The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-08-19
The Spaulding Graded School.

When completed, Barre will have, in the
Spaulding Graded School building, one of the
finest public-school edihces in the state. The
structure will be 126 feet in length, and 100
feet in width. Part of the basement will be
used for the heating apparatus and the
other part divided into two play-ro oms-one
for the boys and one for the girls. These
rooms will be supplied with gymnastic ap-
paratus. The building has two stories
above the basement, containing nine recta-
ton rooms and one large hall thirty-two by
sixty feet, and twenty feet high. One of
these rooms will be used for a laboratory,
and another for the Keith library of 600 vol
umes, formerly belonging to Barre Academy.
There are three entrances, and on either
side of the front entrance is a tower, the
one designated as the bell-tower being sew
enty feet high. The building will probably
be ready for occupancy by the opening of
the spring term, and will, when furnished
cost about $40 900.
The cornerstone was laid last Saturday
afternoon. This stone is beautiful piece
of granite. Engraved on one of the exposed
sides is 1884, and on the other Spauld-
ing Graded School," The stone cost $50,
and was contributed in the rough by Wells
& Lamson, polished by Mcdonald e. Bu-
chanan and lettered by Gordon & Mari,
who bore part of the cost, the remainder
being borne by w. l.. Stafford, +. L. Smith
the Vermont Granite Company, j. w. Cor
don, Jones Brothers, George Cassie, Will
literary exercises, which were to have oe-
CURED at four o'clock in the afternoon, ow-
ing to the danpneSS OF the weather were
postponed to be held in the opera house at
half-past seven o clock III the evening. AT
the appointed hour, the house was filled and
| the following programme was carried out.
Music by the Barre cornet band "The Event
we Celebrate was responded to by Rev.
| l.. Tenney of Waterbury. 1t was peculiarly
appropriate that Mr.. Tenney should speak
on this occasion, for he is an old resident of
| Barre an old friend of DR.. Spaulding and
has for many years been deeply interested
in the educational welfare of Barre. The
! Effect of Environment upon Character -
was ably handled by Rev c. W. Longren of
Barre, as was " The Public School and the
State" by j. W. Gordon of the same place;
Rev G.. L. Raymond of Montpelier spoke
| on " The Relation of the Graded School to
Higher Education" and DIR. j. II. Jackson
spoke of " DR.. Spaulding and Barre Acad-
envy" Professor g. o. Thurston of Pennsyl-
vania read an excellent and highly appre-
ciated poem. Music, prayer and the bene-
diction closed the exercises of the evening.
Dr. jackson prefaced his remarks by say
ing that the boys in the gallery, who had
been rather noisy most of the evening, re-
sembled members Of parliament in three
respects: They did not listen TO what was
being said they would not allow others to
hear, and they did not remove their hats in
| public assembly. The doctor then spoke
in part as follows: A sketch of Barre Acad-
envy cannot easily be given which does not
| include frequent reference to Dr. Spauld-
! ing. No apology, therefore, need be made
| for the constant commingling of the two
names, when 1t is remembered that during
the thirty-three years of the Academy's eX-
istence, DR., Spaulding was for twenty-eight
years its loved and respected principal.
| This school was incorporated November
| Is, 1919, the first annual meeting being held
| May Is, 1851, and the first term of school
| opened September /, 1852. One hundred
| seventy-two students are reported in the
! catalogue which was issued at the close of
| the fall term, Jacob Shedd Spaulding,
A. NJ, LII. D., was born in Chelmsford,
Mass, August d. 1911, and graduated from
! Dartmouth College i'll 1871. August "a 1871 ,
! he married Miss Mary w Taylor of Temple,
| \. H., and began teaching in the Bakersfield
Academy, where they remained until their
removal TO Barre. From 1852 until 1880, Dir.
Spaulding was principal and business man
ager of Barre Academy, During these
twenty-eight years, he employed twenty
six different gentlemen and thirty-one lady
assistants, Twenty thousand dollars was
contributed in the same period to erect
! buildings and provide scholarships; 900
students We're brought under his care and
of these 800 completed a course of study.
| The largest attendance for one year was in
| 1882 when S26 students were enrolled, ana
the smallest number was in 1850, when
only 100 are reported DR.. Spaulding died
| April 20, 1880, and with the graduating class
of June, 1885, the thirty-three years of active
| work of Barre Academy ended.
The new school will have nine grades,
and High School with an English, an aca-
demic and a classical course. corps of
thirteen teachers will be required, and the
outlook for the Spaulding Graded School is
good in every respect The enterprise and
| public spirit of Barre in this respect is
worthy of all commentator,