Nugalia

The Horae Scholasticae is the oldest school or college literary magazines in continuous publication in the United States, the first issue having appeared on June 1, 1860. Prior to the publication of the Alumni Horae in 1921 and The Pelican in 1945, the Horae Scholasticae also served to chronicle the School’s history and news of school life, as well as publishing the early literary efforts of many noted 19th-century authors such as Francis Marion Crawford and Owen Wister.

Many of the earlier editions of the Horae Scholasticae contained a column of newsy tidbits called “Nugalia” that encapsulated the day-to-day experience of student life at St. Paul’s School. The June 1st, 1935 edition of the Horae Scholasticae – a celebration of the first 75 years of publication – included this description of the Nugalia column:

The Nugalia (Lat., “stuffs,” “triffles,” “nonsense”) is one of the aboriginal columns of the Horae. In the early issues “The Rural Record”, the School log or diary, supplied a large part of the news.

In 1872 the name of the department was changed from “School Items” to “Items,” and in 1877 it took its present title “Nugalia.” The editors of those good old times embellished the scanty School notes with doggerel, puzzles, and current jokes.

In the spirit of the early editors of the Horae Scholasticae we have created a new feature located in the sidebar of Ohrstrom Blog. Throughout the year we will be publishing small but interesting excerpts gathered from past Nugalia columns and featuring them in the sidebar. Check back often for a regular bit of insight into the history of student life at SPS – and the occasional dose of doggerel!

Below is an archive of all Nugalia posts to date:

3 Oct 2011

February 12, 1923

by Sarah Ludwig | posted in: Nugalia | 0

Feeding time at the zoo: There is now quite a zoo here, what with the innumerable birds at the New Upper, a dozen or so squirrels about the Middle, a whole flock of pigeons, and many stray dogs, mice, cats, … Continued

26 Sep 2011

June 6, 1928

by Sarah Ludwig | posted in: Nugalia | 0

Shy swans and daring ducks: Owing to an aversion to publicity, the new swans have not ventured away from the extreme upper recesses of the School Pond. The ducks, on the other hand, have been so hungry that they have … Continued

15 Sep 2011

May 4, 1935

by Sarah Ludwig | posted in: Nugalia | 0

A note about a fortunate squirrel: A baby squirrel is now enjoying all the benefits of civilization on the second floor of the New Upper. And a not so fortunate one: The Shattucks rudely evicted a little flying squirrel who … Continued