e was the monitor,
whose duty it was to mark the students who were absent from
prayers and who were punished for absence by a deduction
from their rank and, if the absences were frequent enough,
by a more severe penalty. The next time the measures were
more effective. Lane's chum, Ellis, was in the conspiracy.
The students bored holes carefully into the door and into
the jamb by the side and took a quantity of hinges and screwed
them carefully on to the door and the jamb. When Lane got
ready to start for prayers in the morning, he found it impossible
to open the door. As soon as he discovered what was the trouble,
he seized his hatchet and undertook to cut his way out. His
chum, Ellis, who had remained quietly in bed, sprang out
of bed and placed his back against the door and declared
that the door of his room should not be hewn down in that
manner. Lane was obliged to desist. He however took his
monitor's book, marked himself and his chum absent, and submitted.
There were a good many such pranks played by the boys in those
days, in the spirit of a harmless and good-natured mischief.
I do not know whether the College has improved in the particular
or no. I do not think anybody in my day would have defaced
the statue of John Harvard.

Whether Lane will go farther down on the path to immortality
as the author of the admirable Latin Grammar to which he gave
so much of his life or as author of the song, "The Lone Fish
Ball," posterity alone will determine.

Charles Short, the third of the three whom I named as standing
at the head of the class, became President of Kenyon College
and afterward Professor of Latin in Columbia College. He
was one of the committee to prepare the revised version of
the Scriptures, and contributed largely to the Harpers' excellent
Latin Dictionary.

Another of our famous scholars was Fitzedward Hall, who died
lately in England. He was a very respectable scholar in the
ordinary college studies, but he attained no special distinction
in them as compared with the others whom I have mentioned.
He became, however, quite early, interested in Arabic and
other Oriental languages, a study which he pursued, I think,
without the help of an instructor. He had a very remarkable
career. After graduating, he sailed for the East Indies with
a view to pursue there the study of the Oriental languages
and literature. He took with him letters of introduction
to influential persons in Calcutta, an