Morning journal and courier., 1888-04-17
ruE OLD LANoAsTERIAN.

ellsR School Was E1rgt St3rt00-Tme Monitor System and Other Character fslfcs of This Fam us Old New Haven School. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER: My first school ever went to was "wo- mans school" which was when was about | four or five years old, to Mrs. Morse, an | elderly lady. She lived in an ancient house | on the southwest corner of Elm and High streets. She was the widow of MT. Morse who think had been postmaster; at any rate the postofice had been in that building for probably some years. She had alarge school which was much pstronized, and was an ex- celIent teacher. Her daughter married MT. Hecguemburg, prominent jeweller on | Chapel street. His sister was the wife of the late Hon. James Brewster. My next woman ! teacher was Miss Esther Bradley, who kept I school in her fathers house on the northwest corner of Elm and High streets. Her father | was carriage maker. She became the see- | ond or third wife of Mir. Sidney Hull of the firm of Hull & Townsend, merchant tailors, Chapel street opposite South college, and died rather young. After that went to l Miss Church and Miss Julia Newton on Elm street near College street. When was ! about eight commenced going to "nan's school" MT. Nathan S. Read (graduete of Yale college) was the teacher. He was son
 of Daniel Read, merchant, Broadway. This Daniel Read was celebrated music composer; | composed the well known tunes Windham, Winter, etc., and was author of music | book. I first began to learn to write in a ! writing book at this school, beginning with
 straight marks, pot hooks, etc. This school was kept in "Lawyer Dunbars office, {" Broad way. It stood a little back, near the present entrance to York Square, on the homestead of Doctor Levi Ives, whose daughter {L,o ifo of& Inn He became crazy, and have been told rode his horse into his office; think he never res covered. After that l went to MT. Amos
 Eaton in the same office. He came down from Vermont to attend Prof. Silliman's lectures and to keep this school at the same
 time. He was an excellent teacher, and
 taught gratuitously after school at noon
 little natural philosophy to those who wished
 to stay half hour or so. He afterwards be-
 came celebrated as teacher in Troy, N. Y.
 He was the father of the late General Eaton, father of Prof. Daniel c. Eaton. This old Dunbar office is still in existence on Ashmun | street, near Lock street; occupied many years
 by MT. Audley, the livery stable man,-a
 one story building; the wall overhead is still |
 arched- I remember the late Dr. N. B. Ives I
 was one of the scholars of Prof. Amos Ea- I
 tons school. Miss Clarissa Howe, mother of l
 General Terry, went to one of these schools |
 when I did After this I went to several l
 schools. went to Ammi Harrison, father |
 of Hon. ex-Governor Harrison, @ good !
 teacher. I sat next to the late Edward |
 Ingerson Rev. Dr., Episcopal, also the late
 Frederick Croswell. He was 8 thorough |
 teacher. His school was on State street, |
 nearly opposite the County bank. The |
 building I think was originally built for a
 schoolhouse, had cupola, and I think 8 |
 bell; stores underneath. Jonathan Atwater Il
 taught navigation, I believe He kept in
 the ancient Atvater house, large one on |
 what was then Fleet street. It stood little ]
 back nearly opposite the present New Haven
 Baking company's store. went to him one
 or two quarters. I remember the late tal-
 ented Hon. Silas Mix Qawyer) went to
 him when I did; the present Andrew Kidston,
 esq.,, and Edward Mix, and several others
 who became eminent shipbuilders out of
 New York for many years went to him. This |
 ancient Atwater house burnt down some |
 years since.
 MT. Ma1tby (graduate Yale college) was 8 |
 good teacher; his school wss on State street,
 about opposite the "Todd Building" Abel
 Jacocks, esq, Qawyer) went there when I | did. The twin sisters of the late Elihu At
 water, and of the present William Atwater,
 formerly of Cedar HilD one the mother ot
 the Beckleys, lumber merchants, the other
 of Cashier Bradley of the Merchants' bank, ! were scholars there at this time. This old
 wooden building also burnt down some
 years since. I went to some other schools,
 and one or two quarters in the old ''New
 Township academy" on Academy street;
 don't recollect the teachers name.
 When I was about fourteen years old |
 there was great stir and excitement about
 @ fLancasterian schoor' to be opened here, i a great novelty and something entirely new
 for this part of the world. New Haven had !
 only eight thousand inhabitants at this time.
 In the spring of 1929, the first of May, this
 school commenced in the basement of the l new Methodist church on the northwest cor
 ner of the Green with some $50 scholars from
 6 to IA years of age. The first thing for MT. | Lowell to do was to organize the school into
 classes and select and appoint some fifty
 monitors; monitors of reading, of writing
 and arithmetic; 9 monitor generals
 of order, time and place; 2
 monitor generals of reading 2 monitor
 generals of writing and monitor generals of arithmetic. One of the monitor generals of order, time and place took the whole charge of the school when it commenced at 9 o'clock in the morning and at 2 o'clock in the after noon. Everything went on in the strictest order. The scholars formed a line from the door of the school reaching down to the North church and beyond. Every scholar had his hat or cap slung on his back with a string or cord and kept there until school was dismissed. They marched into school with one or two different steps, sometimes one and sometimes the other, the monitor keeping time with the tongue of large hand l bell in his hands. They all went into their proper places and stood till all had and place would then say to the whole school, "Look!" and with one or two motions of his hand, standing on a stool, all would get into their seats without the least disorder. There were often e good
 many spectators gathered to witness this
 performance and sometimes there were so many as to darken the windows, and they l would be requested to withdraw. MT. Low ell used a small whistle a signal for orders and the monitor generals small handbell,
 when in charge of the whole school.
 There were broad passage ways around the whole room and half circles painted
 black on the floor, called drafts, round the entire passage ways, with large wooden cards with the printed lessons on each hung upon the wall, to each draft; and the moni
 tors, with wooden pointers, would point to the lessons as they taught. Everything went on like clock-work. One of the monitor generals of reading would have charge of the whole school for half hour and take them out to their drafts and back again without the least confusion; in like manner one of the monitor generals of arithmetic would take them out and back again. They were all ambitious to do their very best, and I have known a monitor general conduct them SO still that he would stand on the stool and let pin drop so that 1t could be heard to drop. MT. Lowell would then blow his whistle and stand up and say give this moni- tor general so many tickets. The whole school were rewarded with tickets, and for feiture of tickets was the punishment. Prizes were given out at the end of each quarter in value according to each ones number of ] tickets. There was occasion for very little whipping; this wes done after school, not in { the presence of the other scholars. They f were whipped for profane language and some , other things, but swearing was almost un- known among the scholars.
 The rules were very strict, but excellent. No one was allowed to scribble in their school f books and their books were kept very free , from this vice. The scholars generally a1- most worshiped their teacher, MT. L., and were warmly attached to him. MT. L. knew , perfectly how to unbend and be familiar and sociable with his scholars without in the {