"This has proved very disagreeable to a Number of the Students."
I pity anyone who has tried to study Hebrew in the old way (memorizing vowel marks, etc.)instead of as a living language (which has been possible since the re-estblishment of Israel). It must have been tough--especially for freshmen.
But at commencements Yale acutally had orations delivered in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, until sometime in the early 1800s.
Fascinating.
Many many years ago I saw Jonathan Edwards' handwritten valedictory (Latin) address as a Yale undergrad. I think Edwards was like 17 when he graduated.
'Twas a bit of a different world back then.
As for the Hebrew requirement, sorry it only lasted a few years. Out of curiosity, I wonder if the letters on the Yale logo came out of the Stiles years.
At any rate, it is sad to see what has become of the great New England universities. Not just the secularism, though that is enough to sicken you. The entiere set of standards are completely gone....makes you hunger for the old days.