During their four years here the members of the Class of 1916 witnessed the creation of a modern Harvard and a modern world.

Under the direction of President a. Lawrence Lowell '77, Harvard began to transform itself from a provincial to a national unversity and as the members of the Class of 1916 registered as freshmen in September, 1912 the signs of Lowell's administration were evident.

All of the books in Gore Hall, the old College library, were being moved to Massachusetts Hall and Randall Hall for storage during the construction of the multi-million volume Harry Elkins Widener Library. And in October contractors demolished a number of old buildings along Boylston St. and the Charles River to make room for four freshmen dormitories. A few alumni felt that the dormitories, which would be equipped with their own dining rooms and common rooms, would stifle what they called "Harvard Individuality."

They, of course, preferred the existing system which left housing and eating arrangements to the individual students. The College maintained only a few dormitories--those in the Yard which were primarily for seniors, and there were only one or two others around Harvard Square. Students took their meals either in clubs or restaurants. The Union and Memorial Hall were the largest of the eating associations. Memorial which allowed its members to organize themselves into club tables provided weekly board for $5.25. Two of the more popular restaurants were the Epicure Dining Room and Holt's Cafeteria, both on Dunster St.

Presidential Politics

While the CRIMSON warned the freshmen to avoid "class politics," it also remarked that "it is one of the prime duties of every college man to become well versed in the great questions confronting this nation today and by so doing to fit himself to meet those questions squarely." Shortly afterwards committees were formed to work for the three major presidntial candidates, President Taft, Theodore Roosevelt '80 and Governor Woodrow Wilson.

A College-wide straw ballot gave Woodrow Wilson 920 votes, Theodore Roosevelt 739 and President Taft 732. On election night students gathered in which received them from a Naval Broadcasting station.

Grays 10 to hear the election results broadcast by the Harvard Wireless Club

The Freshman football team under Captain Edward W. Mahan ended a 7-0-0 season by defeating Yale 18 to 17 on Saturday, November 16, 1912. The CRIMSON said "the game will be remembered for the remarkable recovery of the Freshmen and their victory in the face of almost impossible odds. It was an uphill game from start to finish."

The New Haven Railroad ran the "Harvard Limited" and the Boston and Albany ran the "Crimson Special" to carry students down to New Haven for the varsity football game which Harvard won 20 to 0.

A survey of American colleges and universities failed to reveal whether or not Harvard was second best then also, but it indicated that Harvard, with a total enrollment of 4187, was the fifth largest university in America. Columbia's enrollment of 10,000 made it the largest. Yale was eleventh.

Christmas on Quincy St.

On Christmas Eve President Lowell opened his new house on Quincy St. with a reception for students who were staying in Cambridge over the Christmas holidays. Harvard's Christmas vacation extended from only December 23 to January 2, which was apparently enough time for most students to travel to their homes. But Lowell enacted his policy of nationalization quickly, and soon many more students were travelling further and further to come to Harvard. Christmas 1912 was the last year in which there were no complaints about the brevity of the recess.

In January the Federation of Harvard Territorial Clubs took up offices in the Union. The federation was made up of the Harvard Clubs of Minnesota, Pennsylvania. The Cotton Belt States, Brooklyn, Buffalo and Chicago. Lowell asked the assistance of the clubs in bringing "men from all over the country to Harvard and to take Harvard to them." Lowell outlined a new entrance examination designed to make Harvard more acessible to public school students from the south and west, and a Harvard Club scholarship program to make attendence at Harvard feasible for many more deserving students.

Widener and HUP