University of Virginia Library

Recorded History

Perhaps more than traditions
generally the Honor System of
Virginia has a recorded history. The
early University, as was common
enough in the Jacksonian era, was
governed under the assumption that
in age there is wisdom; in youth,
ignorance and the absence of
responsibility and good judgement.
The result was a body of rules and
regulations now difficult to
understand. Students in good
standing arose at dawn and retired
at the sound of the college bell at 9
p.m. They did not gamble, drink, or
play cards, although drinking,
which required no special
knowledge, was more common than
card-playing. Students wore
uniforms at all special occasions
and whenever they left the grounds
of the University—much of the
time, indeed, except when they
attended classes.

Regulations governing the
classroom were equally rigid and
extremely onerous to students and
some of the faculty alike. Honesty
in the laking of examinations was
enforced by the most rigid
controls. Members of the faculty
were never permitted to leave the
room during an examination:
students could not leave their
seats, much less leave the room or
communicate with one another,
until the examination period ended.
Such supervision not only created a
spirit of rebelliousness but also
eliminated any sense of obligation
which the students night have felt
toward one another.