"Lines upon the late proceedings of the College Government" collection, 1787-1917.

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"Lines upon the late proceedings of the College Government" collection, 1787-1917.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/579462089

This collection contains various manifestations of a humorous poem, most often called "Lines upon the late proceedings of the College Government," written by classmates John Quincy Adams and John Murray Forbes in 1787. Both Adams and Forbes were members of the class of 1787, and the poem recounts events surrounding the pranks and ensuing punishment of two members of the class behind them, Robert Wier and James Prescott. Wier and Prescott had been caught drinking wine and making "riotous noise," and they were publicly reprimanded by Harvard President Joseph Willard and several professors and tutors, including Eliphalet Pearson, Eleazar James and Jonathan Burr. The poem mocks these authority figures and suggests that Samuel Williams was the only professor to find their antics humorous.

.009 cubic feet (1 folder)

Harvard University Archives.

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SNAC Resource ID: 7764964

Harvard University Archives.

Related Entities

There are 4 Entities related to this resource.

Harvard University

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64n9x97 (person)

Harvard College was founded by a vote of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts on October 28, 1636 that allocated “400£ towards a schoale or colledge.” Subsequent legislative acts established the Board of Overseers, but it was the Charter of 1650 that created the Harvard Corporation as the College's primary governing board and defined its composition and authority. The College Charter became a contentious target for College officials, the Massachusetts Governor and General C...

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f873mk (person)

John Quincy Adams (b. July 11, 1767, Braintree, Massachusetts-d. February 23, 1848, Washington, D.C.) was an American statesman who served as a diplomat, United States Senator, member of the House of Representatives, and the sixth President of the United States. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later the Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. He was the son of President John Adams and Abigail Adams. As a diplomat, Adams played an important role in neg...

Forbes, John Murray, 1771-1831

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pc3719 (person)

Lawyer and diplomat. From the description of John Murray Forbes papers, 1817-1830. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79450685 ...

Harvard College (1780- ). Class of 2006

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6vt5qz0 (corporateBody)

The early 19th century was a time of student unrest at Harvard. Perhaps in reaction to the disturbances and protest of previous classes, Faculty Records vol. IX tell that President Kirkland announced early on in the Class of 1822's college years that no students were to have any meeting for the purpose of eating or drinking in college. Although the Class of 1822 is a serene one as compared with its generation, many of the students of the Class of 1822 received public admonishments as a result of...