EVOLUTION OF JUBILEE SHOWS CULTURAL DECLINE FROM TEA PARTY TO RIOT OF JAZZ

Like the famous old gray mare, the Freshman Jubilee, the paramount social event of every first year class, is not what is used to be in the days of its origin. When the Class of 1931 gathers in the Smith Hall quadrangle the latter part of May for its festivities, it will celebrate in an entirely different manner from the Class of 1918, the pioneer in Freshman Jubilees. For during the 13 years which have elapsed since the initial Jubilee, the function has evolved from a semi-concert for the entertainment of fond parents and relatives to a typical jazz frolic beneath multicolored lights to the tune of modern syncopation.

Back in 1915 the first Freshman Jubilee was held in order that the enthusiastic male choruses of Gore, Standish, and Smith Halls might vent their vocal jubilation for the benefit of mothers, sisters, and other relatives. The affair' was aesthetic in every sense. First, the Freshman orchestra would play "Nearer My God to Thee' and then a ripple of applause would ensue from the spectators seated at the tables in the quadrangle. After a buffet supper, the interdormitory singing contest came. Standish Hall won the first contest and received the handsome silver trophy from President Lowell. After the singing the younger guests danced until 12 o'clock. All this entertainment was to be had for $1.

Rain--The Enemy Of The Jubilee

Rain was the uninvited guest at the second Jubilee. It did not dampen the enthusiasm of the guests or the vocalists. About 600 guests were on hand, and most of them were soaked. The quadrangle was kaleidoscopic with brilliant lanterns and gay banners, and all students who had rooms on the quadrangle were ordered to light their lights at dark. The hits of the evening were a rendition of "Daddy Longlegs," a Hawaiian trio composed of J. A. Patterson '19, B. A. Jenkins '19, and H. H. Pell '19, and the "Anvil Chorus" of the Freshman Glee Club. Smith Halls won the interdormitory singing laurels.

In 1917 college life was radically upset by the war hysteria which swept the country and the Class of 1920 did not see fit to hold the song and dance celebration. In 1918 the class of 1921 put the affair on its feet once more with Smith Halls again proving its vocal supremacy. However, it remained for the Class of 1922 to make momentous changes in the Jubilee complex and increase the tempo.

Syncopation de Luxe

The 1919 Jubilee was managed and conducted on a larger scale than the three preceding ones. It was held on June 2 and received a great deal of publicity because of the fact that the Class of 1922 engaged two prominent orchestras to play. Bert Lowe from Boston and Market from New York were on hand with their jazzy post-war syncopators and furnished the inspiration. The interdormitory singing contest again featured the evening, but the dance craze had begun and no longer was the Jubilee primarily for relatives and music-lovers.

In 1920 the Jubilee ran into dire difficulties. Dr. A. T. Davison '06 accused the three major dormitories of a lack of interest in singing and for a while the fate of the affair hung by a thread, showing how much the Jubilee depended upon its musical aspects for favor with the authorities. Gore Hall especially was accused of indifference, but it must have speedily organized a group of singers for it came to the fore and won the silver cup that year. Its submission enabled the Jubilee to be held that year on Wednesday, June 2. The famous traditional white flannels and dark coats were innovated as le dernier cri for the well-dressed man at the Jubilee.

From 1917 to 1925, it might be well to point out here, one of the outstanding events connected with the annual Jubilee was the awarding of the Sophomore Class Memorial Scholarship of $400 to the Freshman who had made the most progress in athletics, extra-curriculum activities, and studies since entering College. The award was initiated by the Class of 1919 in the year 1917 when the Jubilee was not held but thereafter it was one of the high-lights of the celebration. The winner became the hero of the hour when called forth to receive the plaudits of his classmates and their feminine guests. For some unknown reason, the Class of 1928 failed to confer the coveted prize upon any member of 1929 and the custom fell into desuetude.

The most notable thing in connection with the Jubilee held in 1921 by the class of 1924 was the late hour at which it terminated. Not until 3 o'clock did the strains of jazz diminish in the vicinity of the quadrangle and the lights go out. Gore had succeeded in convincing the judges that its vocalists were the better of the interdormitory singers. Next year the class of 1925 again celebrated until the matutinal hour of 3 o'clock, and furthermore supplemented its Jubilee with five acts of vaudeville from the Keith Circuit. No longer was the Jubilee the haunt of fond parents and music-lovers. The 1922 affair was a riot of color and gaiety, in fact so gay that the subsequent celebrations have been considerably altered.

From 1923 on the Jubilee continued to decline from a cultural afternoon concert to a typical jazz party for the first year men and their prom-trotting friends. The dormitory singers continued to compete, but they attracted less and less attention. At the Jubilee of the class of 1927 in 1924, red, yellow, and green lanterns, music, laughter, and one of the largest crowds of merry-makers on record detracted from the effectiveness of the winning Smith Halls chorus. In 1925 the singers attracted even less interest, and the class of 1929 saw them fade from the picture at the same time the Memorial Scholarship award was discontinued. A new era dawned for the Jubilee. It became a dance, no more