26 immortal portals
What has 26 doors, hundreds of spears, dozens of flowers, a few pineapples, and one pelican? That would be the fence encircling Harvard Yard. You get extra credit for knowing a few relevant numbers: that this wrought iron, brick, and stone enclosure, complete with its spearlike palings, is seven-tenths of a mile long, 9 feet high (on average), and marks the boundary of a historic 22.42 acres. Most visually striking are the fence’s 26 gates, the ornate and historic portals often graced with filigrees of wrought iron flowers, intricate friezes, and imposing, impenetrable Latin inscriptions. The pelican — once a well-understood symbol of Christian self-sacrifice — appears on the Meyer Gate, donated by the Class of 1879. The same structure also has the Yard’s only motto in German: “Furchtlos und Treu,” or “Fearless and True.” “Fearless and true” describes the nine students and three instructors who spent Jan. 18-25 investigating the Yard’s gates. They...