The Portland daily press., 1882-09-21
Our Old school pays.

In answer to the Transcript inquiry abou
the old "Centre Schoelhouse," Mr.. s. "a
Colesworthy writes us as follows:
The Centre schoolhouse stood on Congress
street, between Pearl and Market street, and
nearly opposite the Third Parish Church. i
was two stories high; the lower story used al
the town house, the upper as a school room.
The writer of this article attended school there
sixty odd years ago The first teachers name
when the writer entered the school was
Moody, then followed Prince, Hall, Chase,
and last Winslow. Prince and Hall were Sc
we're masters. The first day that Prince kept
he sent his son out to store for the dealer to
send hin the best raw hide be had in his store.
There were many queer transactions carried
on in those days that would not be tolerated at
the present time. The school room was quite
large; at the farther end was stage, SO called,
elevated some three feet broad aisle led
from the centre of the room to the stage and
on both sides Of the room were the desks ele-
waited from the centre AISLE These desks were
arranged each for two scholars The girls oc-
cupied the right side of the room, the boys the
left One-half of the stage had seats for boys,
the other half for girls. The masters desk
was in the centre. 1t was common to have a
monitor appointed during school hours and
placed on the stage where he could see all
over the room, ard call out any boy or girl he
might see whispering or playing, and the pun
ishment was varied, sometimes by the raw
hide on the back, often by heavy blows on the
hand with ferule, at other times by holding a
brick at arm length or perpendicularly over
the head, and when, held at arms length the
brick began to sag in consequence OF the pu-
pills arm giving out blow by the master on
the wrist would make it rise again. One other
kind of punishment for boys was to make
them set with the girls of which some few at
tended. No vacations in those days.
In this school as in many town schools
there were some very unruly boys When
Master Caleb Chase took charge of the school
the boys were determined to play some tricks
on him. He was rather a small man and not
very robust, so the first day or two that he
kept sonae of the boys became noisy The
master called one of them-John Thomas
long since dead-to come up to the masters
desk. John obeyed. The master attempted
to punish him, but he up with the broom and
defied him to. The master was determined,
when John sang out, Jake, come up here"
Jake Webb started. The master up with the
tongs and sang out, "If you do I'll beat your
brains out. For considerable time there was
an uproar in the room which finally ended by
tha masters giving leave for all the scholars
who would not obey the rules OF the school to
depart. Perhaps one-quarter of the school
left, making the greatest noise possible.
On one occasion the moniter called the
writer and John Light out for whipping.
Master Chase called us both up to the desk,
myself by my given name and my companion
by the name of Jack. Jack, come up here"
was repeated three times. / went up, but
John did not move. Then the master went to
the door and locked it, and taking his cowhide
went to John and began laying it pretty So
verely on his back. John resented with some
terrible aard words, jumped on the top of the
desks and ran all over the room and The mas
ter after him, hitting one boy in the nose and
making it bleed. Finally by some coaxing he
got him up to the desk and after some talk
asked him why he did not come when first
called. John gave as reason sthat he called
him Jack; to me the master said, that as
obeyed when called might take my seat.
remained at this school until the formation
of the Boys High School when, with num-
ber of the other boys, was tranferred to make
up the requisite number to form the school, of
which Joseph Libby was the teacher.
Mr.. W. D. Little writes the Transcript that
''the lower story was originally used as a town
house, while Master Loring taught in the up
per story. AT one time it was occupied by the
Universalist Society, and the Rev. Russell
Streeter preached there. Later the building
was used as female grammar school While
the new City Hall was in process Of erection
the police court occupied the old school house.
1t was destroyed in the great fire of 1866.
There was another school house at the north.
east corner of Center and Free streets, oppo-
site the residence Of Judge Goddard. Master
Barnes taught there, and Mr.. Little was one of
his pupils at the time when the late James
Brooks and his brother Erastus attended
there. James was always at the head Of his
class. We remember still another school room
in the second story Of building on Free
street, near the site OF Kilborn's carpet store,
the lower story of which was occupied by the
late Nathan Barnes as carpenter shop. The
school room was approached by long flight of
outside stairs in the rear of the building. We
remember, as boy, peering into the widow of
this deserted school room and gazing at the
dusty desks and benches, thickly carved with
the initials of school boys of previous genera
tions Mr.. Little tells us that Master Gurley
taught there"