THE present Freshman class is so large that if it forms in a single ring, during the Class-Day exercises about the tree, it will interfere with the seats erected for the ladies. At the same time, if a single class were permitted to form two rings, and to occupy two fifths instead of one fourth of the attention of the assembled company, a distinction utterly inconsistent with the democratic principles of the community would be made in its favor. The Class-Day Committee, therefore, finding themselves in a dilemma of which neither horn promises to afford general satisfaction, have been considering the expediency of altogether excluding the Freshmen from the exercises.

This would thoroughly alter the old character of this part of the Class-Day programme. At the exercises about the tree all the undergraduates assembled for the first and last time. They ran about; fought for hats, caps, canes, and flowers; knocked each other down; cheered for pretty much everything that the Chief Marshal could think of; and finally separated with feelings of triumph or of rage, as they carried away trophies or bruises. Among the participants in this annual rush, the Freshmen have always been prominent. Their youthful enthusiasm has led them to run about, and to fight, and to cheer with an ardor which left the other classes far behind. And if the Freshmen are excluded this year the exercises will lose half their point and half their spirit. It would seem, then, very undesirable to exclude them; and the exclusion might easily be avoided by a less fundamental change in the character of the exercises. The rush, in fact, might be abolished. The four classes might gather and cheer each other to their hearts' content; the union of the students might be as strong as ever; while the rushing rings, the bad hats, the squabbles, and the trophies of old Class Day might be allowed to lapse with mock parts, required studies, and class feeling into the memories of the past.