By April C. Armstrong *14
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, menu color choices prove controversial, students flock to see a celebrity preacher, and more.
March 4, 1896—Alumni take offense at menus printed for dinners at the Princeton Inn that have used a color scheme of blue and gold.
This seems to us to be a great mistake, and we wish to call the attention of those who have control of these matters that they are acting in direct opposition to the unanimous wish of the alumni and undergraduates. That orange and blue should supersede orange and black at any time or any place is to be greatly regretted.
March 5, 1858—On the 88th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, locals gather at Faneuil Hall to protest the Supreme Court’s decision in Dred Scott v. Stanford. Among other things, they point out that Black Americans fought at the Battle of Princeton.
March 6, 1971—Town children and teenagers overwhelm an “open” dance at the Princeton Inn, something that seems to be becoming a trend. “It’s so boring. There’s really no place for us to go, you know,” one 12-year-old tells a journalist with the Prince. “Coming here is a lot of fun.”
March 8, 1915— Controversial evangelist and former professional baseball player Billy Sunday—whose sermons are notorious for their slang, insults, and occasional profanity—preaches twice in town today, with the second sermon open to Princeton University students. Admission to the event is by ticket only and is restricted to men. Hundreds fill the First Presbyterian Church to hear him.
Did you read the previous installment in this series?
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