The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-07-29
Speech Of Edward Everett-Publac School
Festival In Boston.

ard ahields around she galleries bore tls names OF
the Bcsfcn grammar soa0ols, aad tent Of fsgs
High, and High and Normal, the scholars Of which
occupied places deIote BY tho names. Fsssoons
Of flags fadiatsd from the centre Of the roof 10 all
dirtciiors, aad bler6ings OF red. white and blue
buatlag fO.usd a chainwosk Of decoration extend
Augustus o. Brewster, Esq, vas Chairman of the
neetir g. who called the people 70 osde. to sien TO
prayer By Rev. Mr. Cccacss, Of This city. At the
hearty welcome, IN the -Eame q the authorities,
with open hear q and wide spread A1ns to she 66th
anniversary Of the estsblrhneas Of public scho,ls
Ia Btston. BE coDgratulated tie scholars on tue
pressed upcn their minds that ttelr education had
but just begun; that on their future improvsms nt
ef time az advantagea' depeoded their fortunes.
He ex en- ed his congratulations to the teachers.
perinten .ent OF Schools.
letter Was here read from Gov GardcsY, ex-
pressing tis regret ct bsing unable 80 attea1, aad
speaking highly of the Boston publ, % lgol stem
Mayor 8 NTH was then introduced, whs came b.
fore the meeting a. public servant to tell taem
hos their servants Were doing. He had boaa il sas
schcos ~ all honzs and would testify to the faith
fu!ress Of their teachers; and ne woad say that Ne
where Ia shs world was there 8, moc1 doas for
education - in Boston. Ha concluded by saying
that re would Introduce TO the meeting B sstan
medal scho.Ar who though filing many disingaisa.
81 positions, had never yet been to Boston s,ao
festival He introduced to the meeting Hoa. Ed
ws1d Everett, Who WAS very cordially 70 ;eiysd. end
spoke as follovs:-
frieIds Of bota sexes-I have hal much pleasure ia
complying with tho particular request CT the CON-
mitiee that would be preseIt on this COCA ZION aud
say stey words to cur young friends Dr.. Saurt-
s 10 viz pssSs ss.oo
tons which began as . pupil dtty-tvo Years sgo.
cesses shis yesr a. . parent Having enjoyed
their great advantages IN my own persoa aad tlat
word at parting IT, was as have said, Sir, atty
two years last April since / began, at the age OF
nine years to attend the reading and writing sohools
In North BsznsH street. The fea1ing school VAS
yet ,epudiated that tite) and the writing school
was kept by Master TLestone. Master Little, in
spite OF hz name, was giant in sta ure- six feet
four, At least-atd scmswhat welded to the past.
Hs struggled earnestly against the change len
taking place in the pronunciation of ~ aud insisted
on cur saying monoo,nent and nafur. But Rcquir-
cd under his tuition what was thought in those days
very toersbie knowledge OF Lndlsy .Murrays
the year cond pare Almost any sentence n the
American Preceptos. Master rilestone was q writ
ing master Of the old s,hool. BE set the copies
hin self, Ard taught that beautiful old Boston aand
ma!cn Of Innovation, (Which 10 not always the same
thing 90 inprovementD been changed very little for
the bet'er Master riestone MAS advanced 10 years,
ard had found . quaifc alton for his calling as .
writing master, IN what might have seemed at
first to threaten to be An obstruction. The fingers
of bis right hand had been contracted and stfsned
in early life BY bum, but we're Ked Ia jest the
else As they wsre also considerably ineurat,d,
they served as q convenient instrument of dill
Eline. copy badly written or blotted page was
soDetints visited with az infection which v, uid
hsve done no oiscledit to the Deak Of bald elg,e.
His lor dtep desk vas perfect curiosity shop of
ccbfscated balls, tops, penknives, marbles a1d
jewsharps; tho accumulation Of forty years. / de-
sile, lowever,to aresk Of him with erAtitnds, for
be put ne on the track of an acquisition Which has
been tmely useful to me ia after lifethst Of
plain, legble hand. remained at th.ss schools
atont sixteen months, and had the coed fortune in
der artment.. After an interval of about year,
ourrg which l attended . private school kept by
Mr.. Ezekiel Webster OF New Hampshire, and on
occasion Of his absence, BY his ever memorable
law N Bcstor, went to the Latin school, thsn
slowly emer3ir from stats Of xtreme deure.sion.
1t was kept IN school street. where the H,rticu
tural Hall now stands. These who judge Of
the spacious sndgcom nodious building In b ford
street. can form but little ides Of the old school
house. 1t contsinfd but one room, heated in t1e
winter by an iron stove, which sent up foonel
Icof in the middle Of the room to within sevsn or
eight feet from the floor, beng, like Aahomess
CHM, hsd In the air to the roof By bars Of ,ro1.
The boys bad to take their turns In winter in c,m
ing sBr]y to the school house TO open It, to make
fire sc Detimes OF wet logs and vory inadequate
supply of other conbustibles, to sweep out the
room, and, if need be- to shovel path through the
duties for u,chin of ten or eleven but we lived
through It, ard were perhaps not the worse for
having to turn our hand to these little ofacss The
stsnOard Of schoastic attainment was cert ably not
higher than that Of msteriA comfort ia those days
We read pretty much the same b ,oks or OF tho
ssme class in Latin aud Greek a. are read now,
but In very curscry superficial manner. There
was no attention psi1 to the philosophy OF the Ian
gusees-to the dedu ton Of words from their radL
cal elements 10 the nicetes of construe
tion-stth less to psoaojy. l never made
an hexsmetsr or pentaueter verse, till years
don,, who occasionally required . little a,o
in that way The subsi .isry and illustrative
branches were who ~ unknown ia the Latin school
In 1905. Such thing as . school library, 3 book
of refer ence, iiical edition OF classic, map
black board, an engraving OF ancient buildings, or
copy Of work Of ancient art, such as nov adofa
the walls of cur scho ls, little known as the
electric telegraph. II our children, who posse Is all
these app ard aids to learning, do not gre ,y
ex, el TIER parents. they will be much to bams
At this school in 1906 had the salts action to re
ceive tre franklin medal, which, no vever, as ~el
as that received at the Eaglish schro, ia 1904 dur
Vas 50 uLfo!tara.e as TO lose. I begged my f'iead
Dr. Shuttle H. year or more ago, to replaces leu
those precious trophies u my sc1oolboy day.
my expense, which re has promised to d.. He
has 9?t yet had time to keep dis VOID; bat AS, in
addition to biz o'her numerous professional and
,icial occupations, he is engaged IN editing the re-
cords CT tie Massachusetts and Plymouth C,l)ny,
IL about twenty-five volumes folio, and is bring
Ing cut the work at the rate Of five six vou mes
year, suppose must ex;use him for not attend
ing to ny medals, although, like julius Caesar ths
doctor possesses the faculty Of doing three or four
things ut the Same time, aud sli Witt great pre.
osien ard 'horougbDess. Mr.. Mayor, tho schools Of
Boston have improved ~ithin fifty years beyond
NJ I'm - -. -
peron made the examination. | have m sde Il nv
sef only with reference to the Latin school. but
have 70 reason to doubt that il Is the same with all
the others The support Of TIE schools is j1stly
regsIded as the first care Of the city gYveru "A mt
a. tie public expenditure upon them is greater
in proportion than in airy city ia the world. had
occasion Iast week 10 make a statement on this
subject to gentleman from defiant State, and
when ! informed him the richest Individual 10
Boston could rot, with al his money, buy b,.tsr
schooling for his sen than the public schools fur
nish to the ch Id of the crest citiz,u he was lost
in admiration. do not think the people o. Boston
he liza xkn,,0 -