The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-01-04

Professor sJepson had served ,twenty years as teacher of music here. He could remember of hearing his late brother ten how the school children of the upper grades, under the direction Of Professor Jepson, gathered on the Green at the close of the Rebellion and sang. He himself could recall in 1871, when headed by the same professor they marched to the laying of the cor nerstone of the old High school on the corner of Orange and Wall streets.
 Also in 1876 when the boys, dressed as Continental soldiers, and the girls as Godesses of Liberty, celebrated the Tooth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the Green, Professor Jepson was in charge of the exercises. Again, while a mem Der of the board in 1894, MT. Asher said that he had had the honor of presiding at the thirtieth anniversary of Profess or Jepson's service as teacher. of music. There was only one other person in the city who had served as long as Pro lessor Jepson, namely, John G. Lewis, the able and beloved principal of web- ster school. He advocated law allow ing 2. pension. for teachers who had served the length of time that Pro lessor Jepson had.
 Professor Jepson," he said, is the pioneer in the advancement and eulti- vation of music in. the New Haven
 schools and perhaps in the public schools of the country. Had it not been for MT. Jepson, Yale, I believe, would never have had a musical department, and it has shown great judgment by
 putting his son on the faculty" MT. Asher closed his address by quot i ing:
 Twice forty years be given him To glad the world with song.'' X
 Professor Frederick Weld, who took
 the place of Ericsson Bushnell. sang a
 solo. He was accompanied by Professor
 Harry B. Jepson, of the Yale music de-
 partment He was followed by Pro
 lessor William Lyon Phelps, who paid a
 warm tribute to MT Jepson, and kept
 the audience Tn an uproar of merri-
 ment with witty sallfes.
 The class of 1905 sang the national
 paean, accompanied by Miss Bessie
 Macaffee.
 After this Attorney Asher in behalf of the alumni of the school, presented to
 Professor Jepson handsome Morris chain. Professor Jepson in response said:
 MT. Chairman: In the fall of 1864,
 169 prominenet citizens headed by May
 or Tyler, father of Professor Morris +.
 Tyler, petitioned the board of education
 to introduce music as a regular. branch Iof study in the New Haven public
 schools The petition was favorably re.
 ceived, and the present incumbent was appointed vocal instructor.
 Forty years ago this morning, Tues
 day, January 3, 1865, I gave my first
 music lesson in the old Washington school the site of which is now oecu' pied by the new Cedar street school. K As | review the situation today, ]
 can scarcely realize the changes which
 have taken place: commencing with
 something like 1,20O pupils, I find my self to-day with a constituency of 1S,00C pupils mora or less.
 As look upon this block of 250 sen iors. I am thinking of the 126 pupils all told, that comprised the High school Eof 1865.
 As I contemplate this, grand edifice | and it's beautiful auditorium. am com pairing it with the two or three dingy rooms of what was once the old Lancas- terian school building, where. by the way, I graduated myself years before under the tutelage Of chat grand old
 master, John E. Lowell. One of the gratifying events of this day is the presence of the only surviv' ling High school teacher, and one oi the few living pupils.
 As look back am reminded of the first great demonstration of school fnu i sic which took place at Music hall, now
 known as the New Haven Opera house At the end of my first year, seven
 hundred pupils selected from all the schools filled the lower floor, while par, ents and friends filled the galleries. the
 board of education, the clergy, the press and large delegation of prominent I citizens occupied the platform. The programme consisted of class and indi vidual sight singing. fnterspersed with rote songs. The newspapers reported a
 grand success. From that day to this may say, that with occasional lapses the general trend of public sentiment l in regard to musical instruction has
 been upward. ! Many of the children who took part I in that demonstration are the fathers and mothers of children attending school at the present time; of that lfact I have ocular demonstration every day. Now and then receive informa- l tion of grandmothers, who claim to be I old pupils. The greatgrandmoth are | yet to be heard from. In this connec. ton I may permitted to say that if ] | have achieved any degree of success,
 feel bound to ascribe it to the wonder 1 full cooperation of the successive boards of education, superintend dents, principals and teachers. In the year 1882 was made to realize
 that this sympathy and interest in my work was very real. In that year Icollapsed from overwork, but was meta- phorieally caught up by the teachers who petitioned the board of education ! to grant me leave of absence without loss of salary for two months. The board voted to comply with the request t a