Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-04


We have not mentioned the singing, but it was
excellent from beginning to end. The services
ended with the benedicton by the pastor.
New England Baptist Educational Con-
venticn.
The delegates to this convention met in this city
yesterday forenoon in the vestry of the First Bap-
tist church, In numbers sufficient to nearly fill the
room. At ten O'Clock, Rev Sewell S. Cutting of
| New York, secretary of the Baptist educational
| commission, called the meeting to order and an-
nounced that the first business would be the choos-
ing of officers. The organization was effected by
the choice of Hon. j. Warren Merrill of Cambridge,
PRESIDENT DR.. Caswell of Brown university and DR.
Champlin of Colby university vice presidents; Or.
| Shaler of Portland, Me-. and DIR. Phelps of New
| haven, Ct, secretaries.
| Rev. DR.. Mills of Salem opened the services with
| prayer
DR.. Cutting, in brief way stated the object of
the meeting, first expressing pleasure at seeing SO
large a number of educators and the friends of edu
cation among the Baptists of New England present
| That all might the better understand inst what
they were assembled for, he stated that at
| the meeting of the Baptist educational
commission in Brooklyn, in April, 1870 vote
| was passed requesting the commission to take a
national NAME and call local conventions in the in
terests Of the commission. In conformity with that
vote this convention had been called, it being
meeting of delegates from various Baptist insttu-
| lions of New England, who came together to hear
papers various topics connected with the idea of
education from able men, and to discuss all matters
coming under the province of the commission.
He also stated that the convention was
| no fo1lnwad nv similar To he
| held at Chicago in two weeks; and another IN
| Richmond, Va, the first week in July. He said he
| attended one in Alabama a short time since and
was delighted to find that the inspiration of the
Brooklyn meeting had reached to every part of the
south. Certain convictions, he said, universal
" pervading the Baptist mind of which is that
the of education is not the of minister
ial education alone; but must be for the whole peo-
pie as well. To this end we must look in col
leges, theological seminAries schools and academies.
| Academies must have, from which larger num-
Der of young men will go or through the colleges
to the work of the ministry. AT the close of his
marks, he moved that list of committees be ap-
| pointed by the chair and announced the assem-
bling of the afternoon session.
Rev VIM. Lamscn, D. D., of Brookline was then
introduced to read the first paper of the conven-
lion, the subject of which 1.-THE defects in our
public Schools considered rs creating a necessity
for academies" The paper discussed the matter in
| a clear and decided manner. We give an abstracts
He first spoke of the idea which has been man
fest of late years. that there is place need for
academies that the public schools of higher grades
have suppanted them and done away with the ne
cessity for them the impression that all pay taxes
for the support Of high schools where the branches
such should fit youth for college, taught, tends
to diminish the support facademles, which, if main
tanned, would be an additional draft upon the peo-
| pie who wish to educate their children. He then
proceeded to discussion of the defects of import
| ance in the public schools.
In the first place, there many towns that have
no high school, and many of the high schools in ex-
| lstence not worthy the name. In the sparsely
settled districts, where there are no advantages of
this kind, young persons are often found with aspr-
| atoms and longings for the advancement coming
from an education; some Of our best men came from
just such places but in their younger days an acade-
my in neighboring town held out the desired OPP
portunity but now these academies are going to de-
| cay. He then gave his own experience, illus
trating the turn an academy is sure to have in a
| young mans career Where high schools are to be
found they fail fully to meet the demand-there are
few exceptions, to be sure, but they very few.
In the system of public schools and the studies fol
lowed new theories constantly preached and are
| introduced every year, but in the schools such
/ changes are not always advantageous.
Our schools not what they should be as places
of intellectual training, When we compare ancient
| schoolhouses with modern ones, we see a differ
ence as striking as that between an Irish shanty
/ and a palace Of luxury, the text books are also
l
| there corresponding improvement in the work
| done? Do we see like advancement when we COM
\ pare results with results? Do the children come
forth better fitted for the duties of life than they
| did forty years ago2 General observation, he
thought, went to show that they do not While
| the expenses of our schools have been multiplied
| many fold, there has been no corresponding ad-
vancement in results One is in the frequent
| changes of superintendent committees, as this
or that political party controls affairs; another Is
/ the system Of grading which is often detrimental
/ to the bright and quick scholars who otherwise
/ would go on and find their own place in classes
but they are held back by this routine, aud must
| only keep pace with the duller ones; and yet for
many reasons, certain routine is absolutely neces
sary in the public schools,
Another fault is that Of going oyer too much
ground in the public high school. In three years
many Of these schools pretend to give the outlines
of all branches Of instruction, and the result is that
single teacher is carrying on various ologies and
osophies, French, Latin and GreeSa eeeh one of
The fact IS indisputable that many young men pass
through our public high schools and come out with
| a very defective education.
Again. there is, in the public high school, nee
essary absence of all distincvely religious training
The Bible if tolerated. must remain an unexplained
influence is allowed in this diFeciop and no Chris.
tanity enters into the education of our children.
| Skeptcism pervades the atmosphere and comes to
our very h0mes; the only antidote is evangelical
| truth, but this must net be mentioned.
| Academies will supply this deficiency; and if
founded, Superintendent and taught by men of evan
geca faith, no complaint can be made if doctrines
/ are taught. For such academies there is an i'm
/ perative demand; schools where Christ can be
| spoken, where seasons of religious awakening can
be had, and where parents can send their children
to receive religious as well as other instructionn
which the light Of Gods written revelation can be
| poured into the minds of youth as well as the light
| Of literary knowledge.
Every such academy is the center of large inhu-
| ence. A pupil enters and oftentimes the whole
course OF his life Is changed, and he starts on a
course never before dreamed of; desire Cor know-
edge is kndled and ted; the student is drawn into
the path that leads to college, and this course must
/ no If Va n n mnlfinlU
of educated men among us,
Whoever educates the minds OF the two next gen.
| arations forms the character OF the nation. Shall
| it be Catholicism, Rationalism, or Evangelism?
Let this be decided, for there Is no time to lose
| rhe next fifty years will decide the momentous
| question. The shrewd, far-seeing Romanists see
| this, and answer the question for themselves, as
| seen here in Worcester by the college of the Holy
Cross with al pupils library OF 1000 volumes d'na
| men; while, looking across upon another hill, We
our Baptist school struggling to keep its head
above water, In urgent need of few thousand dol
lars. Can we, as Baptists, safely slumber, knowing
| this to be the state of thpgsf
After reading statistics to show the necessity of
academies as feeders of the Baptist colleges, the
speaker passed to a consideration of what the char
| lcter of academies should be. He would, by all
means, have them well endowed. unendowed
| academies, he said, were at best but lingering
| death; many Of them starved to deaths the tuition
fees will not support an academy, and they there.
| fore must be endowed. The endowment should not
| be less than 100000, besides the building, and q
college on such basis Is needed in every state In
every state tnere are wealthy Baptist men let such
| be sought out and given an opportunity to leave
| such lasting memorial as an endowment.
The instruction in these academies should be of
the highest orderj superiority to public schools in
| work done must be aimed at. of the faulty way in
| which pupils now prepared for college, he had
| much to say. The lack OF ability-so noticeable in
| many cases-tO write good correct and graceful
| English he considered due to preparatory schools;
the college cannot take up and do neglected work;
the foundation must be laid In academies, which
colleges may build, Learning is needed, and sane.
tilted learning in this perilous age, when unbelief
claims the advanced culture and genius, to counter
| act which nothing can be done in public
| schools. Baptist academies are needed, and the
support and sympathy of the denomination are
| needed to establish them. Immediate action is
called for, that the wants of thousands may be met
| who cannot get what they desire In the public
| schools.
Professor Greene was the first to discuss the pa.
| per. He spoke of the trouble in regard to malad-
ustment in theological Summaries, academies, and
schools. They must be proportioned to each other
| one to supply the other exactly according to de-
mand and capacity, in factories the carding must
meet the spnners the spinners the weavers and the
weavers the fnishers-in perfect adjustment one to
the other. He was thankful for what had already
been done for Baptist institutions considering that
mora has really been ACCOMPLISHED in the last ten