The Portland daily press., 1894-01-16
MASTER L1BBY's HIGH SCHOOL.

MASTER LIBBY'S HIGH SCHOOL.
Brownson, Blake and Mcdonald of the
school committee, Superintendent Lord
and Principal Chase, Aldermen Brackett,
Josselyn and McGowan, Councilman
Leighton and Mr.. F. H. Fassett, the
architect
The music for the occasion was fur
nished by the Portland High school or
chestra. composed of the following young
men: Director, E. c. Galley; pianist, c.
Barnard; and. c. Snow;G. Hersey; J. Dyer;
L. Burridge; W. Moulton; j Plummer;
W. Mayberry; B. Webster; N. Tucker and
W. Wall.
Their playing won for the young men
many praises
The opening prayer was by Rev. DR..
Asa Dalton.
Mayor Baxter
then delivered the opening address, say
ing:
1t has been a custom from remote
times to dedicate edifices designed for
public uses with speech and song and in
accordance with this time-honored usage,
we have assem- bled here today to dedi-
cate this fair building, designed for the
education Of our youth, in like manner.
The coming Of the Pilgrim and Puri-
tan to the shores OF New England m arks
an era in human history on account Of
this fact II nothing else, THAT it made
public education posi- BILE; for the men
who landed upon these rock-bound
shores, with the fair fabric of an ideal
republic in vision before themsand proceed
ed with Astounding faith to painfully lay
ifes foI1r1 n cr,t bo bod L
brotherhood, fully realized the necessity
Of making education one of it's corner
stones.
Never men wrought better than they.
and if we had nothing but that remark
able compact drawn up on board the
Mayfower, in the face of perils before
which men, who were not of heroic
mould, would have been appalled,, we
should have enough to prove this. since
it comprehended the fundamental princi-
pie OF repu blican govern ment, namely
the consent of the governed, thereby
making possible for the first time on the
globe, nation based upon personal free
dom, subordinate only to the. common
veal. 1 can bring no better testimony
in support of this, than those splendid
words of John Boyle o. Reilly, who will
long be remembered with admiration in
the land of his adoption Fs aas
How sum their merits? They were true
and brave;
They broke no compact and they owned
no slave
They had no servile order, no dumb
throat;
They trusted first the universal vote:
The first were they to practice and instil
The rule OF love and not the rule of will !;
They lived one noble test; who would be
freed
Must give up all to follow duty's lead.
In every land wherever might holds sway,
The Pilgrims leaven is at work today"
And that leaven finds expression
through public education I have
thought since | recently attended the
celebration of Forefathers' Day how
would like to go back 273 years, and,
standing on the bleak shores of Plymouth
as they were then, take those noble men
and women by the hand, and coming
back with them to my own time, go with
them in Pullman car to Boston; dine
with them at Young's and show to their
wondering eyes the model High school
at Roxbury or Cambridge
Do you not believe that thew would
weep with joy at the sight? What con-
trast to one OF the schools which they set
up IN the wilderness. 1t was but little
log hut, with perhaps, sentinel near by
with gun upon his arm to warn the
parents of the pupils of the approach of
after the landing of Winthrop, in spite
OF the .prlvations and hardships attendant
upon home building in a wilderness, it
Was agreed by the men at the head of
affairs. to found the college, which was
shortly after named for John Harvard.
They were so constantly under the strain
of poverty, as well as of pain and peril,
that we can hardly understand how they
could have had the heart or have found
the time to think of erecting college
a nong the stumps of the recent clearing.
Yet they founded college which will
flourish as long rs, New England is true
to the principles of her founders.
have set before you the rude, log
schoolhouse of the fathers of the repub-
lie to remind you of the great change
that has taken place in structures de-
voted to education. Perhaps the contrast
OF the Portland High school of my own
youth, or not longer than forty years
ago, and this edi6ce, which we have just
completed. would have been sufficient to
1t was plain brick building, one story
in height, long and narrow like a rope
walk, with the end to the street. and
had sltt1ngs for about 100 pupils. 1t was
conducted by Master Libby, ably as
sisted by formidable cowhide. The
long, low schoolroom was heated by two
stoves, and the boys swept the room and
built the fires by turns, there being no
ianitor to the building. The room was
filled with plain pine desks and benches,
the master and his cowhide being behind
desk on high platform at the front
end of the room, so as to have all the
pupils before them. A pail ofsswater, a
wash basin, and tin dipper We're in a
little sink near the entrance. Not a ven
tilator or sanitary arrangement of any
kind was in the building. Such was the
Portland High school of but little over
two score years ago What contrast to
this beautiful building, filled with pure
air, the temperature of which is con-