. It was formerly the fashion in the older American colleges to
call a Bachelor of Arts, Sir; this was sometimes done at the time
when the Seniors were accepted for that degree.

Voted, Sept. 5th, 1763, "that _Sir_ Sewall, B.A., be the
Instructor in the Hebrew and other learned languages for three
years."--_Peirce's Hist. Harv. Univ._, p. 234.

December, 1790. Some time in this month, _Sir_ Adams resigned the
berth of Butler, and _Sir_ Samuel Shapleigh was chosen in his
stead.--_MS. Journal, Harv. Coll._

Then succeeded Cliosophic Oration in Latin, by _Sir_ Meigs.
Poetical Composition in English, by _Sir_ Barlow.--_Woolsey's
Hist. Disc._, p. 121.

The author resided in Cambridge after he graduated. In common with
all who had received the degree of Bachelor of Arts and not that
of Master of Arts, he was called "_Sir_," and known as "_Sir_
Seccomb."

Some of the "_Sirs_" as well as undergraduates were arraigned
before the college government.--_Father Abbey's Will_, Cambridge,
Mass., 1854, p. 7.

SITTING OF THE SOLSTICES. It was customary, in the early days of
Harvard College, for the graduates of the year to attend in the
recitation-room on Mondays and Tuesdays, for three weeks, during
the month of June, subject to the examination of all who chose to
visit them. This was called the _Sitting of the Solstices_,
because it happened in midsummer, or at the time of the summer
solstice. The time was also known as the _Weeks of Visitation_.

SIZAR, SISAR, SIZER. In the University of Cambridge, Eng., a
student of the third rank, or that next below that of a pensioner,
who eats at the public table after the fellows, free of expense.
It was formerly customary for _every fellow-commoner_ to have his
_sizar_, to whom he allowed a certain portion of commons, or
victuals and drink, weekly, but no money; and for this the sizar
was obliged to do him certain services daily.

A lower order of students were called _sub-sizars_. In reference
to this class, we take the following from the Gentleman's
Magazine, 1787, p. 1146. "At King's College, they were styled
_hounds_. The situation of a sub-sizar being looked upon in so
degrading a light probably occasioned the extinction of the order.
But as the sub-sizars had certain assistances in return for their
humiliating services, and as the poverty of parents stood in need
of such assistances for their sons, some of the sizars undertook
the same offices for the same advantages. The