The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-07-13

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mittee (or one with like powers and duties,
but consisting of different number portion
| of the time) under bylaw of the institution,
has been elected annually ever since. In
| obedience to the instruction given them, the
| committee selected October I'd, 1910, to procure
| teacher, reported a contract with Mr.. Beza-
leel Cushman, who was to commence the
| school in 1911 His contract was to receive all
| the money for tuition for the time being, IN
part payment for his services, and such further
sums as he and the trustees might agree upon
to be paid from the first money that should be
DUE and paid to them after the existing liabili-
ties were liquidated. At this time Mr.. Cnsh-
| man was a student at Dartmouth college. NOT
| being quito through with his course, he
| secured MI. Samuel Blood from the same in
s5itution, who came hers in 1911 and taught
| one term only, and that term wag upon Mr..
! Cushman's contract
So far as known, the only scholar living who
| attended school here, at the term taught by
Mr.. Blood is Nathan w Hazen, Esq,
! LAWYER residing at Andover, Mass, brother
| of Jacob Hazen OF this village.
| In the autumn of 1911 Mr.. Cushman as
| sumed personal charge Of the academy. AT
| that time there were no academy buildings
| and the school was kept in what was familiar
| ly known as the old Masonic hall, a building
standing below the residence of Mr.. James
| Webb on the same side of the street, which
| has been demolished within few years.
The hall was up two flights of stairs, bat
was good room when once reached. The
| lower floors were made use of by Mr.. Au-
drews, to store lumber and other articles as
his convenience should require. A classmate
| OF Mr. Cushmans came down from Dart
mouth, during his first term, and upon being
shown to the school room, exclaimed, "Good
Heavens! Is Cushman keeping school down
| here in a barn?"
OF those who attended Mr.. Cushman's
| school, but few are living. Mr. Nathan w.
| Hazen, bsfore referred to, Rev. Thomas S.
| Stone of Bolton, and Mrs. Charlotte FL. Per-
! ley Of Waterford, are the only ones positively
| known to me. Mrs. Perley is, without doubt,
the oldest surviving scholar, and as such is en-
| titled to more than passing notice. At that
| time there were but few carriage roads, She
| and ner sister, daughters of the late Oliver
Hale of Waterford, both rode upon the same
horse, and their father upon another with
| their outfit in sadi bag. Mrs. Perley was
| here during Mr.. Cushman's preceptorship,
with sister who subsequently became the
| wife of Jonathan Abbott Russell. At the
| time Mr.. Cushman left, he took charge of
| Portland Academy, and soon after Mrs. Per-
| ley went there, at his request and taught
| private school, She found az the close of the
first term, she had just one shilling left. She
| was not discouraged however, but remained
| there some years, and made success of it.
She afterwards returned home, and taught in
/ this vicinity and Naples, where she made the
| acquaintance of and afterwards married Major
| Thomas Perley.
Mr.. Cashman was a teacher much beloved
| by his scholars, and when he finally left,
| there was much sorrow manifested by them.
| poem was written and rected upon this oc-
| casion by Josiah Pierce; and valedictory ad-
| dress delivered by Seba Smith, Jr. AT the
| conclusion there was hardly dry eye in the
| assembly, and the Rev. Charles Morgridge,
wife died April 10Th, 1897, aged 81, He after
wards married Miss Emma Motley, relative
| of the historian, John L. Motley. He died in
Portland June 21st. 1857, at the age of 72.
After Mr.. Cushman left the school was sus-
| pended for short time: but we find the trus-
tees contracted with the Rev. Valentine Lit
| tie, October IS, 1916, to commence the first
| Monday In November. Again, on July 19,
| 1877 we find the contract rescinded by.mutual
| consent. and new one entered upon for one
| year. By it Mr.. Little was to receive $240,
| and the money collected from tuition, provid-
| ed the sum did not exceed $160. In that case
| the excess was TO be deducted from the S240,
SO that in no event should the salary exceed
| $400. Should there be deficiency, it was to
| be paid from the funds of the academy after
| their present debts were liquidated.
| July q, 1918, it was voted to suspend the
| school, on account of the embarrassed condition
| of the funds. and committee was raieed to
settle with Mr.. Little; but it was not until Au-
gust 20, 1920, that Mr.. Cushman was fually
paid, and then by notes of Samuel Farnsworth,
Jonathan Barnard and Benjamin Kimball of
the trusteees on one, two and three years time
which was paid from the academy funds. Mr..
July 81, 1928, it was again voted to put the
| academy in operation, and Mr., Jonas Burnham
| was engaged. He taught the fall term, when
| it was again suspended on account of financial
| embarrassment. The school had been kept in
| the old Masonic hall up to this time. In July,
| 1924, a committee was selected to draft and OBJ
| tain proposals for the erection of an academy
| building, and to take measures to procure lot
| of land. The committee consisted of Bennett
| Pike, Samuel FarnsWorth and Leander Gage.
Tn, nooaY1har foiloppipo il W. vOtpd tn arapt a
| building 80 feet long and 81 feet wide. We
| find thatsthe trustees to ,lS precauton to vote
| that the "belfry should be on the top of the
building, and that it should have green blinds
| placed on the outside of the windows A lot
was purchased of Samuel Andrews for $50.
Going back to the vote to build in 1924, we
| find the trustees contracting with Mr.. Aaron
| Littlefed of this town to erect the academy
| building. The amount of the contract was
| $1,380.
The academy building was raised in 1925. 1t
| was the custom in those days for some poetcal
| genius to mount the frame, and give it name
/ in doggerel rhyme. DIR. Farnsworth, one of
| the building committee, thought that ceremony
at the raising of an academy would not be
! proper, so in the forenoon of the day In which
| it was to be raised he drove to the Centre and
| called al the office Of Joseph Howard, young
| lawyer then, but afterwards a Judge of the
| Supreme Court of the state. He informed him
what he wanted, and Mr.. Howard in short
| time composed the following lines, which were
read from the frame by deacon Stephen Bes-
| man:
| When Art awoke, gay Genius rose,
| Bright seraphim divine!
| Here may they wind their classic wreath,
| While water flows, and zephyrs breathe,
| And brows with chaplets twine
The first school in the academy hall was
/ commenced in September, 1897. by the Rev.
! Charles Soule. He remained till 1880, then
went to Denmark and preached there for sew
eral years. He returned here as assistant
| teacher while the academy was under the
| charge OF Jonas Burnham, but finally went to
! Portland and died there.
The next teacher was the Rev. Thomas I.
| Stone, who came in $780, aad remained two
| years. Jonas Burnham was then engaged for
the second time, remaining until 1889. He
1 graduated from BoWdoin in 1898. Rev. Jacob
| Chapman succeeded him, remaining two years.
| In the fall of 1841, DR.. M. G. Richardson took
| charge of the school until August. 1S43. Then
| came Mr.. Moses Soule, and remained until Oc-
tober, 1S48. On his departure the school was
| suspended, and extensive repairs were made.
| In 1919, William M. Baker became principal,
| at a salary of $3.50. He retired in 1858 Sub
| sequsnt principals were Horace Wellington
| and Alfred Owen, in 1854; j. M. Weston, 1856;
Ebenezer Bean, 1880; Charles E. Hilton,
| 1857; John G. Wright, 1867-70; Willis II.
Meade and Simon G. Meade, 1870; Leonard D.
| Carver and Abram jackson, 1871; e. M.
| Wright and l. B. Choat, 1872. The free high
| school act at this time made serious inroads
| upon the attendance at the academy, and it
was closed from 1873 to 1876, when it was re-
opened by Wilson B. Nevens, who remained
until the close of the spring term The acade-
my then stood rnoccuped until the engage
ment of the present efficient teacher, Mr..
John f. Moody, May 2Sth, 1873.
The address of the day was by Dexter A.
Hawkins Of New York, who is not only sue.
cessful lawyer but is well known in the field oi
popular education and political reform. His
educational writings have had an immense cir
culation. He studied law in Portland in the
Office of Hon. VIM. P. Fessenden. After at
tending the Law School at Harvard, he travel
ed and studied in Europe. His first fee a
$1,0CJ, was earned in London, as the attorney
of an American firm. Mr.. Hawkins was in
strumental in establishing at Washington in
1866, the Department of Education. He has
not only written on educational topics, and his
essays have been circulated in this and other
countries, but took an influential part in the
overthrow of the Tammany ring. His paper
in the New York Times on the extravaganza
of the Tammany ring lead to ths overthrow OF
the ring.
Mr.. Hawkins fitted for college at Bridgton
Academy, and in the following address did