that I had been
anticipated in finding out that 'a decimal is a fraction whose
denominator is a unit with as many ciphers annexed as the numerator has
places,' or rather in finding out precisely what this meant."

He entered college in 1807, and thus describes his first experiences
there.

"I was thirteen years old in April, and entered a Freshman the following
August, being the youngest member of my class. I lived the first year
with my classmate, Charles P. Curtis, in a wooden building standing at
the corner of the Main and Church Streets. It was officially known as
the 'College House,' but known by the students as 'Wiswall's Den,' or,
more concisely, 'The Den,'--whether from its comfortless character as a
habitation or from some worse cause I do not know. There was a tradition
that it had been the scene of a horrid domestic tragedy, and that it was
haunted by the ghosts of the Wiswalls; but I cannot say that during the
twelvemonth I lived in 'The Den' this tale was confirmed by my own
experience.

"We occupied the southwest corner-chamber, up two flights of stairs,--a
room about fourteen feet square, in which were contained two beds and
the rest of our furniture, and our fuel, which was wood, and was kept
under the beds. Two very small closets afforded a little additional
space; but the accommodations were certainly far from brilliant. A good
many young men who go to college are idlers; some, worse than idlers. I
suppose my class in this respect was like other classes; but there was a
fair proportion of faithful, studious students, and of well-conducted
young men. I was protected in part, perhaps, by my youth, from the
grosser temptations. I went through the prescribed studies of the
year--which were principally a few books of Livy and Horace for the
Latin, and 'Collectanea Graeca Majora' for the Greek--about as well as
most of the class; but the manner in which the ancient languages were
then studied was deplorably superficial. It was confined to the most
cursory reading of the text. Besides the Latin and Greek languages, we
had a weekly recitation in Lowth's English Grammar, and in the Hebrew
Grammar, _without points_; also in Arithmetic and History, the last from
Millot's Compend as a text-book. In all these branches there was an
entire want of apparatus; and the standard, compared with that which now
exists, was extremely low. And yet, in all respects, I imagine a great
improvement had taken place, in referenc