Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-01-01

Tg7TIIUWs IllTW TnTFNFs cam
best bastow Made familiar with the delights Of ele-
waited reading, your daughters will share the COM
panlonship OF the true masters of the race whose
words breathe wisdom and pleasure through the
leaves that are brought within the reach Of every
class and every family. That they shall become pro-
round, you may or may not expect; nor is
that the essential thing you LOOK for there an ee-
waited level below the highest, upon which it is y0ur
worthy ambition that they should stand. 'Gf
a woman, TO great excellence of character
(wrOte Sir Thomas More to his daunhtarsl 'sunita
even moderate portion of learning deem her 20 :
seSSed OF more real good than if she mad the wealth
Of CrGesus and the beauty of Helen" And Erasmus,
his friend, portraying the domestic circle of More,
where he taught his daughters in grade of studies
by no means above those pursued in this high school,
pronounced it superior 10 the academy Plato for
he said II seemed TO resemble "a practical school Of
the Christian religion. Encourage the cultivation
Of your daughters in the higher spheres of the an-
thors IN our language, until fleeing Of their own
accord from the clouds ofdilettaneisn aud frippery
winch hover about them, they find = hIghar sans
faction in the rich simplicties of Addison or the
divine carols of Jeremy Tayor.
And therefore, Mr.. Mayor, we dedicate our buiid-
ing to the broad culture OF the present generation
OF youth, and Of those who snail come after II
now passes into the hands OF the committee super-
Intendent and teachers, whom we must hold 70
sponsible FOR the great and delicate trust They
not forget that the state in miniature from vear 10
year IS here, for the school is source of governs
ment, order, organization, subordinatioD and 81.
c1al ethics; schools are these things each and ali
the model Of the fair state 1t is In this generat
sense tnat the constitution of this commonwealth
stand the test OF all ages For the same ehaDter OF
the constitution which enoins the encouraTemept
Of learning, requires that we teach Humanity and
beneYoenca, public or private charity industry and
trugality, honesty and puncuallty, sincerity GOOD
humor, all social affections and generous santi.
ments." Here is curriculum which breathes
something of the tone Of Athens, the portico and
the academy; good as Millions discourse in which
he tells us how he would endOw Eng ish vouth with
all courtesy and culture; broad enough fl followed
in the teaching and the practice, to make snre =
generation that will be honest towards man and
TO the state, decOrOus in every relation reyeranfiaI
10 woman and TO old age. But do not forget that
under the quotation which have recited, good
numor" becomes one of your constitutional duties:
for do not believe that any other provision of tha
constitution has been oftener violated than this by
most teachers in the school room. Aud one other
remark you Will allow, which ! have reserved for
the last. The laws of Massachusetts, prescribe no
text books, save ones they require the reading Of
te Bloe In every public school, but impose no par
tlcuar version upon the pupil against the consci.
enee of the parent While in Great Britain thoy
40 not seem able quite to understand this and still
are at strfe, while i'll Ohio great communities have
OF late been engaged in bitter discussion of this
question, while in New York they have como TO
neat and bloodshed, here in the land of the pilgrims
we are az peace under rule which at once so stern
ana SO liberal as to satisfy all sects and all national
tues. may therefore presume on having the assent
OF every parent in the city If conclude with the
words OF Mr.. Rufus Cholte: 81 would not take the
Bible from the schools so long as particle Of Ply
mouth rock was left, large enough to make gun
NM; or so long as its dust foated in the air |
man1s and exactions, obligatory Yesterday. To-day
ana forever but for its English Iorits literature for
ITS pathos, for its dim imagery its savings of con.
solatlOh and wisdom and universal truth !"
Coy. Bullock was followed by Gen. John
Eaton, Jr., United States commissioner, who de-
Hvered carefully written essay on the general
subject of education, which was listened to with
close attention. He spoke at length on the i'm.
pf nb1
graphic picture of the country without schools.
lie also spoke of the Importance of normal
and scientific schools.
Hon. j, Il. White, secretary Of the state board
o. education, was called upon and made brief
speech, dwelling upon the fact that the system
OF high school education is for both the rich
ana the poor, aud on some accounts more for the
poor than the rich. He said, among other
practical things, that there is more waste of the
school tax by paying poor salaries to poor
teachers than by over pay. He thought that
none too much could be spent for school
houses and teachers.
Suoerintenlent Marble read a letter from
Gov. Claain expressing his interest in the occl.
sion and regret at his inability to be present
Alter which, Hon. Henry Blnard Of Connec-
ticut eX United States commissioner of educl.
ton, was urgently requested to speak, and as
scented when drawn to the platform by Mr.
e Tle, and made Il brief speech which supplied
some OF the missing data in the "reminiscences
of the occasion. He spoke Of having passed,
On his way here, this morning, the district
schoolhouse in Merilen, Conn.,. which, so far as
he then knew (1S3S-9), was the first structure
built by public tax for common school purposes,
and dedicated with religious exercises, precisely
similar in kind and order to those on this occa.
sion, to the cause of popular education. That
was the first schoolhouse built in Connecticut
and one of the first rural district schoolhouses
in New England in which any regard was paid
to the location, design ventilation, seating, and
equipment Of blackboard and library appropri.
ate to such an elIfioe. He then referred to the
gradual system of public schools which was
organized in the GENRE district of Worcester,
under special law, in 1925 Tor thereaboat),
which he always looked upon as one of the ear
licst examples, and certainly as then the most
conspicuous illustration of the benefits of such
a system over the unclasslied elementary
schools, and the isolated grammar schools and
incorporated academies which were tos5e found
in all the cities aud large villages of Mlssachu-
sets aud New England prior 10 the movement
which was inagurated here by Burnside, Foster
Lincoln, Davis aud Others. These men, by that
wise aud liberal policy, consulted the true inter
ests of Worcester as much Or NOR, than by any
thing else they did, They attracted in from
the country towns intelligent mechanics, whose
thrift and enterprise, coupled By iu.
dicious policy on the part OF your capitalists,
has made this inland town, without any of the
natural advantages Of trade, the centre Of great
industries, which have made you prosperous
and wealthy, which this high school ana your
technical institute, properly supported and
developed, will carry to still greater per-
lection. 1t is the intelligent labor, as well as
large, associated and liberal capital, which
makes manufacturing AMI mechanical popu-
laton truly, permanently and widely prosper
Gus. Any other system, either corporate or in.
diyidua, may make good fortune for the few,
but leaves the mass Of society poor ana discon-
tented. The speaker said he had often in his
public addresses in all the large cities Of the
country, used the facts which he hal gathered in
his repeated visits here to sustain his views on
the benefits Of good system OF schoos-jchools
good enough for the best and cheap enough for
the poorest-lo the whole population aud to all
its pecuuiary interests.
DR.. A. A. Miner, president of Tufts college,
on being called upon, said: 81 was aware that
it is the prero-atve of empcrors aud l1lgs to
command the services of their subjects, but
was not aware that the same prerogatiye be-
longed to dukes and EarIes; and though with
us the people are king and have delegated their
Earle to speak for them on this occasion, hard.
ly think they intended to delegatc so broad
discretion as he has now exercised" He pto-
ceeded to speak Of the beauty Of the eiiice, the
service Worcester was rendering the state, giv-
ing her the right to claim TO be the head nor
less than the heart of the commonwealth. lie
discussed the bearing of edu cation upon the
wealth of the state, showing that the people
not the garnered treasures-lre its real wealth;
hence his undying opposition to everything that
inebriates and ilclty 70 the cause Of education.
Hon. Abner j. Piipps, agent of the state
board of education, spoke of the building as the
finest school house he ever saw, and said few