DOMINUS. A title bestowed on Bachelors of Arts, in England.DominusNokes;DominusStiles.—Gradus ad Cantab.
DON. In the English universities, a short generic term for aFellow or any college authority.
He had already told a lie to theDons, by protesting against the justice of his sentence.—Collegian's Guide, p. 169.
Never to order in any wine from an Oxford merchant, at least not till I am aDon.—The Etonian, Vol. II. p. 288.
Nor hint howDons, their untasked hours to pass,Like Cato, warm their virtues with the glass.[21]The College, inBlackwood's Mag., May, 1849.
DONKEY. At Washington College, Penn., students of a religious character are vulgarly calleddonkeys.
See LAP-EAR.
DORMIAT. Latin; literally,let him sleep. To take out adormiat, i.e. a license to sleep. The licensed person is excused from attending early prayers in the Chapel, from a plea of being indisposed. Used in the English universities.—Gradus ad Cantab.
DOUBLE FIRST. At the University of Cambridge, Eng., a student who attains high honors in both the classical and the mathematical tripos.
The Calendar does not show an average of two "Double Firsts" annually for the last ten years out of one hundred and thirty-eight graduates in Honors.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 91.
The reported saying of a distinguished judge,… "that the standard of aDouble Firstwas getting to be something beyond human ability," seems hardly an exaggeration.—Ibid., p. 224.
DOUBLE MAN. In the English universities, a student who is a proficient in both classics and mathematics.
"Double men," as proficients in both classics and mathematics are termed, are very rare.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 91.
It not unfrequently happens that he now drops the intention of being a "double man," and concentrates himself upon mathematics. —Ibid., p. 104.
To one danger mathematicians are more exposed than either classical ordouble men,—disgust and satiety arising from exclusive devotion to their unattractive studies.—Ibid., p. 225.
DOUBLE MARKS. It was formerly the custom in Harvard College with the Professors in Rhetoric, when they had examined and corrected thethemesof the students, to draw a straight line on the back of each one of them, under the name of the writer. Under the names of those whose themes were of more than ordinary correctness or elegance,twolines were drawn, which were calleddouble marks.
They would take particular pains for securing thedouble markof the English Professor to their poetical compositions.—Monthly Anthology, Boston, 1804, Vol. I. p. 104.
Many, if not the greater part of Paine's themes, were written in verse; and his vanity was gratified, and his emulation roused, by the honor of constantdouble marks.—Works of R.T. Paine, Biography, p. xxii., Ed. 1812.
See THEME.
DOUBLE SECOND. At the University of Cambridge, Eng., one who obtains a high place in the second rank, in both mathematical and classical honors.
A gooddouble secondwill make, by his college scholarship, two fifths or three fifths of his expenses during two thirds of the time he passes at the University.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 427.
DOUGH-BALL. At the Anderson Collegiate Institute, Indiana, a name given by the town's people to a student.
DRESS. A uniformity in dress has never been so prevalent in American colleges as in the English and other universities. About the middle of the last century, however, the habit among the students of Harvard College of wearing gold lace attracted the attention of the Overseers, and a law was passed "requiring that on no occasion any of the scholars wear any gold or silver lace, or any gold or silver brocades, in the College or town of Cambridge," and "that no one wear any silk night-gowns." "In 1786," says Quincy, "in order to lessen the expense of dress, a uniform was prescribed, the color and form of which were minutely set forth, with a distinction of the classes by means of frogs on the cuffs and button-holes; silk was prohibited, and home manufactures were recommended." This system of uniform is fully described in the laws of 1790, and is as follows:—
"All the Undergraduates shall be clothed in coats of blue-gray, and with waistcoats and breeches of the same color, or of a black, a nankeen, or an olive color. The coats of the Freshmen shall have plain button-holes. The cuffs shall be without buttons. The coats of the Sophomores shall have plain button-holes like those of the Freshmen, but the cuffs shall have buttons. The coats of the Juniors shall have cheap frogs to the button-holes, except the button-holes of the cuffs. The coats of the Seniors shall have frogs to the button-holes of the cuffs. The buttons upon the coats of all the classes shall be as near the color of the coats as they can be procured, or of a black color. And no student shall appear within the limits of the College, or town of Cambridge, in any other dress than in the uniform belonging to his respective class, unless he shall have on a night-gown or such an outside garment as may be necessary over a coat, except only that the Seniors and Juniors are permitted to wear black gowns, and it is recommended that they appear in them on all public occasions. Nor shall any part of their garments be of silk; nor shall they wear gold or silver lace, cord, or edging upon their hats, waistcoats, or any other parts of their clothing. And whosoever shall violate these regulations shall be fined a sum not exceeding ten shillings for each offence."—Laws of Harv. Coll., 1790, pp. 36, 37.
It is to this dress that the poet alludes in these lines:—
"In blue-gray coat, with buttons on the cuffs,First Modern Pride your ear with fustian stuffs;'Welcome, blest age, by holy seers foretold,By ancient bards proclaimed the age of gold,'" &c.[22]
But it was by the would-be reformers of that day alone that such sentiments were held, and it was only by the severity of the punishment attending non-conformity with these regulations that they were ever enforced. In 1796, "the sumptuary law relative to dress had fallen into neglect," and in the next year "it was found so obnoxious and difficult to enforce," says Quincy, "that a law was passed abrogating the whole system of distinction by 'frogs on the cuffs and button-holes,' and the law respecting dress was limited to prescribing a blue-gray or dark-blue coat, with permission to wear a black gown, and a prohibition of wearing gold or silver lace, cord, or edging."—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. II. p. 277.
A writer in the New England Magazine, in an article relating to the customs of Harvard College at the close of the last century, gives the following description of the uniform ordered by the Corporation to be worn by the students:—
"Each head supported a three-cornered cocket hat. Yes, gentle reader, no man or boy was considered in full dress, in those days, unless his pericranium was thus surmounted, with the forward peak directly over the right eye. Had a clergyman, especially, appeared with a hat of any other form, it would have been deemed as great a heresy as Unitarianism is at the present day. Whether or not the three-cornered hat was considered as an emblem of Trinitarianism, I am not able to determine. Our hair was worn in aqueue, bound with black ribbon, and reached to the small of the back, in the shape of the tail of that motherly animal which furnishes ungrateful bipeds of the human race with milk, butter, and cheese. Where nature had not bestowed a sufficiency of this ornamental appendage, the living and the dead contributed of their superfluity to supply the deficiency. Our ear-locks,—horresco referens!—my ears tingle and my countenance is distorted at the recollection of the tortures inflicted on them by the heated curling-tongs and crimping-irons.
"The bosoms of our shirts were ruffled with lawn or cambric, and 'Our fingers' ends were seen to peep From ruffles, full five inches deep.' Our coats were double-breasted, and of a black or priest-gray color. The directions were not so particular respecting our waistcoats, breeches,—I beg pardon,—small clothes, and stockings. Our shoes ran to a point at the distance of two or three inches from the extremity of the foot, and turned upward, like the curve of a skate. Our dress was ornamented with shining stock, knee, and shoe buckles, the last embracing at least one half of the foot of ordinary dimensions. If any wore boots, they were made to set as closely to the leg as its skin; for a handsome calf and ankle were esteemed as great beauties as any portion of the frame, or point in the physiognomy."—Vol. III. pp. 238, 239.
In his late work, entitled, "Memories of Youth and Manhood," Professor Sidney Willard has given an entertaining description of the style of dress which was in vogue at Harvard College near the close of the last century, in the following words:—
"Except on special occasions, which required more than ordinary attention to dress, the students, when I was an undergraduate, were generally very careless in this particular. They were obliged by the College laws to wear coats of blue-gray; but as a substitute in warm weather, they were allowed to wear gowns, except on public occasions; and on these occasions they were permitted to wear black gowns. Seldom, however, did any one avail himself of this permission. In summer long gowns of calico or gingham were the covering that distinguished the collegian, not only about the College grounds, but in all parts of the village. Still worse, when the season no longer tolerated this thin outer garment, many adopted one much in the same shape, made of colorless woollen stuff called lambskin. These were worn by many without any under-coat in temperate weather, and in some cases for a length of time in which they had become sadly soiled. In other respects there was nothing peculiar in the common dress of the young men and boys of College to distinguish it from that of others of the same age. Breeches were generally worn, buttoned at the knees, and tied or buckled a little below; not so convenient a garment for a person dressing in haste as trousers or pantaloons. Often did I see a fellow-student hurrying to the Chapel to escape tardiness at morning prayers, with this garment unbuttoned at the knees, the ribbons dangling over his legs, the hose refusing to keep their elevation, and the calico or woollen gown wrapped about him, ill concealing his dishabille.
"Not all at once did pantaloons gain the supremacy as the nether garment. About the beginning of the present century they grew rapidly in favor with the young; but men past middle age were more slow to adopt the change. Then, last, the aged very gradually were converted to the fashion by the plea of convenience and comfort; so that about the close of the first quarter of the present century it became almost universal. In another particular, more than half a century ago, the sons adopted a custom of their wiser fathers. The young men had for several years worn shoes and boots shaped in the toe part to a point, called peaked toes, while the aged adhered to the shape similar to the present fashion; so that the shoemaker, in a doubtful case, would ask his customer whether he would have square-toed or peaked-toed. The distinction between young and old in this fashion was so general, that sometimes a graceless youth, who had been crossed by his father or guardian in some of his unreasonable humors, would speak of him with the title ofOld Square-toes.
"Boots with yellow tops inverted, and coming up to the knee-band, were commonly worn by men somewhat advanced in years; but the younger portion more generally wore half-boots, as they were called, made of elastic leather, cordovan. These, when worn, left a space of two or three inches between the top of the boot and the knee-band. The great beauty of this fashion, as it was deemed by many, consisted in restoring the boots, which were stretched by drawing them on, to shape, and bringing them as nearly as possible into contact with the legs; and he who prided himself most on the form of his lower limbs would work the hardest in pressure on the leather from the ankle upward in order to do this most effectually."—Vol. I. pp. 318-320.
In 1822 was passed the "Law of Harvard University, regulating the dress of the students." The established uniform was as follows. "The coat of black-mixed, single-breasted, with a rolling cape, square at the end, and with pocket flaps; waist reaching to the natural waist, with lapels of the same length; skirts reaching to the bend of the knee; three crow's-feet, made of black-silk cord, on the lower part of the sleeve of a Senior, two on that of a Junior, and one on that of a Sophomore. The waistcoat of black-mixed or of black; or when of cotton or linen fabric, of white, single-breasted, with a standing collar. The pantaloons of black-mixed or of black bombazette, or when of cotton or linen fabric, of white. The surtout or great coat of black-mixed, with not more than two capes. The buttons of the above dress must be flat, covered with the same cloth as that of the garments, not more than eight nor less than six on the front of the coat, and four behind. A surtout or outside garment is not to be substituted for the coat. But the students are permitted to wear black gowns, in which they may appear on all public occasions. Night-gowns, of cotton or linen or silk fabric, made in the usual form, or in that of a frock coat, may be worn, except on the Sabbath, on exhibition and other occasions when an undress would be improper. The neckcloths must be plain black or plain white."
No student, while in the State of Massachusetts, was allowed, either in vacation or term time, to wear any different dress or ornament from those above named, except in case of mourning, when he could wear the customary badges. Although dismission was the punishment for persisting in the violation of these regulations, they do not appear to have been very well observed, and gradually, like the other laws of an earlier date on this subject, fell into disuse. The night-gowns or dressing-gowns continued to be worn at prayers and in public until within a few years. The black-mixed, otherwise called OXFORD MIXED cloth, is explained under the latter title.
The only law which now obtains at Harvard College on the subject of dress is this: "On Sabbath, Exhibition, Examination, and Commencement days, and on all other public occasions, each student, in public, shall wear a black coat, with buttons of the same color, and a black hat or cap."—Orders and Regulations of the Faculty of Harv. Coll., July, 1853, p. 5.
At one period in the history of Yale College, a passion for expensive dress having become manifest among the students, the Faculty endeavored to curb it by a direct appeal to the different classes. The result was the establishment of the Lycurgan Society, whose object was the encouragement of plainness in apparel. The benefits which might have resulted from this organization were contravened by the rashness of some of its members. The shape which this rashness assumed is described in a work entitled "Scenes and Characters in College," written by a Yale graduate of the class of 1821.
"Some members were seized with the notion of adistinctive dress. It was strongly objected to; but the measure was carried by a stroke of policy. The dress proposed was somewhat like that of the Quakers, but less respectable,—a rustic cousin to it, or rather a caricature; namely, a close coatee, with stand-up collar, andveryshort skirts,—skirtees, they might be called,—the color gray; pantaloons and vest the same;—making the wearer a monotonous gray man throughout, invisible at twilight. The proposers of this metamorphosis, to make it go, selected an individual of small and agreeable figure, and procuring a suit of fine material, and a good fit, placed him on a platform as a specimen. Onhimit appeared very well, as a belted blouse does on a graceful child; and all the more so, as he was a favorite with the class, and lent to it the additional effect of agreeable association. But it is bad logic to derive a general conclusion from a single fact: it did not follow that the dress would be universally becoming because it was so on him. However, majorities govern; the dress was voted. The tailors were glad to hear of it, expecting a fine run of business.
"But when a tall son of Anak appeared in the little bodice of a coat, stuck upon the hips; and still worse, when some very clumsy forms assumed the dress, and one in particular, that I remember, who was equally huge in person and coarse in manners, whose taste, or economy, or both,—the one as probably as the other,—had led him to the choice of an ugly pepper-and-salt, instead of the true Oxford mix, or whatever the standard gray was called, and whose tailor, or tailoress, probably a tailoress, had contrived to aggravate his natural disproportions by the most awkward fit imaginable,—then indeed you might have said that 'some of nature's journeymen had made men, and not made them well, they imitated humanity so abominably.' They looked like David's messengers, maltreated and sent back by Hanun.[23]
"The consequence was, the dress was unpopular; very few adopted it; and the society itself went quietly into oblivion. Nevertheless it had done some good; it had had a visible effect in checking extravagance; and had accomplished all it would have done, I imagine, had it continued longer.
"There was a time, some three or four years previous to this, when a rakish fashion began to be introduced of wearing white-topped boots. It was a mere conceit of the wearers, such a fashion not existing beyond College,—except as it appeared in here and there an antiquated gentleman, a venerable remnant of the olden time, in whom the boots were matched with buckles at the knee, and a powdered queue. A practical satire quickly put an end to it. Some humorists proposed to the waiters about College to furnish them with such boots on condition of their wearing them. The offer was accepted; a lot of them was ordered at a boot-and-shoe shop, and, all at once, sweepers, sawyers, and the rest, appeared in white-topped boots. I will not repeat the profaneness of a Southerner when he first observed a pair of them upon a tall and gawky shoe-black striding across the yard. He cursed the 'negro,' and the boots; and, pulling off his own, flung them from him. After this the servants had the fashion to themselves, and could buy the article at any discount."—pp. 127-129.
At Union College, soon after its foundation, there was enacted a law, "forbidding any student to appear at chapel without the College badge,—a piece of blue ribbon, tied in the button-hole of the coat."—Account of the First Semi-Centennial Anniversary of the Philomathean Society, Union College, 1847.
Such laws as the above have often been passed in American colleges, but have generally fallen into disuse in a very few years, owing to the predominancy of the feeling of democratic equality, the tendency of which is to narrow, in as great a degree as possible, the intervals between different ages and conditions.
See COSTUME.
DUDLEIAN LECTURE. An anniversary sermon which is preached at Harvard College before the students; supported by the yearly interest of one hundred pounds sterling, the gift of Paul Dudley, from whom the lecture derives its name. The following topics were chosen by him as subjects for this lecture. First, for "the proving, explaining, and proper use and improvement of the principles of Natural Religion." Second, "for the confirmation, illustration, and improvement of the great articles of the Christian Religion." Third, "for the detecting, convicting, and exposing the idolatry, errors, and superstitions of the Romish Church." Fourth, "for maintaining, explaining, and proving the validity of the ordination of ministers or pastors of the churches, and so their administration of the sacraments or ordinances of religion, as the same hath been practised in New England from the first beginning of it, and so continued to this day."
"The instrument proceeds to declare," says Quincy, "that he does not intend to invalidate Episcopal ordination, or that practised in Scotland, at Geneva, and among the Dissenters in England and in this country, all which 'I esteem very safe, Scriptural, and valid.' He directed these subjects to be discussed in rotation, one every year, and appointed the President of the College, the Professor of Divinity, the pastor of the First Church in Cambridge, the Senior Tutor of the College, and the pastor of the First Church in Roxbury, trustees of these lectures, which commenced in 1755, and have since been annually continued without intermission."—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. II. pp. 139, 140.
DULCE DECUS. Latin; literally,sweet honor. At Williams College a name given by a certain class of students to the game of whist; the reason for which is evident. Whether Mæcenas would have considered it anhonorto have had the compliment of Horace, "O et præsidium et dulce decus meum," transferred as a title for a game at cards, we leave for others to decide.
DUMMER JUNGE,—literally,stupid youth,—among German students "is the highest and most cutting insult, since it implies a denial of sound, manly understanding and strength of capacity to him to whom it is applied."—Howitt's Student Life of Germany, Am. ed., p. 127.
DUN. An importunate creditor who urges for payment. A character not wholly unknown to collegians.
Thanks heaven, flings by his cap and gown, and shunsA place made odious by remorselessduns.The College, inBlackwood's Mag., May, 1849.
EGRESSES. At the older American colleges, when charges were made and excuses rendered in Latin, the student who had left before the conclusion of any of the religious services was accused of the misdemeanor by the proper officer, who made use of the wordegresses, a kind of barbarous second person singular of some imaginary verb, signifying, it is supposed, "you went out."
Much absence, tardes andegresses,The college-evil on him seizes.Trumbull's Progress of Dullness, Part I.
EIGHT. On the scale of merit, at Harvard College, eight is the highest mark which a student can receive for a recitation. Students speak of "getting an eight," which is equivalent to saying, that they have made a perfect recitation.
But since the Fates will not grant alleights,Save to some disgusting fellowWho'll fish and dig, I care not a fig,We'll be hard boys and mellow.MS. Poem, W.F. Allen.
Numberless theeightshe showersFull on my devoted head.—MS. Ibid.
At the same college, when there were three exhibitions in the year, it was customary for the first eight scholars in the Junior Class to have "parts" at the first exhibition, the second eight at the second exhibition, and the third eight at the third exhibition. Eight Seniors performed with them at each of these three exhibitions, but they were taken promiscuously from the first twenty-four in their class. Although there are now but two exhibitions in the year, twelve performing from each of the two upper classes, yet the students still retain the old phraseology, and you will often hear the question, "Is he in the first or secondeight?"
The bell for morning prayers had long been sounding!She says, "What makes you look so very pale?"—"I've had a dream."—"Spring to 't, or you'll be late!"—"Don't care! 'T was worth a part among theSecond Eight."Childe Harvard, p. 121.
ELECTIONEERING. In many colleges in the United States, where there are rival societies, it is customary, on the admission of a student to college, for the partisans of the different societies to wait upon him, and endeavor to secure him as a member. An account of thisSociety Electioneering, as it is called, is given inSketches of Yale College, at page 162.
Societyelectioneeringhas mostly gone by.—WilliamsQuarterly, Vol. II. p. 285.
ELEGANT EXTRACTS. At the University of Cambridge, Eng., a cant title applied to some fifteen or twenty men who have just succeeded in passing their final examination, and who are bracketed together, at the foot of the Polloi list.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 250.
EMERITUS,pl.EMERITI. Latin; literally,obtained by service. One who has been honorably discharged from public service, as, in colleges and universities, aProfessor Emeritus.
EMIGRANT. In the English universities, one who migrates, or removes from one college to another.
At Christ's, for three years successively,… the first man was anemigrantfrom John's.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 100.
See MIGRATION.
EMPTY BOTTLE. At the University of Cambridge, Eng., the sobriquet of a fellow-commoner.
Indeed they [fellow-commoners] are popularly denominated "empty bottles," the first word of the appellation being an adjective, though were it taken as a verb there would be no untruth in it.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 34.
ENCENIA,pl.Greek [Greek: enkainia],a feast of dedication. Festivals anciently kept on the days on which cities were built or churches consecrated; and, in later times, ceremonies renewed at certain periods, as at Oxford, at the celebration of founders and benefactors.—Hook.
END WOMAN. At Bowdoin College, "end women," says a correspondent, "are the venerable females who officiate as chambermaids in the different entries." They are so called from the entries being placed at theendsof the buildings.
ENGAGEMENT. At Yale College, the student, on entering, signs anengagement, as it is called, in the words following: "I, A.B., on condition of being admitted as a member of Yale College, promise, on my faith and honor, to observe all the laws and regulations of this College; particularly that I will faithfully avoid using profane language, gaming, and all indecent, disorderly behavior, and disrespectful conduct to the Faculty, and all combinations to resist their authority; as witness my hand. A.B." —Yale Coll. Cat., 1837, p. 10.
Nearly the same formula is used at Williams College.
ENGINE. At Harvard College, for many years before and succeeding the year 1800, a fire-engine was owned by the government, and was under the management of the students. In a MS. Journal, under date of Oct. 29, 1792, is this note: "This day I turned out to exercise the engine. P.M." The company were accustomed to attend all the fires in the neighboring towns, and were noted for their skill and efficiency. But they often mingled enjoyment with their labor, nor were they always as scrupulous as they might have been in the means used to advance it. In 1810, the engine having been newly repaired, they agreed to try its power on an old house, which was to be fired at a given time. By some mistake, the alarm was given before the house was fairly burning. Many of the town's people endeavored to save it, but the company, dragging the engine into a pond near by, threw the dirty water on them in such quantities that they were glad to desist from their laudable endeavors.
It was about this time that the Engine Society was organized, before which so many pleasant poems and orations were annually delivered. Of these, that most noted is the "Rebelliad," which was spoken in the year 1819, and was first published in the year 1842. Of it the editor has well remarked: "It still remains the text-book of the jocose, and is still regarded by all, even the melancholy, as a most happy production of humorous taste." Its author was Dr. Augustus Pierce, who died at Tyngsborough, May 20, 1849.
The favorite beverage at fires was rum and molasses, commonly calledblack-strap, which is referred to in the following lines, commemorative of the engine company in its palmier days.
"But oh! letblack-strap'ssable god deploreThoseengine-heroesso renowned of yore!Gone is that spirit, which, in ancient time,Inspired more deeds than ever shone in rhyme!Ye, who remember the superb array,The deafening cry, the engine's 'maddening play,'The broken windows, and the floating floor,Wherewith those masters of hydraulic loreWere wont to make us tremble as we gazed,Can tell how many a false alarm was raised,How many a room by their o'erflowings drenched,And how few fires by their assistance quenched?"Harvard Register, p. 235.
The habit of attending fires in Boston, as it had a tendency to draw the attention of the students from their college duties, was in part the cause of the dissolution of the company. Their presence was always welcomed in the neighboring city, and although they often left their engine behind them on returning to Cambridge, it was usually sent out to them soon after. The company would often parade through the streets of Cambridge in masquerade dresses, headed by a chaplain, presenting a most ludicrous appearance. In passing through the College yard, it was the custom to throw water into any window that chanced to be open. Their fellow-students, knowing when they were to appear, usually kept their windows closed; but the officers were not always so fortunate. About the year 1822, having discharged water into the room of the College regent, thereby damaging a very valuable library of books, the government disbanded the company, and shortly after sold the engine to the then town of Cambridge, on condition that it should never be taken out of the place. A few years ago it was again sold to some young men of West Cambridge, in whose hands it still remains. One of the brakes of the engine, a relic of its former glory, was lately discovered in the cellar of one of the College buildings, and that perchance has by this time been used to kindle the element which it once assisted to extinguish.
ESQUIRE BEDELL. In the University of Cambridge, Eng., threeEsquire Bedellsare appointed, whose office is to attend the Vice-Chancellor, whom they precede with their silver maces upon all public occasions.—Cam. Guide.
At the University of Oxford, the Esquire Bedells are three in number. They walk before the Vice-Chancellor in processions, and carry golden staves as the insignia of their office.—Guide to Oxford.
See BEADLE.
EVANGELICAL. In student phrase, a religious, orthodox man, one who is sound in the doctrines of the Gospel, or one who is reading theology, is called anEvangelical.
He was a King's College, London, man, anEvangelical.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 265.
It has been said by some of theEvangelicals, that nothing can be done to improve the state of morality in the Universities so long as the present Church system continues.—Ibid., p. 348.
EXAMINATION. An inquiry into the acquisitions of the students, incollegesandseminaries of learning, by questioning them in literature and the sciences, and by hearing their recitals.—Webster.
In all colleges candidates for entrance are required to be able to pass an examination in certain branches of study before they can be admitted. The students are generally examined, in most colleges, at the close of each term.
In the revised laws of Harvard College, printed in the year 1790, was one for the purpose of introducing examinations, the first part of which is as follows: "To animate the students in the pursuit of literary merit and fame, and to excite in their breasts a noble spirit of emulation, there shall be annually a public examination, in the presence of a joint committee of the Corporation and Overseers, and such other gentlemen as may be inclined to attend it." It then proceeds to enumerate the times and text-books for each class, and closes by stating, that, "should any student neglect or refuse to attend such examination, he shall be liable to be fined a sum not exceeding twenty shillings, or to be admonished or suspended." Great discontent was immediately evinced by the students at this regulation, and as it was not with this understanding that they entered college, they considered it as anex post factolaw, and therefore not binding upon them. With these views, in the year 1791, the Senior and Junior Classes petitioned for exemption from the examination, but their application was rejected by the Overseers. When this was declared, some of the students determined to stop the exercises for that year, if possible. For this purpose they obtained six hundred grains of tartar emetic, and early on the morning of April 12th, the day on which the examination was to begin, emptied it into the great cooking boilers in the kitchen. At breakfast, 150 or more students and officers being present, the coffee was brought on, made with the water from the boilers. Its effects were soon visible. One after another left the hall, some in a slow, others in a hurried manner, but all plainly showing that their situation was by no means a pleasant one. Out of the whole number there assembled, only four or five escaped without being made unwell. Those who put the drug in the coffee had drank the most, in order to escape detection, and were consequently the most severely affected. Unluckily, one of them was seen putting something into the boilers, and the names of the others were soon after discovered. Their punishment is stated in the following memoranda from a manuscript journal.
"Exhibition, 1791. April 20th. This morning Trapier was rusticated and Sullivan suspended to Groton for nine months, for mingling tartar emetic with our commons on ye morning of April 12th."
"May 21st. Ely was suspended to Amherst for five months, for assisting Sullivan and Trapier in mingling tartar emetic with our commons."
Another student, who threw a stone into the examination-room, which struck the chair in which Governor Hancock sat, was more severely punished. The circumstance is mentioned in the manuscript referred to above as follows:—
"April 14th, 1791. Henry W. Jones of H—— was expelled fromCollege upon evidence of a little boy that he sent a stone into yePhilosopher's room while a committee of ye Corporation andOverseers, and all ye Immediate Government, were engaged inexamination of ye Freshman Class."
Although the examination was delayed for a day or two on account of these occurrences, it was again renewed and carried on during that year, although many attempts were made to stop it. For several years after, whenever these periods occurred, disturbances came with them, and it was not until the year 1797 that the differences between the officers and the students were satisfactorily adjusted, and examinations established on a sure basis.
EXAMINE. To inquire into the improvements or qualifications of students, by interrogatories, proposing problems, or by hearing their recitals; as, toexaminethe classes in college; toexaminethe candidates for a degree, or for a license to preach or to practise in a profession.—Webster.
EXAMINEE. One who is examined; one who undergoes at examination.
What loads of cold beef and lobster vanish before theexaminees. —Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 72.
EXAMINER. One who examines. In colleges and seminaries of learning, the person who interrogates the students, proposes questions for them to answer, and problems to solve.
Coming forward with assumed carelessness, he threw towards us the formal reply of hisexaminers.—Harvardiana, Vol. III. p. 9.
EXEAT. Latin; literally,let him depart. Leave of absence given to a student in the English universities.—Webster.
The students who wish to go home apply for an "Exeat," which is a paper signed by the Tutor, Master, and Dean.—Alma Mater, Vol. I. p. 162.
[At King's College],exeats, or permission to go down during term, were never granted but in cases of life and death.—Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 140.
EXERCISE. A task or lesson; that which is appointed for one to perform. In colleges, all the literary duties are calledexercises.
It may be inquired, whether a great part of theexercisesbe not at best but serious follies.—Cotton Mather's Suggestions, inQuincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. I. p. 558.
In the English universities, certain exercises, as acts, opponencies, &c., are required to be performed for particular degrees.
EXHIBIT. To take part in an exhibition; to speak in public at an exhibition or commencement.
No student who shall receive any appointment toexhibitbefore the class, the College, or the public, shall give any treat or entertainment to his class, or any part thereof, for or on account of those appointments.—Laws Yale Coll., 1837, p. 29.
If any student shall fail to perform the exercise assigned him, or shallexhibitanything not allowed by the Faculty, he may be sent home.—Ibid., 1837, p. 16.
2. To provide for poor students by an exhibition. (See EXHIBITION, second meaning.) An instance of this use is given in the Gradus ad Cantabrigiam, where one Antony Wood says of Bishop Longland, "He was a special friend to the University, in maintaining its privileges and inexhibitingto the wants of certain scholars." In Mr. Peirce's History of Harvard University occurs this passage, in an account of the will of the Hon. William Stoughton: "He bequeathed a pasture in Dorchester, containing twenty-three acres and four acres of marsh, 'the income of both to beexhibited, in the first place, to a scholar of the town of Dorchester, and if there be none such, to one of the town of Milton, and in want of such, then to any other well deserving that shall be most needy.'" —p. 77.
EXHIBITION. In colleges, a public literary and oratorical display. The exercises atexhibitionsare original compositions, prose translations from the English into Greek and Latin, and from other languages into the English, metrical versions, dialogues, &c.
At Harvard College, in the year 1760, it was voted, "that twice in a year, in the spring and fall, each class should recite to their Tutors, in the presence of the President, Professors, and Tutors, in the several books in which they are reciting to their respective Tutors, and that publicly in the College Hall or Chapel." The next year, the Overseers being informed "that the students are not required to translate English into Latin nor Latin into English," their committee "thought it would be convenient that specimens of such translations and other performances in classical and polite literature should be from time to time laid before" their board. A vote passed the Board of Overseers recommending to the Corporation a conformity to these suggestions; but it was not until the year 1766 that a law was formally enacted in both boards, "that twice in the year, viz. at the semiannual visitation of the committee of the Overseers, some of the scholars, at the direction of the President and Tutors, shall publicly exhibit specimens of their proficiency, by pronouncing orations and delivering dialogues, either in English or in one of the learned languages, or hearing a forensic disputation, or such other exercises as the President and Tutors shall direct."—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. II. pp. 128-132.
A few years after this, two more exhibitions were added, and were so arranged as to fall one in each quarter of the College year. The last year in which there were four exhibitions was 1789. After this time there were three exhibitions during the year until 1849, when one was omitted, since which time the original plan has been adopted.
In the journal of a member of the class which graduated at Harvard College in the year 1793, under the date of December 23d, 1789, Exhibition, is the following memorandum: "Music was intermingled with elocution, which (we read) has charms to soothe even a savage breast." Again, on a similar occasion, April 13th, 1790, an account of the exercises of the day closes with this note: "Tender music being interspersed to enliven the audience." Vocal music was sometimes introduced. In the same Journal, date October 1st, 1790, Exhibition, the writer says: "The performances were enlivened with an excellent piece of music, sung by Harvard Singing Club, accompanied with a band of music." From this time to the present day, music, either vocal or instrumental, has formed a very entertaining part of the Exhibition performances.[24]
The exercises for exhibitions are assigned by the Faculty to meritorious students, usually of the two higher classes. The exhibitions are held under the direction of the President, and a refusal to perform the part assigned is regarded as a high offence.—Laws of Univ. at Cam., Mass., 1848, p. 19.Laws Yale Coll., 1837, p. 16.
2. Allowance of meat and drink; pension; benefaction settled for the maintenance of scholars in the English Universities, not depending on the foundation.—Encyc.
What maintenance he from his friends receives,Likeexhibitionthou shalt have from me.Two Gent. Verona, Act. I. Sc. 3.
This word was formerly used in American colleges.
I order and appoint … ten pounds a year for oneexhibition, to assist one pious young man.—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. I. p. 530.
As to the extending the time of hisexhibitions, we agree to it. —Ibid., Vol. I. p. 532.
In the yearly "Statement of the Treasurer" of Harvard College, the word is still retained.
"Aschool exhibition," says a writer in the Literary World, with reference to England, "is a stipend given to the head boys of a school, conditional on their proceeding to some particular college in one of the universities."—Vol. XII. p. 285.
EXHIBITIONER. One who has a pension or allowance, granted for the encouragement of learning; one who enjoys an exhibition. Used principally in the English universities.
2. One who performs a part at an exhibition in American colleges is sometimes called anexhibitioner.
EXPEL. In college government, to command to leave; to dissolve the connection of a student; to interdict him from further connection. —Webster.
EXPULSION. In college government, expulsion is the highest censure, and is a final separation from the college or university. —Coll. Laws.
In the Diary of Mr. Leverett, who was President of Harvard College from 1707 to 1724, is an account of the manner in which the punishment of expulsion was then inflicted. It is as follows:—"In the College Hall the President, after morning prayers, the Fellows, Masters of Art, and the several classes of Undergraduates being present, after a full opening of the crimes of the delinquents, a pathetic admonition of them, and solemn obtestation and caution to the scholars, pronounced the sentence of expulsion, ordered their names to be rent off the tables, and them to depart the Hall."—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. I. p. 442.
In England, "an expelled man," says Bristed, "is shut out from the learned professions, as well as from all Colleges at either University."—Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 131.
FACILITIES. The means by which the performance of anything is rendered easy.—Webster.
Among students, a general name for what are technically calledponiesor translations.
All such subsidiary helps in learning lessons, he classed … under the opprobrious name of "facilities," and never scrupled to seize them as contraband goods.—Memorial of John S. Popkin, D.D., p. lxxvii.
FACULTY. In colleges, the masters and professors of the several sciences.—Johnson.
In America, thefacultyof a college or university consists of the president, professors, and tutors.—Webster.
The duties of the faculty are very extended. They have the general control and direction of the studies pursued in the college. They have cognizance of all offences committed by undergraduates, and it is their special duty to enforce the observance of all the laws and regulations for maintaining discipline, and promoting good order, virtue, piety, and good learning in the institution with which they are connected. The faculty hold meetings to communicate and compare their opinions and information, respecting the conduct and character of the students and the state of the college; to decide upon the petitions or requests which may be offered them by the members of college, and to consider and suggest such measures as may tend to the advancement of learning, and the improvement of the college. This assembly is called aFaculty-meeting, a word very often in the mouths of students.—Coll. Laws.
2. One of the members or departments of a university.
"In the origin of the University of Paris," says Brande, "the seven liberal arts (grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) seem to have been the subjects of academic instruction. These constituted what was afterwards designated the Faculty of Arts. Three other faculties—those of divinity, law, and medicine—were subsequently added. In all these four, lectures were given, and degrees conferred by the University. The four Faculties were transplanted to Oxford and Cambridge, where they are still retained; although, in point of fact, the faculty of arts is the only one in which substantial instruction is communicated in the academical course."—Brande's Dict., Art. FACULTY.
In some American colleges, these four departments are established, and sometimes a fifth, the Scientific, is added.
FAG. Scotch,faik, to fail, to languish. Ancient Swedish,wik-a, cedere. To drudge; to labor to weariness; to become weary.
2. To study hard; to persevere in study.
Place me 'midst every toil and care,A hapless undergraduate still,Tofagat mathematics dire, &c.Gradus ad Cantab., p. 8.
Dee, the famous mathematician, appears to havefaggedas intensely as any man at Cambridge. For three years, he declares, he only slept four hours a night, and allowed two hours for refreshment. The remaining eighteen hours were spent in study.—Ibid., p. 48.
How did ye toil, andfagg, and fume, and fret,And—what the bashful muse would blush to say.But, now, your painful tremors are all o'er,Cloath'd in the glories of a full-sleev'd gown,Ye strut majestically up and down,And now yefagg, and now ye fear, no more!Gent. Mag., 1795, p. 20.
FAG. A laborious drudge; a drudge for another. In colleges and schools, this term is applied to a boy of a lower form who is forced to do menial services for another boy of a higher form or class.
But who are those three by-standers, that have such an air of submission and awe in their countenances? They arefags,—Freshmen, poor fellows, called out of their beds, and shivering with fear in the apprehension of missing morning prayers, to wait upon their lords the Sophomores in their midnight revellings.—Harvardiana, Vol. II. p. 106.
Hisfaghe had well-nigh killed by a blow.Wallenstein in Bohn's Stand. Lib., p. 155.
A sixth-form schoolboy is not a little astonished to find hisfagsbecoming his masters.—Lond. Quar. Rev., Am. Ed., Vol. LXXIII, p. 53.
Under the title FRESHMAN SERVITUDE will be found as account of the manner in which members of that class were formerly treated in the older American colleges.
2. A diligent student, i.e. adig.
FAG. Time spent in, or period of, studying.
The afternoon'sfagis a pretty considerable one, lasting from three till dark.—Alma Mater, Vol. I. p. 248.
After anotherhard fagof a week or two, a land excursion would be proposed.—Ibid., Vol. II. p. 56.
FAGGING. Laborious drudgery; the acting as a drudge for another at a college or school.
2. Studying hard, equivalent todigging, grubbing, &c.
Thrice happy ye, through toil and dangers past,Who rest upon that peaceful shore,Where all yourfaggingis no more,And gain the long-expected port at last.Gent. Mag., 1795, p. 19.
TofaggingI set to, therefore, with as keen a relish as ever alderman sat down to turtle.—Alma Mater, Vol. I. p. 123.
See what I pay for liberty to leave school early, and to figure in every ball-room in the country, and see the world, instead offaggingat college.—Collegian's Guide, p. 307.
FAIR HARVARD. At the celebration of the era of the second century from the origin of Harvard College, which was held at Cambridge, September 8th, 1836, the following Ode, written by the Rev. Samuel Gilman, D.D., of Charleston, S.C., was sung to the air, "Believe me, if all those endearing young charms."
"FAIR HARVARD! thy sons to thy Jubilee throng,And with blessings surrender thee o'er,By these festival-rites, from the Age that is past,To the Age that is waiting before.O Relic and Type of our ancestors' worth,That hast long kept their memory warm!First flower of their wilderness! Star of their night,Calm rising through change and through storm!
"To thy bowers we were led in the bloom of our youth,From the home of our free-roving years,When our fathers had warned, and our mothers had prayed,And our sisters had blest, through their tears.Thouthen wert our parent,—the nurse of our souls,—We were moulded to manhood by thee,Till, freighted with treasure-thoughts, friendships, and hopes,Thou didst launch us on Destiny's sea.
"When, as pilgrims, we come to revisit thy halls,To what kindlings the season gives birth!Thy shades are more soothing, thy sunlight more dear,Than descend on less privileged earth:For the Good and the Great, in their beautiful prime,Through thy precincts have musingly trod,As they girded their spirits, or deepened the streamsThat make glad the fair City of God.
"Farewell! be thy destinies onward and bright!To thy children the lesson still give,With freedom to think, and with patience to bear,And for right ever bravely to live.Let not moss-covered Error moortheeat its side,As the world on Truth's current glides by;Be the herald of Light, and the bearer of Love,Till the stock of the Puritans die."
Since the occasion on which this ode was sung, it has been the practice with the odists of Class Day at Harvard College to write the farewell class song to the tune of "Fair Harvard," the name by which the Irish air "Believe me" has been adopted. The deep pathos of this melody renders it peculiarly appropriate to the circumstances with which it has been so happily connected, and from which it is to be hoped it may never be severed.
See CLASS DAY.
FAIR LICK. In the game of football, when the ball is fairly caught or kicked beyond the bounds, the cry usually heard, isFair lick! Fair lick!
"Fair lick!" he cried, and raised his dreadful foot,Armed at all points with the ancestral boot.Harvardiana, Vol. IV. p. 22.
See FOOTBALL.
FANTASTICS. At Princeton College, an exhibition on Commencement evening, of a number of students on horseback, fantastically dressed in masks, &c.
FAST. An epithet of one who is showy in dress, expensive or apparently so in his mode of living, and inclined to spree. Formerly used exclusively among students; now of more general application.
Speaking of the student signification of the word, Bristed remarks: "Afast manis not necessarily (like the London fast man) arowingman, though the two attributes are often combined in the same person; he is one who dresses flashily, talks big, and spends, or affects to spend, money very freely."—Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 23.
TheFastMan comes, with reeling tread,Cigar in mouth, and swimming head.MS. Poem, F.E. Felton.
FAT. At Princeton College, a letter with money or a draft is thus denominated.
FATHER or PRÆLECTOR. In the University of Cambridge, Eng., one of the fellows of a college, who attends all the examinations for the Bachelor's degree, to see that justice is done to the candidates from his own college, who are at that time called hissons.—Gradus ad Cantab.
TheFathersof the respective colleges, zealous for the credit of the societies of which they are the guardians, are incessantly employed in examining those students who appear most likely to contest the palm of glory with theirsons.—Gent. Mag., 1773, p. 435.
FEBRUARY TWENTY-SECOND. At Shelby, Centre, and Bacon Colleges, in Kentucky, it is customary to select the best orators and speakers from the different literary societies to deliver addresses on the twenty-second of February, in commemoration of the birthday of Washington. At Bethany College, in Virginia, this day is observed in a similar manner.
FEEZE. Usually spelled PHEEZE, q.v.
Under FLOP, another, but probably a wrong or obsolete, signification is given.
FELLOW. A member of a corporation; a trustee. In the English universities, a residence at the college, engagement in instruction, and receiving therefor a stipend, are essential requisites to the character of afellow. In American colleges, it is not necessary that afellowshould be a resident, a stipendiary, or an instructor. In most cases the greater number of theFellows of the Corporationare non-residents, and have no part in the instruction at the college.
With reference to the University of Cambridge, Eng., Bristed remarks: "The Fellows, who form the general body from which the other college officers are chosen, consist of those four or five Bachelor Scholars in each year who pass the best examination in classics, mathematics, and metaphysics. This examination being a severe one, and only the last of many trials which they have gone through, the inference is allowable that they are the most learned of the College graduates. They have a handsome income, whether resident or not; but if resident, enjoy the additional advantages of a well-spread table for nothing, and good rooms at a very low price. The only conditions of retaining their Fellowships are, that they take orders after a certain time and remain unmarried. Of those who do not fill college offices, some occupy themselves with private pupils; others, who have property of their own, prefer to live a life of literary leisure, like some of their predecessors, the monks of old. The eight oldest Fellows at any time in residence, together with the Master, have the government of the college vested in them."—Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 16.
For some remarks on the word Fellow, see under the title COLLEGE.
FELLOW-COMMONER. In the University of Cambridge, England,Fellow-Commonersare generally the younger sons of the nobility, or young men of fortune, and have the privilege of dining at the Fellows' table, whence the appellation originated.
"Fellow-Commoners," says Bristed, "are 'young men of fortune,' as theCambridge CalendarandCambridge Guidehave it, who, in consideration of their paying twice as much for everything as anybody else, are allowed the privilege of sitting at the Fellows' table in hall, and in their seats at chapel; of wearing a gown with gold or silver lace, and a velvet cap with a metallic tassel; of having the first choice of rooms; and as is generally believed, and believed not without reason, of getting off with a less number of chapels per week. Among them are included the Honorablesnoteldest sons,—only these wear a hat instead of the velvet cap, and are thence popularly known asHatFellow-Commoners."—Five Years in an Eng. Univ., Ed. 2d, p. 13.
AFellow-Commonerat Cambridge is equivalent to an OxfordGentleman-Commoner, and is in all respects similar to what in private schools and seminaries is called aparlor boarder. A fuller account of this, the first rank at the University, will be found in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1795, p. 20, and in the Gradus ad Cantabrigiam, p. 50.
"Fellow-Commoners have been nicknamed 'Empty Bottles'! They have been called, likewise, 'Useless Members'! 'The licensed Sons of Ignorance.'"—Gradus ad Cantab.
The Fellow-Commoners, aliasempty bottles, (not so called because they've let out anything during the examination,) are then presented.—Alma Mater, Vol. II. p. 101.
In the old laws of Harvard College we find the following: "None shall be admitted aFellow-Commonerunless he first pay thirteen pounds six and eight pence to the college. And everyFellow-Commonershall pay double tuition money. They shall have the privilege of dining and supping with the Fellows at their table in the hall; they shall be excused from going on errands, and shall have the title of Masters, and have the privilege of wearing their hats as the Masters do; but shall attend all duties and exercises with the rest of their class, and be alike subject to the laws and government of the College," &c. The Hon. Paine Wingate, a graduate of the class of 1759, says in reference to this subject: "I never heard anything aboutFellow-Commonersin college excepting in this paragraph. I am satisfied there has been no such description of scholars at Cambridge since I have known anything about the place."—Peirce's Hist. Harv. Coll., p. 314.
In the Appendix to "A Sketch of the History of Harvard College," by Samuel A. Eliot, is a memorandum, in the list of donations to that institution, under the date 1683, to this effect. "Mr. Joseph Brown, Mr. Edward Page, Mr. Francis Wainwright,fellow-commoners, gave each a silver goblet." Mr. Wainwright graduated in 1686. The other two do not appear to have received a degree. All things considered, it is probable that this order, although introduced from the University of Cambridge, England, into Harvard College, received but few members, on account of the evil influence which such distinctions usually exert.
FELLOW OF THE HOUSE. See under HOUSE.
FELLOW, RESIDENT. At Harvard College, the tutors were formerly calledresident fellows.—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. I. p. 278.
Theresident fellowswere tutors to the classes, and instructed them in Hebrew, "and led them through all the liberal arts before the four years were expired."—Harv. Reg., p. 249.
FELLOWSHIP. An establishment in colleges, for the maintenance of a fellow.—Webster.
In Harvard College, tutors were formerly called Fellows of the House or College, and their office,fellowships. In this sense that word is used in the following passage.
Joseph Stevens was chosen "Fellow of the College, or House," and as such was approved by that board [the Corporation], in the language of the records, "to supply a vacancy in one of theFellowshipsof the House."—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. I. p. 279.
FELLOWS' ORCHARD. See TUTORS' PASTURE.
FEMUR. Latin;a thigh-bone. At Yale College, afemurwas formerly the badge of a medical bully.
When hand in hand all joined in band,With clubs, umbrellas,femurs,Declaring death and broken teeth'Gainst blacksmiths, cobblers, seamers.The Crayon, Yale Coll., 1823, p. 14.
"One hundred valiant warriors, who(My Captain bid me say)Threefemurswield, with one to fight,With two to run away,
"Wait in Scull Castle, to receive,With open gates, your men;Their right arms nerved, theirfemursclenched,Safe to protect ye then!"—Ibid., p. 23.
FERG. To lose the heat of excitement or passion; to become less angry, ardent; to cool. A correspondent from the University of Vermont, where this word is used, says: "If a man gets angry, we 'let himferg,' and he feels better."
FESS. Probably abbreviated for CONFESS. In some of the Southern Colleges, to fail in reciting; to silently request the teacher not to put farther queries.
This word is in use among the cadets at West Point, with the same meaning.
And when you and I, and Benny, and General Jackson too,Are brought before a final board our course of life to view,May we never "fess" on any "point," but then be told to goTo join the army of the blest, with Benny Havens, O!Song, Benny Havens, O!
FINES. In many of the colleges in the United States it was formerly customary to impose fines upon the students as a punishment for non-compliance with the laws. The practice is now very generally abolished.
About the middle of the eighteenth century, the custom of punishing by pecuniary mulets began, at Harvard College, to be considered objectionable. "Although," says Quincy, "little regarded by the students, they were very annoying to their parents." A list of the fines which were imposed on students at that period presents a curious aggregate of offences and punishments.
£ s. d.Absence from prayers, 0 0 2Tardiness at prayers, 0 0 1Absence from Professor's public lecture, 0 0 4Tardiness at do. 0 0 2Profanation of Lord's day, not exceeding 0 3 0Absence from public worship, 0 0 9Tardiness at do. 0 0 3Ill behavior at do. not exceeding 0 1 6Going to meeting before bell-ringing, 0 0 6Neglecting to repeat the sermon, 0 0 9Irreverent behavior at prayers, or public divinitylectures, 0 1 6Absence from chambers, &c., not exceeding 0 0 6Not declaiming, not exceeding 0 1 6Not giving up a declamation, not exceeding 0 1 6Absence from recitation, not exceeding 0 1 6Neglecting analyzing, not exceeding 0 3 0Bachelors neglecting disputations, not exceeding 0 1 6Respondents neglecting do. from 1s. 6d. to 0 3 0Undergraduates out of town without leave, not exceeding 0 2 6Undergraduates tarrying out of town without leave, notexceedingper diem, 0 1 3Undergraduates tarrying out of town one week withoutleave, not exceeding 0 10 0Undergraduates tarrying out of town one month withoutleave, not exceeding 2 10 0Lodging strangers without leave, not exceeding 0 1 6Entertaining persons of ill character, not exceeding 0 1 6Going out of College without proper garb, not exceeding 0 0 6Frequenting taverns, not exceeding 0 1 6Profane cursing, not exceeding 0 2 6Graduates playing cards, not exceeding 0 5 0Undergraduates playing cards, not exceeding 0 2 6Undergraduates playing any game for money, not exceeding 0 1 6Selling and exchanging without leave, not exceeding 0 1 6Lying, not exceeding 0 1 6Opening door by pick-locks, not exceeding 0 5 0Drunkenness, not exceeding 0 1 6Liquors prohibited under penalty, not exceeding 0 1 6Second offence, not exceeding 0 3 0Keeping prohibited liquors, not exceeding 0 1 6Sending for do. 0 0 6Fetching do. 0 1 6Going upon the top of the College, 0 1 6Cutting off the lead, 0 1 6Concealing the transgression of the 19th Law,[25] 0 1 6Tumultuous noises, 0 1 6Second offence, 0 3 0Refusing to give evidence, 0 3 0Rudeness at meals, 0 1 0Butler and cook to keep utensils clean, notexceeding 0 5 0Not lodging at their chambers, not exceeding 0 1 6Sending Freshmen in studying time, 0 0 9Keeping guns, and going on skating, 0 1 0Firing guns or pistols in College yard, 0 2 6Fighting or hurting any person, not exceeding 0 1 6
In 1761, a committee, of which Lieutenant-Governor Hutchinson was a member, was appointed to consider of some other method of punishing offenders. Although they did not altogether abolish mulets, yet "they proposed that, in lieu of an increase of mulcts, absences without justifiable cause from any exercise of the College should subject the delinquent to warning, private admonition, exhortation to duty, and public admonition, with a notification to parents; when recitations had been omitted, performance of them should be exacted at some other time; and, by way of punishment for disorders, confinement, and the performance of exercises during its continuance, should be enjoined."—Quincy's Hist. Harv. Univ., Vol. II. pp. 135, 136.
By the laws of 1798, fines not exceeding one dollar were imposed by a Professor or Tutor, or the Librarian; not exceeding two dollars, by the President; all above two dollars, by the President, Professors, and Tutors, at a meeting.
Upon this subject, with reference to Harvard College, Professor Sidney Willard remarks: "For a long period fines constituted the punishment of undergraduates for negligence in attendance at the exercises and in the performance of the lessons assigned to them. A fine was the lowest degree in the gradation of punishment. This mode of punishment or disapprobation was liable to objections, as a tax on the father rather than a rebuke of the son, (except it might be, in some cases, for the indirect moral influence produced upon the latter, operating on his filial feeling,) and as a mercenary exaction, since the money went into the treasury of the College. It was a good day for the College when this punishment through the purse was abandoned as a part of the system of punishments; which, not confined to neglect of study, had been extended also to a variety of misdemeanors more or less aggravated and aggravating."—Memories of Youth and Manhood, Vol. I. p. 304.