Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-08-23
BOsTON's SCHOOL REGIMENT.
No Other City Has Anything Like It

One Of the features, to the boys at
| least-the greatest feature in the pub
lie schools of Boston each year-is the
street parade, tuabeuvering, dress par
AIDE, and inspection of the Boston
school regiment The regiment, which
for 80 years has constituted a part
Of the curriculum Of BoSton's high
and Latin schools, is an organiza ton
distinctly an adjunct Of BOston's
school system. No other city in the
country has a regiment of public
school boys, and few have military
drill In their public schools.
Each year a day is set in the month
Of May by the school committee for
the parade Of the regiment. This
year the day named was May 18th.
Parade day is one Of great interest to
Bostonians. Even those whose resi-
dence in the city has been but few
years seem to catch the spirit of pa
ternal pride in all things pertaining
to the young ''schoOl-boy soldiers"
No regiment of state militia can claim
so much attention upon parade as
these 1,6OO uniformed and well-drilled
boys.
The regiment usually forms in Mont
gomery square, in front of the Eng
lish high school, and the march over
the route begins about 1920 in the
morning. The last street on the route
is aristocratic old Beacon street, and
up this street, past the state-house at
the top of the hill, they march to the
wide gates at the lower end Of the
common, and out upon the parade
ground. Here they perform the evo-
lutions that are concluded with the
dress parade. The parade ground is
separated from outsiders by two lines
of rope on the hill overlooking it. The
inner rope keeps from the parade
ground all who have no business with
the regiment From this rope for
about 200 yards up the hill there is
reserved space for the friends and rel
atives Of the boys, and then another
rope, carefully guarded by policemen,
shuts out the thousands of indirectly
interested spectators. Admission to
the reserved space is by tickets,
which are issued by the school com
mittee, and given to the boys for dis
tribution.
The introduction of military drill
into the public schools of Boston was
the outgrowth of the martial spirit
engendered by the war Of the rebellion.
In 1861 Amos Lawrence, Martin Brim-
mer, Rev. DR.. Edward Everett Hale,
and several other distinguished citi-
zens, established the Massachusetts
rife club, the object Of which was
to instruct and to fit men to be of
ficers in the volunteer regiments then
organizing in the state. Hobart
Moore, an officer Of the militia, was
engaged as drill-master. In 1864 the
men who had organized the rifle club
petitioned the school board to permit
the introduction of military drill into
the public schools. They agreed to
pay for an instructor and rent hall
for one year, as an experiment line
years work demonstrated the expert
ment to be a wise one. 1t was decided
to establish the drill regularly, contln-
Ing it to the Latin and the high
schools throughout the city. Gen. Ho-
bart Moore was appointed instructor,
and held that position until his death
in the latter part Of last month. He
was brigadier- general Of the Massa-
chusetts militia for seven years, and
a thorough tactician.
There are at present eight high
schools in Boston, in which there are
about 1,6OO boys. The military classes
are divided into one battalion Of eight,
two Of seven, and one battalion of 10
companies The two central and