The Somerset reporter., 1907-01-24
Kents Hill Alumni.
Dear Reporter:

Dear Reporter:
| think many of your
readers will be Interested to know about
the Kents Hill Alumni Association of
Boston because among your subscribers
there are hundreds of kepts Hill stu
dents and thousands of people directly
or indirectly interested in that grand
old school of Maine.
The full membership of the Associa-
ton as the Executive Committee has it
on the books, numbers about 1900. OF
course there are many more than that
all over the United states, but that is
the number that we have been enabled
up to the present time to secure
We have meeting every year, and it
is very enjoyable occasion. In that
gathering there are dozens from Somer-
set County and hence felt that it would
be of special interest TO the readers of
the SOMERSET REPORTER.
We met this year on Friday evening
January II. at 80 p. M, at the Twen-
tieth Century Club Building, 3 Joy ST..
Boston. There were about one hun.
dred present. 1t WAS one of the most
delightful occasions of all the meetings
that we have ever held. This is the
thirteenth annual meeting. 1t was a
fine looking company. Not all of them
we're kents Hill students. some men
had their wives who were not students
of that academy, and some ladies had
their husbands who had not enjoyed the
privilege of attending that school; but
he great mi jority were old Kents Hill
students, ana nearly all we're from some
part of Maine, mary of them from SOM
erset County.
DIR. A. E Wnship is president of the
Association. He is also editor and propri-
etor of the New England Journal of Edu
cation DR.. Winship is one of the most
prominent editors and workers in the
educational field in the United States, a
native of Maine. He made most won
derful address upon the value, past, pre-.
sent and future, of the New England
Academy, referring especially to the
seminary at Kents Hill.
He believes that Kents Hill has bril-
liant future before 1t. While some peo-
pie in the past twenty years have felt
that the high school had taken the place
of the academy and seminary, and that
there was less use for these secondary
schools than formerly, he believes that
the future of the New England academy
and seminary will be more brilliant
than its past; that the advantages at
seminary, the school life and Pc
culiar surroundings are of special value
to students such as cannot be obtained
at high school. While the seminary is
one of the best places in the world to
fit for college. it is really not as essential
for young man or woman who intends
t. take college course to 90 TO Kents
Hill, because they get that community
school life at college, and perhaps could
better afford to make their preparation
at high school. On the other hand. those
who contemplate only seminary educa-
ton, if they get that at the high school
they will have missed entirely that most
pleasant and profitable of all experiences,
the community life of the seminary.
would like to say for the benefit of
the readers of the SOMERSET REPORTER
that of all of the many hundreds OF old
Kents Hill students that | have met,
they are all heartily of the opinion that
Kents Hill offers today as in the past
the very best advantages to young men
and women, whether they come from
the city or the country, but the advan-
tages offered are especially advantageous
to students coming from rural districts
and smaller towns | have met promi-
nent men who are taking active parts in
the affairs of life who insist that Kents
Hill gave them their start in life, and
that all the success they have made has
been largely due to the superior train
ing, morally, mentally and physically,
which they received at Kents Hill.
DR.. Wilbur r. Perry, president of
Kents Hill, and native of Somerset
county by adoption, was present and
told US of the progress that Kents Hill
is making, that 1t really is at the pre-
sent time at high water mark, and from
all sources comes the Information that
the school is doing better work in every
way than 1t has ever done before in its
nearly one hundred years of history.
Among the other speakers we're Mr..
Samuel Hubbard, formerly of Canaan,
Maine. who gave really brilliant sd-
dress upon the influence that Kents Hill
has done upon the Maine boys and girls.
Dr. Willard A Paul. formerly a SOM
erset county boy, now chairman OF the
executive committee of the Alumni
Association, gave short talk upon what
the association is trying to do for the
benefit of the school, outlining some
what their work for the future.
Rev. C. A. Littlefield told what spe cial
advantages Kents Hill had given him,
how it was the main influence in shap
ing his future life.
DR.. Levi Powers gave a short address,
and there were several other speakers,
all of whom we're originally Sons of
Maine.
wish that many of the young men
and women of Somerset county who are
deciding where they are to attend school
the next year could have looked in upon
that company of men and women as they
sat around the beautiful flower bedecked
tables at the Twentieth Century Club on
last Friday evening Certainly | think
many of them would decide that Kents
Hill would also be their Alma Mater.