Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III Harvard (continued) The essentially democratic character of Harvard was repeatedly impressed upon me, and one feature of the dining halls suggests it. There are comparatively few bursaries or scholarships open to the Freshman. He has more opportunity of obtaining such support in the later years of his course. A number of necessitous students, who have not obtained other aid in their first year, are put upon the Price Greenleaf Fund, which divides an annual income of £3000 into grants of from £20 to £50 per annum. Students who are not beneficed in any of these ways support themselves by a great variety of work—and one of the ways is by waiting at table in hall. Underthis American adaptation of the ancient servitor system of Oxford and Cambridge, a student may earn 10s. a week or more without any loss of academic caste. The following excerpt from the letter of a student, explaining how he worked his way through Harvard, suggests that there is no sentiment about "menial labour" or desire to be rid of it at the earliest. After explaining that he made from £20 to £25 as a waiter in his first and second years, the writer adds :—" The third year resulted still better. I was elected secretary and treasurer of , which position paid me 100 dollars yearly. I still worked in the Hall as a slide man (advanced two places over the waiter's position)." A "slide man" is presumably one who officiates at the service bar; and to do so spells promotion and more money. Of course there are other ways of keeping the pot boiling. One energetic youth made in his Freshman year £5 by looking after a Settlement Library, other £5 by going into Boston on Sundays to superintend a boys' club, and £20 by " the care of boys in Boston." Another saved £15 fromsummer work on a farm, finding ...