THE PONY BALLET

Hiding one's light under a bushel, or rather under a wig, is all too rare in these unromatic and self-assertive days. The modesty of the young Haverford senior who, overburdened with honors, attired himself as a girl and attended his commencement incognito is therefore, very pleasing. He allowed his class poem to be read by a substitute while he received his degree as well as certain prizes and eulogies "in absentia," smiling appreciatively from his inconspicuous seat in the auditorium like any gushing maiden.

The expression which this becoming action took is not without a body of precedent. History records that certain men, variously disguised, have attended their own funerals or ironically watched a "double" substituting as bridegroom. Similarly romance never wearies of the old theme of lovers masquerading under the habiliments of the opposite sex. Even Achilles, before he was old enough to assumes a title role in the Trojan War, spent an undetected, if precarious youth among the princesses in the royal megaron. The chronicles of every age, indeed, narrate the successes of those who have effected such impersonations.

With these in mind, it is appalling to consider the modern possibilities disclosed by the Harverford senior's intrigue. Perhaps at the next commencement, the president of his alma mater, dreading to be the cynosure of all eyes, may peek in attired as a goody, while he confers by proxy upon the perturbed candidates their various degrees. The loop-hole of escape may even be adopted in higher circles. The President of the United States in subsequent inaugurations may take his oath of office "in absentia," 'while he attends the function as a girl scout. Surely the harassed Haverford gentleman has opened alternatives to admiring attention, which can only result in the most undignified and grotesque situations.