Medieval Rituals Retained For 1944's Commencement

Now a commander in the U. S. Naval Reserve, Samuel Eliot Morison '08, on leave of absence from his post as Jonathan Trumbull Professor of American History, wrote the following history of Harvard Commencements in the 30's. He is now compiling a history of the operations of the U. S. Navy in World War II.

Harvard Commencement is the oldest and most dignified cerement in the United States, excepting certain ecclesiastical rites. The word Commencement is simply a translation of the Latin "inceptio," and means that you then commence Bachelor or Master of Arts or whatever academic rank you are entering. The ceremony has come down to us directly from the medieval universities.

In the twelfth century, when the reputation of Abelard was drawing thousands of students to Paris, the masters or teachers of the Liberal Arts there formed a gild or corporation in order to keep up standards and protect their interest. After the candidate had resided a certain number of years, attended the prescribed lectures, and read the required books, he took two read the required books, he took two oral examinations, paid numerous fees, treated the bedels or university officials to drinks, figs, and gloves, and engaged in Latin disputation on the evening before Commencement, which came in early July.

On the morning of the day all the "inceptors" attended Mass (our modern equivalent is the Baccalaureate Sermon), and then marched in solemn procession into the university church where Commencement was held. The presiding officer read each candidate's name aloud and asked the assembled Masters of Arts if it pleased them to have him admitted to their fraternity. They replied "placet" or "non placet," and if the "placets" had it, he was all set.

Each accepted candidate was then individually taken into the Masters' gild, "with kiss, ring, and book." The Puritans who founded Harvard left out the kiss and the ring, but until the last century every candidate at Harvard placed his hand on some "book of Artes" as a sign that he was now competent to teach the subjects that he had lately studied.

What Commencement Parts Mean

Following admission to the Mastership came the "Act," origin of our Commencement Parts. The idea was that the complete Master of Arts ought to show his stuff, as it were, before the university let him go. Commencement parts opened in the thirteenth century, as now, with a Latin speech, which was supposed to show as much with as the speaker was capable of. In the later middle ages and Renaissance the object of the salutatory orator was to make the presiding dignitaries as angry as possible with personal remarks and obscene qulps.

Then came disputations between small debating teams on set subjects in Philosophy. By the time Harvard was founded the original purpose of Commencement Parts had been lost sight of and we have always conferred degree after instead of before the speaking, although you could not have your degree until you had made a public performance.

Harvard Commencements have followed the M.A. ritual for all degrees. In the medieval universities the Bachelors or Arts had their own ceremonies and Commencement. At Oxford and Cambridge the candidates had to appear in the University Church every week-day in Len and argue in Latin with any Bachelor on Master who challenged them.

Although Harvard has always had but one Commencement, the Bachelors used to have the morning to themselves, and the Masters the afternoon. During a week or two in May or June, the Seniors used to sit in the college hall and engage in argument with graduates, like their predecessors in the Old World.

During the nineteenth century this was transformed into an oral examination by the Board of Overseers. This duty grev highly uncongenial to the Overseers, and was dropped about 1870. But until 1891 the President used to read each candidate's name aloud at Commencement and receive the "placets" of the Overseers a representatives of the Masters' gild.

Merrymaking an Old Custom

Feasting and jollity has been a feature of Commencement since earliest time (although the war has somewhat sobere the occasion--Ed.), and even in earl Harvard every Bachelor of Master 0 Arts had to pay a commencement fee 0 *3, about the equivalent of two years tuition; and it is only within (thirty years that the last commencement fee were abolished at Harvard. These fee went to pay the expenses of the commencement dinner for graduates who altended. It was felt to be a great privilege to be admitted to the society of educate men; hence students ought to pay hand somely for it.

The Puritan colonies tried to suppres time-honored holidays like Christmas an-Midsummer's Day. Thanksgiving was pretty good substitute for the former and the people insisted on making Harvard Commencement a substitute for the latter. By the early eighteenth century, Harvard Commencement had become a "riot" Every graduate came if he possibly could, and those who had no right of admission to the Meetinghouse (on the site of Lehman Hall) where the degrees were conferred came out to watch the procession and see the sights. Cambridge common was covered by tonts of huck-sters, cheap-jacks, Indian basket-sellers and medicine men, sellers of gingerbread, purveyors of run, keepers of dancing bears, and ladies of easy virtue. The College Corporation was much worried by these raffish accompaniments to their solemn exercises. Unable to persuade the Cambridge authorities to keep the populace in order for Commencement brought money into the village they tried the dodge of keeping the date of Commencement a secret until a few days beforehand. This created such indignation among the graduates who counted on attending Commencement to see their classmates and friends, that it had to be given up. And Commencement did not become respectable until the Fourth of July was instituted as a holiday.

Horseguards Guard Saltonstall

The governor of Massachusetts, who is always the guest of honor, and until 1866 was ex-officio President of the Board of Overseers, drives out from the State House, accompanied by the Roxbury Horse Guards, a cavalry troop that goes back to Colonial days. Near the Johnston Gate the procession of officers and undergraduates is formed, in the reverse order of classes, and it is a moving sight to watch the procession of younger and younger alumni until we reach the class that is celebrating its triennial. Seniors in their bachelors' gowns (another medieval survival) line up in double ranks for the procession of alumni to pass between, and then fall in and march to their places in Sever Quadrangle (now Tercentenary Theatre--ed.).

The Sheriff of Middlesex County, girt with his sword of office as representative of sovereignty, calls the meeting to order. The assembly is opened with prayer. The President takes his place in the ancient Tudor chair which has been the Harvard President's seat of office for over two centuries. On his right are the Fellows and Overseers of Harvard College (the two governing boards created by the Charter of 1650), and the distinguished guests, some of whom are to receive honorary degrees. On his left are members of the several faculties, in full academic dress, the gowns and hoods of foreign universities making a splash of color against our sombre black.

Order of Ceremony

The Commencement Programme is another ancient survival. Originally it was a big sheet with a dedication to the principal dignitaries present, somewhat more fulsome than our present republican formulae, followed by the names of the ten or twenty lads who were taking degrees, and then by a formidable list of theses or propositions in Latin on the Arts and Philosophy. These theses represented the sort of thing that the students had been debating during their four years in college. They were, in effect, challenges to the audience. Any graduate present could leap to his feet and challenge a thesis, and some member of the Senior Class had to take him on. Cortain theges were marked for a formal debate according to the recognized rules of logle, and until the classes got to be more than 25 in number, every member was assured of some part in the programme.

This medieval method still goes on in the Catholic colleges; but at Harvard Commencement parts in English were substituted in he nineteenth century. Yet the Commencement Programme is still the Seniors' programme. The "candidate" are all in the nominative case, Inviting the guests to the ceremony, before the dignitarion. In the colonial period, the Seniors paid for the programme themselves, and there was a great row in 1733 when they shifted their patronage from a printer of reputed Tory leanings to one more patriotic in his sentiments.

A Senior with a good voice and presence, and classical training (they are hard to find nowadays), delivers the Salutatory Oration *** Other Commencement Parts by selected Seniors follow. In the last century there was much jealousy and heart-burning over these Parts, and those who were not awarded them used to stage a mock commencement of their own, with ribald Parts, a few days before.

The Parts being delivered, the President confers the degrees. This can no longer be done individually. The Dean of each faculty presents a roll containing a list of the men whose degrees have been voted by the Governing Boards early that morning, and the President pronounces the appropriate formula.

Honorary Degree Great Honor

Except for translating it into English--which was done as recently as 1896--there has been little change in the formula for the B.A. since Harvard was founded. The several higher degrees are then conferred; and finally, the honorary degrees. As it has been kept a dead secret who are to receive these, they are looked forward to with great interest; and the President's brief and pithy characterization of each recipient is greeted with loud applause. A Harvard honorary degree is the highest academic honor conferred on this continent, and as such is deeply appreciated. The two Governing Board make the choice