It is both curious and entertaining to note the change which has taken place in regard to compulsory morning chapel from the time of the Puritan founders of Harvard to the present day. Nowhere can the gradual modification and broadening of Puritanism be more clearly shown. Originally there being no chapel, services were held by each class in their tutor's room, but this was given up, and the college met as a whole in rooms in different buildings until finally Holden chapel was constructed. Under President Dunster's regime, before the chapel had been erected, there were some quaint old rules in force. "Every schollar shall be present in his tutor's chamber at the 7th hour in the morning at his opening the scripture and prayer, so also at the 5th hour at night, and then give an account of his own private reading." This was done, "seeing the entrance of the word giveth light," and "it also giveth understanding to the simple." All undergraduates, except freshmen, were required to read in the Old Testament from the Hebrew into the Greek. This brought about a series of troubles and slight revolts which finally led to the abolishing of all translation in the chapel. The services in the chapel were marked by some curious features. After morning prayer the president was wont to admonish the students and hear from them public confession of their delinquences. There are many instances of this. We find that "on Nov. 4, A-was publicly admonished in the college hall, and there confessed his sinful excess and his enormous profanation of the holy name of Almighty God. And he demeaned himselfe so that the president and fellows conceived great hopes that he will not be lost." Some time afterwards we come across the painful fact that three men were "publickly admonished in Ye Hall for drinking rum (forbidden by ye college laws) in ye college, and for making disorderly noises in ye college at or near midnight."

Morning prayers were held at six o'clock, and attendance on them was enforced by requiring the payment of money for every failure to attend, in addition to sundry "admonitions" from the president, which were given gratis. Only the most urgent excuse could be received. In 1731 the overseers recommended additional fines for "playing or sleeping at publick worship or prayers," and it was further declared by them that if any "undergraduate comes tardy to prayers (without reasons allowed by ye president or tutor) he shall be fined two-pence. And if he be absent from prayers without reasons as aforesaid, he shall be fined four-pence each time. If a student walked around Cambridge or the yard on the Lord's Day, he was fined not more than three shillings for this act of irreverence, and might be suspended or rusticated according to the enormity of the offence." But this seemed too much and a revolt was begun which like all its predecessors was speedily overcome. But there were many single acts of disobedience : the candles lighting the pulpit were filled with powder, and the Bible was occasionally taken. When the services were held in Harvard Hall, the students fastened its doors, blew up the bell with powder, and even detained the monitors. However all such pranks gradually died out.

The first successful dissertations in the Bowdoin prizes were accustomed to be read after evening prayer in the chapel. At the beginning of the year on successive Mondays, the first three men in the sophomore class initiated the freshmen into the "Customs" at the chapel. One of these originally forbade a freshmen to wear his hat in the college yard, unless it rained, hailed, or snowed, provided he was on foot and did not have both hands full. He was at the back and call of any senior who wanted him to perform some service for him.

About 1834, some excitement was caused by a charge of sectarianism in the services, which it was alleged might pervert the minds of the students, but it soon died out.

When Edward Everett was President, he was accustomed to address the students in reproof, but, instead of having the desired effect, his ideas were so eloquent, that men would commit faults merely to lead him on to speak to them.

Harvard was the last of all the colleges to abolish Sunday morning prayers, which was done in 1874. The more modern and uneventful history of our chapel services, every one is acquainted with, and it is not worth the time to say anything about them.

From this brief account one can hardly get a fair idea of the change of feeling towards chapel which has taken place but when one investigates it more carefully, it will be found that it is very great indeed. And if our ancestors could but come back for a day and look at this feature of the present university, they would doubtless fail to recognize this modern development of their stern ideas.