Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-17
NEW HATEN's FILMS AND GREEN
Descriptions, Historical Items and An- ecdOtes of Persons and Tn ngs Con-
 necte Herewith.
BY HENRY HOWE.

l lOopyr1ghted 'S83 by Henry Howe.
 LIN ABOUT THIRTY oHAPTEns-oHAPTER xxuI Sketch of John Fs. Lowell and the l.aneas- i frkan Ssh0oE in t1ss BaseEsasnt o< sIIe Gid | Methodist Church-A FIOEg nE Ioci- dsnt-A LIfr-LEght lllustrnstnS Pluck LOvelps Old Pupils ira tho Sers and Yel- low Leap.
 The basement of the old Methodist church on the Green was early converted into hive for boys, for here on the morning of April 22d, 1922, was opened the famous Lancastrian l school, wherein were gathered large share of the urchius of the town. On the opening | day there was 2.S56 This number was rapid l ly increased. To be enabled to say one is ! s'to VII born" among our fossiliferous sort
 felt to ba quite feather In one's cap, but when the fossil can add sLovell taught me- this in the eyes of his brother fossils aike expressioned is the final gust that sets the plume in dana.
 In England had been adopted system of
 instruction planned by Joseph Lancaster, whereby school boys themselves could largely
 become teachers. It commented itself to the public sympathies, reducing as it did the cost of education in the elementary branches to e
 mere fraction. By this plan hundreds of
 pupils could simultaneously be tasght thropg
 8 classified system Of monitors, the older
 pupils teaching the younger and they in turn
 being taught by the single principal, him
 self the only adult. A choice pupil of Joseph
 Lancaster. 8 young Englishman named John
 E. Lowell, in 1922 came to New Haven and
 opened in the basement of this church the
 first Lancastrian school in America He was
 then about 25 years Of aga, handsome little
 fellow only about five and third feet in
 stature, with smiling, dimpiing eyes. cleanlS
 chisseled features, rosy cheeks and winning,
 cheery ways. He was what the Iasses would
 call "prstty ns @ picture yet he was
 thoroughly manly with ali, by tbe exercise of
 his single will preserving admirable discipline.
 In truth the rarity of the talent for command,
 the talent of general in principal was the
 main cause of the final failure of the system
 of Lancaster. Then it could only be adopted
 to the primary branches These are insufi
 cient for our day. but they are all we believe
 that by the eternal law of right the general
 public can be taxed to support
 Every nerve in Lovelrs small. 1.-the body
 seemed on the alert to beautiful things and
 progressive influences, so his school became
 immensely popular. Finally, with 3 female
 department attached, 1t continued by re-
 uoNd4 IO hAOtAcE UuiiE lSE II uchI
 tho site of tbe Hillhouse school through
 many years until thousands of the boys and
 girls of our then little city had been therein
 educated. Twenty-Five years since, as he was
 waving old and had not preserved anything
 aside from pleasant memories his old pupils
 scattered throughout the Union many of
 whom had arrived to wealth and honor, united
 and built him home for his last years-a
 tribute that the mind loves to rest upon it.
 MT. Lowell became known to the outside
 world by his admirable work on EIocution.
 In the teaching of this art he was highly gift ed. Impressible himself he could but impress others. Upon the dramatic stage he would have won reno~n for he had a musical voice mobility of expression and every movement WAS grace. It all of the Cioeronian order
 The popularity of his annual school exhibi- tions was unbounded. There, night after night, his choice pupils, with the adjuncta of music, scenery and costumes, trod the mimic stage, in the presence of crowdt d audiences in the great characters of the drama appear ing as kings. princes and nobles and much to the joy of the parents, who were pleased to see that even for brief space their Johaniss and Jimmies could be so big.
 Our seventh birthday, day in early Octo Der, was our first day at mans school and that was in the basement Of that church where MT. Lowell was in full operation. The boys assembled on ths Green in lines each in his place under their respective monitors and then, at given signai. :he ringing of 8 oell, marched In descendiDg two cps at the two entrance doors which were at the east side near the corner of the building Every
 tesk numbered These occupied the hody of the house and each pupil marched to his assigned place To each desk was slip pering-in place for slate. The platform oc- cupied the space between ths entrance doors. Here were seven desks Nr Lowell and his six monitor generals, each of whom wore bright eolored badges suspended by ribbon around their necks, sqnare bits of l pasteboard each faced with di9-rent-colored 1 leather with their ranks iu gilt letters. There | were two monitor generals of ''or3er. Time | sad Place" and one each of Geography, Req ling, Writing and Aritemetic Around the walls were about thirty or more t'drafts," as they were called backless benches arranged n semi-cirele, where the bo were put in classes in some of their studies under the monitors, who also wore badges To | be monitor was an object of ambition with l he boys, while to be 8 monitor general was | indeed. Among the monitor generals of this period were B+nj amin Eng 1 ish, Starr Hamilton, Sydney Smith and Hur- l are Mansfield, the last of whom is yet with | 1s.
 School was opened by reading of the | Scriptures, roll call after which a general in spscti0n of hands ensued when all raised 1 heir hands up to the level of their eses, palms outward. Discipline vas both moral md physical and through the day sentinel vas posted on 8 high seat in the center aisle 1 o watch and report upon disorder that night come under his eye The large boys Eero reserved for Punishment after school when they were taken to 8 back room 0 logging place and made to pay the penalty If wrong doing, rattan being used There vas one boy especially who, being regularly punished day after day, seemed to wax trong and heartily under tt ministration n that day the law of physical force was very where resorted to. beginning with the amily and so branching of. Fighting be- Ween school boys was common, as well as treet fights between gangs of boys living on ! iferent streets, and in winter snow-bailing etween different schools, which not unfre uentiy ended in personal fights between in- iyiduals. Personal prowess was at that cried especially admired pleasing anec- ote is related of MT. Lowell, who had pun Ihed two boys for fighting They had been nequally matched, one being large and the ther quite small The plaek of the little ne, of which he had been an eyewitness rom the school window, had so won upon is admiration that as he lifted the rattan ,om it's last blow he called out to him in heery tones. "Now you may go, you little ero!" And the boy vent and that fight ut illustrated his entire life. Pressed by overly and stricken by rheumatism which 1 over of use, his spirit still remained defiant. n an occasion when his heart-stricken moth stood weeping over him as he lay recum ent. 8 bright boy in his teens apparently lined foi earthly prosperity, he called out aeeriiy, "Mofher, don't you weep, you shall St live to ride with me in my carriage f nd she did He carried through life ricken, suffering frame. yet clear intel- ct, indomitable WIll and ambition overcame very obstacle. He arose among us high iu is profession, attained large measure of rosperity and ended an honored career some " years since.
 Mir Lowell, we are happy to say, is yet 1 ith us, and although he has nearly rounded nt his nine ieth year, the roses have but lst faded from his cheeks, while his intel ct is as clear as of yore. and his penman- dip has not lost it's old time grace And he orks while 1t is yet day, engaged in benef- snt literary work, like Michael Angelo, who, l his min teth year when the final mes snger summoned him, found him ia the lidst of benefcent labors, the ministry of ae beautiful
 Of Mir. Leysll's original pupils, all Of this