"How deep is the Charles River? What's a good movie to see? When does the next train for Portland leave? When is the tide high this afternoon? How long does it take to drive to Providence? Where are the glass flowers? . . .

These are but a few of the thousands of questions hurled at the 17 red-coated Tercentenary Guides by over 61,000 visitors to Harvard during the summer months.

100,000 Visitors

It is estimated that well over 100,000 persons visited the University, many of them preferring to wander about at leisure on various pilgrimages of self-discovery.

In order to cope with such questions as those mentioned above and also those of a more rational nature, the guides "went to school" for several weeks early in the summer to learn as much as possible about Harvard, past and present. Most of them knew very little. However, with the aid of Samuel Eliot Morison's books on the history of Harvard and the new Harvard Handbook they filled in the gaps.

An Intellectual Body

Ranging in age from 19 to 28, the guides form a seemingly intellectual body. Most of them carried on graduate work during the summer. Two will receive Ph.D's in Fine Arts this year; another joins the faculty this fall. One has been appointed instructor in econofies, and another will travel to Cuba after the celebration to take up a teaching position.

Apparently the red coats enjoyed their work. Being only human, they were often amused by the irrelevant questions asked by the visiting firemen. For a time consternation was thrown into the ranks by the frequent request to see "The Poet's House." It turned out that the inquirers were scarching for the Brattle Street home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, once familiarly addressed by Mark Twain as "Evangeline."