UIHistories Project: A History of the University of Illinois by Kalev Leetaru
N A V I G A T I O N D I G I T A L L I B R A R Y
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Repository: UIHistories Project: Book - History of the University (Nevins) [PAGE 333]

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312

STUDENTS AND STUDENT LIFE

ing to freshmen against participation in hazing on their return, and the succeeding fall the early suspension of a few hazers deterred the men from later outbreaks. Finally, in 1913 the unworthy tradition had dropped almost out of sight. A little later, there seemed to be a waning of interest in even the sack fight, and in 1915 the Alumm Quarterly expressed a general opinion when it compared it to a mattress factory working overtime, and called it childish. There were no mourners when Dean Clark abolished it. As for hazing, the Quarterly then saw it going the way of the charivari: "If any freshman was boneyarded this fall, the splash was pretty feeble. It is doubtful that the old verb haze will ever recover." The same sense that mature students should be above rowdyism was responsible for the decay of athletic celebrations in their old character. At one time they added to something like the spectacular enthusiasm and joy of a political rally no little downright turbulence. The celebration began calmly with a bonfire near the campus, grew fervent in the course of a noisy snakedance downtown, and ended with a mob assault on a local theater for free admission. When town hoodlums encouraged its destructive bent, and the town officials proved excitable, trouble was bound to ensue, following the Iowa game of 1908, for example, the crowd that surged at the theater in Champaign was confronted by an unusually hot-headed mayor. The police attempted to defend the entrance, and as the mayor exhorted them to "shoot to kill," bricks and clubs began to fly«||-.In the affray one of the officers was badly injured, an athlete was arrested and lodged in the Town Hall, and only the timely appearance of the Dean of Men prevented the partial demolition of that structure. The