Early Customs at Harvard.

The early rules and regulations in vogue during the first few years of Harvard's existence are highly amusing when viewed in the light of two hundred and fifty years. We know little of undergraduate life of the first six or seven years, but in 1643 we are told that the first commencement was held. By this time a system of government, of a very crude sort, had shaped itself. The first code of laws put forth by the college authorities was known as the "Dunster Code," and its first regulation was as follows: "When any scholar is able to understand Tully, or such like classical author, extempore, and make and speak true Latin, in verse and in prose, Suo ut aiunt Marte, and decline perfectly the paradigms of nouns and verbs in the Greek tongue; let him then, and not before, be capable of admission to college."

Recitations and lectures were held from eight o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon, three years being the original undergraduate course. The scriptures were carefully studied, and the ancient languages, Chaldee, Syriac, Greek and Latin, formed a large part of the curriculum. Besides this motley array of languages, mathematics, physics, astronomy, politics, ethics, logic, style, imitation, epitome and declamation were required branches. History formed a part of the regular work in winter, and was superseded by botany in the summer months. One cannot help being amazed at the thought of this vast array of learning being crammed into a three years' course, but it is probable that the studies were very superficial, for we have evidence that the education afforded by the early college by no means equalled that furnished by the modern preparatory school.

Undergraduate life of those days was not half as rosy as it has been painted. There is painful evidence that snobbishness was far more prevalent than it is now, and that is saying a good deal. One of the most remarkable customs of the early days of the college was that of arranging men in class according to social position. This must have occasioned many worthy but poor students considerable mortification and chagrin. A writer on the subject says: "The scholars were often enraged beyond bounds for their disappointment in their place; and it was some time before a class could settle down to an acquiescence in this allotment. The higher parts of the class commonly had the best chambers assigned to them. They also had a right to keep themselves first at table in commons."

Another strange custom was a rule compelling a lower classman to keep his hat removed from his head while a member of one of the upper classes was in the yard. This custom was finally broken up by a young freshman named Hedge, who, when ordered to uncover by an imperious upper classman, responded to the command by a heavy blow of his fist on the nose of his superior and was supported by the President for his independence.

A remnant of the "flogging" system of the English college may be trace n the custom that obliged freshmen to run on errands for their higher brethren. A freshman never thought of breaking this rule, for if he did refuse to obey the command of a superior his disobedience would meet with the direst consequences.

Serious insubordination was punished by flogging "in the hall, openly," a dastardly custom that was not abolished until 1755, when corporal punishment was suspended by the corporation and never revived. The minor offences were punished by fines varying in amount with the enormity of the offence. Smoking was prohibited "unless permitted by the President, with the consent of parents and guardians, and on good reason first given by a physician." Money was very scarce in those days and a frequent delinquent who had the ill-luck to be detected in his wrong-doing would soon find himself impoverished. Indeed ready cash was so difficult to attain that the term bills were often paid in kind, butter, cheese, fruit, etc., being the commodities offered in exchange for education.