saying of New Englanders: "Election,
Commencement and Training Days are their only Holy Days."

It was natural in New England, a state planted by men of exceptional
intelligence, that all should think as one minister said, "If the
college die, the church cannot long live;" and in the Commencement Day
of their colleges they found matter of deep interest, of pride, of
recreation. Judge Sewall always notes the day at Harvard, its exercises,
its dinner, its plentiful wine, and the Commencement cake, which he
carried to his friends. The meagre entries in the diaries and almanacs
of many an old New England minister show that Commencement Day was one
of their proudest holidays. After 1730, Commencement Day was usually set
for Friday, in order that there might be, as President Wadsworth said in
his diary, "less remaining time in the week to be spent in frolicking."

Training Day may be called the first New England holiday, though
Hawthorne thought the day of too serious importance in early warlike
times to be classed under the head of festivals. At the first Pilgrim
Thanksgiving they "exercised their arms," and for some years they had
six trainings a year; no wonder they were said to be "diligent in
traynings." The all-powerful Church Militant held sway even over these
gatherings of New England warriors. The military reviews and exercises
were made properly religious by an opening exercise of prayer and
psalm-singing, the latter sometimes at such inordinate length as to
provoke criticism and remarks from the rank and file, remonstrance which
was at once pleasantly rebuked by pious Judge Sewall. Religious notices
were also given before the company broke line. A noble dinner somewhat
redeemed the sobriety of the opening exercises, a dinner given in Boston
to gentlemen and gentlewomen in tents on the Common; and the frequent
firing of guns and cannon further enlivened the day.

Boston mustered a very fair military force at trainings, even in early
days. Winthrop writes that at the May training in 1639 one thousand men
exercised, and in the autumn twelve hundred bore arms, and not an oath
or quarrel was heard and no drunkenness seen. The training field was
Boston Common. At these trainings prizes were frequently offered for the
best marksmanship; in Connecticut, a silk handkerchief or some such
trinket. Judge Sewall offered a silver cup, and again a silver-headed
pike; since he was an uncommonly poor shot himself, his generosity s