Tag Archives: canes

This Week in Princeton History for October 26-November 1

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Cane Spree inspires a songwriter, Buddhists chant in Alexander Hall, and more.

October 27, 1868—The freshman defeat of the sophomores in the cane spree inspires the song “Siege of Canes.”

A selection of carved canes carried by students at Princeton in the mid-to-late 19th century. Photo by April C. Armstrong. Memorabilia Collection (AC053), Box Z13.

October 28, 1998—Bob Smiley ’99 appears on Party of Five.

October 29, 1829—A resident writes to the Philadelphia National Gazette to praise the “Salubrity of Princeton, N.J.”: “but two students belonging to the college have died from this institution. One of these was of consumption, brought with him–the other of a fever, the consequence of a severe cold. No epidemic has ever prevailed in this place except the dysentery on one or two occasions–but without causing the death of a single member of the college.”

October 30, 1969—The leader of Nichiren Shoshu of America, a Buddhist sect of Japanese origins, offers a chanting seminar in Alexander Hall.

For the previous installment in this series, click here.

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This Week in Princeton History for September 14-20

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, John Maclean defends the expulsion of students, Quadrangle Club opens, and more.

September 15, 1870—James McCosh interrupts a brawl between sophomores and freshmen on Nassau Street over canes with a shout of, “Disperse, young men, or the bailiffs will be after you.”

September 16, 1861—John Maclean writes to the editor of the New York Evening Post to explain the unpopular decision to expel some students from Princeton for attacking another student who had expressed sympathy for the Confederacy: The faculty “will not permit the utterance of sentiments denunciatory of those who are engaged in efforts to maintain the integrity of the national government; nor will they allow of any public expression of sympathy with those who are endeavoring to destroy the government,” but “it must be evident that the Faculty could not permit his fellow-students to take the law in their own hands…”

Pencil drawing of the parade local residents gave for the three students dismissed in the “Pumping Incident,” September 1861. Pyne-Henry Collection (AC125), Box 1, Folder 18.

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This Week in Princeton History for October 28-November 3

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, sophomores organize a battle against freshmen for canes for the first time, the ACLU urges Princetonians to support the impeachment of Richard Nixon, and more.

October 28, 1983—Princeton’s Director of the Center for Visitor and Conference Services, Bill O’Brien, receives a call from his section chief in the Army Reserves letting him know he will be on active duty soon. He will spend three weeks in Grenada.

The United States invaded Grenada on October 25, 1983 after a military coup removed the island’s leadership. The U.S. invasion drew international condemnation, but most Americans supported it. Bill O’Brien’s duties included the distribution of aid to civilians and helping to restore their tourism industry. O’Brien thought it was important that their flag be restored, so he joined with others to canvas the island for the original flag to use as a model to construct others. In the photo above, O’Brien showed the flag to Jacquelyn Kneen, a writer for the Princeton Weekly Bulletin. Photo by Robert Matthews, 1983, Office of Communications Records (AC168), Box 225.

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