The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-14
RECALLED BY A BOOK.
ReR ding of "a story Recalls an Educa-
tiOnaI "Reminiscences of the '4O's.

OF course, / have read IAN Idyl of the
Wabash" I read everything Miss Nicholas
writes if L get at it, yet 1 confess that
in this case l was at first disappointed, and
little later on provoked. Charmed by its
artistic cover, I opened it expecting every
line to begin with a capital and end with a
jingle, for in the classic days of American
literature 'idyI'' was a short pastoral
poem, but here was just plain prose- But
l at once recalled that idyl is English, you
know, and it would be just like a woman
10 be English and call her story an idyl
and L forgave her and began to read with
eagerness what knew must be interesting.
mad not read dozen pages before
wanted to know what was to come next
when, in the midst of a section that prom
lsed TO tell, L came across an ancIt leaf.
was not in frame of mind TO wait on
trif1es, hence L ran my hand through it in
JifIy, tearing it badly. Surprising that
was the last | read on, planning to trim
it into shape after 1 had got the nub of the
story; but had not read a dozen pages fur
Their when another and another obstruction
was presented That was too provoking /
uld not say any bad words but | most
heartily wished people would refuse to buv
books until they We're finished. To have 10
SIT with paper cutter in hand, or to first
20 lHIouSn DOCK or magazine with one, is
provoking in the extreme. But then this
TOO, is English you know.
But the story-the idyl itself is not fault
less. intensely interesting it is from be-
ginning to end, and it is written in vigorous
ana and correct English; but while it properly
practically terminated with the adoption of
our present Constitution and the introduce
tioh OF our present excellent system of pub
TIC schools, its plot belongs TO the after-the-
war Perlod; time when such a concatena-
ton Of school experiences would have been
Impossible IN such an up-to-date commune
" as Honeyport. In the forties and early
hftles Ex-Governor Sade of MassachIi-
sets, constituted himself q bureau of in
formation with special reference to the ed
ucatlonaI interests of Indiana, though mis-
laDorS We're not confined exclusively 10 this
state. Just how it came about is
u T. now Nv known, but my recollection
IS that James Blake, James NJ. Ray, Calvin
tletchers W. s. Hubbard and few kindred
spirits OF that period, engineered by Henry
Ward Beecher, were the originators and
promoters of it, Governor Slade consented
to be bureau of information at his own
expense; towns and cities wanting com
petent teachers were to make their wants
known to him, and competent teachers in
quest of schools were to do the same In
TINS way buyers and sellers were brought
together, ana 1t would hardly be an eX-
aggeratiOn to say that thousands of com
petent teachers were brought into Indiana
through TINS agency, whose influence upon
the state can never be properly estimated.
And they were teachers, not machines 1t
was before the days of the patent methods
NOW III NOBuSs ana Iney made scholars,
many of whom have filed and are filling
some OF the most important positions in So
ciety- Whether the output of the machine
Will prove as equal to the occasion IS these
have remains to be seen. The indications
that they will are not conspicuous at this
writing.
At one time Governor Slade became al
most discouraged. Of course his wards re-
ported to him from time to time, and usual
ly gave tiattering accounts of their success.
but in a short time first one. then another
woman-fashion, began to write postscripts
which ran about thus: II am to be mar
ried at the end of this term: consider my
place vacant, and send a successor" The
good old man had been building wiser than
he knew. His philanthropy had related only
to the educational needs of the West but
it was developing that the thousands of
educated girls who had been left in quasi
widowhood by the rush of young men to
the West just then Offering great induce
ments to energetic Drawn, were to take a
part in the material as well as the educa-
tionaI developsnent Of the growing state
No statistics could be half so interesting
as those that would throw light upon this
social problem. Among the most prominent
men and women of Indiana to-day are the
children of these New England school
teachers. But the state syndicate did not
have monopoly Of the business: 1t was
well under way before he entered it: he
only systematiZed It: and such women as
the wife OF the late Judge John Petit and
the mother OF Editor Morss, and the Sec
ond wife of the late Calvin Fletcher had
entered the field. Fifty years ago / was
myself in small way promoter. While