Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-16
HISTORY OF BARRINGER HIGH SCHOOL
Is A GREAT RECORD OF TRIUN1PF4S

ZIP there on Ridge street, overlook
ing Branch Brook Park, is n
~ plain yellow brick building,
partly covered with ivy 1t is not pre-
tentious or even up-to-date, but there
is something mighty homeliSe about
those big square rooms, the long cor
ridors and the auditorium with its
rows of seats. For over sixty years
Newark High School (now Barrlnger
High SCHOOL, has been the home of
boys and girls. Each year the in :
coming class grows larger and the
scope of studies greater, and yet how
many out of the thousands of pupils
realize the steady effort and struggle
that were necessary to make Newark
High School what it is today-one of
the finest in the land.
Years ago high schools, and, in fact,
ell public schools, were scorned. They
were not considered the proper place
for children of refinement. Little
attention was paid by the city to
"higher education" and private
schools flourished.
At last, in 1888, Newark woke up
bit and arranged to have four gram
mar schools built, one in each of the
four city wards. A high school for
boys was also started, in the second
story of building on Bank street.
Only one teacher, a Mr.. Hedges, was
put in charge of the ninety-one pupils,
eleven of whom were orphans.
Discipline was difficult in those days
and f1ogging frequent. Indeed, cor
poral punishment was the only method
employed to enforce order or to make
the pupils study; and so proficient in
this art was Mr.. Hedges that he was
universally hated by the boys and
feared by the parents. The studies
under his direction were crude, there
being no prescribed courses, and the
subjects being as variable as the
teachers fancy. But then this little
assembly of boys was but the third
high school in the United States, the
first being in Boston, erected in 1921,
and the next in Philadelphia, ten
years later.
People Grow Apprecintive.
BY 1850 the people were beginning
to appreciate public education, and
in that year the Board of Education
was established with ample author
ity for creation and management of
schools" Eighteen hundred and fifty
four caught the first glimpse
of Newark High School. 1t was then
on the corner of Washington and
Linden streets, where the Normal
School is now This site, building
and furnishings, amounted in all to
$25, 600
In 1862 courses were established
and diplomas awarded to the gradu-
ates. The first commencement exer-
cises took place in Library Hall,
with program made up of essays
(original and otherwise), orations
and songs. Those who had the
honor of being the first to receive
diplomas from Newark High School
were William Nelson, Herman
Bleyle, Charles Osmun, Jacob Lay
ton, Oscar Marshall, Joe Pittenger,
George Reeve and Herman Le1l-
bach.
After the Civil War the Newark
High fourished. New studies were
introduced, organizations were
formed and the school spirit grew.
DR.. e. o. Hovey, who was principal
until 1899, did all he could to make
the school ideal in every sense of the
word. In 1897 he proposed the in
PRODUCTION of the Spanish language
as a study, but this did not meet with
enthusiasm, and the idea was drop
ped. During this time the weather
bureau was established under the
management of George c. Som, who
for many years had charge OF the
chemistry department. This weather
bureau was a great source of interest