A Collection of College Words and Customs Part 63

_Childe Harvard_, p. 36.

Did not the _Praeses_ himself most kindly and oft reprimand me?

_Harvardiana_, Vol. III. p. 98.

--the good old _Praeses_ cries, While the tears stand in his eyes, "You have pa.s.sed and are cla.s.sed With the boys of 'Twenty-Nine.'"

_Knick. Mag._, Vol. XLV. p. 195.

PRAYERS. In colleges and universities, the religious exercises performed in the chapel at morning and evening, at which all the students are required to attend.

These exercises in some inst.i.tutions were formerly much more extended than at present, and must on some occasions have been very onerous. Mr. Quincy, in his History of Harvard University, writing in relation to the customs which were prevalent in the College at the beginning of the last century, says on this subject: "Previous to the accession of Leverett to the Presidency, the practice of obliging the undergraduates to read portions of the Scripture from Latin or English into Greek, at morning and evening service, had been discontinued. But in January and May, 1708, this 'ancient and laudable practice was revived' by the Corporation. At morning prayers all the undergraduates were ordered, beginning with the youngest, to read a verse out of the Old Testament from the Hebrew into Greek, except the Freshmen, who were permitted to use their English Bibles in this exercise; and at evening service, to read from the New Testament out of the English or Latin translation into Greek, whenever the President performed this service in the Hall." In less than twenty years after the revival of these exercises, they were again discontinued. The following was then established as the order of morning and evening wors.h.i.+p: "The morning service began with a short prayer; then a chapter of the Old Testament was read, which the President expounded, and concluded with prayer. The evening service was the same, except that the chapter read was from the New Testament, and on Sat.u.r.day a psalm was sung in the Hall. On Sunday, exposition was omitted; a psalm was sung morning and evening; and one of the scholars, in course, was called upon to repeat, in the evening, the sermons preached on that day."--Vol.

I. pp. 439, 440.

The custom of singing at prayers on Sunday evening continued for many years. In a ma.n.u.script journal kept during the year 1793, notices to the following effect frequently occur. "Feb. 24th, Sunday. The singing club performed Man's Victory, at evening prayers." "Sund. April 14th, P.M. At prayers the club performed Brandon." "May 19th, Sabbath, P.M. At prayers the club performed Holden's Descend ye nine, etc." Soon after this, prayers were discontinued on Sunday evenings.

The President was required to officiate at prayers, but when unable to attend, the office devolved on one of the Tutors, "they taking their turns by course weekly." Whenever they performed this duty "for any considerable time," they were "suitably rewarded for their service." In one instance, in 1794, all the officers being absent, Mr., afterwards Prof. McKean, then an undergraduate, performed the duties of chaplain. In the journal above referred to, under date of Feb. 22, 1793, is this note: "At prayers, I declaimed in Latin"; which would seem to show, that this season was sometimes made the occasion for exercises of a literary as well as religious character.

In a late work by Professor Sidney Willard, he says of his father, who was President of Harvard College: "In the early period of his Presidency, Mr. Willard not unfrequently delivered a sermon at evening prayers on Sunday. In the year 1794, I remember he preached once or twice on that evening, but in the next year and onward he discontinued the service. His predecessor used to expound pa.s.sages of Scripture as a part of the religious service.

These expositions are frequently spoken of in the diary of Mr.

Caleb Gannett when he was a Tutor. On Sat.u.r.day evening and Sunday morning and evening, generally the College choir sang a hymn or an anthem. When these Sunday services were observed in the Chapel, the Faculty and students wors.h.i.+pped on Lord's day, at the stated hours of meeting, in the Congregational or the Episcopal Church."

--_Memories of Youth and Manhood_, Vol. I. pp. 137, 138.

At Yale College, one of the earliest laws ordains that "all undergraduates shall publicly repeat sermons in the hall in their course, and also bachelors; and be constantly examined on Sabbaths [at] evening prayer."--_Pres. Woolsey's Discourse_, p. 59.

Prayers at this inst.i.tution were at one period regulated by the following rule. "The President, or in his Absence, one of the Tutors in their Turn, shall constantly pray in the Chapel every Morning and Evening, and read a Chapter, or some suitable Portion of Scripture, unless a Sermon, or some Theological Discourse shall then be delivered. And every Member of College is obliged to attend, upon the Penalty of one Penny for every Instance of Absence, without a sufficient Reason, and a half Penny for being tardy, i.e. when any one shall come in after the President, or go out before him."--_Laws Yale Coll._, 1774, p. 5.

A writer in the American Literary Magazine, in noticing some of the evils connected with the American college system, describes very truthfully, in the following question, a scene not at all novel in student life. "But when the young man is compelled to rise at an unusually early hour to attend public prayers, under all kinds of disagreeable circ.u.mstances; when he rushes into the chapel breathless, with wet feet, half dressed, and with the prospect of a recitation immediately to succeed the devotions,--is it not natural that he should be listless, or drowsy, or excited about his recitation, during the whole sacred exercise?"--Vol. IV.

p. 517.

This season formerly afforded an excellent opportunity, for those who were so disposed, to play off practical jokes on the person officiating. On one occasion, at one of our colleges, a goose was tied to the desk by some of the students, intended as emblematic of the person who was accustomed to occupy that place. But the laugh was artfully turned upon them by the minister, who, seeing the bird with his head directed to the audience, remarked, that he perceived the young gentlemen were for once provided with a parson admirably suited to their capacities, and with these words left them to swallow his well-timed sarcasm. On another occasion, a ram was placed in the pulpit, with his head turned to the door by which the minister usually entered. On opening the door, the animal, diving between the legs of the fat shepherd, bolted down the pulpit stairs, carrying on his back the sacred load, and with it rushed out of the chapel, leaving the a.s.semblage to indulge in the reflections excited by the expressive looks of the astonished beast, and of his more astonished rider.

The Bible was often kept covered, when not in use, with a cloth.

It was formerly a very common trick to place under this cloth a pewter plate obtained from the commons hall, which the minister, on uncovering, would, if he were a shrewd man, quietly slide under the desk, and proceed as usual with the exercises.

At Harvard College, about the year 1785, two Indian images were missing from their accustomed place on the top of the gate-posts which stood in front of the dwelling of a gentleman of Cambridge.

At the same time the Bible was taken from the Chapel, and another, which was purchased to supply its place, soon followed it, no one knew where. One day, as a tutor was pa.s.sing by the room of a student, hearing within an uncommonly loud noise, he entered, as was his right and office. There stood the occupant,[59] holding in his hands one of the Chapel Bibles, while before him on the table were placed the images, to which he appeared to be reading, but in reality was vociferating all kinds of senseless gibberish. "What is the meaning of this noise?" inquired the tutor in great anger.

"Propagating the _Gospel_ among the _Indians_, Sir," replied the student calmly.

While Professor Ashur Ware was a tutor in Harvard College, he in his turn, when the President was absent, officiated at prayers.

Inclined to be longer in his devotions than was thought necessary by the students, they were often on such occasions seized with violent fits of sneezing, which generally made themselves audible in the word "A-a-shur," "A-a-shur."

The following lines, written by William C. Bradley when an undergraduate at Harvard College, cannot fail to be appreciated by those who have been cognizant of similar scenes and sentiments in their own experience of student life.

"Hark! the morning Bell is pealing Faintly on the drowsy ear, Far abroad the tidings dealing, Now the hour of prayer is near.

To the pious Sons of Harvard, Starting from the land of Nod, Loudly comes the rousing summons, Let us run and wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

"'T is the hour for deep contrition, 'T is the hour for peaceful thought, 'T is the hour to win the blessing In the early stillness sought; Kneeling in the quiet chamber, On the deck, or on the sod, In the still and early morning, 'T is the hour to wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

"But don't _you_ stop to pray in secret, No time for _you_ to wors.h.i.+p there, The hour approaches, 'Tempus fugit,'

Tear your s.h.i.+rt or miss a prayer.

Don't stop to wash, don't stop to b.u.t.ton, Go the ways your fathers trod; Leg it, put it, rush it, streak it, _Run_ and wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

"On the staircase, stamping, tramping, Bounding, sounding, down you go; Jumping, b.u.mping, cras.h.i.+ng, smas.h.i.+ng, Jarring, bruising, heel and toe.

See your comrades far before you Through the open door-way jam, Heaven and earth! the bell is stopping!

Now it dies in silence--d**n!"

PRELECTION. Latin, _praelectio_. A lecture or discourse read in public or to a select company.

Further explained by Dr. Popkin: "In the introductory schools, I think, _Prelections_ were given by the teachers to the learners.

According to the meaning of the word, the Preceptor went before, as I suppose, and explained and probably interpreted the lesson or lection; and the scholar was required to receive it in memory, or in notes, and in due time to render it in recitation."--_Memorial of John S. Popkin, D.D._, p. 19.

PRELECTOR. Latin, _praelector_. One who reads an author to others and adds explanations; a reader; a lecturer.

Their so famous a _prelectour_ doth teach.--_Sheldon, Mir. of Anti-Christ_, p. 38.

If his reproof be private, or with the cathedrated authority of a _praelector_ or public reader.--_Whitlock, Mann. of the English_, p. 385.

2. Same as FATHER, which see.

PREPOSITOR. Latin. A scholar appointed by the master to overlook the rest.

And when requested for the salt-cellar, I handed it with as much trepidation as a _praeposter_ gives the Doctor a list, when he is conscious of a mistake in the excuses.--_The Etonian_, Vol. II. p.

281.

PRESENTATION DAY. At Yale College, Presentation Day is the time when the Senior Cla.s.s, having finished the prescribed course of study, and pa.s.sed a satisfactory examination, are _presented_ by the examiners to the President, as properly qualified to be admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. A distinguished professor of the inst.i.tution where this day is observed has kindly furnished the following interesting historical account of this observance.

"This presentation," he writes, "is a ceremony of long standing.

It has certainly existed for more than a century. It is very early alluded to, not as a _novelty_, but as an established custom.

There is now less formality on such occasions, but the substantial parts of the exercises are retained. The examination is now begun on Sat.u.r.day and finished on Tuesday, and the day after, Wednesday, six weeks before the public Commencement, is the day of Presentation. There have sometimes been literary exercises on that day by one or more of the candidates, and sometimes they have been omitted. I have in my possession a Latin Oration, what, I suppose, was called a _Cliosophic Oration_, p.r.o.nounced by William Samuel Johnson in 1744, at the presentation of his cla.s.s. Sometimes a member of the cla.s.s exhibited an English Oration, which was responded to by some one of the College Faculty, generally by one who had been the princ.i.p.al instructor of the cla.s.s presented. A case of this kind occurred in 1776, when Mr., afterwards President Dwight, responded to the cla.s.s orator in an address, which, being delivered the same July in which Independence was declared, drew, from its patriotic allusions, as well as for other reasons, unusual attention. It was published,--a rare thing at that period.

Another response was delivered in 1796, by J. Stebbins, Tutor, which was likewise published. There has been no exhibition of the kind since. For a few years past, there have been an oration and a poem exhibited by members of the graduating cla.s.s, at the time of presentation. The appointments for these exercises are made by the cla.s.s.

"So much of an exhibition as there was at the presentation in 1778 has not been usual. More was then done, probably, from the fact, that for several years, during the Revolutionary war, there was no public Commencement. Perhaps it should be added, that, so far back as my information extends, after the literary exercises of Presentation Day, there has always been a dinner, or collation, at which the College Faculty, graduates, invited guests, and the Senior Cla.s.s have been present."

A graduate of the present year[60] writes more particularly in relation to the observances of the day at the present time. "In the morning the Senior Cla.s.s are met in one of the lecture-rooms by the chairman of the Faculty and the senior Tutor. The latter reads the names of those who have pa.s.sed a satisfactory examination, and are to be recommended for degrees. The Cla.s.s then adjourn to the College Chapel, where the President and some of the Professors are waiting to receive them. The senior Tutor reads the names as before, after which Professor Kingsley recommends the Cla.s.s to the President and Faculty for the degree of B.A., in a Latin discourse. The President then responds in the same tongue, and addresses a few words of counsel to the Cla.s.s.

"These exercises are followed by the Poem and Oration, delivered by members of the Cla.s.s chosen for these offices by the Cla.s.s.

Then comes the dinner, given in one of the lecture-rooms. After this the Cla.s.s meet in the College yard, and spend the afternoon in smoking (the old clay pipe is used, but no cigars) and singing.

Thus ends the active life of our college days."

"Presentation Day," says the writer of the preface to the "Songs of Yale," "is the sixth Wednesday of the Summer Term, when the graduating Cla.s.s, after having pa.s.sed their second 'Biennial,' are presented to the President as qualified for the first degree, or the B.A. After this 'presentation,' a farewell oration and poem are p.r.o.nounced by members of the Cla.s.s, previously elected by their cla.s.smates for the purpose. After a public dinner, they seat themselves under the elms before the College, and smoke and sing for the last time together. Each has his pipe, and 'they who never' smoked 'before' now smoke, or seem to. The exercises are closed with a procession about the buildings, bidding each farewell." 1853, p. 4.

This last smoke is referred to in the following lines:--

"Green elms are waving o'er us, Green gra.s.s beneath our feet, The ring is round, and on the ground We sit a cla.s.s complete."

_Presentation Day Songs_, June 14, 1854.