St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-06-23

a meeting house, printing Office, drug
shop, a district school house, hotel and
post office quartered in Moses Kit
tredge's old yellow store.
To this rendezvous that evening three
BOYS came instead of one. and of the other
two got no mail to brag about, they
made such demonstrations of what they
had in hand already, that the packet of
mail carried off to the south end seemed
an inconsiderable trophy. But time
holds in store it's sweet revenges. What
spoils of the trapper, tho branlshed in
the hand of a coming judge ofthe supreme
bench of the city of New York, would
have survived in story fifty years, except
for thing of important consequence in
that evenings bunch of mail. For, on
its delivery to my fathers hand, letter
post-marked New Ipswich was eagerly
opened and announcement made with
emphasis of satisfaction, "Mr. Colby has
decided to come
The speaker here referred to the cor
respondence between Joseph P. Fair
banks and Principal Taylor of Phillips
Andover academy in 1912, concerning
the securing of Mr.. Colby as teacher;
also the formal organization of the
founders of the Academy in November,
1S43. The coming of MIR. Colby was
also referred to, and the opening of the
first session of St. Johnsbury Academy,
Dec. 13, 1912. That same day appear
ed the weekly issue of the CALIFORNIAN.
The address continues:
The Crossman house, in which the first
three terms were held, stood near the
south front corner of the old burial
ground a spot now occupied by Acad
envy house, which is none other than the
old meeting house of that day and the
vestibule to the schoolroom was the
wOOdShed. The CALIFORNIAN, the paper
of the day, has not handed down to us
an engraving of that original academic
hall, as l wish it had but we may get
some idea Of its architectural style by
observing its surviving neighbor across
the street, which still squats on the edge
of the sidewalk where 1t was, and as 1t
was, half a century ago, when merchants,
judges, clergy of today were being fitted
into jackets and trousers there by Miss
Polly Ferguson, amiable aunt to us all.
Of the % pupils of that first winter
term nearly half are still living. The
spring term brought So the summer was
hot, but the school beginning We'd,
June Z, held resolutely through into the
dog days to Aug. "a, with SO pupils.
Meanwhile the new Academy building
was up, and ready for the fall term of
'43. Of this, however. no hint appears in
the local paper, though four other acad
emies are there. But in the issue of Nov.
IA, '43, St. Johnsbury Academy actually
appears in print. with modest announce
ment of winter term.
Mr.. Fairbanks gave description of
the old academy's surroundings and then
drew this pen picture of school scene in
the earlier years: Look inside some
morning, say about 1915. The great
hand bell has been ruEg. Every seat is
filled every one is still. The master is in
that high chair which no inferior man
could gracefully occupy. On the wall
behind hangs the great rhetorical chart
on which it stands in bold letters that
'order is heavens first law" The man
sitting on the north side of the platform
is John P. Fisk, never lacking for force
either in movement, in discipline of
naughty boy, or in vocalization of vowel
sounds On the other side is the eldest
of a we'll known sisterhood of tie ,ners,
Miss Catherine McKeen, whose. gentle
serious face impresses everyone, whose
brief life of earnest purpose lives on in
many pupils who went from here and
from South Hadley. After scripture and
prayer and some weighty words about
self-respect and truthfulness, the classes
are called off-class in Upham's mental
philosophy to the East room, in Com
stocks chemistry to the basement, in
Virgil or Cicero to the high rear platform
between the west vestibules. On this
platform, overlooking all from behind,
the point, each pupil in the school to
his eye. The occasional tap-tap-tap of
his pencil reminds hstless or disOrderly
pupil that there's no escape from that
gray eve, and the short silent tour some
little way around, or the characteristic
mandate of the stretched-out finger suf-
feed, besides the common will OF most, to
hold fretful realm in awe"
Here the speaker gave his audience bits
of testimony concerning the worth of in
struction given and principles inculcated
in that old Academy-from college presi-
dent, banker, minister, teacher and bust
ness man-extracts from private letters
received from time to time; and in clos
ing special emphasis was put upon the
Academy's first and most essential en-
dowment-the quality, the spirit, that
its promoters and teachers carefully and
devoutly wrought into it.
The speakers frequent illusions to
old-time life at the Academy struck
a responsive chord in the breasts of
many of his listeners, who showed
their apprecia ton in applause.
MRS. SMITHS ADDRESS.
Mrs. Walter P. Smith of St. Johns
bury gave the history ofthe Academy
from 1872. She began by speaking
of Mr.. Fuller's temporary connection
with the school in 1869 and of his
acceptance of the position of princi-
pal in the spring of 1871, the turn
ing point in the schools history.
The building of the present Academy
building and of South hall was com
menced soon after the first graduating
exercises came in the spring of 1873
The exercises were held in the Town hall
and everyone of the ten who graduated
10 years ago is now living. The new
Academy building was dedicated Oct. 81
1878, an event which marked an epoch
in the history of our town.
The cost of the new building was
q l.. L.