BATTLE CRIES, HAILING SHOUTS, AND COLLEGE YELLS
The American Indians, like the uncivilized of all lands, had their own
peculiar battle cry or war-whoop, which it is impossible to reproduce
by letters. During our Civil War the Confederates gave a thrilling
imitation of it in their famous "Rebel Yell," which every old soldier
recalls with more or less admiration.
The ancient Greeks joined in battle with shouts of "Eleleu!" The Welsh
cry was "Ubub!" from whence comes our word hubbub, meaning a
confusion. The Irish war shout was nearly like that of the Greek,
being "Ullulu!" The Scotch clans had each its own shout or slogan; the
pibroch being the chant of the march to battle.
Of old, the Hungarian horseman, when charging shouted "Huzza!" and so
the name Hussar is given to the light cavalry regiments of many of the
European armies. The Australian herders have a hailing cry, learned
from the natives, which, properly done, carries a great distance. It
sounds like "Coo-ee!" the first syllable being made deep in the chest,
and the other a shrill head note.
The Yaqui Indians of northern Mexico take their name from their
peculiar war cry, "Ya-kee," which is produced like the Australian coo-
ee. I have heard this thrilling cry for a distance of over one mile in
the Sierra Madre mountains.
All boys, whether bound for college or not, are always interested in
what are known as "College Yells." Each college has its own yell, and
in some of them great pains, if not great originality, is shown in the
construction of the words. Here are a few:
_Princeton_--"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Tiger-siss-boom-ah! PRINCETON!"
And the sturdy sons of
_Yale_--"Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! YALE!" quickly
and sharply enunciated.
_Harvard_ boys cry, with long-drawn deep notes, "Rah! rah! rah! Rah!
rah! rah! Rah! rah! rah! HARVARD!"
_Cornell_--"Cornell I yell! yell! yell! CORNELL!"
_Williams College_--"Rah! rah! rah! yums! yams! yums! WILLYUMS!"
_Trinity College_--"Rah! rah! rah! Trinity! Boom-rah! Boom-rah! TRIN-
EYE-TEE!"
_Wesleyan College_--"Rah! rah! rah! rah! Wesleyan! Rah! rah! rah! rah!"
_Brown College_--"Rah, rah, rah, rah! BROWN!"
_Colorado College_--"Rah! rah! rah! Pike's Peak or bust! Colorado
College! Yell we MUST!"
_The Leland Stanford, Jr._--"Wah hoo! Ya hoo! L. S. J. U.! STANFORD!"
_Dartmouth College_--"Hi! hi! hi! Rah! rah! rah! D-d-d-d-Dartmouth,
wah, who, wah!" or, "Wah, who, wah! Wah, who, wah! Da, di, di,
Dartmouth! Wah, who wah!"
_Union College_--"Rah, rah, rah! U-N-I-O-N. Hikah! hikah! hikah!"
_University of Illinois_--"Rah, hoo, rah! Zipp, boom, ah! Hip-zoo!
Rah-zoo. Jimmy blow your bazoo! Ip-sidi-iki U. off I. campaign!"
_Hanover_--"Han, Han! HANOVER!"
_Westminster_-"Rah, rah, rah! Oh, yes, sir! Vive-la, Vive-la!
WESTMINSTER!"
_Cornell, of Iowa_-"Zip-siss-boom! Cor-cor-nell! C-C. tiger-la! Zipp-
siss-hur-rah!"
_Amherst_--"Rah! rah! rah!" etc., and terminating with the name of
their institution. Boston University--"Boston, B-B-BOSTON! Varsity!
Varsity! Varsity! Rah! rah! rah!"
Rutgers--"Rah, rah, rah! Bow-wow-wow! RUTGERS!"
Rochester University--"Waxico, waxico, waxico, wax! Waxico, waxico,
waxico, wax! Brek-k-ks--Brek-k-ks, ah-h-ah! ROCHESTER!"
University of Washington--"U. of W.! Hiah! Hiah! U. of W.! U. of W.!
Siah! Siah! Shooken' Shookem! WASHINGTON!"
Hobart College--"Hip-ho-bart! Hip-ho-bart! Hip-ho, hip-ho, HIP-HO-
BART!"
Syracuse University--"Srah--Srah--Srah Sy-ra-cuse!"
This list by no means comprises all the college cries, but it will
serve to illustrate the most striking of them.
Even the women's colleges have their own distinctive cries, and for
oddness they quite equal those of the men. And now the high schools,
and even the separate classes and school societies are indulging in
original cries. But so long as these things keep up the class spirit
and make for sound lungs and high spirits, why should old fogies
object?