The Washington times., 1901-09-29


graph in which the young writer comes
a healthful. materialistic header from
his speculative high-horse. Collegiate
spelling and composition haven't al
tered much in l43 years.
Nathaniel Ames, at the time when
this diary begins, was in his seven
teenth year. His father. a we'll to-do
physician of the old town of Dedham
Mass, was known to fame as a pub
Usher of almanacs, which may be con-
sidered as the ancestors of the modern
magazine, and the son succeeded the
father both as doctor and publisher.
Necessarily, most of the entries in the
diary are omitted, and of the few here
given there are several that only their
author could fully explain; but, meagre
as they are. they give a good flavor of
the college life of the period.
January 1858.
came home vacancy beg.
Doctr. Miller preach'd went to hear him.
kept school i'll the new room
Mr.. Havens day of prayer.
Holloway took fine prize La Gloris-
Vacancy" of course, is vacation"
Holloway seems to have been priva-
teer whose inroads on French commerce
are several times mentioned.
February.
Vacancy ended.
q Went to Doctr. wigglesworth's Lecture.
% cato brought some wood & Linnen.
q performed all the Duties Of the Day.
1t is easy to imagine cato" a trust
ed family slave, on his way to Cam
bridge with the wood and linen, with
the absurd scratch wig of the period
over his natural wool. 1t Is also easy
to see his young master patting him
self on the head for having perform
ed all the duties of the day for this
is the only time that entry appears.
MARCH.
Snow at night. Glass met about Logick.
IL Lord Loudon came to our house talked about
corn.
II Paid Prentice ye first Quarter Bills IS. 10.
Is fit with Sophomores about Gust.
90 had another Fight with the sophomores.
% Went TO Newtown Ordination.
The Gust" concerning which here
was war with the sophomores, werA
the ''customs' by which Freshmen re
obliged to stand uncovered in the au
gust presence of upper classmen and to
show their humility in other ways. Per
haps it is significant that in the second
entry On this topic, Fight" is spelled
with a capital +, and "Sophomores"
with a small 8.
April.
general Fast, went TO meeting.
II training day, the Governour Col. Frasier
came to Cam.
20 went a cunning after Robins with Hooper.
There also appear various items
about going to meeting. who preached,
and as to where the court "sot."
Nay.
% Went fishing with l3 OF my Glass mates
sot away from Cambridge wharf at IL O'clock
cltchd Gods besides dog fish. skates 4. Sculpins;
arriv'd at Nantasket at O'clock at night. lodg'd
at Tavern, sot of in the morning between
& o'clock, passd holloweys prize. Arriv'd at
the Castle at 'ck saw Mr. Gay OF Dedham,
dined with Mr. Bacon. did not see Captn Met
calf tho he was on the Castle. came from the
Castle to Charlestown from whence we walk'd
on foot to Cambridge which We were oblidg to
do. the Tide being SO low We could not come up
Cambridge River.
Quite an outing. Holloway continues
to take prizes, a 90-gun ship is burned
in the Mediterranean, and various ex-
peditions against and victories over the
French are briefly noted.
June.
@ feec'd Mr. Hancock.
hoisting of Palmer & Browne.
% Detained this morning left of my wigg
&c Presidents Grass Mow'd.
80 Valedictory day. waited the Orator.
Tom Wentworth was Orator.
Just what happened to Mr. Hancock
is not clear. but Palmer and Browne
were hazed. The moving of the Presi-
dents grass seems to have been legiti-
mate.
July.
! finished the Presidents hay.
8 Cato play acted at warrens Cham.
Cato TO perfection.
II did not go to pray'rs.
I3 DISMISSED from reciting.
u Cato more perfect than before
16 sot in sophimores Seat.
The author seems now to be a full
fledged sophomore. Judging from the
performance of Cato" in
Warren's chambers, college theatricals
lourished In 1858.
August.
IL Hedley Eaton Dana Daniel took of the
Doors.
Is Hedley and Daniel went to Providence
16 Dana off, Eaton paid 10 Dollars
% Vacancy ended did not go to Coll.
81 Went to College this Day with Daniel.
There is a world of history between
these lines, and the backwardness of
the writer in returning to college leaves
room for suspicion that he, too. may
have been implicated in the door-lift-
ing.
November.
Sent home by Mr. Hunting.
l3 made two Rockets.
1s Calabougus Club begun.
2B Fort Du Quesne taken by Gen'ral Forbes
20 Painted Court Of France.
so Ditto. Stay'd home . week new Maid Pitch
er.
Young Ames was sent home by vari-