Ever since its earliest days, the College of New Jersey emphasized a rigorous classical education as preparation for entering the ministry. The entrance examinations -- routinely conducted by the President -- tested a student's knowledge of Latin and Greek above all else. The Latin requirement survived well into the 20th century.
Little wonder, then, that the students of the 1860s dubbed the new excavation on the campus the "Cloaca Maxima." Named for Rome's famous sewer system, the Cloaca Maxima was, of course, the College privy. An underground structure of brick, granite, and wood, it was tucked between Whig and Clio at the rear of the back campus.
Ever since its earliest days, the College of New Jersey emphasized a rigorous classical education as preparation for entering the ministry. The entrance examinations -- routinely conducted by the President -- tested a student's knowledge of Latin and Greek above all else. The Latin requirement survived well into the 20th century.
Little wonder, then, that the students of the 1860s dubbed the new excavation on the campus the "Cloaca Maxima." Named for Rome's famous sewer system, the Cloaca Maxima was, of course, the College privy. An underground structure of brick, granite, and wood, it was tucked between Whig and Clio at the rear of the back campus.