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About Yale Alumni Magazine | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1897)
HARVARD'S CREW. Something About the Men Selected by Mr. Lehmann. —— Cambridge, Mass., June 5.—The Uni- versity crew which will represent Har- vard in the race with Cornell and Yale June 25 has been finally selected by Mr. Lehmann, and no further change in the makeup or order will be made unless the condition of the men requires it. The crew is made up as follows: Stroke, BE. A. Boardman; 7, D. M. Goodrich; 6, J. F. Perkins; 5, J. H. Perkins; 4, A. A. Sprague; 8, E. N. Wrightington; 2, Cc. Thomson; bow, E. J. Marvin. Be- sides these, four substitutes will be taken to Poughkeepsie. The substitutes were selected from the College crew, and are S. Hollister, C. C. Bull, B. H. Whitbeck and C. H. McDuffie. The long season of training on the Charles concluded on Tuesday, when the University and Freshman crews gave an exhibition row in the basin in front of the Tniversity Boat House. A large body of students had collected to cheer the oarsmen and witness the final practice. The form shown by the crews won much commendation. The water was somewhat rough, but the men rowed well and without splash- ing. The crews left the following after- noon for Poughkeepsie and were en- thusiastically cheered on their depart- ure from Harvard Square. Mr. Leh- mann accompanied the oarsmen. The launch, John Harvard, and the shells - were sent by rail. During the season the candidates have worked hard, and they will begin the final weeks of prepara- tion at Poughkeepsie with a good preliminary training and. plenty of endurance. The work of the crew has not been hindered this Sprnig, as for two years past, by the poor condi- tion of the men. There has been no sickness, and, with the exception of the interval that J. H. Perkins was out of the boat with: a strained muscle in his side, there has been little need for substitutes. Since the shaking up of the crew the middle of last month, there has been a steady improvement in the pace of the boat. The change in the stroke made at that time was made with much hesi- itation, but. the showing since has dem- onstrated its advisability. J. F. Per- kins, who had stroked the crew since Coach Lehmann’s return from Eng- land, pulled a long, steady oar, but there was a lack of life and snap which made the whole crew heavy and slow in their movements. Boardman, the new stroke, set the pace for his F'resh- man crew. which won the class races last year in record time. Last Fall he stroked the ‘First Trinity’? boat in the trial eights. During the early Spring he rowed with the University, but upon Lehmann’s return, being considered light and lacking in endurance, he was sent down to his class boat. It was largely owing to the excellent stroke he maintained in the class races this Spring that the Sophomore crew won so handily. His ability for two miles has been repeatedly demonstrated. Whether he can stand the strain and punish- ment of a four-mile pull remains to be proven. The stroke at present is fully as long as before, and has the requi- site vigor and lively cadence to keep the crew up to their work. Captain Goodrich sits at No. 7, and his work throughout the season has had Mr. Lehmann’s hearty approval. He carries the stroke to the starboard side of the boat with great precision, and there is no variation in the time of the starboard and port oars. He is a con- scientious worker, and pulls a_ long stroke of considerable power. When J. F. Perkins dropped the stroke oar, he took Thomson’s seat at No. 6, the latter replacing Bull at No. 2. Perkins is long limbed and_ rather heavy, and the change to No. 6 has distributed the weight in the boat to better advantage. His reach and pow- erful body swing are as effective as in his former position, and Mr. WLeh- mann regards him as one of the most promising oarsmen he has ever had. J. H. Perkins, the brother of J. i | ee has had training in the University boat before this year, and his return to his place is a great relief to Mr. Lehmann, as his place had been poorly filled by Donald and Wrightington. He is the heaviest, and, with the possible excep- tion of Sprague, the strongest man in the boat. He has had no trouble from his strained side since his return, and seems to be a fixture. At No. 4 Sprague is another veteran, having rowed at Poughkeepsie last June. His style is not graceful, and he is heavy with his har ds, but has made steady improvement under Mr. Teh- mann’s direction, and pulls the stroke clear through, no matter how fast the pac.e There is great power in his oar, and his endurance seems unlimited. TALE ALUMNI Wrightington, of football fame, sits at No. 8. He. was short for No. 6, where he previously rowed, but fills his present place very acceptably. He has plenty of grit, and an effectual, although by no means a finished oar. Thomson, at No. 2, is an indefatigable worker, and is doing much better now than when he rowed in Perkins’ pres- ent place at No. 6. He has an easy style, and did well on his Freshman crew last year. The bow oar has been entrusted to Marvin for the past four weeks. He is light, but has had considerable row- ing experience, having been on four- oared crews at New York before enter- ing college. His blade work is excel- lent, and he is quick in his movements. The crew as a whole is of average weight, and all are six-footers except Wrightington, Boardman and Thomson. The watermanship is good, the oars. going in and out of the water cleanly, and the shell travels smoothly through the water on an even keel. The eight is not as powerful as some crews that have previously represented Harvard, but it knows more about rowing. Mr. Lehmann believes in plenty of work, and finds that athletes will stand more in this climate than in England. The crew has rowed on time frequently, and has had daily races with the College | crew. The new Webb shell was used two weeks ago, for the first time. It is stiff and fairly light, and has given general satisfaction. It will be used regularly from now on, as the new Clasper shell proved somewhat light. The crew occupy their last year’s quarters at Crum Elbow, three miles above Poughkeepsie, on the west side of the river. J. WESTON ALLEN. ——<$<—$$ The Sheff. Senior Class Book. The Ninety-seven Sheff. Class Book appeared Wednesday and is as much of a success as the innovation intro- duced by the Committee in charge last year. The Ninety-seven Committee is E. A. Bredt, Chairman; A. F. Barnes, C. M. Chester, and R. C. Lanphier. The size, shape and general appearance of this issue is very similar to that of the Ninety-six book. It is dedicated to Prof. A. Guyot Cameron. The frontis- piece is a half-tone of the Class on North Sheffield steps. After this the usual list of class officers and individ- ual histories with accompanying “Rait- ~~ tones follow. The histories of Fresh- man, Junior and Senior years are writ- ten by C. W. Beers, W. Scott Cameron, and J. J. Miller respectively. EDWARD CARTER PERKINS, ’98, Captain Yale Track Team. _ In the educational history, Andover is credited with preparing twenty-two men, the largest number from any one school. The reasons for preferring a Scientific course is almost invariably “disinclination for Latin and’ Greek.’ Many preferred ‘Sheff.” as it fitted them better for their intended profes- Sion. Although cribbing was con- demned, the honor system of exam- iInations was not endorsed. Junior year is considered the hardest, and Fresh- man year both the easiest and most disagreeable, Senior year is almost unanimously voted the pleasantest. Ten members of the class were on University teams. POLAT Y 5. “Social,” ‘‘Musical,’* “Re- ligious,” ‘Financial’ and “Political” Sketches fill the balance of the book together with miscellaneous nicknames and the Class census. In the latter section John Walter Best, of Denver Col., was elected the most popular, most versatile, most likely to succeed, and most to be admired; Edson Allen Hoffman of Frankfort, Ky., the bright- est; -Harold Willis Letton of Chicago, Wen KLY Iil., the best athlete, and George Lang- ford of St. Paul, Minn., the “most prominent.”’ Professor W. F. Brewer gets the vote for being the broadest minded instruc- tor. Professor Cameron is voted the most polished, most popular, brightest, neatest and pleasantest; Professor A. S. Wheeler is called the best teacher, most difficult to recite to, hardest to bluff, most rattling, most eccentric and grouchiest. —---- ~90@ FOR CHEERING REFORM. A Seventy-Four Man Attacks Present Customs Vigorously. June 6, 1897. To the Editor of the Yale Alumni Weekly, Sir:— As a Yale man and a keen lover of fair sport, I wish to protest in the most vigorous way against the custom of organized cheering during the progress of ball games, and to ask your aid in giving a quietus to this most ungentle- manly proceeding. During the last week I have given myself the unusual pleasure of seeing two fine ball games. The Harvard-Princeton game was a splendid battle of two expert pitchers, while the game of yesterday, unequalled and never to be forgotten contest, that it was, with its heavy batting and dra- matic finale, will always, I am sure, live in the memory of the fortunate spectators, as the greatest game they ever saw or ever expect to see. But on both occasions my enjoy- ment and that of many others, was greatly lessened by the blatant, deaf- ening howls of the spectators to win the victory by superior lung power rather than by playing baseball. On Tuesday I went out in an impartial spirit, desiring to see the best nine win, but I am free to say that the per- sistent howling of the Princeton sup- porters without discrimination and without reference to good or bad plays, alienated all sympathy for their side, and I regretted their victory, although I feel that they probably have the strongest of the leading college nines. That, in my opinion, was the reason why in the last three innings the Yale: crowd applauded to some degree the Harvard nine. Yesterday there was a repetition of this same discreditable custom on both sides. With nine Yale _ vociferators leading their side, and three Princeton men leading theirs, the public had to endure a pandemonium of noise, so that the average spectator who wished to see good sport in peace must say in disgust, “A plague on both your houses.”’ No fair minded person can object to genuine and spontaneous applause, such as greeted the Princeton hard hit- ter, whose two-bagger to right field gave her the lead, or that whirlwind of delight, when a stripline Freshman, standing with but one strike between him and defeat for the Blue, pounded the ball to the boundary, and in very truth wrested victory from the jaws of the Tiger. This can be easily dis- tinguished from the organized cheering, that is deliberately manufactured dur- ing the progress of an inning. Its ap- parent purpose is to break up the other side, as was loudly avowed yesterday by a vociferator, when as he called for a cheer, said, ‘‘Now, fellows, let’s win the game right here.’’ The custom has become a scandal and a disgrace to American amateur sportsmanship. The English lead the world in their fondness for outdoor sport, but in the six great. cricket games which I have seen at Lord’s in London, spirited contests they were, there was absolutely nothing of the kind. In the name of gentlemanly honor, let all college graduates and undergraduates unite in putting an end to this custom. There must be many old fashioned people like myself, who think that a ball game should be won by the player and not by the specta- tors. Public opinion can easily ac- complish this reform if it so desires. If crowds must show their loyalty by organized shouting, then let it be done while the players are changing their positions. It should not be allowed for a minute after the first ball is pitched in each half inning. I should like also to see the umpire authorized to.delay the game for five minutes or more, whenever there is any attempt By organized cheering during the actual play. I think it quite likely that a Yale crowd is as bad as or worse than other college crowds in this respect, and I hope to see the reform of this vicious practice begin right here in New Ha- ven and at once. As a loyal Yalensian, I should be proud to be-able to say that the reform which swept away this practice began with Yale men. GEORGE L. FOX. Richard Roe’s Complaint. (Waterbury American.) A correspondent, who signs himself ‘Richard Roe,” a graduate of Columbia college, raises a curious plaint about the conditions of college life in that in- stitution in the columns of the New York “Evening Post.”’ Among his classmates, he says, there was a certain “John Doe,” “to whom I was then ‘Dick’ and he was ‘Jack.’” Since graduating the two have seen lit- tle of each other, but nothing has aris- en to cause a coolness between them. He thus continues: “My old friend and classmate above referred to, is at present acting, on be- half of the alumni of the College—or rather the University now—to solicit and receive subscriptions to a certain object which need not. be specified. What I am driving at is this: He ad- dresses me—not as “Dick,’’ as of old— not even as “Roe,” but as “My dear Mr. Roe!’’And the case is by no means an exceptional one. It is a sample of what is an altogether common experi- ence. And I want to ask: How is it possible for a Columbia alumnus to feel toward his alma mater as_ the alumni of Yale and Harvard, for in- stance, feel toward theirs, respectively, when he finds that, after graduating, he is be-mistered by the old frineds of his own class.” . Correspondent Roe hopes that when the dormitory system is carried out at Columbia and other proposed changes are made, there will be closer college friendships among students than there are to-day and also a greater affection for their Alma Mater. He adds: “Friendships formed in Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other colleges I could name generally prove lasting; and when Columbia’s system shall have be- come more like theirs, the friendships formed in her will be (what they gen- erally are not now) lasting also; and her alumni with means will feel dis- posed to be much more liberal towards her than, as a rule, thy have ever been heretofore.”’ We do not believe, for our own part, that the consummation so devoutly wished by Richard Roe will be brought about by a dormitory system or by other minor changes. The fact that Columbia students do not form as close attachments as students at Har- vard or Yale is due to conditions of situation which no changes can alter. It is natural enough for a New York boy, who lives at home and merely at- tends recitations at Columbia to feel very differently toward that institu- tion from the way in which a Harvard or Yale man feels, to whom Cambridge or New Haven are genuine homes while in college. To live in New York and to attend recitations at Columbia is simply to continue the same system which a New York boy follows when he goes to school. There is none of that breaking off of old ties and that forming of new associations which constitute so valuable a part, perhaps the most valuable part, of college life under ordinary conditions. New York boys may. go out to Morningside Heights, after the new Columbia col- lege buildings are built and live in dormitories there, but they will be so close to their own homes, be so com- pletely in touch with the social infiu- ences of their own families, that this will, after all, be merely playing at col- lege life. The same disadvantage of which Richard Roe complains at Columbia obtains at Harvard as compared with Yale in a lesser degree. It is a well known fact that the feeling of cama- raderie is not half so strong at Har- vard as at Yale. This is largely be- cause Boston is so near Cambridge, and Harvard students, naturally form associations on the lines of their Bos- ton status and not on the lines of stu- dent life. —_++—__—_- Mr. Robert P. Wakeman, of South- port, Ct., is compiling a History of the Wakeman family, in England and _ in this country. All descendants of the family, either direct or collateral, are reauested to communicate with him at once in order that all missing lines may be completed, thus insuring an early publication of the book. —_—_—_~++—__———- In the College Pulpit. The list of preachers in the College Chapel for the remainder of the College term is as follows: June 18—Rev. George Alexander, D. D.. New York. - June 20—Rev. W. B. Wright, D. D., of Buffalo. June 27—Baccalaureate Sermon, by President Dwight.
