Rutland Herald

From the Boston Daily Times,

TRAINING AMONG THE STUDENTS OF BOWDOIN COLLEGE.

The following capital account of the manner the Collegians "do up" their "muster" at Brunswick, has been furnished us by a friend. The scenes must have been truly laughable. It equalled no doubt the New York "Fancy Dress." The "scrape" alluded to in the first paragraph is "not slow."

"We have had some glorious scrapes here since I wrote you last-some most brilliant, glorious and ever to-be-remembered scrape. To take them up in chronological order, the night preceding Fast was commemorated in a style worthy of the Sophomore class and of Bowdoin. It would have done your soul good to have been here. You know it has always been the custom to have some kind of a celebration on that night, and there has ever been a contention between the government and the students about it. Last Fast night, the way we rowed it into the government wasn't slow. A pail full of combustibles was set on fire and hung down from the top of the College by a wire so as to blaze directly off against Prof. P.'s window. The shutters were then fastened, and there it blazed away sending up volumes of flame and black smoke against the Professor's window. It was full of tar, powder, spirits of turpentine, etc. so that it was not put out in water. Two tar barrels were burned, one before and one behind the college, and in the midst of all this fire, the walls of Maine Hall were blown up by powder! I mean there was an attempt to blow them up; though with only partial success. But the explosion was sublime, and the wall fell next day. Such a night Bowdoin never saw. The government were put down, the students were gloriously triumphant. I wish I had time to tell you the history of the whole matter-how fellows at dead of night stole two tar barrels from the river's bank, hid them in the woods till the time of need arrived, and then at the risk of being discovered, brought them to the college and applied the torch. But I have a more glorious tale to tell you, the story of a more brilliant exploit-an exploit which has raised the fame of Bowdoin to the stars, and shocked Brunswick to the centre. Let me mend my pen and get breath.

"You must know that in accordance with a law lately passed by a miserable legislature, the students were obliged to train. So every student in college was warned. We next met and passed a vote to make the affair a burlesque. Last Tuesday was the day appointed, and I wish the legislature, and in fact the whole world could have seen the display. The medical students were warned also. Brains were racked, ingenuity was taxed to invent and make the most ridiculous costumes. Some fellows were at work a week to equip themselves. Monday night a flag four foot long with BELLUM printed on it in huge capitals, was hoisted above the vane of the Meeting house. Such an exploit was almost unheard of, and caused great excitement in town. Some fellows must have ascended the tower of the meeting house by means of the lightning rod, bearing with them a huge pole with this flag, and in the darkness of the night nailed this pole to the spire. I trembled to think of it. And there it floated proudly to the blowing breeze and wondered by the whole town, and giving them some faint idea of what was to follow. A flag was also at the same time hung on the spire of the chapel, and one also on the college.

At 1 o'clock the forces mustered in the college yard. Who can describe it? Take your imagination, stretch it as much as you may, you can never call to your mind such a spectacle. One hundred and sixty fellows dressed in the most fantastical manner. No one was regularly equipped. Some wore drawers, some shirts, some wore their clothes wrong side out and bedizened them with ribbons but I can't begin to describe it, it's no use. We hallooed at each other. Some had mustaches as long as your arm, and joke of a wooden leg or something. And such hats! None three feet high on head. I tarred my cap eating side out, trimmed it with paper, took my two sets into my boots, ate the oldest looking old hat I could find, and armed myself with a fire poker. We had previously chosen out a captain, and forming into platoons of ten each we marched down the aisles accompanied by the Pas san and the Pasdowdy band. All the men, women, and children turned out to see it. Some passengers who came out in the stage, hearing of what was going on, stopped to see the show. But I must not forget to mention one of the most important things-the banners. These are not done. We have some artists in college, and they did their best skill. I must give you a very brief account of them. The freshman banner had a picture of one nearly as large as life with the words, 'The sagamore who made the law!' Ours was a picture of Death and Victory with a Latin motto. The juniors had a dog as large as life running at full speed, and an officer in full uniform riding behind, and pulling on his tail, with the motto. 'Bowdoin's fast heat.' The medical banner was a huge skeleton with 'Magos est medicina et prevalebit.' That of the band which was carried by quite young and not bugging so flags usually are, was a most hand picture of a devil fiddling, with a motto from Burns.-'The devil cam fiddlin' thro' the town.' We had splendid music-but also a band of tin horns and conks, which horribly with the regular music sent in a quite deafening and discordant roar. In this way we marched through the town under the command of S--, medic who has been at West Point. What excitement meeting there in town! When we went on to the parade ground to join the regular company, the tin horns set up their shout, the regular soldiers slunk away, the captain trembled on the right, men roared and shrieked 'What on the rail we call.' Of the whole company of motley hare, with a yell of thunder. The captain did go in to make to Pow. But when our commanders gave the word, we again gathered in platoons, and the marched over the bridge to Topsham and all through it. I cannot guess how great ideas of the life."