Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-05

Charles Bedford Young.
Opposite Franklin Park, on the west
side Of 14th street northwest, stands the
| red brick building which for many a year
housed the boys of Emerson Institute,
| who sat at the feet, metaphorically, of
| Charles B. Young. II there are any OF
the boys Of that old school who actually
| absorbed all of their principals instruc-
ton they went into the business world or
| to college or the naval and military
academies replete with a scholastic ex-
perience that very few men can boast
| for every one of Emerson's "old boys
will say. heartily and allowing no con-
tradiction, that the dear old man was a
wonder
For fifty-four years Charles B. Young
presided over Emerson Institute-some OF
| the boys say with an iron hand. Perhaps
| he did. Perhaps he knew as much about
| a birch rod in the days when birch rods
and Homer were considered equally nec-
about moral suasion. At any rate, he
turned boys into men; sent armies of
| them to college and into military and
diplomatic life; filled the business world
with young fellows who had learned what
the books had for them. and. in addition,
learned from 1.-The dear old man. that
higher than book learning is the knoWl-
edge Of how to be Christian gentleman
Passing to the Downgrade.
You can see Charles B. Young about
| the city now. He is getting along to the
downgrade of life. but as the boys used
to say In the Christmas ANIMALS He
is Young man. even to this day." 1t
! was boys pun, and they used to think
Pr,x,- -
into print, but 1T seems as true as
gospel when applied to Charles B. Young.
You will see him walking down F street
or in any Of the pleasanter midcity
streets, looking exactly as he does in
the picture printed here, and with him
will almost invariably be an umbrella.
For years Mr.. Young and his umbrella
have been inseparable Boys Of the beard
less age, who were at Emerson during
the last years of the Young regime knew
him by his umbrella: boys who were
there decade ago used to smile at its
mention, and going further back than
that, the real old boys, who now have
sons and wish that the dear old man.
was still holding forth from his swivel
chair SO that the sons and grandsons
might sit at that old straight bench in the
big room and listen and Iearn-they.
too, remember the umbrella.
There are hundreds of old Emersonians
IN Washington.s and not one of them
about Emerson and it's old principal.
Witness the smoker of the Emersors
alumni at the University Club a few
nights ago. The room in which the al
fair was held was crowded with men
whose ages ran from fifty years and more
downward. and that whole evening was
passed with hardly another topic of con-
versation If there is tangible evidence OF
how man could grip a boys heart and
hold on to 1t through the forgetful and
car fn, hal !,
Of a mans lifetime It certainly appeared
at the smoker.
When They Knew the Man.
Charles B. Young is one OF the men
around whom anecdotes and stories clus-
ter: one OF the men whom boys never
forget. even after they have boys of their
own. The youngster who entered that
school trembling because he had heard of
It's grinding requirements and strict disci-
pline would first stumble and fa1ter
through his lessons because he did not
know the man. Then one day he would
receive the knowledge and inspiration
that, perhaps, after all. the bearded man
who pounded so furiously for order was
not only learned beyond any other man
the boy ever dreamed of, but was act
uaily personally interested in all the boys
before him. and after that there would
ripen friendship, as warm and as val
liable as ever a bond between master
and pupil has been; and finally. when at
the last commencement day, Mr.. Young
sitting as he always did at the right of
the stage-would press the boys shoulders
with genuine good luck and goodbye"
there would be tears in the boys eyes.
After that he would know no prouder
compliment than to be called lone of
Mr.. Young's old boys
1t has been suggested by an Emersonian
that the old school is to Washington
what Rugby was to England, and that
DR.. Arnold had no greater influence.
comparatively speaking, among boys
than did that famous old English school
master. Perhaps not. At an, rate
Emerson boys are loyal to the old school
and to the dear old man." To them
he is the greatest of schoo!masters, and
the old school was the grandest of
schools.
Beauties of Greek and Latin.
He had in his later days, fifteen years
before he retired, a way of teaching
Greek and Latin that made those dead
things beautiful He knew all there was
to know about the men, which young
sters spit over and construe over; he
made Caesar as live a person as the
chap you read about in the most modern
of fiction He would have his Caesar
class form in lines of battle, and enact
the scenes that otherwise would have
meant nothing more or less than con-
crete examples of the multitude of rules
in the hated Latin grammar. His way
of teaching the Aeneid is responsible for
the brilliant English education of MANY
of his graduates. He often said that lie
all he accomplished in teaching the dead
languages was to give some one taste
yip,O N he hest