The people standing up to go cannot go, but stay and watch them,
these thousand children of many ages, this marvellous show of
light-heartedness and loyalty. Till at last the costumes drift
together in platoons and disappear slowly; and the crowd thins
and the last and most stirring act of the commencement-day drama
is at hand.
It has come to be an institution that after the game the old
graduates should go, class by class, to the house of the president
of Yale, to renew allegiance. It has come to be an institution
that he, standing on the steps of his house, should make a short
speech to each class. The rainbow of men, sweeping gloriously
down the city streets with their bands, dissolves into a whirlwind
at the sight of that well-known, slight, dignified figure on the
doorstep of the modest house--this is a thing which one who has
seen it does not forget; the three-minute speeches, each apt to
its audience, each pointed with a dart straight to the heart of
class pride and sentiment, these are a marvel. Few men living
could come out of a such a test creditably; only this master of
men and of boys could do it as he does. For each class goes away
confident that the president at least shares its conviction that
it is the best class ever graduated.
Pages:
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49