The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-08-22

On the 18th of September, 1852, Horac
Mann was nominated for Governor o
Massachusetts, by convention of the Free
Democracy assembled at Lowell. On thu
same day he was chosen President Of An
tioch College at Yellow SpriDEs, Greene
county, Ohio. He accepted the latter of
fee, but found it place of hard labor and
little pleasure. One incident related by
Mrs. Mann, shows the kind of influence he
had to combat;
"Mr. Mann devotedmuch time to the
cure of many habits in the students COM
mon TO ths Western society ,Smong which
the indiscriminate use of tobscco was
| prominent, even in the boys of twelve
| years of age. Mr.. Mann has been thought
unduly severe en- this subject, which is
net surprising when we consider that 1t is
point of minor morals not yet recogN
nizsd by the world in general. But per-
! hRps even such critics would have sympa-
thized with him there for recitation
rooms and even psrlors we're rendered a.
most uninhabitable by the vile sccompani-
ments OF chewing and fmoking. For
several mo1ths he spent every evening he
cOnld command in using his moral and
persuasive influence 70 induce the students
to renounce the practice and succeeded
so far, that, before the end Of the frst col
lege-year, there were but three students
who had not with apparent willingness
signed pledge 10 discontinue it, and to
use their influence 10 make others do ike
wise"
Nor was this the only civilizing work he
had to peform, for the adults were nearly
as much in need of cultivation as the chill
dreD. Witness the following:
"The ladies of the faculty snd tesching
corps arranged themselves in their fine linen
and gloves when Mr.. Mann held levees in
the psrlors of the only hall then erected,
hoping to suggest the refinement of re ar
ranging the hair, taking of the spron, and
putting on 9 clean c.llaT, for such occa-
sioDs; and these improvements did grow,
so that by the time he could hold levees in
the college msnse, they presented the
agreeable spectacle of 8 company of ladies |
and gentlemen In becoming dress and clean |
shoes. In the early college dsys, when the |
whole ares of twenty acres was one vast |
qusgmire of clayey soil, in which plank |
walks sank below the surface, and in rainy |
weather fosted upon it, this last refine
ment was SIMPLY impossible. It was ne
cesssry, in walking, 10 arm ones self with |
a shingle or ether implement, to remove
the mass which adhered TO the shoe when
it accumulated sufficiently to prevent fur
ther locomOiion.
"In the later days, strangers often asked,
with 8 semblsnce of incredulity, DO you
mean to tell me that these Intelligent
agreeable, lovely young yeople are students
Of the collegeP Such was the effect of
culture when the mind ard heart were
10 receive i"
Here is another interesting passage:
"To most of the young women who fire.
luented Antioch College intellectual fire
was q new life. In eastern communities,
n the average of public schools, especially
q the country, the superiority of scholar
hip is unquestionsbly on the side of the
girls. Evidence of this wss found in the
satisfies of the Normal schools. It was
precisely the contrary at the West.
In many cases they had been sb-
olutely cut off from Instruction.
There was no common stock Of knowledge.
they did not even know the history Of the
of the country by white men.
)f the Pilgrim Fathers many had never
lesrd. Still less had they had access to
literary culture SO delightful TO woman.
An occasional exception only made this
more striking. One family, from Indians,
lad been SO remote from schools, that the
len0htara. Who we're deficient n technical
ducEtion of all sorts, had been furnished
With books of Ale quality by their father,
man of taste and talent, though of limit
ID education; and they had 80 fructiAed in
mind by this privilege, that they imme
liately took high rank IS superior minds |
n the college by their written essays, so
nisspelled that they could hardly be de-
,iphered; the words, indeed, often running
ogether to the length of half a line"