Tradition Falls Before Carpenter and Plasterer in Hollis and Matthews Halls-Yard Is Wrecked by Tunneling Devices

The old atmosphere of tradition that used to pervade the confines of Hollis and Matthews Halls has now been dispelled in favor of a modern one. For during the summer, these two old dormitories have been the victims of the carpenter's hammer and the plasterer's tools, in the University's campaign to amelio-rate the living conditions of the students. The process of renovation has been thorough. New hardwood floors, a feature of the remodeling program, have replaced the worn boards that used to creak with the footsteps of the great. Steel staircases have been installed in place of their noisy wooden predecessors, and this step is expected to do much towards eliminating the old "firetrap" hazard. To the students living in these halls, the improvement is decidedly welcome. For "the old order changeth, yielding place to new," and where 1927 sat amidst the reeking traditions of its predecessors, 1928 will enjoy the comforts of a modern hotel.

Not only have the buildings been subjected to the processes of reconstruction but the innards of the Yard itself have been searched by all the wracking devices known to heating agencies. Frequent pits disclose the path of the tortuous tunnel which carries heating conduits to new and old buildings.

That the ardent book-worm who mistakes the pits for the subterranean halls of Widener may not be drowned by the accumulated rains of Cambridge, the conduit is drained into a pit back of the New Lecture Hall. Here also is the fork in the tunnel which leads to the Peabody Museum. Traces of all this renovation may be found in sporadic puffs of steam near Memorial Hall and in increased comfort in the altered buildings.