"The Keeper of Princetoniana," Fred Fox '39, described Princeton traditions as a "river.""Although the course stays the same, the water is always new," Fox said.Fox believed that "traditions have to keep growing, and they have to keep fresh." In keeping with this, many Princeton traditions have evolved over the years.Canespree is one tradition that is now quite different from its original character.Dating back to the 1870s, Canespree began as a freshman-sophomore fight over the right to walk around campus with canes, something forbidden to freshmen at the time.Sandi Maxwell '39 remembers how violent Canespree was when he was a student.He said that freshmen would rush up a hill that the sophomores were standing on and fight each other until one side was defeated."Everyone's clothes got torn off their back," Maxwell added.After the Second World War, the Department of Athletics took over the event and turned it into a more organized, athletic competition between the two classes.With that change, Canespree's traditional importance appears to have slowly faded away.While members of the Class of 1970, such as Edward Labowitz, still brag about winning Canespree two years in a row, present students lack enthusiasm for the event."Many students are unaware of the event's history," said Liz Greenberg '02, who wrote her senior thesis on Princeton traditions.Greenberg said she believes that if the University were to help students understand the event's history, Canespree would resume its position as a beloved tradition on campus.Another tradition that has changed over the years is the step sing.Bud Wynne '39 remembers how seniors would frequently gather after dinner on Nassau Hall's steps and sing together."Step sings used to be a random event," Greenberg said.With the growth of a cappella and other musical groups on campus, these impromptu step sings have stopped.However, seniors still take part in the traditional step sing during graduation weekend.And as Princetonians did many years ago, seniors still finish with a traditional singing of "Old Nassau."While these two traditions have evolved, other traditions have been lost ? or stopped ? completely.Since 1864, students used to try to steal the bell clapper from Nassau Hall.
