A Collection of College Words and Customs Part 47

See BULLY CLUB.

INVALID'S TABLE. At Yale College, in former times, a table at which those who were not in health could obtain more nutritious food than was supplied at the common board. A graduate at that inst.i.tution has referred to the subject in the annexed extract.

"It was extremely difficult to obtain permission to board out, and indeed impossible except in extreme cases: the beginning of such permits would have been like the letting out of water. To take away all pretext for it, an '_invalid's table_' was provided, where, if one chose to avail himself of it, having a doctor's certificate that his health required it, he might have a somewhat different diet."--_Scenes and Characters in College, New Haven_, 1847, pp. 117, 118.

_J_.

JACK-KNIFE. At Harvard College it has long been the custom for the ugliest member of the Senior Cla.s.s to receive from his cla.s.smates a _Jack-knife_, as a reward or consolation for the plainness of his features. In former times, it was transmitted from cla.s.s to cla.s.s, its possessor in the graduating cla.s.s presenting it to the one who was deemed the ugliest in the cla.s.s next below.

Mr. William Biglow, a member of the cla.s.s of 1794, the recipient for that year of the Jack-knife,--in an article under the head of "Omnium Gatherum," published in the Federal Orrery, April 27, 1795, ent.i.tled, "A Will: Being the last words of CHARLES CHATTERBOX, Esq., late worthy and much lamented member of the Laughing Club of Harvard University, who departed college life, June 21, 1794, in the twenty-first year of his age,"--presents this _transmittendum_ to his successor, with the following words:--

"_Item_. C---- P----s[41] has my knife, During his natural college life; That knife, which ugliness inherits, And due to his superior merits, And when from Harvard he shall steer, I order him to leave it here, That't may from cla.s.s to cla.s.s descend, Till time and ugliness shall end."

Mr. Prentiss, in the autumn of 1795, soon after graduating, commenced the publication of the Rural Repository, at Leominster, Ma.s.s. In one of the earliest numbers of this paper, following the example of Mr. Biglow, he published his will, which Mr. Paine, the editor of the Federal Orrery, immediately transferred to his columns with this introductory note:--"Having, in the second number of 'Omnium Gatherum' presented to our readers the last will and testament of Charles Chatterbox, Esq., of witty memory, wherein the said Charles, now deceased, did lawfully bequeath to Ch----s Pr----s the celebrated 'Ugly Knife,' to be by him transmitted, at his college demise, to the next succeeding candidate; -------- and whereas the said Ch----s Pr----s, on the 21st of June last, departed his aforesaid college life, thereby leaving to the inheritance of his successor the valuable legacy which his ill.u.s.trious friend had bequeathed, as an entailed estate, to the poets of the university,--we have thought proper to insert a full, true, and attested copy of the will of the last deceased heir, in order that the world may be furnished with a correct genealogy of this renowned _Jack-knife_, whose pedigree will become as ill.u.s.trious in after time as the family of the 'ROLLES,' and which will be celebrated by future wits as the most formidable _weapon_ of modern genius."

That part of the will only is here inserted which refers particularly to the Knife. It is as follows:--

"I--I say I, now make this will; Let those whom I a.s.sign fulfil.

I give, grant, render, and convey My goods and chattels thus away; That _honor of a college life, That celebrated_ UGLY KNIFE, Which predecessor SAWNEY[42] orders, Descending to time's utmost borders, To _n.o.blest bard_ of _homeliest phiz_, To have and hold and use, as his, I now present C----s P----y S----r,[43]

To keep with his poetic lumber, To sc.r.a.pe his quid, and make a split, To point his pen for sharpening wit; And order that he ne'er abuse Said ugly knife, in dirtier use, And let said CHARLES, that best of writers, In prose satiric skilled to bite us, And equally in verse delight us, Take special care to keep it clean From unpoetic hands,--I ween.

And when those walls, the muses' seat, Said S----r is obliged to quit, Let some one of APOLLO'S firing, To such heroic joys aspiring, Who long has borne a poet's name, With said Knife cut his way to fame."

See _Buckingham's Reminiscences_, Vol. II. pp. 281, 270.

Tradition a.s.serts that the original Jack-knife was terminated at one end of the handle by a large blade, and at the other by a projecting piece of iron, to which a chain of the same metal was attached, and that it was customary to carry it in the pocket fastened by this chain to some part of the person. When this was lost, and the custom of transmitting the Knife went out of fashion, the cla.s.s, guided by no rule but that of their own fancy, were accustomed to present any thing in the shape of a knife, whether oyster or case, it made no difference. In one instance a wooden one was given, and was immediately burned by the person who received it. At present the Jack-knife is voted to the ugliest member of the Senior Cla.s.s, at the meeting for the election of officers for Cla.s.s Day, and the sum appropriated for its purchase varies in different years from fifty cents to twenty dollars. The custom of presenting the Jack-knife is one of the most amusing of those which have come down to us from the past, and if any conclusion may be drawn from the interest which is now manifested in its observance, it is safe to infer, in the words of the poet, that it will continue "Till time and ugliness shall end."

In the Collegiate Inst.i.tute of Indiana, a Jack-knife is given to the greatest liar, as a reward of merit.

See WILL.

j.a.pANNED. A cant term in use at the University of Cambridge, Eng., explained in the following pa.s.sage. "Many ... step ... into the Church, without any pretence of other change than in the attire of their outward man,--the being '_j.a.panned_,' as a.s.suming the black dress and white cravat is called in University slang."--_Bristed's Five Years in an Eng. Univ._, Ed. 2d, p. 344.

JESUIT. At the University of Cambridge, Eng., a member of Jesus College.

JOBATION. At the University of Cambridge, Eng., a sharp reprimand from the Dean for some offence, not eminently heinous.

Thus dismissed the august presence, he recounts this _jobation_ to his friends, and enters into a discourse on masters, deans, tutors, and proctors.--_Grad. ad Cantab._, p. 124.

JOBE. To reprove; to reprimand. "In the University of Cambridge, [Eng.,] the young scholars are wont to call chiding, _jobing_."--_Grad. ad Cantab._

I heard a lively young man a.s.sert, that, in consequence of an intimation from the tutor relative to his irregularities, his father came from the country to _jobe_ him.--_Gent. Mag._, Dec.

1794.

JOE. A name given at several American colleges to a privy. It is said that when Joseph Penney was President of Hamilton College, a request from the students that the privies might be cleansed was met by him with a denial. In consequence of this refusal, the offices were purified by fire on the night of November 5th. The derivation of the word, allowing the truth of this story, is apparent.

The following account of _Joe-Burning_ is by a correspondent from Hamilton College:--"On the night of the 5th of November, every year, the Soph.o.m.ore Cla.s.s burn 'Joe.' A large pile is made of rails, logs, and light wood, in the form of a triangle. The s.p.a.ce within is filled level to the top, with all manner of combustibles. A 'Joe' is then sought for by the cla.s.s, carried from its foundations on a rude bier, and placed on this pile. The interior is filled with wood and straw, surrounding a barrel of tar placed in the middle, over all of which gallons of turpentine are thrown, and then set fire to. From the top of the lofty hill on which the College buildings are situated, this fire can be seen for twenty miles around. The Soph.o.m.ores are all disguised in the most odd and grotesque dresses. A ring is formed around the burning 'Joe,' and a chant is sung. Horses of the neighbors are obtained and ridden indiscriminately, without saddle or bridle.

The burning continues usually until daylight."

Ponamus Convivium _Josephi_ in loc.u.m Et id uremus.

_Convivii Exsequiae, Hamilton Coll._, 1850.

JOHNIAN. A member of St. John's College in the University of Cambridge, Eng.

The _Johnians_ are always known by the name of pigs; they put up a new organ the other day, which was immediately christened "Baconi Novum Organum."--_Westminster Rev._, Am. ed., Vol. x.x.xV., p 236.

JUN. Abbreviated for Junior.

The target for all the venomed darts of rowdy Sophs, magnificent _Juns_, and lazy Senes.--_The Yale Banger_, Nov. 10, 1846.

JUNE. An abbreviation of Junior.

I once to Yale a Fresh did come, But now a jolly _June_, Returning to my distant home, I bear the wooden spoon.

_Songs of Yale_, 1853, p. 36.

But now, when no longer a Fresh or a Soph, Each blade is a gentleman _June_.

_Ibid._, p. 39.

JUNE TRAINING. The following interesting and entertaining account of one of the distinguishing customs of the University of Vermont, is from the pen of one of her graduates, to whom the editor of this work is under many obligations for the valuable a.s.sistance he has rendered in effecting the completeness of this Collection.

"In the old time when militia trainings were in fashion, the authorities of Burlington decided that, whereas the students of the University of Vermont claimed and were allowed the right of suffrage, they were to be considered citizens, and consequently subject to military duty. The students having refused to appear on parade, were threatened with prosecution; and at last they determined to make their appearance. This they did on a certain 'training day,' (the year I do not recollect,) to the full satisfaction of the authorities, who did not expect _such_ a parade, and had no desire to see it repeated. But the students being unwilling to expose themselves to 'the rigor of the law,'

paraded annually; and when at last the statute was repealed and militia musters abolished, they continued the practice for the sake of old a.s.sociation. Thus it pa.s.sed into a custom, and the first Wednesday of June is as eagerly antic.i.p.ated by the citizens of Burlington and the youth of the surrounding country for its 'training,' as is the first Wednesday of August for its annual Commencement. The Faculty always smile propitiously, and in the afternoon the performance commences. The army, or more euphoniously the 'UNIVERSITY INVINCIBLES,' take up 'their line of march' from the College campus, and proceed through all the princ.i.p.al streets to the great square, where, in the presence of an immense audience, a speech is delivered by the Commander-in-chief, and a sermon by the Chaplain, the roll is called, and the annual health report is read by the surgeon. These productions are noted for their patriotism and fervid eloquence rather than high literary merit. Formerly the music to which they marched consisted solely of the good old-fashioned drum and fife; but of late years the Invincibles have added to these a bra.s.s band, composed of as many obsolete instruments as can be procured, in the hands of inexperienced performers. None who have ever handled a musical instrument before are allowed to become members of the band, lest the music should be too sweet and regular to comport with the general order of the parade. The uniform (or rather the _multiform_) of the company varies from year to year, owing to the regulation that each soldier shall consult his own taste,--provided that no two are to have the same taste in their equipments. The artillery consists of divers joints of rusty stove-pipe, in each of which is inserted a toy cannon of about one quarter of an inch calibre, mounted on an old dray, and drawn by as many horse-apologies as can be conveniently attached to it.

When these guns are discharged, the effect--as might be expected--is terrific. The banners, built of cotton sheeting and mounted on a rake-handle, although they do not always exhibit great artistic genius, often display vast originality of design.

For instance, one contained on the face a diagram (done in ink with the wrong end of a quill) of the _pons asinorum_, with the rather belligerent inscription, 'REMEMBER NAPOLEON AT LODI.' On the reverse was the head of an extremely doubtful-looking individual viewing 'his natural face in a gla.s.s.'

Inscription,--'O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursel's as others see us.'

"The surgeon's equipment is an ox-cart containing jars of drugs (most of them marked 'N.E.R.' and 'O.B.J.'), boxes of h.o.m.oeopathic pills (about the size of a child's head), immense saws and knives, skeletons of animals, &c.; over which preside the surgeon and his a.s.sistant in appropriate dresses, with tin spectacles. This surgeon is generally the chief feature of the parade, and his reports are astonishing additions to the surgical lore of our country. He is the wit of the College,--the one who above all others is celebrated for the loudest laugh, the deepest b.u.mper, the best joke, and the poorest song. How well he sustains his reputation may be known by listening to his annual reading, or by reference to the reports of 'Trotwood,' 'Gubbins,' or 'Deppity Sawbones,' who at different times have immortalized themselves by their contributions to science. The cavalcade is preceded by the 'pioneers,' who clear the way for the advancing troops; which is generally effected by the panic among the boys, occasioned by the savage aspect of the pioneers,--their faces being hideously painted, and their dress consisting of gleanings from every costume, Christian, Pagan, and Turkish, known among men. As the body pa.s.ses through the different streets, the martial men receive sundry testimonials of regard and approval in the shape of boquets and wreaths from the fair 'Peruvians,' who of course bestow them on those who, in their opinion, have best succeeded in the object of the day,--uncouth appearance. After the ceremonies, the students quietly congregate in some room in college to _count_ these favors and to ascertain who is to be considered the hero of the day, as having rendered himself pre-eminently ridiculous. This honor generally falls to the lot of the surgeon. As the sun sinks behind the Adirondacs over the lake, the parade ends; the many lookers-on having nothing to see but the bright visions of the next year's training, retire to their homes; while the now weary students, gathered in knots in the windows of the upper stories, lazily and comfortably puff their black pipes, and watch the lessening forms of the retreating countrymen."

Further to elucidate the peculiarities of the June Training, the annexed account of the custom, as it was observed on the first Wednesday in June of the current year, is here inserted, taken from the "Daily Free Press," published at Burlington, June 8th, 1855.

"The annual parade of the princ.i.p.al military body in Vermont is an event of importance. The first Wednesday in June, the day a.s.signed to it, is becoming the great day of the year in Burlington.

Already it rivals, if it does not exceed, Commencement day in glory and honor. The people crowd in from the adjoining towns, the steamboats bring numbers from across the lake, and the inhabitants of the town turn out in full force. The yearly recurrence of such scenes shows the fondness of the people for a hearty laugh, and the general acceptableness of the entertainment provided.

"The day of the parade this year was a very favorable one,--without dust, and neither too hot nor too cold for comfort The performances properly--or rather _im_properly--commenced in the small hours of the night previous by the discharge of a cannon in front of the college buildings, which, as the cannon was stupidly or wantonly pointed _towards_ the college buildings, blew in several hundred panes of gla.s.s. We have not heard that anybody laughed at this piece of heavy wit.

"At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Invincibles took up their line of march, with scream of fife and roll of drum, down Pearl Street to the Square, where the flying artillery discharged a grand national salute of one gun; thence to the Exchange, where a halt was made and a refreshment of water partaken of by the company, and then to the Square in front of the American, where they were duly paraded, reviewed, exhorted, and reported upon, in presence of two or three thousand people.

"The scene presented was worth seeing. The windows of the American and Wheeler's Block had all been taken out, and were filled with bright female faces; the roofs of the same buildings were lined with spectators, and the top of the portico of the American was a condensed ma.s.s of loveliness and bright colors. The Town Hall windows, steps, doors, &c. were also filled. Every good look-out anywhere near the spot was occupied, and a dense ma.s.s of by-standers and lookers-on in carriages crowded the southern part of the Square.