Or if he had been a hard-reading man from choice,—­or a stupid man,—­or a “saint,”—­no one would have troubled themselves about him.—­Blackwood’s Mag., Eng. ed., Vol.  LX. p. 148.

SALTING THE FRESHMEN.  In reference to this custom, which belongs to Dartmouth College, a correspondent from that institution writes:  “There is an annual trick of ‘salting the Freshmen,’ which is putting salt and water on their seats, so that their clothes are injured when they sit down.”  The idea of preservation, cleanliness, and health is no doubt intended to be conveyed by the use of the wholesome articles salt and water.

SALUTATORIAN.  The student of a college who pronounces the salutatory oration at the annual Commencement.—­Webster.

SALUTATORY.  An epithet applied to the oration which introduces the exercises of the Commencements in American colleges.—­Webster.

The oration is often called, simply, The Salutatory.

And we ask our friends “out in the world,” whenever they meet an educated man of the class of ’49, not to ask if he had the Valedictory or Salutatory, but if he takes the Indicator.—­Amherst Indicator, Vol.  II. p. 96.

SATIS.  Latin; literally, enough.  In the University of Cambridge, Eng., the lowest honor in the schools.  The manner in which this word is used is explained in the Gradus ad Cantabrigiam, as follows:  “Satis disputasti; which is at much as to say, in the colloquial style, ‘Bad enough.’ Satis et bene disputasti, ‘Pretty fair,—­tolerable.’ Satis et optime disputasti, ’Go thy ways, thou flower and quintessence of Wranglers.’  Such are the compliments to be expected from the Moderator, after the act is kept.”—­p. 95.

S.B.  An abbreviation for Scientiae Baccalaureus, Bachelor in Science.  At Harvard College, this degree is conferred on those who have pursued a prescribed course of study for at least one year in the Scientific School, and at the end of that period passed a satisfactory examination.  The different degrees of excellence are expressed in the diploma by the words, cum laude, cum magna laude, cum summa laude.

SCARLET DAY.  In the Church of England, certain festival days are styled scarlet days.  On these occasions, the doctors in the three learned professions appear in their scarlet robes, and the noblemen residing in the universities wear their full dresses.—­Grad. ad Cantab.

SCHEME.  The printed papers which are given to the students at Yale College at the Biennial Examination, and which contain the questions that are to be answered, are denominated schemes.  They are also called, simply, papers.

  See the down-cast air, and the blank despair,
  That sits on each Soph’more feature,
  As his bleared eyes gleam o’er that horrid scheme!
    Songs of Yale, 1853, p. 22.