The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-11-24
BORROWING FROM. THE PAST.
Aptitude of Gov Coolidge for Using
Historical Quotation to Good Effect.

On two occasions Governor Coolidge
has shown an aptness worthy of Lord
Morley in citing from literature or his.
tory an illustration of a contemporary
subject. In letter to Mayor Peters
on the pay Of teachers the governor
quotes the following passage from Rog-
er Ascham's "Seholemaster" written
about 1865:
And it is pity that commonly more
care is had, yea, and that among very
wise men, to find out rather cunning
man for their horse than cunning man
for their children. They say nav in
word, but they do so in deed For to
the one they will gladly give a stipend
Of 200 crowns by the year and are loath
to offer TO the other 200 shilIngs God
that stitch in heaven laugheth their
choice to scorn and rewardeth their
liberality as it should For He suffer
eth them to have tame and we'll or
dered horses, but wild and unfortunate
children, and therefore in the end they
find more pleasure in their horse than
comfort in their children"
This is the first instance. The second
occurs in the proclamation Of holiday
on armistice day Here Governor Cool
idge recalls that the date, Nov II, Is
the date of the Mayfiower compact, the
covenant which the Pilgrims adopted,
before landing from the Mayhower, and
"in which, calling on the Creator to
witness, as the governor observes,
they agreed with one another TO make
just laws and render due submission
and obedience" year ago, on the
same day Of the year, the last great
stronghold OF force, agreed to
cast aside the sword and live under the
law
In introducing the quotation from
Ascham, Governor Coolidge speaks Of
him as teacher of Queen Elizabeth"
Those who imagine that the higher edu-
cation of women was exclusively de-
velopment of the 10Th century might be
interested to read list OF the subjects
which the Princess Elizabeth studied
when she was Ii and " years old
Ascham's own testimony is preserved
The tutor praises his pupils Beauty,
stature, wisdom and industry" lie
praises her handwriting particularly
in Greek and Latin. She talks French
and Italian as well as English; she has
often talked to me readily and well in
Latin and moderately so in Greek
She read with me almost all Cicero and
great part of Titus Bivius
She used to give the mornings to the
Greek Testament and afterwards read
select orations Of lsocrates and the
tragedies of Sophocles To these | add
ed St Cyprian and Melanchthon's Com
monplaces" II must be admitted that
this is fairly strenuous program for
a girl-even princess of 10 and H.
Nor was Elizabeth the only educated
woman of her time. It was Ascham
who paid a visit TO Lady Jane Grey
and found her reading Platos "Phaedo, .
while the other people of the house
were out hunting.
Still there was nothing unduly book
ish about Ascham His earliest work in
English, the "Toxophius, dwells on
the Importance Of archery in education.
While the teachers Of whom he speaks
in the passage quoted by Governor
Coolidge were private tutors rather
than teachers in schools, the force of
the quotation is not impaired. The
governors happy use of the passage
from Ascham should send many per-
sons back to this true humanist of the
10th century Springfield Republican.