The Republican journal., 1901-08-22

gave the following numbers at intervals
during the evening:
Overture, Fest, Leutner
Song of the VOyager, Paderewskl
Sextette from Lucia, Donezetti
Waltz, Doctrinen, Strauss
GavOtte, Wilhelmina, Montague
Selection, FEDORA, Stuart
Dance of the Bayaderes, Reubensteln
The meeting was called to order by Super
intendent John r. Dunton, who made
brief and heartfelt address of welcome.
The committee of the Belfast High School
Association, appointed at the regular meet
ing Tuesday evening to present list OF Off
GERS, reported as follows:
President, Charles S. Bickford
Vice President, Mrs. Edward Sibley.
Secretary and Treasurer, w. R. Howard.
Historian, John S. Fernald.
The report was accepted and the officers
were elected.
President-elect Bickford took the chair,
and after brief remarks called upon George
A. Ouimby, who read the following paper:
ssTHE HIGH SCHOOL AS 1 KNEW IT."
Your committee has asked me to tell you
s'what l knew of the High School, at the
time | attended it, There is but one
thing that reconciles me to this task, and
that is, that it is preferable to having the
High School tell what it knew about me at
that period, for | cannot remember any
thing | did to illuminate the school with my
brilliancy which any historian OF that day
could bring to light. Singular as it may
seem. there is no record either in any news
paper or city records, or anywhere else that
| can find at what date our first High
School was established, except that William
sons History states that High School was
established in 1852 presumably at the
academy and in 1854 the old Court Room
was fitted up for that purpose The prlnei-
and his assistant Miss Eastman. About
that time the city purchased the countys
interest in the present High School build
ing, then the Court House, and about the
year 1854 the present High School was
established. AS near as l can place it, l
time the schools were graded, but the
course of study was not obligatory as now !;
that is, a scholar was not obliged to take a
study unless he wished. There was one
exception to this rule, he must have studied
grammar before entering the High School,
as that branch was not taught after leaving
the grade below. | had fixed idea in my
head of some distinguished person who had
never studied it, and still achieved great
ness, and | proposed to follow in his foot
steps. | had already made up my mind as
to my occupation. | intended to be circus
performer, and | knew should spill the
grammar out of my head in tumbling about,
and | decided not to study it-and | never
did-as will be apparent to you all, if you
follow my remarks. AS a result of this
bold stand, when my. class was ready to
enter the High School, | was left behind.
Spartan Mother, the Boer, and the bull
terrier, l plodded along another year
grammarlesS; and here let me say that |
look back ON that year as the pleasantest of
my school days. | had my lessons already
learned and did not have to study at all.
expected to be left behind, but the school
was so overcrowded that they wanted my
seat-my room being better than my COM
pany, so to speak-and | was passed on to
the higher life, as it were, into the High
School, and stand before you tonight a
nence man can attain who never owned
grammar, and never was on even speaking
terms with one. When | entered the High
School the teacher was Mr.. William H.
Hobbie, graduate of Colby. He came
here about 1852 or 3, and taught until about
Hodges. Mr.. Hobbie died in New York,
January I, 1887, aged 81 years. Mr.. Hobbie
was the first teacher who taught in the
present High School building. His assist
ant was Miss Mary E. Moore, a sister of the
late Geo. B. Moore, then editor of The
old, man of strong will, quick temper,
inclined to partiality, favoring the scholars
he liked, and making life a burden to those
ne did not. His method of teaching was
the sledge-hammer style. The proposition
was this: here was the teacher, the pupil,
teacher to get the lesson into the pupil.
This Mr.. Hobbie proposed to do in some
way. Into the pupil that lesson had to
go, even if it required surgical ope
ton to accomplish it. l think / am stating
the truth when say that he was very I'M
angelic nature would allow, know hated
that man, but give him full credit for be-
ing good teacher. For the time in which
he taught consider him superior teacher,
but l cannot remember of ever working
cardboard motto in worsted, bearing these
school agent, supervisor, and school COM
mittee, but none of them were ever called
in to umpire any differences that arose be-
tween teacher and pupil, Mr.. Hobbie being
fully competent TO attend to all such trOub-
les. Russia and the Belfast High School
earth, the rule of the Gar being a trife
more liberal, and less severe. Any new
scholar who got q notion into his head that
he could assist in running the school soon
had that notion dispelled. His government
was not exactly the ''iron rule.'' AS re-
member it, it was birdseye maple, Is inches
long, one and one-half wide and thick.
The classes learned rapidly, and boys were
able to enter college without further teach
ing, but the pupil always had feeling that
if he looked over his shoulder, he would
see man behind him weighing some 200
pounds, armed with a club, with which to
drive him on it ever he stopped to breathe.
do not know what the present custom is,
but at that time, over the school door was
this unwritten motto, ssHe or she who enters
here leaves name behind" In State prison
and the High School was known by my
number my name being hung up with my
cap in the entry, and, after all these years,
whenever hear .'69'. spoken, instructive
the roll was called, each pupil answering
"present " to his number. If he did not
answer, the number was repeated Not
then answering, his name was called, and
answering present he Immediately arose
and walked to the front and stood on the
line. If l shonld meet that line in the
Desert of Sahara / should put my hands be-
hind me and ''toe it, After roll-call we
read from the Bible, stumbling over proper
names and straining our larynx in trying to
pronounce them. Then came lessons, the
mOnOtOny being relieved by some one oc-
casi0nally getting whipped. On entering or
leaving the room the pupil folded his hands
behind him, and walked on tip toe. He was
as nOiseless as if he wore rubber tires, in
stead of calico. For three years after left
school could not walk on the flat of NV