The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-12-22
Hon. Charles Francis Adams Queer
School Experience.

Hon. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS at
tended the recent reunion of the old
scholars of the Boston Latin School,
and in an after-dinner speech talked
pleasantly of his youthful experiences.
He is thus reported by the JouYnal:
g In regard to this matter of education,
it has happened to me, what 1 believe
has happened to very few persons now
living. have never had the happiness
of any continuous instruction in school.
l look to the two years that | spent in
the Latin School as the only years
that ever gave me any lessons to learn
1t so happened to me that at the age of
two l was taken by my parents all the
way to st. Petersburg, in Russia, and
there, having lived six years, young as
| was, had some opportunity to learn
what schools were in Russia | recol-
lect but little of it, and that little was
not pleasant. | recollect being taken
in the cold winter morning over the
River Niva to little town opposite,
where an English teacher had his little
school. His name was Fishwick, | re-
member. went as boys go always,
not knowing what l was going to find,
but l recollect that found in that pc
Rod great deal of cold and no sort of
learning. But, singularly enough, in
the same period of time, when l was at
home living quietly in the family, |
caught four different languages, and
could speak either of those languages
with equal facility. Now here is les
son of teaching. Invent to school where
| learned nothing, and l remained at
home where l learned to speak -four Ian
guages. Leaving Russia, 1 came with
my parents when they left it to another
field of learning, of instruction. That
was Great Britain, and there l spent
two years and | was taken to school
containing about 300 scholars, private
school kept by DIR. Nichols. But on re-
Election at this time of how much |
learned there, | must seriously say that
| learned nothing. The school was a
very good one for those who were dis
posed to study.
"But for those who had doubts about
that matter, it was not, and | came
away. DR.. Nichols stood up in his high
chair; he came in and looked at us for
about fifteen minutes, and if there was
any boy to be whipped it was done, and
then he retired into his study. Such
was the state of things. Having reached
the age of ten when | was brought here
by my parents on their return home
from their long residence in Europe,
then it was that my father, having con-
suited with persons here, bethought
himself that he would not take us to
Washington, but would leave us here to
be instructed in Boston. / remember
well the day when | was taken to the
Latin School, and some friend of mine
has told me to-day that he remembered
the day, too, because | had come in a
little sort of dress of an American sail
or, with American buttons on it, and
that struck him as being very patriotic.
1t did not strike me so, because l was
familiar with it. / will now say that
during the two years alone in which |
remained at that Latin School l learned
more than | have at any period ofmy life.
1t was the only school that presented to
me, who was naturally of an indolent
turn, inducements to learn. / remem-
Der very well Mr.. Gould had a curious
process in the class to which belonged
OF presenting to the person who was at
the head of his class for the longest time
an old Phi Beta Kappa medal, which
he was to wear the rest of the week.
That was great inducement. / recol-
lect how proud | was when kept that