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OUR FIRST AMERICAN COLLEGE,
A recent article in the Free Lance entitled,
“Goettingen and its University” has led to a call
for a similar article on the leading American Uni
versity—our own “Fair Harvard.” Such an ar
ticle would seem to commend itself for two reasons:
first, because it calls for a brief discussion of the
history of our oldest and largest university; and
second, because it invites an inquiry into its rer
sources for higher collegiate education.
Harvard College was founded by an order of
the general court of the Colony of Massachusetts
Bay and opened Oct. 28, 1636. The language of
the minutes was as follows:
“The court agree to give four hundred pounds
towards a school or college, whereof two hundred
pounds shall be paid the next year, and two hun
dred pounds when the work is finished, and the
next court to appoint where and what building.”
On the following year a board of regents con
sisting of twelve prominent men of the colony was
appointed, with instructions to select a site and
give out the contract for the erection of a build
ing. “Newtown” was the chosen place, but the
name was soon afterward changed by the court to
Cambridge, in recognition of the English Cam
bridge which carried so many pleasant memories
to the Pilgrim host. The bequest of John Har
vard amounting to about eight hundred pounds,
together with a library of three hundred volumes,
was received in 1638. This was sufficient to in
sure the success of the institution, and it was ac
cordingly opened during that year under the name
Harvard College in honor of its most munificent
benefactor. In 1645 the general government of
THE FREE LANCE.
the college, together with the management of its
funds, was intrusted to a board of overseers,
which conduct of affairs, with but little change, h s
remained the policy of the college down to the
present time.
The first president of the college was the Rev.
Henry Dunster, who through the scholarship and
executive ability he brought to his work in aiding
and stimulating the pioneer college, must be con
sidered not only the first, but one of the best of
American educators. To show the requirements
for admission at that early day we quote President
Dunster’s dictum, in that respect, issued in 1842:
“Whoever shall be able to read Cicero 1 or any
other such like classical author at sight and make
and speak true Latin in verse and prose, suo nt
ainest marte, and decline perfectly the paradigms'
of nouns and verbs in the Greek tongue; Let him
then and not before be capable of admission into
the college.”
From this it will be seen that a good English
training was presumed, and a classical training in
Latin and Greek, which at that time was furnished
by the parish ministers, was peremptorily demanded.
The course of study extended over three years,
being respectfully designated Freshman, Junior
Sophister and Senior Sophister. Below is append
ed a scheme of the college course, which will sug
gest a very striking contrast, both in range and
order of studies, with most of our colleges of to
day :
Freshman year :—Lectures upon logic and phys
ics ; etymology and syntax; disputations and dec
lamations r Greek, rhetoric and Hebrew grammar;
the Bible, and Divinity catechetical; history and
botany.
Junior Sophisters ; —Lectures upon ethics and
politics; disputations and declamations; prosody
and dialectics; rhetoric and practice in poetry;
Greek, Hebrew and Chaldee; Bible: Ezra and
Daniel.
Senior Sophisters :—Arithmetic, geometry and
astronomy; disputations and declamations; Greek,