Now a commander in the U. S. Naval Reserve, Samuel Eliot Morison '08, on leave of absence from his post as Jonathan Trumbull Professor of American History, wrote the following history of Harvard Commencements in the 30's. He is now compiling a history of the operations of the U. S. Navy in World War II.

Harvard Commencement is the oldest and most dignified cerement in the United States, excepting certain ecclesiastical rites. The word Commencement is simply a translation of the Latin "inceptio," and means that you then commence Bachelor or Master of Arts or whatever academic rank you are entering. The ceremony has come down to us directly from the medieval universities.

In the twelfth century, when the reputation of Abelard was drawing thousands of students to Paris, the masters or teachers of the Liberal Arts there formed a gild or corporation in order to keep up standards and protect their interest. After the candidate had resided a certain number of years, attended the prescribed lectures, and read the required books, he took two read the required books, he took two oral examinations, paid numerous fees, treated the bedels or university officials to drinks, figs, and gloves, and engaged in Latin disputation on the evening before Commencement, which came in early July.

On the morning of the day all the "inceptors" attended Mass (our modern equivalent is the Baccalaureate Sermon), and then marched in solemn procession into the university church where Commencement was held. The presiding officer read each candidate's name aloud and asked the assembled Masters of Arts if it pleased them to have him admitted to their fraternity. They replied "placet" or "non placet," and if the "placets" had it, he was all set.

Each accepted candidate was then individually taken into the Masters' gild, "with kiss, ring, and book." The Puritans who founded Harvard left out the kiss and the ring, but until the last century every candidate at Harvard placed his hand on some "book of Artes" as a sign that he was now competent to teach the subjects that he had lately studied.

What Commencement Parts Mean

Following admission to the Mastership came the "Act," origin of our Commencement Parts. The idea was that the complete Master of Arts ought to show his stuff, as it were, before the university let him go. Commencement parts opened in the thirteenth century, as now, with a Latin speech, which was supposed to show as much with as the speaker was capable of. In the later middle ages and Renaissance the object of the salutatory orator was to make the presiding dignitaries as angry as possible with personal remarks and obscene qulps.

Then came disputations between small debating teams on set subjects in Philosophy. By the time Harvard was founded the original purpose of Commencement Parts had been lost sight of and we have always conferred degree after instead of before the speaking, although you could not have your degree until you had made a public performance.

Harvard Commencements have followed the M.A. ritual for all degrees. In the medieval universities the Bachelors or Arts had their own ceremonies and Commencement. At Oxford and Cambridge the candidates had to appear in the University Church every week-day in Len and argue in Latin with any Bachelor on Master who challenged them.

Although Harvard has always had but one Commencement, the Bachelors used to have the morning to themselves, and the Masters the afternoon. During a week or two in May or June, the Seniors used to sit in the college hall and engage in argument with graduates, like their predecessors in the Old World.

During the nineteenth century this was transformed into an oral examination by the Board of Overseers. This duty grev highly uncongenial to the Overseers, and was dropped about 1870. But until 1891 the President used to read each candidate's name aloud at Commencement and receive the "placets" of the Overseers a representatives of the Masters' gild.

Merrymaking an Old Custom

Feasting and jollity has been a feature of Commencement since earliest time (although the war has somewhat sobere the occasion--Ed.), and even in earl Harvard every Bachelor of Master 0 Arts had to pay a commencement fee 0 *3, about the equivalent of two years tuition; and it is only within (thirty years that the last commencement fee were abolished at Harvard. These fee went to pay the expenses of the commencement dinner for graduates who altended. It was felt to be a great privilege to be admitted to the society of educate men; hence students ought to pay hand somely for it.

The Puritan colonies tried to suppres time-honored holidays like Christmas an-Midsummer's Day. Thanksgiving was pretty good substitute for the former and the people insisted on making Harvard Commencement a substitute for the latter. By the early eighteenth century, Harvard Commencement had become a "riot" Every graduate came if he possibly could, and those who had no right of admission to the Meetinghouse (on the site of Lehman Hall) where the degrees were conferred came out to watch the procession and see the sights. Cambridge common was covered by tonts of huck-sters, cheap-jacks, Indian basket-sellers and medicine men, sellers of gingerbread, purveyors of run, keepers of dancing bears, and ladies of easy virtue. The College Corporation was much worried by these raffish accompaniments to their solemn exercises. Unable to persuade the Cambridge authorities to keep the populace in order for Commencement brought money into the village they tried the dodge of keeping the date of Commencement a secret until a few days beforehand. This created such indignation among the graduates who counted on attending Commencement to see their classmates and friends, that it had to be given up. And Commencement did not become respectable until the Fourth of July was instituted as a holiday.

Horseguards Guard Saltonstall