The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-26
YALE LIN0NlAN SOCIETY
SOME OF THE RECORDS OF IT IN THEDAYS OF NATHAN HALE
ty-DiTerencc Between the Literary Society of That Date and the One of the Present Ttme-Some Interesting Records.


 The continuity of Yale tradition which her Bi-centennial celebration will manifest in many ways, appears nowhere more striking than in the re- cords of the Linonian Literary society, l And these have further interest for all Americans in that six of the yellow l pages, January to November 20, 1771, are written and signed by Nathan Hale. | At first glance the discussions of Hale and his fellows seem remote. Yale It, | erary societies to-day do not inquire | How are the parts of life divided?" nor, if they should, would rest in the | Answer; into three; the vegitive, the l sensitive and the rational" Such 'curious questions" took up part of ev- cry meeting. That they were valued not solely for their intrinsic interest ap- pears in two regulations adopted at the last meeting of Hales secretaryship; | CD the Curious questions" brought in were to be subject to the revision of a committee for grammar and spelling; (3) everybody was henceforth at liber- ty to call attention in the meetings to faults of language. But that If remote, the curious questions could still be lively, Is proved by the record for
 Nov. 6, 1771. This Honorable Club met at MT. Cobb's Room The Meeting were enter tained with variety of agreed able questions proposed by the several Members thereof, after which they were entertained with a speech spoken by Hale, End (Nathan Hale)--A Cues tion & Solution brought in by Hall Question? Aeneas & Dido in what Time did they live? Answer. The best His torians inform us. Didi retired into Africa, and built Carthage, an 142 years after the Building of Solomons Temple, which was 2s9 Years after the Destruc- ton of Troy when Aeneas was in a bad Condition to make a lover of; he must have been rotten In the Grave many years before. So that we must pay no regards to Virgils making of her Contemporary with Aeneas. Test,
 N. HALE, Scribe.
 The records are no less candid as to unfruitful meetings.
 Dec. 18th, 171.
 This Illustrious society Met at Hale's Room Few Members Present Little Done the Meeting was Closed with a speech Delivered By MT. Nathan Hale
 Test, EBENEzER WILLIAMS,
 Scribe
 Evidently college literary societies are. after all. not much changed. Of this we are made more fully aware by the custom of giving a play at the an- niversary meetings in April. Thus, in January, 1771, Hale was appointed to act in "a Farce called the Toy Shop" which. flor well known Reasons" hung fire until June In 1772 he was among the actors in '"The Beaux Stratagems' doubtless Farquhar's comedy of 170O. In 1773, at the house of Thomas Atwa ter. was given "the New Comedy enti tied the West Indian The whole re- ceived peculiar beauty from the Off, cers appearing dressed In Regimen tals and the Actresses in full and ele- gant suits of Lady's apparel... An Epiogue. .. delivered by Hale semm- dus (Nathan Hale) was received with approbation . agreeable conversation & a Cheerful Glass. At five o'clock the assembly walked in procession to the college and then dispersed"
 Whether this sort of literary exer- else was more agreeable to Hale than the "agreeable questions" Is left to one's own inference. At any rate he gave frequent proof of his proficiency in speech making, and, at the very meeting which presented "The Beaux replied in balanced aca- demic oratory to the valedictory of Billings. Moreover he gave books to t he society library; six-shilling share in joint gift of the Spectator" one shilling and six pence toward "The Elements of Criticism" and ''The Travels of Cyrus" valued in the rec ords at five shilings
 Allowing for the minor changes of time does all this sound essentially different from what is expected of a rood Vale man in college to-day?