An old custom long honored at Princeton is the compilation of senior statistics. Before leaving Nassau each class commits itself upon such vital questions as: "Who is the best dressed man in the class? Who thinks he is? Who has the finest legs?"
This ancient tradition has a much broader aim, however, than the mere cataloguing of peculiarities, that is, individual peculiarities. It aims to give in a few striking details a bird's eye view of the entire class as revealed in its most characteristic likes and dislikes. Here are some of the results, quoted from the Princeton Alumni Weekly, which show what four years of college have done for the Class of 1925:
"Highest honor in college, Phi Beta Kappa; most respected extra-curricular activity, Princetonian; favorite professor, McClellan; favorite preceptor, Nylander; favorite coach, Fitzpatrick; favorite dormitory, '79; favorite sport to watch, football; favorite sport to play, tennis; favorite novel, "Tom Jones"; favorite poem, "If"; favorite play, "Cyrano de Bergerac"; favorite movie, "The Woman of Paris"; favorite fiction writer, "Day" Edgar; favorite artist, Coles Phillips; favorite poet, Byron; worst poet, "Helz-Belz"; favorite newspaper, New York Times; favorite magazine, Saturday Evening Post.
"Favorite dramatist, Shakespeare; favorite stage actress, Jane Cowl; favorite stage actor, John Barrymore; favorite movie actress, Norma Shearer; favorite movie actor, Adolphe Menjon; favorite amusement, bridge; favorite automobile, Packard; favorite style of beauty, brunette; favorite girl's name, Mary; favorite man's name, Robert; favorite color of eyes, blue; favorite cigarette, Lucky Strike; favorite cigar, Corona; favorite tobacco, Blue Boar; favorite study, history; favorite college department, English; hardest course, History 201; easiest course, Evolution; most valuable course, Biology; favorite college outside of Princeton, Yale; favorite woman's college, Smith.
"In favor of freshman regulations as they exist, no, 164; yes, 150. More strict, 256; less strict, 19."
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