Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-08-18
HILLARD'S OLD SCHOOL
READERS.
[written for 1Ae American oa E. H.Kl


place in the methods OF teaching, nothing
has been more deplored by the men and
women who attended the public schools
fifty and sixty years ago than that which
has driven out the good old-fashioned
ways OF teaching how to read and to read
we'll. In those times the reading classes
we're called upon, one at time, to file
down the aisles OF the little red school
houses, and each pupil, in turn, to read
aloud one or more paragraphs. As there
were many good readers in every district,
this system alone put ambition into the
hearts OF the others to do their best at all
times.
Then, too, the books we had at that
time were well worth reading, being filled
with the choicest selections OF poetry and
prose. Clergyr,en. college professors and
men Of letters generally edited the school
readers in those far-off years. The Rev.
John Pierpont edited the old National and
other readers which were in use for long
time. He WAS from Connecticut, was
graduated at Yale and studied law at the
Litchfield law school, after which he went
to Massachusetts, to follow the legal pro-
fession. He soon decided to abandon that
for the pulpit, aud entered the Harvard
divinity school. In the year 1919 he was
ordained over the Hollis street Congrega-
tional Unitarian church in Boston, where
he preached for twenty-six years.
Ebenezer Porter, who was professor
OF sacred rhetoric at the Andover theo-
logical seminary for fifteen years and
then became president OF that institution,
post which he held until his death,
edited and compiled the old ssRhetor-
ical Reader, and wrote many books. But
this reader became very popular, and
went through nearly 100 editions.
Lindley Murray gave to the world, not
only the "English Reader, but several
other good books, among them q very
quaint and interesting autobiography,
which was published after his death. He
left his well-selected library to his niece,
Mrs. Smith. OF Washington. ID. c. After
her death her husband presented these
books to the Congressional library.
But the makers Of school books were
many, and their readers were remarkably
good, so good, in fact, that it seems almost
invidious to make comparisons. Some Of
the later ones passed through an enor-
nous number OF editions, and were sold
by the million; and yet it would seem,
taking everything into consideration,
that George y. Hillard's were somewhat
selections were all OF the best and were
preceded by brief biographical and criti-
cal sketches OF the writers. This last
feature was new, and it helped wonder
fully to make his readers more interesting
and valuable, not only to the students
but also TO the general public, for books
were scarce and the heads Of many families
were glad to devour the contents OF this
class OF literature.
Reference books were not at hand in
those small libraries as they are in the IL
braries OF to-day. Encyclopedias were to
be found only in an occasional home,
while the s'Dictionary Of Authors, the
Century Dictionary Of Proper Names,
and many others OF that class, had not
come into existence. We knew very little
OF the men and women whose writings We
were being made familiar with, so these
sketches doubled our interest and pleas
ure.
Mr.. Hillard was q Maine boy, having
first seen the light of day at Machias in
1905. In later years he went to Boston
and entered the Latin school, where he
prepared for Harvard college. In the
''Boston Book" published in 1850, Mr..
Hillard has an article on the destruction
of this old Latin school in 1874. 1t also
contains few "reminiscences OF some OF
his teachers and classmates which are
most interesting, and he tells with what a
sad heart he witnessed the demolition OF
that old building on School street.
He was graduated from Harvard in 1928,
after which ne became George Bancroft's
assistant in q seminary in Northampton,
Mass. In 1893 he became member Of the
Boston bar, where he soon acquired
most enviable reputation, not only in his
profession, but as gentleman, scholar,
an eloquent orator, polished writer, and
one of the most brilliant conversational
lists Of his time, whether in this country
or Europe. He wrote several books, OF
which probably his ''Six.Months in Italy,
had much the largest circulation, for it
jumped into an immediate and much de-
served popularity.
Possibly the compilation OF these
schooi-books may have yielded some reve-
nue., but we are inclined to believe that
the prevailing motive with these high
minded and high-thinking men was along
educational lines, for the benefit OF that
and future generations OF students.