The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-14
LAFAYETTE DAY.
Worcester Schools Will Probably Have
Appropriate Exercises Oct. 10.

Worcester Schools viii Probably Have
Appropriate Exercises Oct. 10.
The following communication has
been received by Superintendent Car
roll in reference to the proposed cele-
bration of Lafayette Day in the public
schools of the city. While. there will
be no formal exercises of any kind on
the day named, the teachers in all of
the grades will be instructed to pre-
pare some appropriate program. The
letter from Frank A. Hill, secretary of
the state board of education, is as fol-
lows:
The attention of educational authorl-
ties, public and private, is called to
the following preamble and resolution:
His excellency, Governor Wolcott,
having referred to the state board Of
education q request of Hon. Ferdinand
w. Peck, commissioner general to the
Paris exposition of 1900, relating to the
Observance of a Lafayette memorial
day by the schools with an expression
of his view that such commemoration
of a volunteer soldier of the war of the
revolution and a personal friend Of
General Washington, would be most
fitting, the board of education, at it's
regular meeting held October 9th, adop-
ted the following resolve:
That the request of Hon. Ferdinand
w. Peck, commissioner general to the
United States to the Paris exposition
| Of 1900 as far as it refers to setting
apart Wednesday, October 10, or a por-
ton thereof, to be observed by the
schools with fitting exercises in MEM
DRY of General Lafayette, commended
| as it is, to the youth Of the country by
| the president of the United States, is
one to which the school authorities of
the state may cheerfully and graceful
| ly respond
In sympathy Herewith, we. heartily
| indorse the proposition that authorities
| in charge of the instruction of youth
| in the public and private schools Of
| the commonwealth shall set aside some
| portion of Wednesday, October 10Th, for
| appropriate exercises. Let the story Of
| Lafayette be told anew. Let his SER
vice in behalf of American liberty be-
revived. And let what may be said
| and done go to swell the kindly feeling
that should strengthen the friendship
Of the two great countries whose IN
| teresting relations are reviewed.
| 1t is the desire of the commissioner
! general of the Lafayette memorial
| commission and of other eminent citi-
! zens, tEat the spirit of good will to
! men shall perYade the exercises. Let
! there be. therefore, on the same occas-
ion, expressions of joy that peace has
| returned to our borders and of feryent
| hope that relations of improving amity
/ shall be cultivated with all nations
| In regard to the celebration of the
| day, as outlined in the above cornmu-
nication, superintendent Carroll says
| that a meeting of the committee on
teachers will be called at once and
! final arrangements made for the proper
observance. In the original communi-
| cation from the commissioner general
| 1t was proposed that this country erect
| a monument to Lafayette in the city
| of Paris on July 4th, 1900, and to that
| end the Lafayette memorial commits
| sion has been formed to solicit funds
| for that object.
| 1t has been proposed in this connec-
ton to request the school children to
contribute penny apiece on a certain
fixed day, and in some of the larger
| cities this plan has been adopted but
such means have always been vetoed
/ by the local school board, and Super
intendent Carroll thinks that the plan
will not be carried out here. The ex-
ercises viii be varied in the different
schools, and 1t is possible that speakers
| Of note may be asked to address the
pupils of the high schools.