Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-18
Circulation Every 1C001
Evening Yesterday i q OO
sATUDAY, SEPTEMBER is, 1920
The Boarding School Passing.

The closing of the Shortlidge Academy
at Concordville, Pa, will recall pleasant
memories Of the school days of many OF
the elder generation of Wilmingtonians.
The school was situated on hill overlook
inc some beautiful country of Delaware
and Pennsylvania, as it stands near the
bordor of both States. Here, after the Clvi
War. many Young men from Wilmington
and Brandywine hundred and from ad-
jacent sections Of Pennsylvania were sent
a. finish their education. The standard OF
the institution was high, Joseph Shortldge
and his wife both being college bred. They
Unmarried such scholastic atmosphere to
the institution that it came TO take rank
with the best boarding schools for young
men of its day
Nfaplewood Academy is the asst OF the
old-time boarding schools that were so
numerous in this part OF the country hfty
years ago. Here the students were taught,
boarded, with the laundering OF their
clothes and the darning of their socks IN
cluded. for scarcely more for the term than
is required TO meet the expense OF young
man for a month at the modern school. vi
course. education, like everything else, has
advanced nightly. At Concordville the
students lived as big family, the table
heing supplied from the annexed farm, ana
while the fare IN such institutions was re-
garded as good in those days, 1t was al
most invariably scant, due to the belief,
perhaps. that the youths should not be fed
on strong rich foods, nor sent to bed with
overloaded stomachs Consequently
everybody who recalls these old board
inc school days will remember that ire
quently stewed prunes, or more often dried
apples. constituted the piece dereslstance
on the bill Of fare for Saturday and sun
day evenings; and indeed, the food was
equally lacking in quality throughout the
week. Especially was the hearty meal at
night derided and there is not a boarding
school man living who will fail to recall
many nights Of his student days when he
went 70 bed hungry or pleced out the
plain, unappealing supper from the COX
sent now and then by an Indulgent mother
from the home. And. too, the frugal re-
past was at times supplemented by RAIDS
into neighboring orchards or turnlp heids,
where the young men ate like famished
soldiers To be sure this description hts |
the boarding schools Of that day and is not |
aimed at Maplewood, as Professor Short |
hdges academy was known, taking Its
name from the fine shade trees that almost |
hide the institution from the view OF |
persons DIR wing along the adjacent roads.
In the earlier days the rod was appl ed |
with much severity IN these institutions OF /
learning, aud perhaps one OF the essen
tials az a teacher. insisted on when he was
hired, was his ability TO wallop any Of the /
youths who came 10 be polished of men
tally
The associate teachers occasionally |
were a remarkable set of men, but more
often commonplace. They, or many OF
them, were soldiers of fortune" or ad
venture, several in the early days OF the
last century coming from France, where
they had served under the great Napoleon,
and being unwilling to take service under
lesser lights of France, migrated hlther to
earn livelihood.
There were nc huking pupils n those
days. Everybody who came the required
number Of years was accorded graduation
honors at the sDrlng commencement, when
their family and friends came to regard
them with envy as men OF education,
higher education being less usual then
than at present.
The old boarding schools served their
purpc Sc well and met the educational de-
mands Of the times fully. The stu
dents were usually healthy lot of lusty
young men, who came TO school for pur-
pose, and their education was not so
much sub0rdinated to athletics ae at
this time Whether enforced abstemious
habits at table were responsible for their
good health, Of course, no one can tell,
but they were for the mcst party sturdy,
strong chaps, who came from the boarding
school finished and ready TO combat the
world and solve ats problerns-to take a |
man place in the community's work.
Tuition, board and all the incidentals of
living in the sixties. for example, cost the
pupils 800 or sl25 with perhaps dollar or
two extra each term to pay for a sitting in
church Of whichever denomination the
parents preferred, for the tuitie n included
the guarantee that the boys would attend !,
worship az least once each week. ,,
The Shortlidges--there were three Of
them, brothers-were all men Of mark and
activity vital. virile men. Two of them
conducted successful boarding schools
me Of which was at Kennett Square
md the third, DIR. +. G. Shortlidge, is re-
here as physician of much
and large practice, but who I
ound time 20 serve many years on the city
Board of Education and subsequently as |
mayor Of Wilmington.
Perhaps no one will regret the passing of !