The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-09
HISTORICAL ASS0.
OF OLD CAMBRIDGE
Where Washington First 7 ook Charge
of the Colonial Troops.

the chief historical, aSSoclatlohS OF oio
Cambridge are annually revived hy tiie
celebration of WashinEtonS plrlhdaS'
IN Rrattle Street is the old Nassall house,
Washinston's headquarters ihflhS tic
si,.s of Boston. and the home of Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow Farther out Is
lowelrs Elmwocd. another historic mar
zion of Revolutionary times. Near tie
common is the ancient elm, suffering Il
;,ly loss of vitality through sheer OF"
age but still with an appearances, At
least of sturdy strength. UnueI WHICH
Washington took command OF the Amer
lean army. The Common lying across
The. street from the Harvard yard was
ti.,. scene of the American cncampInent,
and the yard itself still contains i've OF
the buildings w:.ch looked down upon
those stirring times. Within a few years
OF IL tn. old Holmes house. the birthplace
Of the -Autocrat. from The steps OF Which
President LanGdon. of Harvard. offered
prayer for the success of the troops On
their way to Bunker Hill, has had to be
torn down FOR the better accommodation
OF Richardson's beautiful buliclnS Tor
The. Law School.
No northern town, perhaps. outside of
Philadelphia ana Boston. contains more
important memorials of these opening
days of the Revolution In the "ard one
can call up IN imagination almost the
exact picture of the American encamp-
Tnent in the group of old halls which
then. as now. clustered over against the
Common. Here are Massachusetts. 1aT-
ward and Hollis halls, and Holden Chapel,
with Christ Church, in which Washington
attended service. not far away. Still
IN the yard-although not comprehended
III the same view the other buildings
is Nadsworth House, the residence OF
nine Harvard presidents. III which Wash
al y.E
for the first week or 50 following his
arrival from the South.
HARNARD,S TRANSFORMATIONS
When George I'LL. 'glOrying IN The
name OF Englishman,' assembled the
throne Harvard Loyalty responded in a
conSratulatory volume OF English and
Latin verse. Only few Years after
the senior class was voting to take its
degrees in the manufactures of the
country, and Wore holnespun. accord
inGly, protest against the oppression
of King and Parliament. The temper CT
revolt thus established was turned soon
after-for lack of other materials. per-
haps-asainst the administration of the
college itself. In 11GS Il very fair-siZed
rebellion against the president and pro-
fesSors broke out y Tree of Liberty
in imitation of the Liberty Tree Of the
Boston patriots-was designated. and the
three lower classes requested to be dis
charged. While the seniors asked that they
might lie sent to New Haven 10 receive
their degrees from Yale!
Next year, however. internal dissension
seems to have been forgotten in dislike
of the common Zoe across the water. y
military company was recruited from the
students. calling itself the Marti-Mercu-
rian Band, with the motto, Tam Marti
guam Mercurio. indicating that WIZ rs
I'll scholarship ylt-n roDar CllfN
of the American undergraduate in the
time of his countrys peril Blue coats
faced with white. nanie5n breeches,
white stockings, top boots and cooked
hats composed the uniform.
The General Court of Massachusetts
came to Cambridge to sit at this time,
resenting the presence of British troops
and cannon in Boston. The deiibera tons
wore in Harvard Hall, still in exterior
appearance almost exactly the same as
then. James Otis made one of his impas-
Sl2hed LarinSusS-to use the good old
plirasc-and the students crowded TO hear
nm. Turning To them. he babe them
remember that their turn TO resist oppres-
sion might soon come. One cannot help
being glad that he did not omit to quote
Iioraccs line, 'Duice ct decorum est pro
patria mort" Nj an eye bat vas wet
We are told: mot Il breast but throbbed
With patriotic emotion Otis had grad
uated from Harvard in 17iS, and knew
his audience.
SPIRIT OF THE TIMES.
in ll1o the General Court came again
to Cambridge. BY this time according
TO the testimony of one OF their elders,
the young senuerlen''-the student
body" as it is now referred to-had quite
caught the spirit of the times Their
destinations and forensic disputes
breathe tie spirit OF liberty This has
always been encouraged. but they have
sometimes beer wrought up to such "a
pitch Of enthusiasm that il has been
difficult for their tutors to keep them
within bounds; but their tutors are fear
1ul OF giving too great a check to a dis
position which may hereafter ill the
country with patriots. and choose 10 leave
1t TO age and experience 10 check their
Naior Toryism was not popular in this
academic stronghold of the New Eng
land Theocracy''
Mar gradually grew a sterner and
nearer thing. however than forensic
DEBATE. or even the orations of :, great
patriot like Otis, The Massachusetts, Com
m.ttee OF Safety ordered the students to
b. removed from, the college in order
that the buildings might lc used as. bar
racks for the militia which was gathering
before Boston. A little later the library