Classic Poem

When green-eyed Minerva asked Paris to serve her,
And give her the apple gift offered by Strife,
All other gifts scorning, she gave him a warning,
And bade him make wisdom his pilot thro' life.

But the little god Cupid this lesson thought stupid,
And so he convinced the unfortunate boy;
He sought after pleasure,—refused her the treasure;
And that shake of his head was the ruin of Troy.

Some hundred years after this fatal disaster
The Greek Epicurus established his fame;
He showed what a blunder poor Paris was under,
For wisdom and pleasure were one and the same.

And even in this time we think pleasure wisdom,
Whatever the Alford Professor may say;
We'll applaud him next week if he “rows up the Greek,”
But we own ourselves Epicureans to-day.

With old friends beside us, let old wisdom guide us,—
Let pleasure be wisdom, at least for a day;
With this ??ße???t?? our band of Phi Beta's
Will once in a twelvemonth laugh sorrow away.