A Collection of College Words and Customs Part 2

Hopkins's Miscellaneous Essays and Discourses_, pp. 275-277.

To the same effect also, Mr. Chief Justice Story, who, in his Discourse before the Society of the Alumni of Harvard University, Aug. 23, 1842, says: "We meet to celebrate the first anniversary of the society of all the Alumni of Harvard. We meet without any distinction of sect or party, or of rank or profession, in church or in state, in literature or in science.... Our fellows.h.i.+p is designed to be--as it should be--of the most liberal and comprehensive character, conceived in the spirit of catholic benevolence, asking no creed but the love of letters, seeking no end but the encouragement of learning, and imposing no conditions, which say lead to jealousy or ambitious strife. In short, we meet for peace and for union; to devote one day in the year to academical intercourse and the amenities of scholars."--p. 4.

An Alumni society was formed at Columbia College in the year 1829, and at Rutgers College in 1837. There are also societies of this nature at the College of New Jersey, Princeton; University of Virginia, Charlottesville; and at Columbian College, Was.h.i.+ngton.

ALUMNUS, _pl._ ALUMNI. Latin, from _alo_, to nourish. A pupil; one educated at a seminary or college is called an _alumnus_ of that inst.i.tution.

A.M. An abbreviation for _Artium Magister_, Master of Arts. The second degree given by universities and colleges. It is usually written M.A., q.v.

a.n.a.lYSIS. In the following pa.s.sage, the word _a.n.a.lysis_ is used as a verb; the meaning being directly derived from that of the noun of the same orthography.

If any resident Bachelor, Senior, or Junior Sophister shall neglect to _a.n.a.lysis_ in his course, he shall be punished not exceeding ten s.h.i.+llings.--_Peirce's Hist. Harv. Univ._, App., p.

129.

ANNARUGIANS. At Centre College, Kentucky, is a society called the _Annarugians_, "composed," says a correspondent "of the wildest of the College boys, who, in the most fantastic disguises, are always on hand when a wedding is to take place, and join in a most tremendous Charivari, nor can they be forced to retreat until they have received a due proportion of the sumptuous feast prepared."

APOSTLES. At Cambridge, England, the last twelve on the list of Bachelors of Arts; a degree lower than the [Greek: oi polloi]

"Scape-goats of literature, who have at length scrambled through the pales and discipline of the Senate-House, without being _plucked_, and miraculously obtained the t.i.tle of A.B."--_Gradus ad Cantab._

At Columbian College, D.C., the members of the Faculty are called after the names of the _Apostles_.

APPLICANT. A diligent student. "This word," says Mr. Pickering, in his Vocabulary, "has been much used at our colleges. The English have the verb _to apply_, but the noun _applicant_, in this sense, does not appear to be in use among them. The only Dictionary in which I have found it with this meaning is Entick's, in which it is given under the word _applier_. Mr. Todd has the term _applicant_, but it is only in the sense of 'he who applies for anything.' An American reviewer, in his remarks on Mr. Webster's Dictionary, takes notice of the word, observing, that it 'is a mean word'; and then adds, that 'Mr. Webster has not explained it in the most common sense, a _hard student_.'--_Monthly Anthology_, Vol. VII. p. 263. A correspondent observes: 'The utmost that can be said of this word among the English is, that perhaps it is occasionally used in conversation; at least, to signify one who asks (or applies) for something.'" At present the word _applicant_ is never used in the sense of a diligent student, the common signification being that given by Mr. Webster, "One who applies; one who makes request; a pet.i.tioner."

APPOINTEE. One who receives an appointment at a college exhibition or commencement.

The _appointees_ are writing their pieces.--_Scenes and Characters in College_, New Haven, 1847, p. 193.

To the gratified _appointee_,--if his ambition for the honor has the intensity it has in some bosoms,--the day is the proudest he will ever see.--_Ibid._, p. 194.

I suspect that a man in the first cla.s.s of the "Poll" has usually read mathematics to more profit than many of the "_appointees_,"

even of the "oration men" at Yale.--_Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ._, Ed. 2d, p. 382.

He hears it said all about him that the College _appointees_ are for the most part poor dull fellows.--_Ibid._, p. 389.

APPOINTMENT. In many American colleges, students to whom are a.s.signed a part in the exercises of an exhibition or commencement, are said to receive an _appointment_. Appointments are given as a reward for superiority in scholars.h.i.+p.

As it regards college, the object of _appointments_ is to incite to study, and promote good scholars.h.i.+p.--_Scenes and Characters in College_, New Haven, 1847, p. 69.

If e'er ye would take an "_appointment_" young man, Beware o' the "blade" and "fine fellow," young man!

_Yale Lit. Mag._, Vol. XV. p. 210.

Some have crammed for _appointments_, and some for degrees.

_Presentation Day Songs_, Yale Coll., June 14, 1854.

See JUNIOR APPOINTMENTS.

APPROBAMUS. Latin; _we approve_. A certificate, given to a student, testifying of his fitness for the performance of certain duties.

In an account of the exercises at Dartmouth College during the Commencement season in 1774, Dr. Belknap makes use of this word in the following connection: "I attended, with several others, the examination of Joseph Johnson, an Indian, educated in this school, who, with the rest of the New England Indians, are about moving up into the country of the Six Nations, where they have a tract of land fifteen miles square given them. He appeared to be an ingenious, sensible, serious young man; and we gave him an _approbamus_, of which there is a copy on the next page. After which, at three P.M., he preached in the college hall, and a collection of twenty-seven dollars and a half was made for him.

The auditors were agreeably entertained.

"The _approbamus_ is as follows."--_Life of Jeremy Belknap, D.D._, pp. 71, 72.

APPROBATE. To express approbation of; to manifest a liking, or degree of satisfaction.--_Webster_.

The cause of this battle every man did allow and _approbate_.--_Hall, Henry VII., Richardson's Dict._

"This word," says Mr. Pickering, "was formerly much used at our colleges instead of the old English verb _approve_. The students used to speak of having their performances _approbated_ by the instructors. It is also now in common use with our clergy as a sort of technical term, to denote a person who is licensed to preach; they would say, such a one is _approbated_, that is, licensed to preach. It is also common in New England to say of a person who is licensed by the county courts to sell spirituous liquors, or to keep a public house, that he is approbated; and the term is adopted in the law of Ma.s.sachusetts on this subject." The word is obsolete in England, is obsolescent at our colleges, and is very seldom heard in the other senses given above.

By the twelfth statute, a student incurs ... no penalty by declaiming or attempting to declaim without having his piece previously _approbated_.--_MS. Note to Laws of Harvard College_, 1798.

Observe their faces as they enter, and you will perceive some shades there, which, if they are _approbated_ and admitted, will be gone when they come out.--_Scenes and Characters in College_, New Haven, 1847, p. 18.

How often does the professor whose duty it is to criticise and _approbate_ the pieces for this exhibition wish they were better!

--_Ibid._, p. 195.

I was _approbated_ by the Boston a.s.sociation, I suspect, as a person well known, but known as an anomaly, and admitted in charity.--_Memorial of John S. Popkin, D.D._, p. lx.x.xv.

a.s.sES' BRIDGE. The fifth proposition of the first book of Euclid is called the _a.s.ses' Bridge_, or rather "Pons Asinorum," from the difficulty with which many get over it.

The _a.s.ses' Bridge_ in Euclid is not more difficult to be got over, nor the logarithms of Napier so hard to be unravelled, as many of Hoyle's Cases and Propositions.--_The Connoisseur_, No.

LX.

After Mr. Brown had pa.s.sed us over the "_a.s.ses' Bridge_," without any serious accident, and conducted us a few steps further into the first book, he dismissed us with many compliments.--_Alma Mater_, Vol. I. p. 126.

I don't believe he pa.s.sed the _Pons Asinorum_ without many a halt and a stumble.--_Ibid._, Vol. I. p. 146.

a.s.sESSOR. In the English universities, an officer specially appointed to a.s.sist the Vice-Chancellor in his court.--_Cam. Cal._

AUCTION. At Harvard College, it was until within a few years customary for the members of the Senior Cla.s.s, previously to leaving college, to bring together in some convenient room all the books, furniture, and movables of any kind which they wished to dispose of, and put them up at public auction. Everything offered was either sold, or, if no bidders could be obtained, given away.

AUDIT. In the University of Cambridge, England, a meeting of the Master and Fellows to examine or _audit_ the college accounts.

This is succeeded by a feast, on which occasion is broached the very best ale, for which reason ale of this character is called "audit ale."--_Grad. ad Cantab._

This use of the word thirst made me drink an extra b.u.mper of "_Audit_" that very day at dinner.--_Alma Mater_, Vol. I. p. 3.