1903-04 Volume 28 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

128 THE SCROLL.acquaintance and gaining new friends. The annual gleeclub concert in John Crouse College always draws a largecrowd and is one of the university functions. The variousplays and benefits given by the different departments presentan opportunity for joining pleasure with duty.There are two old customs of Syracuse of peculiar interestto all who have been, or will be, freshmen in this university.These are 'Flour Night' and the 'Salt Rush.'The night preceding opening day of college is 'FlourNight.' On this occasion the sophomores, loaded downwith small bags of flour, and in many cases lamp black, assemblein a body in the vicinity of Walnut Park, which facesthe campus. The freshmen, coached by the juniors, congregatenear Oakwood cemetery, about a quarter of a mileaway. After the ranks of both have been filled, each takesup its line of march, meeting at the edge of the campus.When the forces are about forty yards apart they are instructedin tactics by the seniors and juniors. The word'go' being given, two masses are hurled on each other onlyto be hidden from view by a cloud of flour, mixed withlamp black, floating through the air. Good-natured strugglesand wrestling matches galore are indulged in, whileeach class is trying its best to push back the other. Thescene is full of interest, and a large crowd from the cityand university is on hand to watch the participants. Aftera half hour of struggling, an upper classman could not distinguishhis most intimate friend in the yelling, pushing,panting crowd. When one side has shown its superiority,the rush is called off by the seniors. The freshmen thenjoin hands, file after file, and march around the streets pastthe fraternity houses in the vicinity of the campus. Finally,rallying around their leader on the campus, they give theirsong and yell for the first time, and then depart, probablywith faces as black as the night which surrounds them.The 'Salt Rush' takes place the next morning immediatelyafter the first chapel. The sophomores do not attendthe opening exercises in John Crouse College, but assembleoutside, each having an abundant supply of salt bags. Afterthe exercises are over and all others have departed fromJohn Crouse College, the freshmen, who are dressed in theirmost antique clothes, line up, each having a paint mark puton his face by which his newly-found confederates maydistinguish him in the rush. When the 'freshies' appear