In all of the blazing heat of a June afternoon, with flags flying, and confetti filling the air, Harvard once again gathers her brood about the maternal nest. With all the tradition and pomp accumulated through the centuries of a glorious past, the graduates old and new congregate to celebrate once again those four years of glowing life that Harvard has given to them. And all of the glitter and festivity, in spite of the fact that it is merely a passing show, reflects the spirit of appreciation that exists in those men whose true education began here.

In spite of the rationalization and coldness that is used to puncture this brilliant bubble, there is a romance and even sentimentality about Class Day that is as real as the coldest facts. The Tree Oration with its beginning back in the glowing days of the "Rebelliad" is a vital part of the living Harvard tradition. The solemn planting of the ivy is the final mark of the Class of 1930 as it was of the classes of centuries before. About it all there is the mellow color that comes from the enriching touch of age.

And then there is the spread which antedates the famous ban on "plum cake" in 1639. The present has inherited all of this zest and feeling of an institution that harks back to the beginnings of Harvard. Yet all of this is mere froth, brilliant colors and empty noise. But behind it there is a meaning, and a very substantial tradition. It is the pageant of the unforgettable past.