Harvard of the Nineteenth Century Lives Again in Book of "Delightful Mingling of Seriousness and Humor"

In this very attractive volume Mr. Batchelder brings together a group of nine studies of Harvard subjects, all of which have appeared before in various periodicals. The dedication is to the Class of 1893, affectionately described as "The best class that ever graduated from Harvard College."

Varied as are the subjects here discussed, ranging from a biography of Holden Chapel to a survey of Barracks on Cambridge Common, and from a tribute to Professor Langdell to sketches of the "Regina Bonarum" and John the Orange Man, these papers find their principle of unity in the delightful mingling of seriousness and humor with which they are treated. Mr. Batchelder is the true antiquarian. He delights in pursuing a word, a custom or a tradition to its origin and tracing its history as far as he can follow it. But, having done this he is not content to present the bare result in tabular form; he brings his scattered facts into relation with larger ideas and shows their bearing upon the movement of important institutions.

Eating in Common an English Heritage

For example: the feeding of college students does not sound like an especially promising or engaging topic, but throughout the seventy-five pages devoted to "The History of Commons" our attention is held to the broader educational and disciplinary interests involved. We are reminded how persistently the Harvard tradition has clung to its English heritage in distinction from, and often in opposition to, the influence of the European continental methods. Eating in common has always been treated here as a part of that partriarchal discipline embodied in the English college, and Mr. Batchelder shows us how steadily the government of Harvard has resisted every attempt of students to escape from this discipline by "eating round" and, on the other hand, how students have rebelled against such restriction. He believes,

*Bits of Harvard History, by Samuel F. Batchelder, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1924. optimistically, that the age-long conflict has been solved by the present experiment with the Freshman Dormitories and suggests that the same principle of "Intramural" reflection might well be extended to other halls of residence.

To many readers the most curiously interesting chapter will be the first, in which we read the history of Holden Chapel. Here again a persistent Harvard trait is illustrated, the practical adaptation of material means to immediate ideal ends. Built on a generous scale for religious purposes within one generation, and during a century and a half has been either entirely abandoned or employed as "senate-chamber, courthouse, barracks, carpenter shop, engine-house, dissecting theatre, recitation building, museum, lecture-hall, clubhouse, laboratory, general auditorium--everything but a chapel." In our architectural kaleidoscope this much abused solitary gift of an English donor, beautiful in its design, honest in its construction, still bears its silent witness to Harvard's persistent refusal to be stampeded into any schemes for a "permanent plant" of uniform exterior and supposedly adapted to the needs of future generations.

Sketches Old Times at Law School

Harvard's early contributions to the scientific teaching of law and medicine are excellently sketched in "Old Times at the Law School" and "Hospital Surgeons of 1775." As a lawyer himself Mr. Batchelder dwells with especial interest upon the remarkable development of legal teaching through a long period when the prevailing opinion was that in law there was "nothing to teach" but only something to be learned by practice. His tribute to Professor Langdell is that of an enthusiastic pupil and an affectionate friend.

The fifty illustrations are real additions to the value of the text. They are all taken from contemporary prints, portraits, photographs or specially made drawings. That the book has been made by the Harvard University Press is sufficient evidence of its attractive quality. Of this, more than of most books, it may be truly said that it is one which every Harvard man should own.