Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-06-14
A "REMINISCENCES
Mr. Binghnn'- Address ut the Reunion
society Meeting, Oct. 25. 1857.


The organization Of the High school al
umni aud the formation uf "A reunion snci.-
ty was a matter in which Mr. Bingham
took great interest, aud the first annual
meeting in October, 1887, COMMUNICATING
his quarter century Of service. gave him
unalloyed pleasure and satisfaction The
occasion wa, trying one for man Of his
lmpulslve sensihilitir,, aud he spoke under
great stress Of emotion when he gave The,
address Of welcome hut his words were
picture Of the man, aud We reprint them
herewith at the request Of members Of the
alumni. We caused the speech 10 he taken
Ntenographcally at the time, and 1t is prob
ably the only extended verbatim utterance
of his which has ever been put in this per
manent printed form
NJ. PrcSideH dad Friends: Your presi-
dent has invited me to say n few specific
words special words, endearing words If
! can satisfy my conscience that such words
are to Ice Spoken on this occasion will en-
deavOr to utter them Outside and beyond
all legislative enactments, there are certain
essential factors that must lead h. the sue.
II is manifestly essential that pupils shall
have learned 10 mind at home Pupils that
come with thirst and desire for knuwl
edge pupils who are susceptible, and have
the capacity 10 he taught, such is one Of
the essential factors in the final success Of
any public school
In 1868 met II group, whose faces nov
see, so many of them, about sixty in mum
Der After trying on their new teacher
and little sklrmishlng nov and then, and
getting acquainted with each other, and
alter little, beginning 10 see that their
new teacher had Il desire to impart infor-
nation, and when they were satisfied that
he was to rule, We all began AN upward
march. Perhaps the climax of our ac-
quantance took place in the fall term. One
of Brattleboro's Christian gentlemen came
rapidly up the walk during an afternoon
recess coat of, necktie of. with his slip
pers on-we thought him fruthing at the
mouth. Soon he commenced 10 heap an
nthemas upon the new teacher and ended
III short, IN calling the High school nui
sance After listening quietly to that kind
OF language until he got through, looking
10 either side of myself saw that George
stood close by, and Prescott was near 10,
and Henry was not far off, each with fist
upper extremity Of his breathing appara.
tus. said, Are you through, sir = Yes
/ suppose SO. Then stay and listen. If
| can have the cooperation Of these Young
men about me, aud few of the citizens of
the place, will compel you to own that the
High school in Brattleboro is something
more than nuisance think when the
boys replied, ooh, master, you shall have
that cooperation, You shall have that assist
ance, that our acquaintance was complete
! knew then that they knew and wanted
what desired, and from that time until
this think they have fulfilled their mis-.
sion. Each year the number has been in
creasing, and they have gone hither and
thither into places OF business Your own
street finds them there Every wear, at the
close of the exercises before the public, the
next class take their places with this watch
woodland it is curious Master, little
higher next year little higher. Give us
little more drill give as u little longer
rope little more To do ~ The feeling has
been, then IN these years, that there is to
be and must he constant Improvement
So far, then, as that factor is concerned, it
seems to me that we have had it in the
school
Second. We must have, if we succeed
well in our schools, We must have "a CORPS
of teachers, earnest in their work, devoted
TO their work, and educated for their work,
and willing purpose 10 do the best that
can be done under the circumstances. Have
We had such No one, ladies and gentle
men and old teachers, feels the loss and
want of a higher education more than your
principal. lie has never had the benefit of
the higher instruction that our colleges
give. The only satisfaction that / can get
out of that unpleasant feeling is that /
weigh my love for the work and weigh my
devotion to the work with any man, with
any teacher What | lack, then, in that
respect, ! do sometimes think that ] can
make up in a small way in that devotion.
But what a corps of co workers ] have
been surrounded 10y in these years What
fitting of the younger minds the younger
pupils received in the lower grades, pre-
paratury 10 entering the High school
Hence, in that respect, | may say that the
second factor has been furnished us
Again, We must have behind us parents
who have a love for their children, Of course,
but parents who reign at home kind aud
affectiouate and loving, but they must reign
at home. Mothers, see b. it that YOU do
reign Fathers, let me emphasize it-reign
Blessed is the hoy who reaches certain
year in school life and finds himself desir
ing To drift away into shops, 10 drift away
into this, that ar the other occupation, neg
lecting at the very time when 1t is impor-
tant that lac should pursue his studies -
blessed is that boy if he has got a father at
the helm, father that can say, and have