The First Harvard Union.

From various entries in the journal we learn that "Harvard indifference" is not of recent growth. May 23rd, 1836, "all the officers except the junior secretary being absent, a committee was appointed to inquire the reason, and a long discussion took place on the infelicitous state of the society." At the next meeting a committee appointed "to concert measures to raise the character of the society and excite more interest in the exercises," recommended that "in order to secure the attendance of a fixed number of members so necessary for the improvement at which we aim, a new list be opened for the names of those who feel sufficiently interested in the society to pledge themselves that nothing but necessity shall prevent their constant attendance." It must be remembered that the meetings were held once a week. About this time it was voted to allow freshmen and sophomores to attend the meetings and vote on the questions for debate. From the early part of the year 18836, until its final dissolution, the society was several times on the point of disbanding. The constitution and by laws do not seem to have been satisfactory, for they were constantly being amended and altered.

The real cause of the small attendance at the meetings must have been the "lectures" with which each meeting was opened, and which, judging from their titles, can hardly have been anything but trite and dull. Had they been done away with, there is little reason to doubt that the society would have lasted much longer than it did.

One of the questions discussed by the society was, "Supposing the flavors superadded to a pig who came to his death by flagellation (per extremam flagellationem) was greater than that obtained by any other means, does this justify slaughtering him in this fashion?" Three speakers supported and four opposed the question, which was decided in the negative. The question "Ought foreign authors to be excluded from the privilege of securing copyright in this country?" was once discussed, and the vote was carried in the negative. Debate on the question "Was the Hartford Convention a measure deserving the reprobation of posterity," continued through two meetings, the vote standing affirmative, 13; negative, 16. February 8th, 1836, the question, "Is a war with France, at the present crisis of affairs, expedient?" was discussed, and the vote stood, affirmative, 6; negative, 5. "The present crisis" was occasioned by the refusal of the French government to pay the indemnity agreed upon in the treaty of 1831. At the close of each debate a vote was taken, but members apparently voted according to their feelings upon the question and not upon the merits of the debate.

The society at one time "hired the old court house of the selectmen" for their meetings, and voted to "ask the faculty to pay, as usual, half the cost of heating and lighting the same." At a later time the faculty, at the joint request of the Institute of 1770 and the Harvard Union, repaired University 3 for their use.