Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1963
tTlic l\rb anb Black
PAGE THREE
MEMBERS OF the 1897 Thaliam boasted the names of some of Georgia's finest
families. Among them were many talented singers, musicians, and comediens.
HMTs—(Hug Me Tights)—were buggies with seats so narrow that couples were
forced to sit close together. HMTs were very popular modes of transportation,
especially at commencement time.
Myrick Relates University's Past
Editor’s Note — This article
is contributed by Shelby My
rick, 8r., of Savannah, Georgia,
an honor graduate of the class
of 1896, Phi Beta Kappa, and a
well known historian. He has
been engaged actively in the
practice of law, being now 8i
years of age. This article will be
followed by other articles of in
terest in the Red and Black,
describing the baseball and foot
ball teams, and track teams of
the University during the years
of 189i through 1897, as well as
an account of the college life of
that era. Other articles will fol
low this quarter.
The years of 1894, 1895, 1896,
and 1897 were filled with Im
portant events which should
prove of great interest to the
students of the University of
Non-Fraternity Club, the mem
bership of which w-as between
sixty and seventy-five students.
Some of the most brilliant and
popular young men in college
belonged to this club.
Publications
Pandora. Red and Rlack, The
Georgian and the University
Engineering Annual.
The issue of Pandora of 1897
was the tenth volume of the
series, the first publication be
ing in 1886.
The Red and Rlack began its
existence in 189 4 and the issues
of 1897 constituted Volume
five. The writer of this article
was Editor-in-Chief from Dec
ember 1896 to April 1897.
Tlie Georgian was a monthly
magazine which was fostered
and published by the Phi Kap-
1963. The era embraced in j P a and Demosthenian Literary
those years witnessed the real
beginning of strong baseball
and football teams. Those were
the days of the horse and bug
gy. Those years were often re
ferred to as the “gay nineties”.
There were no automobiles, no
societies. The first issue ap
peared in December 189 6 and
its staff consisted of the fol
lowing students: J. W. Mason,
Editor-in-Chief, Shelby Myrick,
Editor, Harry Dodd, Exchange
Editor, Clifford M. Walker,
fraternity homes (with but one I Business Manager, H. W. Pea-
exception), only one dormitory coc ' f ’ Assistant Business Man-
—an old building on the camp- j a K e| '- It will be recalled that
us called Yah Hoo, for young Clifford M. Walker was in late
men of only moderate means, Ht e Governor of Georgia. Arti-
no stadium, and, sad to relate, c ' es °t only exceptional liter-
no pretty co-eds. The enroll-, a| y merit, written by the stu
ment of students varied from
450 to 500 as compared to
9,500 in 1963. Just think of
it! What a marvelous growth
and change in seventy years!
This article will describe the
fraternity, the social, the liter
ary life, and other incidents of
college life, of those years.
Fraternities and Student
Organizations
The fraternities were SAE,
Chi Phi, Kappa Alpha, Phi
Delta Theta, Sigma Nu, Delta
Tau Delta, ATO and Chi Pst.
Only Kappa Alpha had a fra
ternity house. Each of the
others had fraternity halls in
the down town section of
Athens, which were sufficient
ly large for dances that were
frequently held especially at
commencement. The Pan Hel
lenic Ball was held every com
mencement, a 11 fraternities
joining in the event. There was
a secret society by the name of
Yukpalti, thriving in '96 and
'97. The initiates were requir
ed to carry around a laige doll
for two weeks everywhere they
went, including class rooms.
There were many students
who did not care to join any of
the fraternities for different
reasons, and had an organiza
tion of their own called the
dents, appeared in this maga-1
zine.
Tlie Tlialians, The University
Mandolin and nanjo (Tub
The Thalians, the popular
dramatic Society, flourished for
years at the University. A pic
ture of the 1897 group is
shown above. There were many
talented singers and musicians
in the organization as well as
fine comedians.
The descendants of this splen
did body of young men can
identify them: Frank K. Bo-
men. The great body of stu
dents either boarded with private
families in Athens or were
lodged In large boarding houses
which the boys called
“ranches.”
Other Incidents of College Life
Oratory prevailed in the liter
ary societies. Elocution was
taught. There were oratorical
contests for the Annlversarlan
in the Phi Kappa and Demos-
thenean Societies. There was a
medal offered for the best ora
tor in the college.
There was only a one-year
law course. When members of
the class received their diplo
mas they walked over to the
Court House and were admit
ted to practice, without exam
ination. The writer of this arti
cle was in the 1897 law class.
Hazing of the freshmen exist
ed. It consisted of two parallel
lines of upper classmen gather
ing at night and requiring cap
tured freshmen to "run the
gauntlet,” that is, these young
boys had to dash between the I
lines and receive a good paddl-1
ing on their backsides. Pity the
fellow who could not run fast!
There was another form of haz- |
ing. Some of the freshmen j
were carried blindfolded out in
dense woods in the evening and i
left alone and then strange j
weird noises were heard which j
usually frightened the poor 1
boys almost out of their senses j
before being rescued.
Many students had their girl
friends up at Lucy Cobb Insti
tute on Milledge Avenue, a
flourishing school for young
ladies. However, the boys
could only see their sweet
hearts when they came down
town in charge of teachers. On
such occasions the college boys
would stand on the corners of
the streets and would often
whistle as the girls passed by.
land, Burton Clarke, Phinizy Th « writer of this article also
Calhoun, Erie Donaldson, John
T. Dennis, Jr., Daniel Hopps,
Manly Peacock, John F. Rid
ley, Albert Thornton, Jr., Wil
liam S. Blun, Grattan Colven,
Lester Culver, John T. Dennis,
Nat E. Harris, Wilson M. Mat
thews, James B. Ridley and
Parish Stuart Smith.
The officers of the Univer
sity Mandolin and Banjo Club
bore the names of well known
Georgia families: Charles H.
Black. President. Phinizy Cal
houn. Musical Director, Nat E.
Harris, Jr., Manager.
Dormitories and
Hoarding Houses
Old Yah Hoo Hall was the
only dormitory and did not af
ford room but for few young
had his girl friend at Lucy
Cobb. While Editor-In-Chief of
the Red and Itlack he conceiv
ed the idea of appointing her
as an associate editor with the
permission of the Principal of
the School. This permission al
so included the right of the
Editor-In-Chief to go up to the
Institute one night a week and
confer with this young lady.
He observed, however, that he
and she were always placed In
a room where there were only
straight back chairs and no
sofa. Your writer, however, was
at times faced with a problem.
His girl friend had a twin sis-
| ter and several times there was
a switch on him. They were of
; course, very much alike in
i looks and dress, but he had a
way of telling them apart and
was not fooled. Young ladies of
the University reading this ar
ticle, guess how he could tell?
At commencement the stu
dents who could afford it en
gaged a horse and buggy for
the week in order to carry their
sweethearts for a drive every
afternoon. The seats of the
buggies were so narrow that
they were called HMTs—(hug
me tights). There was a cer
tain young man who was very
broad and so was his girl. Their
problem was solved by having
u livery stable keeper place an
extra wide seat on the buggy
In question.
Another student of the Uni
versity was so enamoured of
his Lucy Cobb sweetheart that
he attended the church where
she was accustomed to go each
Sunday. It was told on him that
on a communion Sunday, when
she went to the communion
table, he also went and knelt
beside her. When the wine cup
was passed to him, he became
so excited that he emptied the
cup, much to the consternation
of the Minister. It is needless
to record that this student
never appeared at that church
I again.
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15 Pieces, Rolls and Gravy—Free Choice of
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3-50
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3 Pieces, Potatoes and Gravy, Slaw and
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87c
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