The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-10-13
VETERAN CITIZENS.
First Fall Meeting Held in MaiheWsOn
Street M. (. Church.
Mr.. Greenes Address on Common Schools
Relative 10 Practical Life.

The Veteran Citizens Historical asso-
citation held its first fall meeting
Yesterday. at the Mathewson street Nj.
E. church. After the reading
n the records by Secretary
ID A. Cook. acting President Gammell
introduced Hon. Henry l.. Greene Of
| 2iyerpolnt, who made an eloquent ad-
l,ass ON The Common School in its Re-
| ,asion 10 Practical Life" The address
vas n carefully prepared one ON school
| ducatiOn giving the history of many
| n the early schools in Rhode Island. in
| Iuding one school where the Mathew
son street church stands and names Of
many OF the able teachers in Warwick.
phenix and RiverpOint. and southern
Rhode Island. He introduced witty
and faithful extracts from the poems
Of Hood and Goldsmith" and por-
traitures and descriptions of the very
learned and able English and Irish
schColmasters. He spoke of the excel
lent common schools of the early school
days and quoted as follows from
Goldsmith:
There in his noisy mansion skilled to
rule,
The village master taught his little
school,
\ man severe was he, and stern TO
VieW.-
1 knew him well, and every truant
knew,
Well had the blding tre1nblers learned
TO trace
The days disasters I'm his morning face.
Full well they laughed with counter
feited glte.
AZ all his jokes, for many a joke had he
Lands he coulG measure. terms and
tides presage,
And cen the story ran that he could
gauge
In arguing, too, the parson owned his
skill.
For e'en though vanduished he could
argue still
While words OF learned length and
laundering sound,
Amazed the gazing rustics ranged
around.
And still they gazed. and still the Won
der grew.
That one small head could carry all he
knew"
The speaker gave these conscientious,
able teachers great credit for their
faithful Instructions and said from
these primitive schools graduated some
Of the foremost men and women of this
century. In these schools the pupils ac-
quirel the nowledge and development
which made them most prominent and
useful in the affairs of life. These noble
men performing the important duties
them by Divine Providence
claim respect and gratitude. especially |
hose who i'm their manhood fought and |
)led and died that our government, our |
iberties and our country might live.
- Col -Greenla- closed XGllh-an- earnest I
appeal for the careful teaching and |
training Of young children. commend
ing "Froebel," object teaching and |
many OF the mo 2es Of the kindergarten !
and thorough teaching, the want OF II
being shown in a candidate for a schol-
arship before the London School
Board, who wrote OF the process Of di-
gestion: THE food passes through the
liver. and evaporates by means of little
holes called capilhries." Education Is
indispensable its benefits unnumbered
TO The poor as well as the rich, to all
vocations, 10 the farmer as well as the
man. Educat ton is freedom,
ignorance is slavery Col Greene's elo-
4uent delivery claimed ~ earnest at
-ention Of the audience tin it's close.
At the close Of the address a poem
was read by President DanGson. enti-
He'd. Expansion Regarding Public |
School Education" Free discussion was |
hen invited. Col. Downing OF Newport |
spoke with much earnestness, regard |
ng the unhappy condition of the color
CONTINUED on Page Fve.)