USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Norfolk > History of Norfolk, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1744-1900 > Part 24
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In 1858 Mr. Rice left the Academy to engage in business at Pittsfield, Mass., with Mr. Joseph K. Kilbourn, a native of this town. His interest in schools and his reputation therein followed him to his new home, and for a long period of years he has been a member of the Board of Public Schools of Pittsfield, and for nine years was their Superin- tendent of Schools.
The town of Norfolk owes a lasting debt of gratitude also, which it can never pay, to Mr. William B. Rice, for what he did, with others, in the movement for the fencing of the green and the planting of trees therein, which work is mentioned in connection with the park.
At a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the found- ing of the Robbins' School in this town, October 10th, 1894, Mr. Rice was one of the speakers, and as a copy of his ad- dress most fortunately has been preserved, some extracts are given herewith. Mr. Rice said :-
"It affords me great pleasure to be here to participate in this reunion of a school which I am led to believe stands as a fit exponent of sound educational principles and methods. The presence of an old time teacher with his old time notions, if he happens to give expression to any, may
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serve by contrast, to sharpen and intensify the impression that great advance has been made in recent years in the matter of public instruction. Norfolk has always had special attractions to me. I love her hills, her valleys and streams. I am glad to have been identified with her past; to have had some small part in the work of her improve- ment and adornment; and again let me say, I am glad to be here.
'I first visited Norfolk in the spring of 1846, coming from Canaan on foot,-the speediest mode of locomotion at my command, reaching Norfolk some three or four hours in advance of Huggins' stage, the only public conveyance at that time in these parts. The spring town meeting, state election, was held that year in the meeting-house. The building was repaired that year, and no more town meet- ings were ever held there. It was arranged at that time that I should take charge of the Academy in the fall. Early in September the school term began. Two pupils appeared, -Remington and Robbins. We adjourned for a week and began again. The whole number of pupils for the term was nineteen.
'The winter term opened the Monday after Thanksgiving with a much larger attendance,-40 or 50 I think. From that time until the spring of 1858 I continued in charge, being absent one summer term; the attendance being about 30 or 35 in summer, and from 50 to 70 in the winter. Many pupils came from other towns. The larger boys and young men worked during the summer and attended school in winter, a custom not entirely without its advantages. This absence from school was somewhat, but not so very much, longer than the summer vacation of the present day, and they entered with as much zest upon their studies in the fall as do the young people of today after the long vacation.
'The younger pupils were taught after a pretty well de- fined course, in reading, spelling, arithmetic, geography, grammar, and history, especially of the United States, with generally satisfactory results. The studies of the older pupils were such as each one chose,-somewhat after the modern
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plan of some of our colleges,-optional or elective, and in- cluded arithmetic, grammar, algebra, mental philosophy, Latin, Greek, etc. Most of them knew pretty well what they wanted, and I made it my business to give them what they wanted, to the best of my ability. Their notions as to the value of education were decidedly utilitarian. As to educational theories, I am not aware that I had any. The object aimed at steadily and persistently was, to lead the boys and girls to think for themselves; to look at the sub- jects under consideration in a common sense way. A select sentence in one of our reading books ran thus: "Fine sense and exalted sense are not half so valuable as common sense;" and we believed and acted accordingly. So whether it was a problem in arithmetic or algebra, or a difficult sen- tence that was under consideration, appeal was made to common sense. The discipline thus gained was of far more value than the knowledge gained in the process, and thus was developed and strengthened that faculty, which in men and women is so difficult to define, so easy of recognition. It was not an uncommon thing for a pupil in the course of the winter session to work his way through Adams' or Thompson's arithmetic,-doing as much work and doing it well, as is done in modern graded schools in two or three years. This is to be regarded simply as a statement of fact,-not as a criticism, for the multiplicity of studies is doubtless responsible for much of the difference. Let me say in passing, that in my opinion arithmetic fills much too large a space in our school courses.
'Much attention was given to reading and spelling. In- telligent reading is the very foundation on which to build the entire educational superstructure. Without it, one grapples in vain with a written problem in arithmetic, or a difficult construction in language.
'The net result of those years of work, on the part of pupils and teachers, combined with the excellent moral, religious and social environment, was a goodly number of noble young men and women, well equipped to do duty as citizens, and to exert a healthful influence in the com-
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munity; and I take it, the primal, essential object of all our schools, is good citizenship.
'Many pupils excelled in scholarship, quite as much to their credit as to that of the school. One whose name now stands among the highest in his special sphere, was for a considerable period on the roll of its membership-Prof. Asaph Hall, then of Goshen, and for many years engaged in the public service at the National observatory, who is now retired, I believe, at the advanced age of 62 years, famous the world over as the discoverer of the moons of Mars, and never better fitted to do his country and the world effective service than now. For enthusiastic devo- tion to his chosen profession, and complete equipment for effective work in it, I have never known his superior. I do not mention him as one who owes anything to the Nor- folk school, but as one who has done much to honor him- self and us, and one whom I am sure we all delight to honor. I often recall with pleasure a visit to the obser- vatory at Georgetown while he was in charge, and the magnificent spectacle of Jupiter and his satellites, and of Saturn and his rings and moons, as seen through the great equatorial.
'Some of the boys became preachers of the gospel; some became lawyers, others successful business men; many have been elected by their fellow citizens to places of trust and responsibility, and have doubtless discharged their duties well. One fills acceptably the office of president of the board of trade in the largest city in this state, and is happy in having escaped the perils of a voyage undertaken in the interest of pleasure and science toward the Arctic pole. And if I am not mistaken, the candidate for an im- portant office on one of the state tickets this year is one of our boys."
The first one of his 'boys' to whom Mr. Rice refers above is James Dudley Dewell, a native of Norfolk, who since that time has served his native town and state most hon- orably and acceptably as the Lieutenant Governor.
The other 'boy' referred to was Lorrin A. Cooke, who
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since the date of Mr. Rice's address has been elected to and honorably filled the office of Lieutenant Governor, and then Governor of this State.
"The last fifty years have witnessed great improvement in our schools, and the attitude of the people toward them, especially in public schools. . .
During my stay in Norfolk I attended a teachers' insti- tute at Litchfield,-one of the first, if not the first, institute of the kind ever held in Litchfield County. More distinctly than anything else do I remember a spelling exercise, with which the first day's session closed. There were present fifty-eight teachers. A list of twenty-five words was given, to be written by each member of the institute. It was a fair list of words, such as teachers might reasonably be expected to be able to spell,-maintenance, emigrant, immi- grant, separate, twelfth, Cincinnati, hare-lip,-were among them, and as difficult as any in the list. Of the aggregate 1,450 spellings, over 1,100 were wrong. One spelled 24 out of the 25 words wrong. Only one was marked with but one mistake."
The one with "but one mistake," was Mr. William B. Rice of Norfolk, who, as he told us in school afterwards, wrote both h-a-r-e and h-a-i-r-lip, and this was marked against him as a mistake.
"I trust Litchfield County would make a better showing today. It is good to live in times like these. I sometimes think that we who can go back in memory forty or fifty years, have an advantage over the young, in being able to measure more accurately the progress that has been made, not in educational matters only, but in all departments of human effort. They are somewhat in the position of one who inherits an ample fortune, and does not know how to appreciate the real value of money, does not know the worth of a dollar because he never earned one.
A little more than fifty years ago, Daguerre invented photography, and now you have but to touch the button and the machine does the rest. In 1844 Morse erected the first electric telegraph between Washington and Baltimore,
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and now in the early morning we have news from all the world over of yesterday's doings. A speech is finished in the British parliament at three o'clock in the morning, and by two o'clock of the same morning it is printed in the city of New York. The wonderful development of the rail- way system of the world have been observed from be- ginning to end by men now living. It is only 65 years since the trial trip of the steamboat Rocket between Manchester and Liverpool; only 69 years since passengers and goods were first drawn by a locomotive on the Stockton and Darl- ington railway. Less than 20 years ago the telephone was invented, and later still, electricity has been harnessed to machinery, and forced to yield us light and power. Medical science and surgery have wrought wonders; many a dis- eased one has been made whole; many a blind one has gladly cried out, "Whereas I was blind now I see." These are a few of the wonderful instances of material progress with which our age abounds. Truly the youth of this day enter upon a magnificent inheritance.
I sincerely hope that the Robbins School has many pros- perous years before it; that its honored surviving founder may long live to see it grow in power and influence; that it may be an influence for good in individual lives,-a stim- ulus to improvement in every school of the town, and of all this region, alike a model and an inspiration."
Among some interesting documents belonging to the Norfolk Library is an Arithmetic in manuscript, which probably belonged to one of the sons of Ebenezer Burr, a teacher, in 1762. Some of the "Questions," which were evidently given to his scholars to answer, are of interest, showing what the boys and girls of that day had to do, such as the following :-
"Reduction of Long Measure.'
"The Earth and sea in circumference are said to be 360 Degrees. I demand how many Barley corns will encompass the same."
"From Norfolk to Hartford is 41 miles. I demand what Barley corns will reach it."
"Reduction of Time."
"Since the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is 1762 years. I de- mand how many seconds."
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"Oliver Burr was born February 21, 1744, Old Style, and 'tis now February 25, 1762, New Style. I demand his age in seconds."
Under the "Rule of Three," some rules are first given, and then several examples. "In this rule are three numbers given, to find a fourth, two of which are always to be of the same name, and must be put in the first and third places, and reduced to the least name of either of them. Also the second number must be brought into its least name. Then observe, if more requires more, or less re- quires less, then the question is direct. But if more requires less, or less requires more, then the question is reverse. If the question be direct, you must multiply the second and third numbers together and divide by the first; but if the question be reverse, you must multiply the first and second numbers together, and divide by the third." "Note: The Quotient in each operation will be of the same name with that you left the second number in."
"Question 5. If an army of 20,000 men eat 15,000 Barrels of pork in a month, how long will that feed an army of 4500 men?"
"Question 8. If a pin a day be a groat a year, what is 1000 pins worth ?"
"Question 13. Two men, A & B, set out from one place. A goes 40 miles a day, and on the 4th day after is pursued by B, who goes 50 miles a day. I demand how long and after how much travel B shall overtake A?"
"Question 20. There are 5000 soldiers in a garrison who have only 200 barrels of pork for six months, and one barrel will serve ten soldiers six months. I demand how many of them must quit the garrison that the rest may be sustained with that provision?"
"Question 23. Jupiter in his journey to the earth went at the rate of 15 rods in a second, and was three months in coming. Query: How far does he live from the earth?"
"Question 24. A merchant ships to his Factum 184 pieces of stuff with orders to sell them at £7 10s per piece, and draw com- missions at 5 per cent, and to ship the net proceeds home, half in wine at £6 10s per hogshead, and half in raisins at 10s 6d per hundred. How much of each sort must he have returned ?"
"Here endeth the Single Rule of Three."
Then follows "The Double Rule of Three," and "The rule of Fellowship."
"Example 1. Three farmers hire a shepherd to keep sheep six months, for £12. A commits 360 sheep to his care, B 535, and C 700. I demand what each man must pay the shepherd?"
These are given simply as sample questions, of Burr's old manuscript Arithmetic.
At a special town meeting January, 1837, it was "voted,
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that this town will receive its proportion of the money which may be deposited with this state by the United States in pursuance of the act of Congress entitled, "An act to regulate the deposits of the public money, . . . the surplus funds belonging to the United States, and appro- priating the interest accruing therefrom for the promotion of education and other purposes." Levi Shepard was ap- pointed agent of this town to receive from the treasurer of this state the proportion of the said money belonging to this town, Oliver B. Butler was appointed treasurer to receive said money from the agent of the town, and Thomas Curtiss and E. Grove Lawrence were appointed agents to conduct the business of loaning the money. The agents were limited to $500 as a loan to one person; the loans to be made to the inhabitants of this town only, and double security on land required in every case of loan. This was called the "Town Deposit Fund," and continues to the present time; the amount being nearly $4,000, and the in- terest therefrom was appropriated to the promotion of Education in the common schools of this town, to be di- vided "equally to each school district." Later one-half the interest on this fund was appropriated to the ordinary ex- penses of the town, and one-half to the support of schools.
"October, 1846, E. Grove Lawrence, Erastus Smith and Elizur Dowd were chosen a committee to confer with the proprietors of the Academy in this town respecting the use and occupancy of said Academy building occasionally for town meetings, etc., and if thought best to see how a part of it can be purchased and added to and report."
November, 1846. The "Selectmen were authorized to ne- gotiate with the incorporation of the Norfolk Academy for the purchase of the lower room of said Academy, to- gether with the equal undivided half of the land belonging to the same, at a sum not to exceed $750. Said building so purchased to be used as a town-house for the transaction of the necessary town business."
In April, 1818, it was "Voted to give the middle school district liberty to erect a school-house east of the travelling
THE BATTELL FOUNTAIN, AND THE PARK.
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road by the meeting-house, on the ground near where the timber now lies." The town clerk added the following: "The vote not being sufficiently explicit respecting the exact site, I examined the ground and found it to be about West from the present school-house. Auren Roys." "The center school-house and Conference-room was built in 1819," on the site of the present stone Chapel.
The above vote and location would indicate that at that time the travelled road still ran west of the meeting-house, where it was originally laid. The first school-house in the 'Middle District' stood on the green, about in front of the present old Academy building, and the school-house and Conference room were built in 1819 about west from that point.
THE PARK.
At the time of the first settlement of the town, a reser- vation of what was called "the meeting-house green," was made by a kind of general understanding apparently. If any formal, definite action, fixing the bounds of this reser- vation, was made, this writer has failed up to this time to discover it. In about 1845, one hundred years after the first settlement of the town, an effort was made by a committee appointed by the town, to discover and fix the bounds of the green, as will be fully shown a little later from the records of the town of that date. The first road coming from the south, as is mentioned in another chapter, passed west of the old residence of Rev. Mr. Robbins, the site of the present Robbins School, and then on, crossing the site of the present Chapel, west of the meeting-house, "about where Mr. Battell's house now stands, along on the summit of the ledge," as is given in Dr. Thomas Robbins' Century Sermon. It seems probable that this original highway was the west line of the green; but the exact location and width of that highway it is difficult to determine. From Roys' History we learn that the land here was covered with large hemlocks and maples. Speaking of the old meeting- house, he says: "The outside was painted with what was
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called a peach-blow color, which must have appeared a glaring contrast to the somber hue of the thick and lofty trees which then surrounded it, so dense that in coming from the south it was not seen until entering the lower part of the triangular green, now in use, and cleared of the incumbrance of lofty hemlocks and wide spreading maples, etc." In this same locality he mentions "rocks, deeply im- bedded, that had lain undisturbed since creation; . . . yet some remain as a specimen of the once rough appear- ance of the surface." Probably not less than twenty-five years after the settlement of the town passed before all of this forest primeval was removed and the ground in a measure cleared. If only we had a photograph of the old meeting-house and the green as it looked then, how inter- esting it would be. In his Century Sermon Dr. Thomas Robbins says, "the shade trees on this green were set out in the spring of 1788. They were Elms and Buttonwoods. The number set out was 57. Numbers of them failed the first year, and many others afterward, for want of due pro- tection. The green was ploughed and levelled in 1809." We may be sure that some of the stumps of the old trees remained at this time, even if the trees themselves were all gone. The writer remembers one of the old Buttonwoods long since gone and forgotten, that stood fifty years ago in front of the Conference room. Of the original elms, not more than seven remain. Three of the seven stand at the north-east corner of the park. Upon one of these, many years ago, Rev. Mr. Gleason, it is said, when pastor here, placed a tablet of wood, which still bears these lines:
"Voices of the Elms."
"Caesar saw fifty; we, an hundred years.
"Still green, an hundred more we'll stand like seers,
"And watch the generations, as they go,
"Beneath our branches in their ceaseless flow."
Some records of the efforts made in about 1845, to "as- certain and establish the lines of the center public green," by committees appointed by the town, are given. That they were entirely successful does not seem quite clear.
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At a town meeting held October 16, 1843, "Joseph Riggs and E. Grove Lawrence were appointed a committee to sur- vey the Center public green, and establish permanent bounds."
October, 1845, "Joseph Riggs, Michael G. Mills and Uri Butler were appointed to ascertain the lines of the center public green and highways surrounding it, and if necessary to employ Judge Burrell to make the survey."
October 20, 1845, the same committee were empowered to compromise and agree with the inhabitants near and around the center green who are particularly concerned in the late survey of the premises and to report at a future meeting.
October 27, 1845, "Voted to accept the doings of the Committee appointed to survey the public center green, and the highway surrounding it, and authorized the above committee still to proceed in the business assigned them, and compromise and agree with the inhabitants concerned, respecting lines, and any claim the town may have upon individuals, and report."
November 3, 1845, "Voted to authorize the committee ap- pointed to survey the center green to employ Judge Burrell to assist them in further attempts to ascertain the accurate lines and bounds of said green, and the highway surround- ing it, and report to a future meeting." November 17, 1845, "Voted, to authorize the committee lately appointed to sur- vey the green and the highway around it to make a com- promise with all or a part of the inhabitants adjoining said premises; and the selectmen are hereby authorized to give a deed to any of the inhabitants aforesaid which said com- mittee shall agree with, and receive a deed from any or all those with whom they have compromised."
April 2, 1849. "The Selectmen were authorized to en- close the public green with a good and suitable fence, ex- pending $1.00 on each rod, payable from the town treasury, provided $1.00 more shall be raised for the same purpose by subscription from individuals."
The following warning of a town meeting is found upon
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the records of the town :- "There will be a special town meeting at the town hall on Monday, the 7th instant, at one o'clock, to take into consideration the location of the fence around the public green, and to do any other business proper to be done." The month or year is not stated, there is no date to the warning, and no record that the meeting has yet been held. The next entry upon the record is a notice for a town meeting on February 7th, 1853, to con- sider "the removing of the ledge of rocks and covering them so as to make the travelling part of the road as near the elm tree as practicable on the northwest corner of the public green, near the sign-post, so as to straighten the road leading south. Also to direct as to the location of a large flat stone in front of the meeting-house, used as a horse-block; also the extending or diminishing of the park fence. Also to take action on a petition to the selectmen to lay a road or highway beginning near B. W. Crissey's or George Rockwell's, running a southerly direction, to terminate near Philo Smith's." There is no record of any action having been taken at this town meeting for "remov- ing the ledge of rocks," and the ledge remains "at the northwest corner of the public green." Neither is there mention of laying the highway from "near B. W. Crissey's," now R. I. Crissey's, "or George Rockwell's," now G. W. Scoville's, " to terminate near Philo Smith's," now Obadiah Smith's, and that highway has never been opened.
At the meeting February 7, 1853, it was "voted that the selectmen so alter the park or green fence that the east line of the same be shortened one length, making the south line nearly straight." This fence extended to the south line of the Academy or Town Hall building, where it remained until about 1876. At the same meeting it was "voted, that if the consent of the adjoining proprietors can be obtained," meaning the owners of the horse-sheds, "individuals shall have the right to build a fence around the south point of the green, leaving a lane of proper width between the north line of the same and the south line of the one now built, but not at the expense of the town."
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"Fencing the green" was strongly opposed at the time this first fence was built; one ground of opposition being that it took away from a number of individuals their best piece of cow-pasture, cows being at that time allowed to run in the streets, and this deprived them (the owners of the cows) of one of their inherent rights. The other ground of opposition was urged principally by or in behalf of peo- ple living in the out parts of the town; that it made them so much more travel when they came to town to attend church or to transact business, to be obliged to drive around the green instead of across it, as they and their fathers had always been permitted and accustomed to do. So, fencing the north part of the green and leaving the south part open was a compromise, not depriving individu- als of all their pasturage, and compelling the owners of the long row of horse-sheds which then stood by the Academy to drive only as far south as the entrance to their property. It was not long, however, before all feeling of opposition to the park died out, and nearly all who at first opposed it came to feel an interest in it, and appreciated the improve- ment. At a town meeting May, 1854, it was "voted that the grass in the public green be sold at auction to the highest bidder, and that the selectmen cause the holes on the green to be filled up."
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