The record-union., 1891-04-26
HARVARD COMMONS.
Facts About Early Student Life at
Cambridge.
Gastronomic "reminiscences of the Last
Century Quaint Leaves from an
Old Harvard History-Each with a
Bowl and Spoon.

Old Harvard History-Each with a
Bowl and Spoon.
| In the current number of the Nation
Justin Winsor has very readable letter
on the English universities. His descrip-
ton of the eating halls is particularly at
tractive. Speaking of the after-dinner
symposia of the "Dons," he says:
| 1.-THE propulsion of sherry, claret and
port-these seem to be the orthodox wines
OF the after feast-giyes man something
to do in the gaps of conversation. With
the fireplace forming the link which con-
meets the end of the horseshoe curve OF
sitters, there is a difficulty in the course
OF the whey propulsion. At some col
leges l found they got over it by revers-
ing the direction; but at New College and
Queens in Oxford, they had devices OF
their own. At the one little track ran
along the hearth and sustained little car
rlage, in which the restless and viney
vessel sped across the hot side of the cir
Gle; and at Queens the track was placed
| upon the mantelpiece."
| AS / read this over l thought of Ed
ward Evcretts account of similar scene.
! Few things said he, ''that fell within
my observation at the English uniyersi-
| ties charmed me as much as the liberal
but simple cheer on great occasions, the
munificent academic. hospitality, and at
all tunes the excellent company at the
| fellows table in the hall of Trinity Col
| lege, Cambridge. The lofty RATED roof;
! the central brazier, with its generous
charcoal fire: the original full lengths of
Lord Chief Justice Coke, of Bacon and of
! Dryden, and other illustrious graduates
OF the college looking down from the
walls; the reflection that this had been
the social gathering place of the institu-
ton for ages; the academic grace-the
| ancient Latin grace-all united to produce
a very pleasing effect on my mind on
many occasions that had the pleasure OF
being guest at the masters LODGE
MEMORIAL HALL TODAY.
These pleasing pictures naturally turned
my mind to our own Memorial Hall with
its collection of curious and uneXampled
portraits and array Of busts. The stu
/ dents that gather within it three times q
| day do not realize that they are features
! in an institution very interesting to out
| siders. They only know that on vesper's
| night the gallery is invariably filled with
! blooming girls and their escorts, who
/ come with great expectations to see the
animals feed" as one. pert miss ex-
!
done, are quite ready to welcome these
visitors and return gaze for gaze III a
| privileged kind of way that frequently
abashes the fair intruders. But few OF
| them all realize that Memorial Hall has
not been built a great many years, and
| that 1t is the successor to an institution,
venerable and revered, that lasted 2lO
| years before it came to an end. I refer
TO the college commons, which. after ex-
| listing from the founding of the college,
| was abolished by order of the faculty in
! 1S49. &ps-
| l was interested to learn somewhat of
| this relic of other days, and, cribbing from
the Harvard Book" have come upon
some very curious particulars.
Complaints as to the fare provided for
the students have furnished running
accompaniment to the life of the college.
| Just as dissenting Judge is a sign of a
| vigorous court, so the complaints of the
| food on the part of the students, Begin
| ming with the founding of the college and
lasting increasingly dowHtO the present
| writing, have furnished Itnmistakable
evidence Of the vigor of the university,
and to-day we hail it as a sign of undi-
minished prosperity that those complaints
| are still rife. They are of the very es-
| sence Of reason, too, in that they have in
variably consisted in demands for luxu-
| ries at prices that would scarcely furnish
necessaries. [ am, however, unable to
| find that the complaints have ever ac-
cuSed the protective tariff as being the
cause of their grievances.
| The trouble began as early as 1857,
| when Nathaniel Eaton was appointed
| Principal Harvard being then only a
! schooD.
Being also questioned about the ill
and scant diet of his boarders (for though
their friends gave large allowance, vet
their diet was ordinarily nothing but por-
ridge and pudding, and that very home
| ly) put it off to bis WIFE" winthrop,
History of New England.l
SHE MAKES A CONFESSION.
Whereupon they questioned his wife,
| who made confession, of which the fol-
| lowing is an extract: And that they sent
down for more when they had not
| enough, and the maid should answer, If
| they had not, they should not. l must
| confess that l have denied them cheese
when they have sent for it, and it has
been III the house; for which / shall hum
| bly, beg pardon of them and own the
shame, and confess my sin. And for
such provoking words, which my serv-
ants have uttered, / cannot own them,
but am sorry any such should be given
in my house. And for bad fish, that they
had it brought to table, / am sorry there
was that cause of otfense given them. I
acknowledge my sin in it. And for their
mackerel, brought to them with their
CUTS in them, and goats dung in their
hasty pudding, it's utterly unknown to
me; but am much ashamed it should be
in the family, and not prevented by my
self and servants and humbly acknowl-
edge my negligence in it,' etc. Savage
Notes to Winthrop's History of New
| England.]
1t will be seen from this that either the
students were of very imaginative cast
of mind, or else that they did, indeed,
have great cause of complaint. 1t is pleas
ing to learn that Mr.. Eaton and his lady
We're dismissed from their duties.
The next step was to establish regular
college commons, and, to set the thing in