Archive for the 'Archives' Category

Nugalia: Introduction

September 15th, 2011

St. Paul’s School’s Horae Scholasticae is the oldest school or college literary magazines in continuous publication in the United States, the first issue having appeared on June 1, 1860. Prior to the publication of the Alumni Horae in 1921 and The Pelican in 1945, the Horae Scholasticae also served to chronicle the School’s history and news of school life, as well as publishing the early literary efforts of many noted 19th-century authors such as Francis Marion Crawford and Owen Wister.

Many of the earlier editions of the Horae Scholasticae contained a column of newsy tidbits called “Nugalia” that encapsulated the day-to-day experience of student life at St. Paul’s School.  The June 1st, 1935 edition of the Horae Scholasticae – a celebration of the first 75 years of publication – included this description of the Nugalia column:

The Nugalia (Lat., “stuffs,” “triffles,” “nonsense”) is one of the aboriginal columns of the Horae.  In the early issues “The Rural Record”, the School log or diary, supplied a large part of the news.

In 1872 the name of the department was changed from “School Items” to “Items,” and in 1877 it took its present title “Nugalia.”  The editors of those good old times embellished the scanty School notes with doggerel, puzzles, and current jokes.

In the spirit of the early editors of the Horae Scholasticae we have created a new feature located in the sidebar of Ohrstrom Blog. Throughout the year we will be publishing small but interesting excerpts gathered from past Nugalia columns and featuring them in the sidebar.   Check back weekly for a regular bit of insight into the history of student life at SPS – and the occasional dose of doggerel!

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From the Archives: Letters from Valpey

May 26th, 2011

As the end of the School year approaches it will soon be time to tally up the academic standings and award the Valpey prizes.   These prizes get their name from the Rev. Thomas G. Valpey, a faculty member at St. Paul’s School from 1860 to 1868, and again from 1875 until his death in 1890.   Among his many bequests he left St. Paul’s School funds to establish an award of academic prizes each year.

While a teacher of Greek at St. Paul’s School, Valpey gained a reputation for being a thorough taskmaster.  Arthur Stanwood Pier’s St. Paul’s School 1855 -1934 relates that Valpey would give his students only a few seconds to recite a Greek declension, timing them with his watch.  He also had a habit of mumbling into his beard – described as “undoubtedly the most extensive beard that has ever been seen within the precincts of the school.”

At the beginning of the 2010-11 School year, the archives acquired two letters written by Valpey dated from 1860.  They were both written to William H. Anderson, a classmate of Valpey’s from Yale – Valpey graduated in 1858 and Anderson in 1859. There are not very many items in the archives from this early time of the school, and fewer personal letters, making these important additions to the collection.

The letter shown above was written not long after Valpey came to SPS – in December of 1860.  He discusses the details of his daily life, his feelings of loneliness, and wanting to visit his friend.  But he also mentions being offered a permanent position at St. Paul’s, one that would provide the primary source of employment for him over the course of his life.

In addition to the fund for prizes at SPS, Pier lists a number of other donations that were part of Valpey’s will, including bequests to Concord Public Library, the Orphan’s Home,  and the Library at St. Paul’s School.   He characterizes Valpey’s intentions this way:

The terms of his will showed how genuine was his interest in promoting education, not only at St. Paul’s but elsewhere. . . It shows how earnest was the testator’s desire to contribute in every way he could to the intellectual and spiritual enlightenment of the communities with which he had been associated.

As with many traditions at St. Paul’s School, the Valpey prizes provide an opportunity for the students of today to connect with the people from the past who invested their ideals into the making of a great school. Congratulations to you all.

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From the Archives: Club Banners

May 10th, 2011

Most people who look up and notice the club banners on display in the lobby of the Blass Club House probably associate them with the club sports competition begun at St. Paul’s School in 1888. In actuality the Isthmian, Delphian and Old Hundred banners have nothing to do with sports. Their origins have more in common with this year’s revived Club Cup competition than with the sports-only club rivalries that are a better-known part of school history.

The club banners were the inspiration of Samuel Smith Drury, Rector of St. Paul’s School from  1911 to 1938. In the Spring 1921 Alumni Horae he described his new plan to use the existing rivalries from the club sports competitions to inspire academic excellence among the students:

It occurred to some of us that we might utilize commendable athletic club rivalry in the realm of studies. So we took all the examination marks and by reckoning to what club each boy belonged, we found that a certain club led the School in studies. At the reading of the ranking I had the banner of that club on the desk, and then handed it to Davis I, the captain of the Hockey Team, asking him to place that banner in the Big Study until another club by its average won the privilege.

In a letter dated December 21, 1922, Drury asks John Gregory Wiggins, family friend and original carver of the Form Plaques located in the Upper Dinning Hall of Coit, if he would send along “any designs you may have of your rendering of the Old Hundred, Isthmian and Delphian emblems to be used on scholastic banners.” A few months later, in the Spring 1923 Alumni Horae, the School in Action entry announces:

At the recent half-term ranking the silk banners presented by Mr. F. Kingsbury Curtis (79) were used for the first time. The body of the banner is of the club color, the name in white letters above and the club emblem below. The Delphian Club led in scholarship for this period, an honor held by the Isthmians at both rankings in the Fall.

This documents the first time the club banners that we now have on display in the Blass Club House were used to reward academic excellence among the club teams. Later, in the Winter 1930 edition of the Alumni Horae, Drury reminds readers of the purpose of the stars on the banners:

You will remember that at each ranking one of the three Clubs wins a star for its banner by out-ranking the other two in studies.

It isn’t clear how long this tradition was carried out at St. Paul’s School, or how frequent the rankings took place, but by counting the stars it is clear who dominated the competition: Isthmian had 54 stars,  Old Hundred had 36 stars, and Delphian had 24 stars.

Elements of the tradition started by Samuel Smith Drury have been revived by the new Club Cup competition this year, which awards points for scholastic as well as athletic achievements.  Drury’s enthusiasm for the academic banners comes through in his writing in the Alumni Horae, and it is easy to imagine that he would be just as excited by the new Club Cup competition.

Read more about the Club Banners HERE.

Read more about the history of the club system HERE.

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New Archives Exhibit: The Early Libraries of SPS

April 7th, 2011

Ohrstrom Library Digital Archives is featuring a new online exhibit:  The Early Libraries of St. Paul’s School. The exhibit features thirteen photos from the archives collection of the different locations that have served as libraries over the years, leading up to the construction of Ohrstrom Library.

It was twenty years ago, on April 21, 1991, that Ohrstrom Library was dedicated, and this exhibit celebrates the strong tradition of enthusiasm and support for libraries at St. Paul’s School that has continued uninterrupted from its beginning in 1873 to the present time.  This online exhibit is based on a similar exhibit now on display in the upper level lobby exhibit cases.  Browse the online exhibit and take a few minutes the next time you are in the library to see the display.

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New Archives Exhibit: The Form Plaques of SPS

March 31st, 2011

As promised on Ohrstrom Blog just prior to March break, a new Archives online exhibit is now available on the Ohrstrom Library Digital Archives: The Form Plaques of St. Paul’s School: John Gregory Wiggins.

Eighteen images have been selected as the focus of the exhibit. Each image includes a description of the symbols employed in the plaque design and is written by the carver of the plaques, John Gregory Wiggins.  In addition to the individual entries in the exhibit you can take a quick overview of the plaques by viewing a slideshow of the images. The exhibit offers a great introduction to this School tradition, and helps to decipher some of the interesting imagery used to depict aspects of St. Paul’s School history.

A more detailed description of the Form plaque tradition begun by Fourth Rector Samuel Smith Drury and Wiggins can be read HERE.

You can also view a complete list of Form plaque images available on OLDA by clicking HERE.

Take a few minutes to browse through this latest addition to the OLDA collection and learn more about the history of the plaques that adorn the dining halls in the Upper.

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