136 JAMES R. ROBERTSON. leges of the East who appreciated a college education, and aided in the support of high standards in a new country where they were little appreciated. The period of the war had led to the establishment of regular military drill. Stacks of arms had been provided by the government and especial attention was paid to drill previous to the second election of President Lincoln. There was a strong Southern feeling in Oregon at this time, and one of her favorite sons had been candidate for vice-president on the extreme Southern ticket. A large part of the army of General Price, after its failure in Missouri, had come to Oregon. Regular meetings of the Knights of the Golden Circle were held in the vicinity of Forest Grove, and one of the exciting, though dangerous, pranks of the early students was to act as spies. The in- fluence of the college during this period was wholly for the Union. Doctor Marsh gave freely of his time and effort in that cause. In 1863, the critical year, he preached a fast-day sermon, and at various times lectured for the benefit of the Sanitary Commission. As early as 1866, and probably earlier, the first literary society was founded, the "Gamma Sigma," Gnothen Seauton, and shortly after the Alpha Zeta Society. A girls' society, the Philomathean, was established as a re- sult of a class discussion, according to the record, in which the boys were worsted and took revenge by taunting the girls with inability to maintain a literary society, a chal- lenge which was accepted with the result that a society was started. The programs of these early societies are interesting from the questions discussed, among others to be noted are the "Annexation of Hawaii," and the "Intervention of the United States in Cuba," which read strangely now. The societies have been a leading feature of the college life and rarely does an alumnus, in referring to his student days, fail to refer with satisfaction to his
