Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-07-16

Conn, Jan "a, 1911, and he died IN the
home of his childhood He had lived
in the picturesque New England town
all his life with the exception Of those
years he devoted to travel and laid
claim to no permanent home. His Of
fee and library were in the room III
which he was born. And there with
unimpaired health and mental vigor
the educator and writer continued to
pass his time among his books until
only short while prior to his death.
His education began in the district
school, which he attended until he had
passed his twelfth year. He next was
sent to an academy at Monson, Mass,
and after a period in that institution
he was prepared for college by priv
ate tutor.
A few months before he was 16 years
of age he entered Yale and was grad
uated with honors in 1880, before he
was 20, achieving especial distinction
on account of his oratorical powers.
After leaving college he studied law
and was admitted to the bar at "a.
His vacations had been spent in
travel in this country, and on COM
pleting his legal studies he went
abroad, travelling through England
Scotland and Switzerland on foot, for
the purpose of studying the social,
scholastic and political conditions OF
those countries. During his travels he
visited Carlyle, Wordsworth, De
Quincy, Lockhart, Pestalozzi, Chal-
mers, Lord Brougham and other dis
tinguished men. Returning to Hart
ford in 1886, he entered earnestly upon
the work he had mapped out as his
life's mission, the Improvement Of the
educational institutions of his native
country.
In 1887 DR.. Barnard was elected to
represent his home city in the Con-
necticut legislature, and in the. fol-
lowing year he introduced an educa-
tional bill His speech in presenting
it produced such an effect that Roger
Minor Sherman, the recognized leader
of the house, moved suspension OF
the rules for immediate action on the
bill, and it was unanimously adopted
by both houses of the legislature. The
bill created a board of school commits
sioners for the state, and Mr.. Barn
ard was induced to accept the position
of secretary of the board. He con-
tinued in this work until 1872 and by
his endeavors education was made the
leading question of the day, and his
reports and suggestions are still con-
sidered standard educational docu-
ments.
Five years later the Connecticut
board of education was abolished, and
following the urgent advice of Cover
nor Seward of New York and other
leading men, Mr.. Barnard delivered
addresses in the principal cities of the
country to arouse public sentiment in
favor of organizing the educational
systems of the different states. IN
1913 Mr.. Barnard became state SUI
perintendent of schools in Rhode Is
land occupying that position till i'm
paired health forced him to resign in
1849. During his work in Rhode Is
land he addressed over 1900 educational
meetings. and won the highest praise
from the leading men of the state.
In 1850 Mr.. Barnard resumed his
educational labors. Three calls came
to him-one to the presidency of the
University of Indiana; another to the
chancellorship Of the University of
Michigan, and third, which he &C.
cepted, from his own state, which gave
him it's highest educational positions,
state superintendent of schools and
principal of the normal school. These
positions he held four years, when i'll
health again compelled him to resign.
In 1859 he was able to begin again
his work in the educational field, and
accepted the position of chancellor Of
the University of Wisconsin. Here he
remained until 1861, devoting his