The Portland daily press., 1881-10-17
SMALLER SCHOOL.
DEDICATION OF TIE NEW SCHOOL
HOUSE.
Addresses by Mayor senter. Rev. DR..
Hill and Others.

The new Smaller School was dedicated on
Saturday afternoon with appropriate exercises
4. Owing to the rain storm there was not as large
an attendance of citizens as was expected, but
the spacious hall on the second floor was well
filled with the parents and friends OF the
school children, besides a large delegation OF
teachers.
The platform was prettily decorated with
flowers. Directly over the platform was .sus-
pended large and striking portrait of the
late Dr. Smaller, enclosed in handsome
frame. The portrait was presented to the
school by the family of the lamented divine
and will remain the property of the school,
Over the portrait was floral wreath, and d.
rectly under it was floral cross.
The exercises opened at about half-past two
with prayer by Rev. Mr. Lindsey OF the Con-
gress Street Methodist church.
| Fifty young ladies of the North Grammar
School then sang with fine effect, dedication
! hymn.
| Mayor Senter next read brief address. He
| paid just and feeling tribute to the late DR..
| Smaller, and spoke of the valuable services
rendered the city schools by him. His Honor
dwelt at length upon the importance of the
work accomplished by the Grammar schools,
saying that they were of higher grade now
| than formerly Our business men, he said,
would in the future, as in the past, come not
! from the High, but the Grammar schools Six
| out of every hundred scholars in the Grammar
would enter the High School, and only three
of these would graduate. Very few of our
leading business men came from the High
| School, The Grammar School was their col
| lege. He deemed it of Importance that each
teacher should impress upon the pupils under
her charge the fact that the school-house was
only the beginning of life, and that the greater
part of our knowledge comes after leaving
school, The public school was simply step
ping stone. 81 pity" said he, "the person
who does not learn something new every day."
At the conclusion of his address, the Mayor
delivered the keys of the school to Mr.. Brewer
of the school committee.
Mr. Brewer responded in fitting terms, re-
ferring to the necessity of erecting primary
and grammar school upon the hill for the chill
dren of that district.
The Grammar School children then render
ed a vocal selection with much SKILL after
which the Mayor introduced Rev. DR.. Hill,
who delivered the dedicatory address as fol-
lows:
DIR. HILLS ADDRESS.
The earliest school upon this peninsula of
which there is any record was opened in 1888
not vet one hundred and fifty years ago. 1t
was then one hundred and one years since the
first house had been built here, and eighty
eight years since the selectmen of the town
had been prosecuted "for not taking care that
the children and youth of that town of Fall
mouth be taught their catechise and educated
according to law. That hundred years OF
growth had been required to bring the town
IN to the minimum of fifty families, when by
the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachn-
sets it was required to support public
school. Previous to that, the selectmen were
to see that the children and youth were taught
their catechism, and how to read it; but the
mode of instruction was not defined by law.
nor its expenses borne by tax. No sooner
however, had the town opened public school,
than laudable ambition shows itself to have
tine instruction in it of the highest character.
Seven years earlier Thomas Smith had begun
his ministry here, and for six years he had
been the settled pastor of the town. gradu-
uate of Harvard College, in the class Of 1920,
Mr.. Smith highly appreciated the value of
learning and taught others to hold it in es-
TEEN. He was interested in the school; its
third teacher was student and subsequent
graduate of Harvard, and student OF theology
with s,r. Smith. 1t was Mr.. Smith himself
who afterwards invited Mr.. Longfellow here.
Other distinguished names appear upon the
roll of teachers, among them that OF the learned
and Justly celebrated Chief Justice Theophiius
Parsons.
AT the end of the second century after the
settlement of the place, and of the first CEN
tury after opening of public school here the
population had increased about 25 fold. The
territory had nevertheless been greatly circum-
scribed. and the simple democracy OF town
was giving way to the representative govern
ment of city, the change being finally ac-
complished in 1885, the first school being
opened in 1898; and the first house built IN
1882 Portland had been separate town OF
circumscribed limits from 1876, when its pop
ulation was about 1000; and became city in
1888 with over 1900. That is to say, in the
AT wears in which it was town its popula-
ton was multiplied about 61s times; while in
the subsequent AZ years in which 1t has been
been city it has been multiplied about ~
times If however we look at it in another
light we may say that in the AZ years OF
Portland's town life the population received
an addition of II, 900, in the AZ years OF her
civ life an addition of 10000. For more than
one half the time of her city life she enjoyed
the services of DIR. Smaller upon her school
board. He came here in 1854 and labored
here for twenty-six years. When he came
there were less than five thousand children in
our schools; at the time OF his departure,
nearer nine thousand.
If YOU ask me what he accomplished during
that long period of service, ! cannot point
Won to any brilliant achievement, any notable
revolution in methods of teaching, the estab-
ishment of any new forms of educational
agency.
All these are things which he did not do.
and it is for none of these that his memory is
held in so high esteem in this city; 1t is for
none of these that we have named this new
temple of learning in his honor, and propose
thus to hand his name down to all succeeding
generations in our city.
What then did he accomplish answer
that he left upon the children and upon their
teachers the deep impress of his own moral
earnestness, of his own Christian courtesy, OF
his own wise, judicious endeayor to walk by
the highest standard. He was personal
friend and adviser of the teachers, and fire.
oueutly of the children also. He was wise in
his selection of teachers, he esteemed them for
their moral and religious character, and power
as well as for their intellectual requirements.
We all admit the truism that the moral and re-
| ligious character of a teacher Is OF higher I'M
DOrtaDce imam DflllltHCy VI liIS11SSts ooe w
| too frequently contradict ourselves when we
are called upon to act; we choose the smart
bright candidates. without much regard to
their serious earnestness of purpose. Not SO
with DIR. Smaller; he made no parade OF his
views and motives, but he quietly observed
| the candidates and chose the one in whose face
he detected something of that glory with which
| Moses's face shone the evidence to his expe-
| rienced eye, of secret communication with
| God. l have heard him accused of seeing re-
| ligious goodness only in the members OF his
| own church, or at least of his own denomina-
| tom but the accusation was false. On the
| contrary, when / CHANGED one day to
mention former teacher. he said OF
| her, she was the most truly devout and
| spiritual teacher l have ever known in our
| public schools, and exercised the purest re-
| iigious influence. Yet she is church member
in church differing very widely in its rites
| and doctrines from DR.. Shailer's. In the Doc
| tors Judgment religious wisdom was one of
the principal qualifications for teacher of
| youth. So it is in mine; but in the selection
| of dozen teachers by me, and dozen by Dr.
Shailer.it would have been inevitable, from the
fact that each was best acquainted with the
| oeonle of his own denomination, that l should