is reason to
believe that President Dunster sat in it, when he held the first
commencement at Harvard College. You have often heard, children, how
careful our forefathers were, to give their young people a good education.
They had scarcely cut down trees enough to make room for their own
dwellings, before they began to think of establishing a college. Their
principal object was, to rear up pious and learned ministers; and hence
old writers call Harvard College a school of the prophets."

"Is the college a school of the prophets now?" asked Charley.

"It is a long while since I took my degree, Charley. You must ask some of
the recent graduates," answered Grandfather. "As I was telling you,
President Dunster sat in Grandfather's chair in 1642, when he conferred
the degree of bachelor of arts on nine young men. They were the first in
America, who had received that honor. And now, my dear auditors, I must
confess that there are contradictory statements and some uncertainty about
the adventures of the chair, for a period of almost ten years. Some say
that it was occupied by your own ancestor, William Hawthorne, first
Speaker of the House of Representatives. I have nearly satisfied myself,
however, that, during most of this questionable period, it was literally
the Chair of State. It gives me much pleasure to imagine, that several
successive governors of Massachusetts sat in it at the council board."

"But, Grandfather," interposed Charley, who was a matter-of-fact little
person, "what reason have you to imagine so?"

"Pray do imagine it, Grandfather," said Laurence.

"With Charley's permission, I will," replied Grandfather, smiling. "Let us
consider it settled, therefore, that Winthrop, Bellingham, Dudley, and
Endicott, each of them, when chosen governor, took his seat in our great
chair on election day. In this chair, likewise, did those excellent
governors preside, while holding consultations with the chief counsellors
of the province, who were styled Assistants. The governor sat in this
chair, too, whenever messages were brought to him from the chamber of
Representatives."

And here Grandfather took occasion to talk, rather tediously, about the
nature and forms of government that established themselves, almost
spontaneously, in Massachusetts and the other New England colonies.
Democracies were the natural growth of the new world. As to Massachusetts,
it was at first intended that the colony should be governed by a co