CHAPTER IV.

THE SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO UNDERGRADUATES.

This is an account of a famous struggle some eighty years ago between the authorities and the undergraduates of Trinity College on the subject of attendance at chapel. The story is not to the credit of the authorities, but, for what it is worth, here it is.

There is a prelude to it concerned with a controversy in 1834 between Thirlwall, later the statesman-bishop of St David's, and Wordsworth, then master of the House, which raised the question of the advisability of compelling undergraduates to be present at religious services in College. At that time regular attendance at chapel was required--as for centuries previously it had been--from all students as a matter of discipline, and the rule in force on the subject was embodied in a college order of 22 April 1824, as follows:

Agreed by the Master and Seniors that every Undergraduate not having an aegrotat or dormiat do attend Morning Chapel five times at the least in every week, or four times at the least including Sunday; and the same number of times in the Evening, under penalty that the week in which anyone shall not have so attended be not reckoned towards keeping the Term of such Undergraduate--unless such omission be repaired by extra attendance the week following.

Absentees were punished, and those who offended frequently were liable to expulsion.

Until the era of the Reform Bill some regulation like this was accepted as a matter of course, but when, in that period of enquiry, all things were put to the proof, doubts as to its wisdom began to be voiced. In 1834 Thirlwall, then assistant-tutor to Whewell, in an open letter dated 21 May, while advocating the admission of dissenters to the University, lamented the constant repetition in college chapels of a mechanical service, believing the practice to be detrimental to the interests of religion: he further expressed the opinion that attendance at chapel services should be voluntary. He referred to a then recent statement by Wordsworth in which the latter had said "the alternative is not here between compulsory religion (as it is called) and any other religion, but between compulsory religion and no religion at all," and on this remarked:

I cannot indeed draw such delicate distinctions as my friend seems to make in this passage; for as the epithet compulsory applied to religion appears to me contradictory, the difference between a compulsory religion and no religion at all is too subtle for my grasp. But if for _religion_ we substitute the word _service_, which would probably better express his meaning, then I should quite agree with him, that, in this case, a voluntary service would soon be changed into no service at all: that is, the persons who are now compelled to attend, if they were left at liberty, would stay away. And this is the very reason why I think it would be better that they should be allowed to do so.

The argument was amplified in a second letter dated 13 June. This was skilful enough as a piece of dialectics though hardly likely to convince opponents.

That an officer of the college should express such views and in this way was regarded by Wordsworth as scandalous, and five days after the publication of the first letter, without asking for any explanation, he, with the consent or approval of Whewell and the two deans (Thorp and Carus), removed Thirlwall from his office of assistant-tutor. This arbitrary act was generally resented in the Society even by those who disagreed with Thirlwall or thought that he had been indiscreet in his advocacy; some too considered the act unstatutable, but Thirlwall refused to appeal to the Visitor, and shortly afterwards left Cambridge on his appointment, in November 1834, by the lord chancellor, to the important living of Kirby-under-dale in Yorkshire.

Two years later, in 1836, while the matter was still a subject of debate, Carus was made senior dean. He was a kindly man, leader in the University of the school of thought associated with Simeon's name, but, whether rightly or wrongly, was regarded as unsympathetic by those who did not think as he did on religious questions. Carus detested the view taken by Thirlwall, and far from conciliating college opinion, which had been outraged by Wordsworth's action, urged the seniority (a Board consisting of the master and the eight senior resident fellows to which, under the Elizabethan statutes, the government of the College was entrusted) to re-draft the rule of 1824 and make clear or stiffen the penalties for non-obedience. The seniority agreed, and on 7 February 1838, issued the following order:

Agreed by the Master and Seniors, that all Undergraduate Scholars, and Foundation Sizars do attend Chapel eight times at the least in every week, that is twice on Sunday and once every other day; the Scholars, on pain of losing _ipso facto_ their statutable allowance for Commons, and such additions as have since been made by the College in the way of augmentation to the Commons, for every week when there has been a failure of such attendance as is above described; and the Sizars, on pain of incurring _ipso facto_ an equivalent deduction in money from their allowances.

Agreed also, that a like attendance be required from all other Undergraduates; and that in case of failure, the Parties so offending be forthwith admonished by the Deans; and if, after such admonition, irregularity be persisted in, notice be sent by the Dean to the Tutor, that a warning from him also may timely be given: after which, if both these means shall fail in producing regularity, the offender shall be reported by the Dean to the Master (or, in his absence, to the Vice-Master) to receive a formal admonition from him, in the presence of the Dean, a record of which shall be preserved: and finally, in all cases where such formal admonition shall have been incurred three times, the offender shall _ipso facto_ be removed from the College, either entirely, or for one or more Terms, according to the circumstances of the case; a record of this sentence being also preserved.

Authority is given to the Deans to grant occasional leave of absence, on special application made previously, but not otherwise. Also on any casual failure of attendance, it is allowed to Deans to accept (in order to make up the deficiency) an equivalent attendance on other days during the same week only; any failure on Sundays to be compensated by attendance twice on other days.

According to college tradition, which came to me from C.W. King, an undergraduate of the time, a deputation of scholars, who remonstrated on the severity of these sanctions, was informed by Carus that attendance at chapel was not so much a duty as a privilege, which was valued the most by those who were oldest and therefore best qualified to form an opinion on the subject--a boomerang argument which obviously was dangerous unless the fellows themselves attended chapel with the regularity desired from undergraduates.

On this rebuff, certain students formed a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Undergraduates. Its founders issued a notice asking whether what was forced on undergraduates was practised by dons; and that facts might speak for themselves, they announced that they would issue marking-sheets showing the attendance week by week of the fellows in chapel. Copies of these marking-sheets were put (surreptitiously) on the college screens, sent to London clubs, and widely circulated. All efforts by the deans to discover the authors or the printer employed failed; I understand, however, that W.J. Conybeare, G.E.L. Cotton, J.S. Howson, C.L. Rose, and C.J. Tindal were its chief promoters, and that the printer was Metcalfe of 9 Trinity Street. Copies of these marking-sheets are now very rare, but a few years ago one came into the market which I was fortunate enough to secure. It is bound in blue calf, stamped with the college arms having as supporters two undergraduates in knee breeches waving their caps, and with the motto _Nemo me impune lacessit_.

The first sheet is for the week ending 17 February 1838, and shows the attendances, morning and evening, of the master and the eighteen fellows then in residence. Each of the two deans attended ten times, but they were in a peculiar position, for it was their duty, as the Society pointed out, to go twice a day and therefore fourteen times in each week. Only one of the other fellows, Perry, later bishop of Melbourne, complied with the rule imposed on undergraduates, four fellows went only once, and four not at all. To this sheet the Society appended the following note:

Does then this new regulation of the Master and Seniors proceed from any religious motive? Do they practice (_sic_) what they force on the Undergraduates? They are very regular in their attendance in Hall, but why are their places vacant in Chapel?

The next week showed a slight improvement in the attendances. The Society congratulated itself on this, and in some general remarks indicated what it expected from the fellows, copying these from the notices on the subject issued by Carus. It should be said that in the sheets those who were ill or away from Cambridge, were marked with an _aeg_ or _abs_, so any such explanation of the absence of the others from chapel was impossible.

In the third week the improvement continued, and three fellows in addition to the master and the deans complied with the rule, but this was the high water-mark of attendance, and after all it did not come to much. The Society expressed its gratification at this, which it was pleased to treat as the result of its efforts, and at the same time issued the following notice:

A prize for general regularity, and good behaviour when in Chapel, has been instituted by the Society, who are as anxious to reward merit as they are to punish immorality. But whilst they thus wish to instil into the minds of the Fellows those Religious feelings which, owing to a bad education, they may possibly be without, the Society most distinctly declare that they shall not be guided merely by an outward show of religion. It is not, therefore, enough to go merely eight times a week to Chapel, and when there to utter the responses so loud as to attract attention, or otherwise disturb the prayers of Undergraduates. Such conduct will at all times be severely punished.... For convenience of those members of Trinity College now residing in London, six copies of this publication are sent weekly to each of the University Clubs there.

In the fourth week, apart from the indefatigable Perry and the two deans, no one came up to the prescribed standard. On this result the Society remarked:

The Society regret much that during the last week great laxity has prevailed among the Fellows in general with regard to their attendance in Chapel. This is the more to be lamented, as they had been for the two previous weeks so much more regular than usual. This irregularity cannot proceed from ill health, for they have been constantly to Hall, although they are not compelled to go there more than five times in each week. The Society, however, still hopes that in the ensuing week they will be able to make a more favourable report both of their attendance in Chapel, as also of their good conduct when there. As was before stated, any Fellow who shall, owing to any wine-party, or other sufficient reason, be prevented from attending, will be excused on sending a note previously to the Secretary of the Society, and his absence will be counted as presence. [The last seven words were a quotation from a note by Carus.] It is agreed by the Master and Seniors that all Undergraduates do go eight times at least each week! Why then do they not set us a better example?

These publications were widely disseminated and led to the production of a number of epigrams and lampoons which were scattered broadcast in the University. The Society appended to this sheet a note that its members had "_no connexion whatever_ with _any_ of those abusive and profane publications which have been so industriously circulated during the last two weeks."

The sheet for the week ending 17 March, announced the success of the movement, though in this return only Carus and Perry came up to the standard. Appended to the sheet were the following notes:

The Society in laying the first list of this month before the public, have much reason to be pleased with the success of the work which they have undertaken, for they have been informed, on very good authority, that the Cruelty System will not be continued more than a week longer, but that the Master and Seniors have determined to come to a new Agreement about Chapels.... If this should be the case, the end which the Society had in view will be accomplished, and the weekly publications will be discontinued, until called again into life by some new act of Cruelty upon the much enduring Undergraduates, but not otherwise. The Fellows have been very irregular during the last week, in their attendance at Chapel; so much so that only two of the whole number in residence have kept the number, which the Undergraduates are compelled to keep, on pain of being _ipso facto_ rusticated, either entirely, or for one or more terms. And yet one Member of Trinity College was really sent away during the past week (who had always been seven times each week before) because he had the courage to object to compulsory attendance at Chapel, especially from those men who had set him such an example!

In the course of the next week a printed notice appeared on the screens reducing the number of compulsory attendances in chapel to two on Sundays and four during the week. The paper, type, and setting look as if this were issued by the authorities. I have, however, seen a contemporary letter in which it is said that this notice was in fact a forgery: the suggestion being that the men were tired of the joke, and invented this way of terminating the episode. I cannot say whether the deans modified their rule, and the question of the genuineness of this notice must be left undecided. It is true that no extant minute of the seniority exists about any new regulation, but the records of the proceedings of that body are so imperfect that no conclusion can be drawn from this.

The Society in publishing its last sheet, namely, that for the week ending 24 March, concluded with the following class list and notes:

The examination of the Fellows is now finished: and in arranging the different classes the Secretary has attached to each person's name his number of marks, in order to do away with any appearance of favour shewn more to one than another, as is too often the case in other Examinations.

=First Class.= *Carus 72 Perry 66 *Barnes 50

=Second Class.= Heath 42 Wordsworth Senior 38 Thorp 35 Whewell 34 Blakesley 30

=Third Class.= Peacock 28 Thompson 19 Brown 17 Dobson 13 Martin 12

=Last Class.= Wordsworth Junior 9 Sedgwick 5 Field 4 Donaldson 3

Burcham 0 Walsh 0

* The two gentlemen marked with an asterisk are respectively Senior and Junior Dean, whose duty it is to go twice every day to Chapel.

The Prize Medal for regular attendance at chapel and good conduct when there, has been awarded to Mr Perry, who has passed an examination highly creditable to himself and family. He was only 18 marks below the highest number which he could possibly have gained. It is, therefore, to be hoped Mr P. will be more regular and do still better next term. With respect to the two Gentlemen who are not classed, the Secretary need hardly say that he does not envy them their feelings on the present occasion. In consequence of the New Agreement, the Chapel Lists will _ipso facto_ be discontinued for the future.

In the above list the master is designated as Wordsworth Senior. The prize was awarded to Perry the future bishop, but instead of the promised medal he was given a bible. This was secured for the College in 1906, and now rests in our library. It is bound in calf, stamped with the arms and supporters assumed by the Society, and bears the inscription "From the Undergraduates of Trinity College to the Rev. Charles Perry, M.A., as a mark of affection and esteem for the good example which he set them and the _rest_ of the College by his constant attendance at Chapel." I have been informed that to each of the two fellows who did not attend at all there was sent a small bible with an inscription therein of the Society's hope that its presence among his books might in the future encourage him to perform tasks which he believed to be important even though he found them unpleasant.

The doggerel verses to which I have alluded as appearing in connection with the struggle were, as far as I have seen them, poor stuff as literary productions, and some were highly improper. The author of one of the worst of them was discovered and expelled from the College, 12 March 1838. I possess copies of four or five of these productions, their value consists entirely in giving us stories then current about dons and things academic--stories, I may add, which appear generally to have had no foundation in fact. The best set of verses, supposed to be addressed on Saturday evening by a man to his bedmaker, is a parody of Tennyson's _May Queen_. It begins: "You must mind and call me early--call me early, d'ye hear? For I in morning chapel to-morrow must appear," and on the whole runs easily. There is nothing in these squibs which deserves remembrance or needs any further notice here.

There ends the story, and no comments on it or the actors in it are needed. It may be added as a postscript, that for a long time subsequent to this incident some attendance at chapel was required from all who had no good reason to ask for exemption, and that as time went on the requirements gradually grew less. The question of making attendance at chapel compulsory on those who have not yet fully attained years of discretion is admittedly difficult, and made more so by the fact that while such attendance is approved and rigorously imposed every day of the week at most public boarding schools on lads up to the age of eighteen or nineteen, it is regarded as unthinkable in the case of young graduates of twenty-one or so. Trinity College finally adopted the view advocated by Thirlwall, and to-day attendance at chapel services is voluntary.