POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE
JUNE, 1795—war is on again in Europe; battles, treaties, new governments, and new constitutions fill the pages of the New Hampshire newspapers. Crowded in are briefer accounts of General Wayne and the Indians, the proposed canals to the West, to the Connecticut at home and farther south to the Juniata. Mr. John Jay has just returned from London with his still-secret treaty, and New York receives him with wild enthusiasm, although many of the modern devices for welcoming heroes are absent. For the coming season special lots of French fans are offered for the ladies, with wine and West India goods for the gentlemen. At Mr. Greenleaf's BellTavern in Portsmouth the curious may view a beautiful African lion. Not very much space is left for the June meeting of the General Court, that is to bring Hanover a brief political supremacy as capital of the state.
LEGISLATURE MET IN HANOVER
Ever since the early days of dissatisfaction with the royal government under Sir John Wentworth, the state legislature, under various names, had been a little undecided about its meeting place. Exeter at first seemed to have become the capital, till January, 1782, when as the story goes the legislators grew disgruntled at their boarding houses, and listened to Colonel Timothy Walker of Concord, who assured them that in his town they would be as well fed at half the price. Although a political opponent of the Colonel said that his soul, stretched out on the point of a needle, would be quite invisible, his arguments must have proved sound, for Concord got most of the meetings of the legislature till it became the permanent capital in 1807. In the years between, however, it met at several other towns, perhaps to try out other cooks, but more probably to answer the clamor of other local boosters or to win over areas whose loyalty to the group in power, or even to the state, was doubtful. Usually these towns were in the southeastern part of the state, but on January 16, 1795, the General Court were informed that his Excellency the Governor, John Taylor Gilman, had thought fit to adjourn them, next to meet in Hanover.
Why the legislature wanted to come to Hanover is hard to say. Boarding houses were scarce, and whatever temptations the first College Commons might have offered were no longer available. The journey there was long and difficult for nearly all the members—too long for any possible political advantage. Much more probably, it was at the desire of the College authorities themselves, always looking for help, who may have wanted to display the school to the state dignitaries, in the hope of securing grants of aid. This is pure speculation, but it is borne out in part by an earlier attempt to induce the legislature meeting at Charlestown in the fall of 1787 to ride up the valley to visit the College. President Sullivan, a great friend of Dartmouth, was unable to secure a favorable vote. Governor Gilman, also a great friend, perhaps had more success.
FACULTY CHILDREN AND DOGS
Wednesday, June 3, was the great day of arrival. Attended by Captain Colburn's Light Horse, Governor Gilman was met by Captain Brigham's Infantry and a band, and escorted to his lodgings, where he was further welcomed by a salute of artillery. Thursday was even more of a day. At one o'clock Adjutant-General McClary drew up a line of procession which quite put to shame those here in June nowadays. Headed by Captain Brigham's company, in full uniform, it included a "Band of Music; Committees; His Excellency the Governor; The Council; Secretary and Treasurer; Senate and Deputy Treasurer; Speaker, Clerk, and Members of the House; President and Officers of the University; the Clergy; Spectators, etc., etc." (By the very last the reporter meant no doubt children of the faculty and dogs.) All this splendor then crossed over to the College Chapel, where those who could crowd in listened to "an ingenious discourse"—long and dry as well—by the Reverend John Smith, Professor of Oriental Languages, and an "elegant Ode, composed and set to music for the occasion by Mr. Fessenden," of the class of 1796, which "was handsomely performed with instruments and voices." After this double display of the quality of the College, the procession returned and settled down to a dinner, as was the good old custom. For those outside this inner circle, booths set up everywhere provided at reasonable prices amusements and all kinds of refreshments.
At the close of the meal the House convened briefly, counted the votes for Governor as cast in the March election, and returned to announce that his Excellency had been re-elected by all but 100 votes out of a total of 9440. "The choice being declared, the following toasts were given, each accompanied by a discharge from the artillery." "The Day" and "New Hampshire" came first, followed by "The University of New Hampshire—may it prove a perpetual light in the North," "Geniusmay it, in America, find access to the Treasures of Mammon, without becoming his slave," and "The Hill of Science—may its sacred soil never be trodden by the unhallowed feet of Dunces." (The Selective Process has taken care of that) The Federal government; the legislators; commerce, agriculture, and manufactures; the death of tyranny, anarchy, Jacobinism, and superstition.
Friday morning the business of legislation began. The Governor in his message revealed nothing urgent. He averred that "the encouragement of literature being considered, by the constitution, as one of the important duties of legislators and essential to the preservation of a free Government, will always require the care and attention of the Legislature." Beyond that he alluded to the general prosperity and happiness as affording great pleasure to the contemplative mind, and stopped. In reply the legislature congratulated him on his victory and agreed that "the encouragement of literature is a sacred and incumbent duty upon the Legislature. Possessing a constitution which is founded on the broad basis of the natural rights of mankind, we feel on our part the strongest obligation to revere, to cherish, and support it.—Without a competent share of information diffused, generally, through the community the natural as well as acquired rights, and the duties to which the social compact necessarily subjects us, must be imperfectly understood, and consequently will be liable to be perverted and neglected." It sounds, in fact, like an argument for the current proposals for changing the curriculum.
HANOVER SESSION OVER
An examination of the legislative record of the session is refreshing to anyone perplexed by the alphabetical controversies of today. Finance enters in, to be sure. Bezaleel Woodward, Treasurer and Trustee of the College, wants and gets $21.33 for finishing an index of the records of Grafton County. The question of armaments is discussed. All between the ages of 16 and 40 shall be enrolled in the militia, if free and white; a fine of $ 1.50 is set for all those who fail to appear on muster day, and of $1.00 for those who do appear and without leave fire off a musket in any public road, or near one, or near a house. And on June 18 Governor Gilman adjourns the General Court, to the first Wednesday in December, then to meet at Concord.
The session in Hanover was over, without immediate result on the College or even on the state. In spite of the interest avowed by both Governor and Legislature in literature, no help was given and nothing done, in this session at least. Nothing, that is, except the granting of a commission as Justice of the Peace and of the Quorum, signed by the Governor on June 12, and made out to his friend, John Wheelock.
Department of History
