the "great rebellion" of 1828, in consequence of which about forty students were sent away from their Alma Mater never to return, and finally, in 1843, commons were abolished, and with them the organized insubordination and degradation of manners to which they necessarily gave birth.

The

We come now to speak of the custom of Freshman servitude. nature of this institution, as it still exists in the great public schools of England, may be illustrated by an anecdote found in Roger's TableTalk. The young Lord Holland, while at Eton, was "fag" to one of the boys in the upper "form." Among other delicate attentions he was required to toast bread. The poor boy did this with his fingers till his mother sent him a toasting fork. But he was not let off so easily. The fork was broken over his head, and he was ordered to scorch his digitals as before. As a consequence of this treatment Holland's right hand was shriveled all his life.

Nothing so barbarous as this was ever perpetrated at Yale. Nevertheless, a Freshman had to take heed to his ways. On the first morning of the term, instead of merely receiving a direction in regard to his studies, the tyro heard a long rigmarole of etiquette drawn up with the minuteness of the old Germanic laws. He was told when and where to have his hat on, how fast he might walk, which side of the stairs he might take what kind of clothes he might wear. He was still further gratified by the intelligence that he was liable at any time of study or recreation, to be hauled before a high court of Seniors to be taught manners, and, in the intervals of instruction, exhortation, and reproof, to work off his spleen by carrying billet-doux to the post office, pumping water for his superior's ablutions, bringing pipes and cider from the butler's, and performing various other functions of an errand boy and valet de chambre. The principle which governed this feudal state of things may be learned from the following extract from the Freshman laws, printed as early as 1764.*

"It being the duty of the Seniors to teach Freshmen the laws, usuages, and customs of the College, to this end they are empowered to order the whole Freshman class, or any particular member of it, to appear, in order to be instructed or reproved, at such time and place as they shall appoint, when and where every Freshman shall attend, answer all proper questions, and behave decently. The Seniors, however, are not to detain a Freshman more than five minutes after study-bell, without special order from the President, Professor, or Tutor."

* Vide Pres. Woolsey's Hist. Dis., page 54.

The Seniors were perfecti morum, and it was deemed but fair that they should have the perquisites of Freshmen service. Thus, this system of servitude was made up of two customs-one which required the Freshman to run errands, and the other to submit with becoming grace to the "lecturing" of the Seniors. With the first practice there were manifested repeated symptoms of dissatisfaction toward the close of the last century. Five men in particular claimed the honor of its abolition, viz, Dr. Matthew Marvin, Dr. M. J. Lyon, John D. Dickinson, and William Bradley, who entered college in 1770, and Amasa Paine,* who entered the following year. Their claims, however, are not sufficiently warranted by facts. They are entitled to all praise for their generous efforts in opposing this servile institution, and for raising a strong feeling against it while they were in college.

But we find that the practice of running of errands, with some slight modifications, was sanctioned by college law as late as 1800, and that this sanction was not formally revoked until the year 1804.

Meanwhile, the usage of "lecturing" the Freshmen continued in full force. The last class which was subject to this ludicrous indignity was that of 1813. The last of the prefects consoled themselves with the reflection that they had exercised their functions so thoroughly that the business was done up for all time. Some of the graver and more considerate men of the class of 1810, who lamented the vexations and abuses attendant upon the power of the Seniors, labored for its overthrow. Professor Goodrich and Professor Andrew, with some of their classmates, petitioned the Faculty for their interference. This was granted, and the last traces of the old regime passed away with the autumn of

1809.

This "lecturing" system was founded upon the law above mentioned, which made it the duty of the Seniors to inspect the manners of gentlemen who had recently entered college. Never in the history of jurisprudence was there a law so liberally interpreted.

By the kindness of a member of the class of 1813, who has since risen to a leading rank among American savans, we have obtained a particular description of the operation of this law, which description he narrated to us as follows:

"The business of lecturing Freshmen was carried on by members of the Senior class, who met in the evening at the room of

Grandfather of Warren K. Southwick of the Senior class.

some classmate, for the purpose of having a little fun with the Freshmen. The presiding genius of the meeting (magister bibendi) was sometimes decorated with the insignia of office, being wrapped in a capacious cloak, with an old continental tri-cornered hat on his head, and elevated on a temporary platform. The candidate was made to stand within the door, and was sometimes ordered to toe a crack; but in my day, the Freshmen generally understood their rights too well to submit to this indignity. But perhaps an example or two will better illustrate the nature of the ceremony than any general remarks.

"I had scarcely seated myself at my study table, my first evening at college, when a messenger (whom I afterwards recognized as a Sopho more) appeared at my door. 'Does O. room here?' said he, in a very confident and somewhat contemptuous tone. I answered in the affirmative. You must go to North College, south entry, third loft, corner room, back side-the Seniors want you.' Being quite a stranger on the ground, and the message being delivered with an affected volubility, expressly designed to perplex a Freshman, I declared my inability even to find the room. Upon this he repeated the same order faster than before, leading me still deeper in the fog. But it was his unavoidable duty to bring the Fresh,' and so after repeated efforts to get it through my skull, (upon the thickness of which he took occasion to remark,) he said. in quite an imperious tone, 'Come along, then-follow me.' He led me through the mazes of several dark college entries, until at length ascending two pairs of stairs, he rapped at the Senior's door, which was immediately opened, and here ended his commission.

"The room was so full of smoke, that I could but dimly descry the individuals of the company, but plainly saw it was filled. Not being myself a smoker, the air of the room agreed badly with my respiratories, and I began first to cough, and then to sneeze, to the infinite amusement of the Seniors, which the moderator checked, by saying with all gravity, 'Gentlemen will observe due solemnity on this occasion.' At this moment a member of the class (whom I easily identified by his corpulent figure, and afterwards learned that his name was J. S. K. B.) thrust his head in at the door, and exclaimed, Gentlemen, Professor Kingsley says you must teach this young gentleman what's what, as he knows nothing of the world.' This was the signal for commencing business; and the Chairman remarked, that he hoped that gentlemen would be faithful to the trust committed to them by the government of the college, and give this young man the advice which he seemed so much to need! Whereupon the lectures began.

"The first speaker took up the subject of Tobacco, most earnestly advising me never to form the vile habit of either chewing or smoking— a piece of advice more necessary to me, he said, as it manifestly disagreed with my constitution. Probably it was the consciousness of the ridiculous figure I should make if I were to sneeze at this moment, that actually set me a going again, which furnished a beautiful and practical application of the first lecture. My mortification and disgust was so great, that I here date my first antipathy to tobacco, which I have ever since held in utter abomination.

"The Chairman remarked that the young gentleman would naturally expect from the age and experience of men who had climbed the hill before him, some counsel in regard to his studies, and he would call on Mr. X., who, he said, being so great an adept, (he was one of the poorest scholars in the class,) could and ought to lend a helping hand to youthful aspirants. Mr. X. proceeded at once to descant, in the most pompous style, on the dignity of learning in general, and of the Greek language in particular, for which, he said, he had always himself had a remarkable passion. Soon, he added, I should commence the study of Homer, that noble old bard. He would almost advise me to commit the whole of him to memory, but as my time might not suffice for that, he would indulge the hope that I would at least make one lofty sentiment my own:

τὸν δ' απαμειβόμενος προσέφη πόδας ὠκὺς ̓Αχιλλεύς.

"The next speaker preferred against me sundry charges, such as breaking windows, and running out of the Chapel and dining hall before the Seniors; the dangerous tendency of which irregularities he set forth, purely, as he said, out of regard for my good. To him succeeded Mr. G., whose department, in the lecturing system, was that of the manners of the Freshmen about the premises. I cannot properly repeat his advice and exhortation, but long afterwards, on one Commencement day, I met the same gentleman in conversation with his classmate, Professor A. As I approached, Professor A. said, 'Mr. O., let me make you acquainted with my classmate, Mr. G., of South Carolina.' I had heard that Mr. G. had thrown off his youthful levities and become a highly respectable citizen. I was therefore happy to meet him, but without thinking that he would remember the sort of lecture he gave me thirty years before, I said I hardly needed an introduction, having made the acquaintance of Mr. G. on such an occasion, when he was my Senior. Contrary to my expectation, the whole scene appeared

to come fresh to his recollection. He looked quite embarrassed, and began to apologize for his rudeness, by alleging the license of former Seniors towards the Freshmen, when Professor A. (who is a man of ready wit) came to his rescue. 'Rather say, brother G., that in consequence of your good advice, Mr. O. has made so much more of a man than was ever expected of him.'

"Among these light-minded young men, there was one who seemed quite out of place, being in point of talents and standing among the first scholars of the Class. Although a lover of amusement, yet, when his turn came to lecture, he evidently sought to inspire us with admiration (of which he was excessively fond) by offering me valuable counsels in a diction unusually elegant. I had been advised by an older friend who had passed through College before me, to bear the Seniors' taunts and insults with meekness, or at least with indifference, as they would thus discover that there was little fun to be got out of me, and would not trouble me long. I therefore stood as still and dumb as a statue, until the Chairman gave me leave to retire. Then reaching for my hat, which I had laid on the leaf of a chair near the door, I found it was missing. One hat after another was handed me, with the inquiry, 'Is this it, sir?' 'Is this it, sir?' till my own hat came up. I was then detained some minutes longer to receive an additional lecture on the necessity of cultivating habits of carefulness in my affairs.

"At length I made my exit into the dark entry. But my head was so completely turned, that I groped about a long time before I found the stairs. Since I have become, by long residence, so familiar with all parts of the College buildings, I have often smiled how I felt my way, for the first time, out of North Middle, which then appeared to my Freshman perceptions another Cretan labyrinth.

"I learned from my classmates their respective adventures with the Seniors, and found that some of them fared much worse than I did. Kane, who was a modest and beautiful youth, (afterwards U. S. Senator from Illinois,) was brought before the Sanhedrim, and solemnly warned not to follow the course of the gentleman of that name mentioned in the Old Testament, perhaps his ancestor. If they found one who had brass enough to return their jokes, this doubled the sport, and such a subject was likely to be often summoned before them. Such was my classmate E., a good scholar and an amiable man, but naturally gifted with a degree of assurance that nothing could daunt. They contrived to have a great time with E., and appointed W., one of the readiest wits in the Class, to manage the case. E. obeyed the summons, and