
“When the summer was over Dan had
to come home in the baggage car while
his adopted family had a through
sleeper. After midnight they were all
awakened by a loud notification that
nobody in the Albany depot, not the
bravest baggage-smasher, could per-
suade the dog to leave the baggage car
and either he must be abandoned by
his friends or the car be abandoned by
the company. When he saw a friend
he readily came out and the railroad
was able to continue business, but he
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If he
took no advice from strangers.
took anything from them it was their
peace of mind or their clothing or their
sense of comfort.
“Dan left us for England some time
ago and Yale and America, practically
synonymous, have both survived the
separation; hence his death will not
be an irreparable blow. Indeed, his
presence was always felt a good deal
and if he has
gone to that heaven which some hu-
mane people think exists for animals,
we venture the prediction that there is
-draw forth a cheer.
Will have to search far before they
‘find as successful a mascot as Dan
-show in 1891.
music just now in the bull-dog corner.”
The Philadelphia Press sketches the
dog’s career as follows: ‘To all lovers
_Of dogs throughout the country, and to
Yale men especially, the news of the
death of Handsome Dan in London will
bring back a crowd of memories. Hana-.
some Dan was a magnificent specimen
of the English bulldog, and for several
years has figured regularly as the Yale
mascot at all the big football and base-
ball games in which Yale has played.
One would need only to glance over the
athletic record of this University to ap-
preciate the position which. Dan holds
in the hearts of Yale men. He
their hero of heroes, and the appear-
ance of his battle-scarred countenance
on the football field never failed to
The superstitious
was to Yale.
“Handsome Dan was also well known
to dog fanciers both in this country and
on the other side of the water. He was
a thoroughbred English bulldog, and
his record is a remarkable one. He was
bred by a man named North, and his
parents were a couple of thoroughbreds
named Caliban and Peggy. His father,
Caliban, was an extensive prize-win-
ner. Dan was born ten years ago and
was bought when a puppy by “Andy’’
Graves, a Yale graduate of the class of
"93S. He turned out to be probably the
finest speciment of English bulldog in
the United States. Time after time
dogs of his class were sent over from
England to compete with him, but he
won almost invariably. The American
Field Cup he won four times, and the
fifth victory, necessary to possession,
was lost only by a slight trouble of
the eye, which had: run in the family,
and was just then developing. His first
prize was won at the New York dog
His last appearance at
a dog show was at the New York dog
show last year.
“A favorite trick was to tell him to
‘speak to Harvard.’ He would bark
ferociously and work himself into phy-
sical contortions of rage never before
dreamed of by a dog. Dan was peculiar
to himself in one thing—he would never
associate with any one but students.
Dan implanted himself more firmly in
the hearts of Yale students than any
mascot had ever done before, and he
was a prime favorite with every one in
college.”’
was _
‘TIFFANY & Co.
Jewelers to College Men.
* ¢
Designs and Estimates furnished for
Fraternity Pins, Class Rings, Class
Cups, Stationery, ete., etc. oe
No order will be accepted for
execution at a price not consist-
ent with the best workmanship
and a quality worthy of the
name of the house.
| CORRESPONDENCE INVITED.
UNION SQUARE,
NEW YORK.
Junior Society Elections.
The following members of the -Tunior
Class were initiated into the Junior
fraternities, Tuesday, April 13:
Into Psi Uvsilon, Robert W. Arch-
bald, Jr., of Scranton Pa.; Brainard W.
Parker, of Washington, D. C.; Howard
D. Reeve, of Appleton, Wis.
Into Delta Kappa Epsilon, Charles
W. Burnett of Cincinnati, O.; Robert
C. Neal, Jr., of Harrisburg, Pa.; Julhen
A. Ripley, of New York City.
Into Alpha Delta Phi—Samuel E. Bas-
sett, of Wilton, Conn.; Robert S. Hume,
of Washington, D, C.; Stuart W. Jack-
son, of Philadelphia, . Pa.
Into Zeta Psi—George M. Ridley, of
St. Louis, Mo.
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