The times., 1898-11-28
Mr.. GUNN'SQUBER SCHOOL
Recollections of a Once Fa-
nous Connecticut Institution.
ITSORIGINAL PUNISHMENTS
Hugging Trees Wns the Penalty for
IdIencss, While Boys Who Trihed
With the Truth Had Tkeir Mouths
Bandaged-The Peculiar Traits of
the Master.

Conn. among the Litchfield hills, there
exists a boys school, which, during the
wears from 1850 to 1881. was famous
throughout the State for the peculiar gen.
ius and forceful character of its master.
Frederick William Gum. After MI
Gums death, in 1881, at the age OF o.
a large number of his old pupils came
together and testified to the love and de-
spect in which they held him by forming
the Gum Memorial Association, says the
New York Tribune.
This association erected monument 10
the memory of the master and pupllsheu
a beautiful quarto volume of reeoilections
of the school, written by various ola
boys" and illustrated by William Ham
ilton Gibson. who was one of them. Inc
title of the book was The Master of the
Gunnery.
In its earlier years the school was not
known by this quaint title, but received
it-Iater from some of the old graduates
who never ceased TO feel a deep interest
in the homeiike place where they had
spent many happy years. The Gunnery Is
sui a boys boarding school, with lew
day pupils as in the old days, but since
Mr. Gunn's death II has lost ITS NOV
ing spirit and no longer differs greatly
In looking over the pages of the memo
rial volume there are to be found so many
interesting stories of the Gunnery and its
methods that it is well worth while TO
recall some of them here, and thus gam
an idea of the man TO whom hundreds
Of Connecticut boys, now grown 10 man
hood. owe their early educational train
ing.
II was always firm belief OF the mas
Ffa NJ
school government would be secured when
there was actually as little government
as possible on his part. To teach his
bovs self-control and responsibility Tor
their oyyn actions was his constant prin-
ciple. He regarded his school in the light
Of a miniature republic. the pupils being
the citizens. In accordance with this idea
each was entitled to have share IN the
government. and close relations of mutual
confidence were establ shed between teach-
ers and boys MIR. Gums principle oi
a liberal. kindly discipline prevented any
af the .'naEging' supervision and multi
pie cast-iron rules which We're common
enough I'm other schools of the day and
which unfortunately. have not yet alto
eether disappeared. He did not interfere
in the boys affairs except In cases where
ii became clearly his duty to do so, and no
Nou1gster every asked for any reasonable
privilege in vain. He recognized the neces-
sity in many instances of allowing the
boys 10 settle their disputes in fair and
omen light Even swearing, though he
strongly disspproVed Of he condoned on
a few occasions. as. for example. when
he CHANGED one day 10 overhear one of
the larger BOYS roundy cursing another
for a series of petty annryances TO which
the lstter ha6 persisted in subjecting him.
I'M nf ma kinp his
ence known TO the TWO. quietly stole away
from the place and. recognizing the JUS
lice of the swearers proVOcation permit
ted the matter to pass wtunout notice.
There were some objections. of course, to
the lei alone system. and MIR. Gum
knew these as we'll as anyone. but his
opinion WAS that its many advantages far
more than made up for its defects.
The central objects Of boys educs-
tional Training, he believed. should be the
cultivation of manliness. moral courage
and a fine phYsique-ne set the develop
ment of character far abo"e TIE mere
training Of the intellect. As Z cor.se-
puence, perhaps OF his the average of
scholarship in the school was not high.
There was no system Of graded m3riis
10 create rivalry amoaS the pupils ard
the school did not prepare boys fo9 ocl-
lege. Mr.. Gum detes;ed the ''cTaInLling"
process by which 4 pupil wa enabled to
pass entrance examinations lie taught
his boys in the way he thought best suit
ed 10 bring out their highest qualities and
without reference to what might be re-
quired of them later at college.
His method of teaching the classics was
original. IF boy can once read the
text fiuently and correstly," he said, 1.-THE
syntaX will come of itself Trained under
this system, his pupils could frequently
recite and give a graceful translation of
pages of Homer or Virgil, without being
able 10 answer one-half of the ordinary
questions of grammar which most teach
ers would PROFOUND in the course of the
reading. This state of things was some
times rather inconvenlent when thu boys
came later under hard-and-fast college
requirements, but their unusual fiuency al
translation generally carried them
through in safety.
The ability to read aloud in English
correctly and musically, was considered
30 desirable by the master that he taught
il 10 the whole school for an hour each
day. The textbook was either Shake.
speare or Scott. and the pupils We're able
10 recite page after page of "Marmion'
and THE Lady of the Lake by heart
Often on his way through the hall 20 tho
school room Mr.. Gum would begin re
citing aloud from some part of one OF
lHtSt poems. ana as soon as ne came
near enough for the boys to catch hi.
words they took up the lines and con
tnued them in chorus.
one of his old boys IN speaking o
the master as he appeared in the schoo
room says he was :all, powerfully bull
man. whose hair and beard became cult,
gray early in life. As he set In his hi.
chair, with his dogs beside linn, and tn,
slender hickory rod which he called hi.
Ii.
the desk, he made a picturesque figure
This rod he used only seldom-perhap.
not more Than half dozen time a year
bur when he did resort to 1t he welded 1
with a vigor that was highly impressive
He did not tolerate idling among his Illi
pills but when he saw a little fellow neg
lecting his books for the very eviden
cause of homesicSness or some childisl
trouble his sympathy was aroused a
once Il was no uncommon thing for hin
to take the disconsolate youngster upoI
his lap and there pet him and sooth
him until he forgot his grief in sleep
Meanwhile lessons We're heard as usual
Just as though the master Of the Gunner,
were not playing nurse as well as teacher
Among the most amusing recollections o
the Gunnery are those of the droll punish
ments which the master invented for cur
ing his boys of minor faults. Instead o
lne ordinary school penances he devise
srotesque remedies of his own, whic
were effectual because they impresse
themselves on the memories of the boy
who once experienced them A lad VIII
persisted in being unreasonably noisy an
rough might be sent out to take a bris
walk of three or four miles or to ru
around the church on the green ten or
dozen times, sounding at each corner
past on the tin dinner horn. Pounding
log with heavy club and pulverizing
brick were other cures for superfluou
energy.
OccaaIonally ,orLipg ,,,on o,...