« Papers. Piles and piles of papers. | Main | Great Metaphors Gone Dead as Technology Changes »
February 20, 2006
Washington's Birthday - How President's Day Used to Be Celebrated
I'm going to post again on the 19th century celebration of Washington's Birthday in Upstate New York (here's a link to what I posated last year's President's Day):
This is an entry from the journal of Abner Jackson, president of Hobart College from 1858 to 1867:
February 22nd.
Washington’s birthday. A holiday in College. Morning Prayer at 8:30. College celebration in Linden Hall at 7:30 P.M. Washington’s Farewell Address was read by George Boswell. There was an oration by B. F. Lee and also a poem by Henry H. VanDeusen. Very frequent applause. I presided as President of the College. Music from a brass band. All went off well and felicitously.
I wrote a prayer to-day for this festal occasion.
Some notes: Linden Hall was an opera house in downtown Geneva which the College rented for special events. The holiday in College seems to have been annual (from 1858 until 1861, at least, which is how far I've read), though of course it didn't always conflict with the Church Year; there was always a reading of the Farewell Address and an oration. Hobart is an Episcopal college and in those days had daily prayer. William Smith College, by the way, is not church related. William Smith was himself a Spiritualist and in the Charter for William Smith College it is specified that the young women will not be required to attend any religious services. Hobart men were required until 1967 to attend at least a certain number of chapel services each week. Jackson mentions writing a litany or prayer for the occasion three or four times in the years he was at Hobart.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at February 20, 2006 7:24 AM