Student Life at Harvard in 1675.

It is amusing as well as interesting to read of the life of Harvard students early in the history of the college, and as we read we bless the fate that has made us Harvard men of today and not of two hundred years ago. The freshmen had a hard time in those days. Now, in their own opinion at least, they are of great importance; no one molests them, and they are permitted to lead their verdant life in peace. But stranger indeed were the laws against freshmen in 1675: "No freshman shall wear his hat in the college yard unless it rains, hails or snows, provided he be on foot and have not both hands full" ; "No freshman shall speak to any member of the upper classes with his hat on, or have it on in an upper-classman's room, or in his own room when upper-classmen be there" ; "All freshmen shall be obliged to go on errands for upper classmen, but only out of study hours." Life must have been a solemn matter in those days, for Latin was the only language in use in the college yard, no other language being allowed. Every hour of the day had some duty assigned to it, and even in their devotions at morning and evening prayers the students underwent severe mental discipline. How time changes everything! Now attendance at chapel is entirely voluntary, and many a man never goes to prayers for months. But in those early days compulsory morning and evening prayers were held daily, at which a long passage of Scripture was read and expounded. The freshmen were allowed to use English Bibles, but all the other students were required in the morning to read Hebrew from the Old Testament and translate into Greek and in the evening read an English or Latin version of the New Testament and translate into Greek, but this was only customary when the president conducted the service. This exercise was very distasteful to the students and in about 1700 they threatened rebellion, if the custom was not discontinued. On Sunday evening any one of the students might be called upon to repeat the sermon preached that day in the parish church.

The tutors in those days had the privilege of "boxing," as it was called, that is of cuffing men on the side of the head for some petty misdemeanor; and we are told that they improved every opportunity in this direction. Flogging was in vogue then and was personally attended to by the president; it was not until 1735 that corporeal punishment began to go into disuse. "When flogging was resorted to, the occasion was always one of great solemnity." The president and fellows, tutors and students assembled in the library; the sentence was read in their presence and the offender made to kneel before them. The president then offered a prayer after which the "prison-keeper at Cambridge" attended to the performance of flogging. The exercises were closed with prayer. A student thus chastised was "suspended from taking his degree," and required to sit alone and uncovered at meals as long as the president should see fit.