,February I]1, 1939
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Nine
Grandmaw Tells Of Old J-lHop Nites
But Who Wants
To. Take
Grandmaw?
Campus Jitterbugs Really Got Hot
To Torrid Fourth Infantry Bond
From Down South In Fort Wayne
Grandmaw was telling us tales of the
nineties. "The last of the nineties, just
before the turn of the century; those
were the days. You think your dances
are affairs now. Why then - take, for
instance, J-Hop. Why, I remember--"
We took J-Hop. We looked up in
some old Daily files, to see what the J-
Hops grandmaw went to were like. We
found out, and we're passing it on to
you.
In 1895, 225 couples attended the an-
nual ball, which was held in the large
gymnasium. According to the report in
the Daily, "Red bunting covered the
walls, concealing the dumb bells." Won-
ders if they uncovered them in time to
register for the second semester?
It was that year that the music was
furnished by the Fourth Infantry band
of Fort Wayne and the Germania or-
chestra of Battle Creek. The student
body probably kicked because Strauss
wasn't signed. However that may be,
19 waltzes were played as compared to
11 two steps, 8 of which were written by
Sousa.
In 1897, 264 couples danced to the
music of Schremser's Detroit band and
orchestra, 20 pieces each, which con-
tinued to serve the hops for a series of
years. As a surprise, the eleventh num-
ber was the "Michigan University," a
two-step composed by director Schrem-
ser and played for the first time.
Dancers at the '97 Hop were amazed.
"A novelty in decoration," said the
then-conservative Daily, "appeared in
the use of electric lights. Two large
stars, with '98' in the center, were hung
at the ends of the hall and 'M' of elec-
trict bulbs hung over the chaperones'
booth."
Whoever wrote the cover on the 1898
J-Hop had either a lyrical soul or a bit
too much punch. One reads: "The
magnificence of the decorations, the ex-
hilarating music of the two bands, the
dignified grandeur of the patronesses,
the superb beauty of the ladies, the ele-
gance of their gowns, and the gallantry
of the gentlemen made the occasion
one long to be remembered."
The next year the Daily reporter read
his predecessor's story before attending,
and came back disappointed. Scare
lines appeared over his story crying,
"Past Luster Dimmed; Junior Hop of
1900 Not a Brilliant Affair." The write-
up began, "The Junior Hop of the Class
of 1900, and others, has become an
event of yesterday and one wonders if
It has been for better or for worse."
The poor fellow was an aesthete, and
serving the customary 'wafer and glass
of water,' while the familiar lumber of
the gymnasium was gracefully arranged
in a heap in one corner of the room."
With the turn of the century, things
looked better. The Daily said of the
1900 Hop, "One of the prettiest and best
arranged given here." But that is past
the nineties, beyond our time.
ORIENTAL
SIFT SHOP
...announces the arrival of...
Stunning new Chinese jewelry
with cinnabar, turquoise, and
other stones.
Models of the Taj Mahal in
lovely Indian Marble Work.
Also many other novelties
which make perfect gifts.
ORIENTA L
SIFT SHOP
300-B South State Street
i
"The Rest Of My Stuff Is Coming By Express"
had seen things which injured his finer
sensibilities. He wrote, "While the pre-
sentation to the chaperons was taking
place and during the earlier numbers on
the program, guests were highly edified
by being enabled to glance through the
open doors into the Women's Gymna-
sium and see there the preparations for
1
.~JUNE
GREY
111 3 South University
I
I
Orchids
for LOVELINESS
A language spoken L
only by flowers-
CHELSEA
Flower Shop
203 East Liberty 2-2973
the tifr that
Only You Can Give
A PORTRAIT
BY
332 SOUTH STATE STREET Dial 5031