SETTLING IN TO COLLEGE LIFE AT OXFORD
On October 11, 1905, Charles finally reached Oxford. This post draws on his letters and accounts to give an idea of how he first settled in, and about his lodgings. He related a little about this in the close of his last letter from the Haverford, and later elaborated on those first few days in an account published in the Hobart News-Republican. Another student wrote about the layout and housing at the colleges, and part of his account is here too.
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From a letter, October 12, 1905:
Thurs. morn, Oxford England
Got in [from the port in Liverpool] O.K. at 3 yesterday. Find things very nice so far. Murray, Kans an old St. John’s went with us and gave us advice about buying our outfits. Got a good deal of our stock laid in already but have still a good deal to do. Took dinner in Hall last night. Breakfast this morn. with Alburn, Ohio. Kendall was over last evening and spent it with me.
The gardens here are exceedingly fine. Over 5 acres. We are in new buildings. With new rented furniture. The other boys got much better sitting rooms than I but mine is the only one with the bedroom adjoining. The others have to go up 1 or two flights of stairs.
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Charles described more of his first days in The Hobart News-Republican, March 23, 1906:
Oxford, while it has over 50,000 people, is first and principally a university town. The twenty-two colleges of the university are built on, perhaps, a square mile of ground and the business part of the town has been wedged in among and around them in every possible way. There are almost no independent industries in or around the town and aside from pensioners and allowance people practically every one in some way or another lives off the 3,800 undergraduates.
With that number of men in residence but half the year, it doesn’t seem much wonder we are bled so regularly. In some ways, though, one must appreciate their paternal system.
When we three Americans got to St. Johns we found three suites of rooms close together had been saved for us and were all ready for us to move into. Open grates don’t amount to much in the way of heat, but add immensely to the cheerfulness of a room. Our scout had fires in all the rooms and has continued to make himself useful in every possible way. In fact, one’s scout is about his best friend here. He knows infinitely more about what is on—has been “doing” than any of the dons possibly can, and if treated properly in the matter of tips he is perfectly willing to divulge.
Most Americans find plenty of need for advice, too. For instance, my scout has been invaluable in telling me the special sort of tie that must be worn on particular occasions, and when a gown was absolutely required.
Before we had been here thirty minutes, we found Murray the ‘04 Kansas scholar, who is also a St. John’s, and found he was just the sort of friend we needed. We had to purchase our housekeeping outfits and he, with a year’s experience with Oxford tradesmen, took us to the shops where we were least likely to be “held up,” and told us what we really needed. All meals except dinner are served in our rooms, so we had to have quite an outfit. After dinner Kendall, the ‘04 man from Oklahoma, came in and we two and the two Kansas men held a sort of western reunion.
The next morning, as our college had been the first to assemble, we St. John’s freshmen, fifty-two in number, in black suits and caps and gowns, were taken before the vice-chancellor to be matriculated. He gave us some sort of a charge in Latin, a page or so long, and then explained that it meant we were to be good and keep the rules. Then we went one by one to an enormous register containing the names of a majority of the greatest men of England as well as a goodly number of the most useless ones, signed our names with a quill pen and received certificates entitling us to all the rights and privileges of members of the Oxford University.
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Another Oxonian, John F. Hornsey, explained more about the colleges and student lodging in a piece in The Outlook, Vol. 82, April 14, 1906:
The colleges themselves are constructed on somewhat the same style as monasteries. They are large buildings containing one or more quadrangles, and in some cases have large and beautiful gardens adjoining. The entrance is guarded by a porter’s lodge, and the gates are closed at nine o’clock every evening. Within each college is a chapel, whereat attendance at morning or evening service is compulsory on all students who are members of the Church of England. Other students are obliged to attend roll-call at 8 a.m. There is also within each college a dining-hall, wherein the students are bound to dine together a certain number of times weekly.
From the quadrangles a number of staircases lead up to the students’ rooms, which are, in the main, comfortable and well furnished. Within the same college and upon the same staircase we have students of every kind. A theological man has rooms perhaps on the same landing as a medical or legal student. And thus these men, living under the same roof, become acquainted with each other, exchange visits, and naturally exchange ideas also.
It’s good to know that we’ve inherited our snarky senses of humor honestly: “Then we went one by one to an enormous register containing the names of a majority of the greatest men of England as well as a goodly number of the most useless ones…”
Mike, I agree, and I think CDM Sr. could be especially sharp that way, and it looks like if he wrote to the Home Folks such comments, they probably appreciated them too. Maybe it’s Western humor.