The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-24
ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL.
Exercises Held in the Morning at Which
1872 Fup Is Receive Diplomas.

iSZ up is RECEIVE OlplOn1dS.
The graduation exercises of the Eng
lish high School were held in the morn
ing at 10 o'clock. The class of SO, 1872
members, marched from the rear of the
hall to seats upon the platform. Chas.
H. Grout. organist at Central Church,
played, and as the last strains of the
organ died away the class of SO was in
view of 1900 friends and parents.
Purple and white streamers decor
ated the balcony, at either side of
which was a shield with the inscrip-
ton "'99-E. H. s." Near the top of
the organ pipes was a large purple and
white striped banner with the class
motto: In ourselves our fortune lies"
lish high school, Superintendent of
Schools Clarence F. Carroll Col w. S.
B. Hopkins, Chairman of School Com
mittee George F. Brooks, Principal e.
r. Goodwin. classical high school, and
His Honor Mayor Rufus B. Dodge, Jr.,
occupied seats upon the platform.
After singing by the graduating class,
balcony, Birney Lyman Herrick de-
livered his salutatory with an address
on Schools and schoolmasters in lit
erature." He said in part:
In the wide range Of literature the
subjects, settings, characters, differ
greatly, yet some types of humanity
have received more attention than
others. The schoolmaster because of
bis powerful influence over the rising
generation, is one of these.
We think of the schoolmasters of the
early days of New England as being
far removed from the instructors of the
present day. Oliver Wendell Holmes,
in his Elsie Venner," has given US a
typical picture of the district school.
Few then could rule a school simply
with pleasant manners and tact. 1t
might do for several days until the
rebels had sized the master up, and
then brute force must conquer. Hence
boxing and fencing were necessary ac-
complishments. Physical strength and
endurance counted for more than schOl-
arly attachments.
Turning to English schools and mas
tiers, Tom Browns school days" comes
Immediately into our minds. What
boy has not read that thy-lling account
of the bullyings and trials of a school
boy at Rugby without wishing himself
in such a school. Goldsmith skilfully
portrays in the Deserted village" the
English village schoolmaster, and we
are impressed with the Truth that the
humblest teacher who inspires a thirst
for knowledge belongs to the class of
real teachers as truly as did Socrates,
the first great professor.
Dotheboy's hall was in reality mis-
cradle workshop or barn, where the
very hungry little fellows huddled to-
gether in its damp and chilling atmos-
phere. Once a week they were served
delicacy. This served a double pur-
pose of decreasing their appetite and
preventing the inroad of all possible
ailments. In happy contrast to this
repulsive picture is the schoolmaster
in Beside the bonny brier bush" We
read of his rather sad and uneventful
existence in that quiet village, of his
love and ambitions for his pupils, of
his scholarly attachments, of the sin
cere respect borne him by all the peas
ant folk.
We think of the possibilities of such
a character and mind in the wide edu-
cational world, and wonder why he
was so contented to remain there in
that little school house in the woods
surrounded by Scotch frs and bramble
bushes. Then we are told of the locket
found on his lifeless breast with the