Transcription
CATALOG NUMBER S 1043
OBJECT NAME Letter
DATE November 19, 1823
AUTHOR [Henry Augustus?] H. A. du Bois
Possible: http://famousamericans.net/henryaugustusdubois/
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939V-P798-1?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQVPX-1HR2&action=view
RECIPIENT William Sawyer Schuyler (son)
MEDIUM Paper, ink
PEOPLE “Mr McVickar”, his brother, [John McVickar], Charles Anthon, Dr.
Robert Adrain,
Anthon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Anthon
Adrain: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27643138
PLACES “Cambridge College” (Harvard University),
KEYWORDS examinations for college, admission, class rankings, faculty,
description of daily lessons, recitation, daily prayer, clap-book,
examinations in college, a day in the life of Columbia University
student 1823, nicknames for faculty (Charly and Bobby), “rude” student behavior, “smashed a rotten apple precisely aside the Dr’s head while giving a lecture”,
[LATER - pencil]
H du Bois to William Schuyler who died young in 1830]
[ORIGINAL]
Novi Eboraci quind eumo die ante Kalendas
Decembris MDCCCXXIII
My Dear William
You must think very strange that I have not answered your letter / before; and I indeed accuse myself of negligence as it is more than two / months since I received your letter; but you must excuse me for my / want of punctuality, as it so happened that when I received your / letter. I was preparing for my examination and after my admission / in College I was kept so busy at my studies that I had no time / to think of any think else and have not found an opportunity before / now.
Our examination lasted 4 days About 50 of us entered; we were / clafsed and my number was 10. Mr McVickar was disappointed as he / expected I would enter higher and his brother told him that some of the / faculty wished to put me higher but were not unanimous: / but I am very well contented with my standing as it is quite a high / one for the size of the class. Our next examination will take place / in March, when we will be ranked according to our respective progrefs / during the last year sefsion and this is considered as the best criterion / of the scolar.__
We attend College from 9 till half after one or perhaps longer, / which time is entirely devoted to recitation as our lefsons are all / prepared at home and they must be so long that they will consume all / the time from 9 till 1 ½ . When we assemble at 9 O'clock prayer is / made by the president of’ in the chapel after which a speech is del- / -ivered by eac one in each of the clafses, clothed in his gown /
[END OF PAGE 1]
and then each clafs goes to its own department and commences the / studies of the day.
Our Clafs principally attend Mr Anthon & Dr Adrain / Mr Anthon is a fine young man about 27 and a good deal like Simone[?] / He is a most classical scolar and very engaging in his manners but / does not suffer the least impropriety in his lecture; and he / teaches us many curious things which are not in the course of a study / only the worst of it is, he gives us too long lessons and his mode / of examining is far different from what we have been/ accustomed to at schools and much more [nice?wise?] _
He has a clap-book and calls up any one he pleases (and sometimes / you may be called up twice in the week to the others once / so that you never know when you are to be called up); and when / you are thus called up you take your station at a desk in the / middle of the floor, and if the lecture is on the Clafsics, you first / read a portion, and then he passes around the mistakes of / quantity or pronunciation, you have made in your reading / for the mode of reading is much more nice than what we / have been accustomed to_ the one who corrects them receives / a credit-mark, and then we proceed to the parsing [^Analysis], which is / not mere a parsing of moods and tenses, but a disclosure of / the beauties and spirit of phrases, different modes of expressing / them, derivations, fig. of speech, Sinonyms &c &c &c / We also are allowed to take notes of any thing of importance / what occurs in the lecture of the day
[END OF PAGE 2]
Our other branches are conducted pretty much in the same manner /
Dr Adrain is a most excellent mathematical professor / but too kind to the students. He is good deal like old Thompson / and about the same age. His mode of instruction is pretty much / like Mr Anthon_ the students have | nick-names for most all / the faculty. we call professor Anthon, Charly. and the Dr we call / Bobby and the others after the same manner. The first year we / have not as much to do with the other professors as we will have / next year_ The students sometimes behave very rude with / Dr Adrain; on account of his indulgence to them. he bestows great / encomiums on our behaviour, and we sometimes kick and sta-[wax seal] / so many horses, but this is good behaviour to that of the other / clafses, Some of them make it a practice when he says any thing / they like, to clap and applaud him but whenever he says any / thing they dislike to hifs him and hoot at him and indeed one fellow / smashed a rotten apple precisely aside the Drs head while giving / a lecture; the Dr never said any thing to him but wiping his face / he turned 'round to a student who was near him and was rubbing / off his clothes, Never mind Mr----- says he, he has spattered my / face more than he has your clothes.___
He never turned but one boy from his clafs, and he used to fire / crackers in the College and wherever the Dr would put his foot / he would put a torpedo there. -_ But he has of late grown / more strict_ My dear William I would write you more but / I really have not place or time as I am obliged to compose / this late a night an so you must pardon my scribling
HA Dubois
[END OF PAGE 3]
And as I have given you a long letter you must / excuse my delay, and write me one equally as long / about your College, what I will try to answer with more / punctuality.
I remain your affectionate [son?] now & forever
H[A?] DuBois
[END OF PAGE 4]
[ADDRESS]
To William Schuyler
At Cambridge College
Massachusetts
[POSTAL NOTATION]
[08?]
[POSTMARK - red ink, circle]
NEW YORK
NOV
19Transcriber
Kathryn AlexanderLanguage
English
