New Britain herald., 1928-05-12
EARLY SCHOOLS 0F
 CITY ARE CITED
New Britain Educational System <TraCed in New Book

oI tne HeW DOORS TOT May, Wfllten by Dr. Orwin Bradford Griffin of Naterbuy. This volume. which is called the Evolution of the Connec- Iicut State School System With Special Reference to the Emergency of the High School. has just been brought out by the Teachers college. Columbia university. bureau of pub lications as title No. 2a3 in the Contributions to Eudation" series. It constitutes an exhaustive and au- 1horitative account of Connecticut educational history from the earliest times to the present. Without im- pairing the scholarly nature of the study. the author has found it im- possible to include many personal items Of interest locally New Brit ain is one of the ten larger com- munities which are given much space in the text.
 Because of the unuuestionable significance of Dr. Griffin's new book :ls contribution to Connecticutiana, 1t is probable that every library and historical society in the state will supply themselves with copies and that it will soon be in circulation at the New Britain institute library. In appearance it Is we'll gotten-up, blue clothbound volume of nine chapters and 250 pages. Twenty pages of reference notes list hun dreds of original documents to which the author went for contempo- raneous accounts of educational conditions in Connecticut during the successive periods which the book describes.
 The third chapter, which presents minutely detailed story of Con- necticut academies in the de- cade 1880 1S4O, devotes e section to an interesting old prKate venture academy call ed the New Britain High school" In 1882 this institution had the rather modern slogan of "every subject taught for practical utility, with reference to the duties and busi- ness of life" As matter of fact, this idea is not modern at all, but in America dates back to the founding of the famous Phillips Andover academy in 177s. At this early New Britain High school" If a student attend to the clements and theory of surveying. a good com pass is put into his hand" Field word under the guidance of the teacher was made regular exercise, once a week or oftener. If the student be attending to that branch of trigonometry which treats of heights and distances. or grading or 1eve'ling, telescopic level and sex tant. or theodolite is put into his hand.' For the young lady "pur- suing the study of the heavens, or the geography of the earth, the principles of drawing or perspective, it is deemed equally essential that she learn to develope her problems, and theories, her maps and protec- f'ons upon paper; for this purpose the young lady was furnished with every variety Of graphic instruments that can be needed for any practical purpose"
 A chapter is devoted to the oldest Latin school in Connecticut. This was the Hartford Grammar school, which has been called "The Rugby Of Connecticut" The conduct and life of this famous institution Is re- lated for the period Of 17as to 1s4o. Following this comes the story of the spirited school battle" which had 10 be fought out in the Hartford town and school society meetings from 1S4o to 1s47. before the Hart ford public high school could be established. Among the topics and phrases which filled the air during the course of this heated contest were: "Eested rights" steady habits in the good old ways" mo taxation for other peoples children" "Iet well enough alone" what was good enough for the father was good enough for the son." none of your high schools for me-" In the end the friends of education triumphed and the Hartford high school. opened De- cember l, 1S47. became "the first fully organized high school in Con- necticut.'
 The struggle to secure the ad Nantages of high school education for the older and more advanced boys and girls of New Britain was also slow and disheartening at times, as is shown in this new book. Final ly, through an arrangement with the
 
 school it became possible to organize a system of graded schools. and in 1850 the high school was opened in a room of the Normal school build ing. Referring to the New Britain schools in 1854, Professor David N. Camp reported: There is probably no system of schools precisely like this in any town in New England"
 An interesting development, dem- onstrating the pupils loyalty to the institution, was the formation in 1858 of the New Britain High School association" composed of the members and alumni of the school and organized flor the purpose of forming a sort of annual reunion of schoolmates." So far as is known. this is tEe first high school alumni association founded in the state
 Dr. Griffin, the author of The Evolution of the Connecticut State School System With Special Refer- ence to the Emergence Of the High School. has been since 1920 head of the English department at Wilby high school, Waterbury. and since 1923 submaster also. He was for merly an instructor in the Hartford public high school. During 1926 1927 he was an instructor at Teach CTS college. Columbia university, and was visiting professor of edu- cnfinn af fhn (solle1a nf Edunaf finr