USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Malden > Memorial of the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Malden, Massachusetts, May, 1899 > Part 3
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THE PRESS COMMITTEE
the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co., direct telephone communication was furnished ; and the Remington Typewriter Co. placed ten of its best machines in the rooms for the use of the report- ers. Badges were given to accredited representatives of the press, which admitted the wearers everywhere ; and a tally-ho and carriages were provided, which enabled the reporters to visit all parts of the city. More than three hundred newspaper men were registered at the press headquarters, where a continuous lunch was served, and the clatter of the. typewriters and the coming and going of busy men gave evidence of the work that was being done.
All these facilities were in constant use by men from every New England state, who looked upon Malden as a new city grown into their vision, a revelation, which next day or next week was heralded to their own people. The celebration was mentioned in thousands of papers throughout the country, even journals as far distant as Texas and California giving it space. Every item referring to the celebra- tion which it has been possible to obtain has been placed in a large scrap-book, prepared by the press committee, which will be preserved in the public library.
It was facetiously said that the facilities afforded and the resultant enthusiasm of the reporters caused the Boston papers to lose their " sense of proportion ; " and that Malden had " discovered itself " and made its existence known to the world. Never was a local celebra- tion given equal space in the Boston and suburban papers. A few days after the celebration, the Boston Traveler printed this observation : -
" I admire Malden for its beauty and respect it for its municipal integrity, over which the breath of scandal rarely hovers, but I re- spectfully submit that neither it nor any other city, save ours, is entitled to anything like the vast areas of space given its celebration by Boston papers, to the exclusion, very likely, of news of real impor- tance. Now and then our journals lose their sense of proportion entirely, and the Malden affair furnished an excellent illustration of the fact."
The activity of the committee and the attention which was paid to the comfort and convenience of its guests were appreciated by the reporters and other representatives of the press, and were widely acknowledged after the celebration.
The work of other committees is fully shown in the statement of the results which they attained, as in those of the banquet, the parade, and other events of the celebration. There was no com- mittee appointed whose members did not do efficient work in the de- partments to which they were assigned ; and all are entitled to equal honor. The unanimity of feeling from the first, and the general har mony of action which prevailed to the last, were evidences of a sincere loyalty to the city and a subordination of all private wishes to the
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great good of the whole. The cause of the success of the celebration was the united labor of disinterested and earnest men and women ; and that may be summed up in one word, used in its strictest sense, - Cooperation.
It has been seen that the motive and controlling power of the work of preparation was in the executive committee, to which all the other committees were subordinate and to which all looked for direc- tion and authority. The labors of this committee were exacting and sometimes perplexing, as unforeseen difficulties arose and as ways and means were to be considered and decided. While due praise may be given to each and all of this committee, a sketch of the preparation of the celebration would be incomplete were the active chairman of the executive committee not especially mentioned with commendation. His clear head and persistent will gave wise direction and earnest support to the work of the various committees, and his ardor incited a corresponding ardor that made certain the successful result.
During the celebration, the members of the committees were designated by official badges which were thus described : -
" Made of solid metal, gilded and lacquered, fancy engraved top bar with the name of the respective sub-committee thereon, shown in soft black enamel; round medallion bottom piece representing the city seal of Malden in the centre, and '250th Anniversary, 1649-1899' in the outer circle."
The reception committee for the ready identification by guests wore the badge on a crimson ribbon.
In the following pages the chronicle of four days is given with such minuteness as is possible, and with a care which aims to make the record authoritative. All that is left of the celebration is its story in the printed page and the memories of those who participated there- in. To a later generation, naught but the story will remain, and the celebration which to us is a matter of congratulation and pride may seem to them as simple and inadequate as the celebration of 1849 now seems to us. The bright gatherings of children, the crowded streets, and the loud rejoicings, the music and the decorations, the voices of the orators and the sweet singers, the life and beauty of the ball and the banquet, the bright days that with their sunshine and mildness made the smiling face of nature more beautiful, all have- passed away. Yet in the words that were spoken and in the record of that which was done such evidences of loyalty to city, state, and nation, and to the memory of the fathers, of good-will to men, and of hope in the future, may be found as will make our successors to hold us in equal honor with the fathers, and to give us that meed which belongs to those who, revering the past, work in the present with hope for the coming ages and a sincere trust in the everlasting care of God.
CHARLES L. DEAN MAYOR
PROGRAM.
SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1899.
2 P.M. PUBLIC SCHOOL EXERCISES.
5 P.M. CAPTAIN DODD'S TROOPERS. 7 P.M. RECEPTION AT THE FIRST CHURCH.
8 P.M. JUBILEE ENTERTAINMENT.
EXERCISES OF SATURDAY.
PUBLIC SCHOOL EXERCISES.
T HE part taken by the public schools was one of the most sug- gestive and pleasing of the celebration. As the schools lie at the foundation of good citizenship, and the future of our city depends upon those who are to come out of them, to them was appropriately given the honor of the opening exercises of the occasion. All matters pertaining to their preparation were wisely left in the hands of the school committee, an adequate appropriation having been made by the executive committee for that purpose.
Coincident with the purposes of the celebration was the prepara- tion of a Public School Souvenir, which was issued in an octavo volume of two hundred and forty-two pages, and should be in the hands of every citizen who values the advantages of popular educa- tion. This volume contains numerous illustrations, comprising views of schoolhouses, groups of teachers and scholars, interesting features of school work, etc. ; and by the example of actual work it presents a vivid and instructive view of the present condition of the schools of the city. Eminent educators have pronounced it to be the most com- plete and satisfactory outline of every-day educational work ever printed. At the Paris Exposition, in 1900, it will probably tell the story of the Malden of to-day more completely than any educational record will give that of any other American city ; and in 1949, when the three hundredth anniversary will engage the attention of our suc- cessors, it will be of the greatest value as a means of correctly measuring the advance which the first half of the twentieth century will make in educational matters. Much that appears of value now may be found as inadequate then as the methods of 1849 now appear to us, in their comparative crudeness and simplicity.
To illustrate the beginnings of school work in New England, a facsimile of the first schoolhouse built here, in 1712, was erected on the grounds of the High School, at the corner of Salem and Ferry Streets. It appears in the foreground of the view of the High School in the present volume. The original building stood at the southerly corner of the present Main and Pleasant Streets, with a door on the
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latter street. It was used as a schoolhouse, sometimes as a watch- house, until 1730, when it was given to Thomas Degresha, the bell- man and grave-digger. It is described as follows : -
" The first school house in Malden would have made a sorry figure by the side of those of the present day. It was neither imposing nor elegant. Hardly could it have been convenient, except that to the simple farmers of that day anything was of convenience that afforded a shelter from the heats of summer and the storms of winter. It was ' bult 20 foots jn length 16 foots wide 6 foot stud between joints.' A chimney, 'nere seven foots between ye gams,' decreased the capac- ity of the room ; and when its spacious 'harth' was blazing with its pile of green logs the physical discomfort of the child who sat on the nearest bench could only have been equalled by that of the unfortu- nate shiverer who sat by the door. Of course, it was of one story, and its walls were filled with brick ' to ye plaets,' in that good cold- defying fashion which may yet be found in some old houses, and which puts to shame the shams of modern construction. It had 'two windores one on ye South and ye other on ye Est,' and one ' dower of plain Boords.'"
The reproduction contained a representation of the probable furni- ture of the old building ; but the pine benches and rude desks looked inappropriately new and out of place, until a few boys, who were sent into the building with their jack-knives, proved that the rising generation has still a knowledge of some of the arts of the past. The furniture was soon reduced to the condition of that of the old brick schoolhouse which many of us remember, and in the ornamentation of which some of us learned the first rudiments of the carver's art.
Preliminary exercises were held in many of the schools on Friday, May 19, consisting of literary and musical selections appropriate to the coming celebration. At the High School, Dr. Frank B. Siears presented a large American flag, which was raised soon after in the presence of the scholars. Interesting original essays on subjects con- nected with the history of Malden were read by several pupils, and portions of the oration and poem of the celebration of 1849 were recited with effect.
During the celebration, the principal school buildings bore appro- priate mottoes as a part of the official decorations. They were as follows : -
BELMONT SCHOOL : The true function of the school is the forma- tion of character.
CENTRE SCHOOL : The public school is the people's university.
CONVERSE SCHOOL : All education is self-education.
EMERSON SCHOOL : Thought is the great work of life.
FAULKNER SCHOOL : Victory over ignorance is the greatest of all victories.
HIGH SCHOOL-REPRODUCTION OF FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE
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HIGH SCHOOL [New]: He who masters himself may master all things.
HIGH SCHOOL [ Old] : An educated hand makes an educated brain. LINCOLN SCHOOL : Education brings out every latent virtue.
LINDEN SCHOOL : Men are grown, not manufactured.
The culmination of the work of the school committee was the gathering of the public schools in the Anniversary Building on the afternoon of Saturday, May 20, in which about two thousand children participated. The schools filled the entire floor of the house, the stage being occupied by past and present members of the school com- mittee and invited guests.
The day had been somewhat threatening ; but it was noticed, as a happy augury for the success of the celebration, that the sun, which had been obscured, shone through the clouds just as the first strains of America broke the anticipatory silence of the great gathering.
During the address of Mr. Littlefield the electric lights were turned on, as the clouds had again obscured the sky, bringing out with sudden clearness the happy faces and the brilliant colors of the dresses of the children. The fine effect, as observed from the stage, incited the speaker to compare the gathering of the children to the star-spangled banner, which was received with applause.
At two o'clock the notes of the overture to Suppe's Beautiful Galatea called the assembly to order ; and, at the conclusion of the number, the INVOCATION was offered by the Rev. Joshua W. Well- man, D.D., a former member of the school committee. The schools and the audience then sang -
AMERICA.
My country, 't is of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing ; Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrims' pride, From every mountain side Let freedom ring.
My native country, thee - Land of the noble free - Thy name I love ; I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills ; My heart with rapture thrills Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake ; Let all that breathe partake ; Let rocks their silence break, The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God, to Thee, Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing ; Long may our land be bright With freedom's holy light ; Protect us by Thy might, Great God, our King !
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Aaron C. Dowse, the chairman of the school committee, as chair- man of the meeting, then made -
THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS.
Past and Present Members of the School Committee, Members of the City Government, Invited Guests : - In behalf of these - the brightest gems in Malden's crown - it is my pleasant duty and high privilege to welcome you to the first public exercises incident to Mal- den's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebration. It is, indeed, fitting that our school children, the pride of the present and the hope of the future, be accorded the first place on our anniversary program ; that their sweet voices, in the melody of patriotic song, dedicate this building. We are proud of this beautiful city of homes ; proud of its well kept streets and its many material excellences. We point to it as a God-fearing, law-abiding, well governed Massachusetts munici- pality. And ever as we strive to better its condition, as we seek to make Malden even more attractive and more nearly perfect in every department of municipal life, we do it not for ourselves, but for these, our children, the controlling influence as truly now as in the years when in mature manhood and womanhood they -
" Finish what we begin, And all we fail of win."
This May day, with its sun and rain, and these bright, rosy-faced children, on whose cheeks sometimes forms the rainbow of tears and laughter, - how typical one of the other !
" Summer is dumb, and faint with dust and heat ; This is the tuneful month when every sound is sweet. Thrill, youthful heart; soar upward, limpid voice; Blossoming time is come - rejoice, rejoice, rejoice !"
It is a far cry from the Malden of 1712, and the little schoolhouse on yonder green, with -
" The warping floor, the battered seat, The jackknife's carved initial,"
to the Malden of 1899, with its many school buildings valued at eight hundred thousand dollars ; a far cry from that day, when half a score of children " went storming out at playing," to this day when in the same territorial limits are twelve thousand public-school children. Who can paint the picture of 1949 ? We upon this platform can see it only in prophecy ; but many of you, my children, may know its reality.
I stood one day in that grand palace hall, near Paris, where emperors were crowned and where presidents are elected. Upon the
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PUBLIC SCHOOL EXERCISES
wall is the picture of a wounded soldier ; look at it from any point of view - directly in front, from left or right - and the eyes of that sol- dier look into your own. I may forget the beauty of that hall ; I may forget its costly decorations and the splendor of its overarching walls, but I can never forget that painting, that soldier, those beseeching eyes. And so I feel that when the enthusiasm of sport and game and entertainment has been tempered by the experience of years, when the sound of salute and clang of bell is but a faint echo of far- off days, when the pomp and dazzle of decoration and parade grow dim upon the vision, even then you will remember this May-day after- noon and these exercises in which, and of whichi, you are the living, moving spirit.
Children (I had almost said, my children), as you welcome these our guests, so also do we welcome you. For you we labor, with you we renew our youth, by you we send our word of cheer to the Malden of the future.
" Ye are better than all the ballads That ever were sung or said; For ye are the living poems And all the rest are dead."
A medley by the band, introducing the Suwanee River, the Red, White, and Blue, the Star-Spangled Banner, and other patriotic and popular airs, followed; after which the chairman presented the first speaker.
THE CHAIRMAN. - We have such a multiplicity of good things, such a wealth of eloquence and wit, that the order of the day, " made and provided," is clear-cut, concise, - not over-long addresses by many, rather than elaborate discourses by few.
The framers of our city charter, while allowing aldermen and councilmen to be elected by wards, appreciated the paramount impor- tance of our public schools, and enacted into law the requirement that the school committee must be elected at large by all the voters in all the wards. The mayor is the only other public official thus elected, and by provision of the charter he, too, is made a member of the school committee - its chairman, ex officio. The Mayor of Malden, Hon. Charles L. Dean.
ADDRESS OF MAYOR CHARLES L. DEAN.
Mr. Chairman, School Children of Malden, and Ladies and Gentlemen : - As I stand before you in my capacity as mayor, I feel deeply the honor of being privileged to assist in inaugurating the cere- monies of the next three days, commemorating the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of the town of Malden.
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And especially do I feel it a great privilege and eminently fitting that it should be to a large gathering of the children that these words should be spoken.
I congratulate the members of the school committee on the results of their earnest and faithful work in furthering the educational inter- ests of this city ; and sufficient evidence of this work is given us to-day as we look into the bright eyes and intelligent faces before us, assur- ing us that behind these lie minds being trained to think and observe.
Our schools, as we see them to-day, show, in a great measure, the faithful labor and thought of all who have held an honored position on the school committee in the past.
Our superintendents also have been able and especially successful in their work. We are all proud of our present superintendent, who was for several years principal of our High School. He has honored every position he has been called to fill ; and it is in all our memories that his work here was interrupted for a year that he might represent the educational interests of Massachusetts at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. He takes a front rank among the educators of this commonwealth to-day.
The principals of our schools and all the teachers connected with them, many of whom have given long years of earnest and faithful service to the work, are all to be most heartily congratulated upon their excellent standing. To them belongs the credit, for without their hearty cooperation and untiring work, day by day, this visible result would not be possible. This, carried on for a long series of years as a town and then as a city, has placed the schools of Malden in the front rank among the schools of Massachusetts, which are famous the world over for their excellence.
I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to all who have taken a part in accomplishing these results. It is a work of which you may well be proud.
· The children before me to-day will with difficulty appreciate the difference between their beautiful schoolhouses, fitted with every modern convenience to make learning easy and a pleasure, with their large sunny, well ventilated rooms, and the traditional red schoolhouse of years ago, with its one small room and uncomfortable benches, and an iron stove in the middle, which your present mayor can fully de- scribe from his early recollections.
From these same red schoolhouses have come, however, down from the hills of New Hampshire and Vermont men who have taken leading places in our large cities, in the busy marts of life, in the national and state governments, and in various positions of trust throughout the country. How much more, then, with every advantage which thought and money can offer, should you accomplish! And we are not disap-
ANN SURSÅS.
THE ANNIVERSARY BUILDING
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PUBLIC SCHOOL EXERCISES
pointed in this, for we find our High School receiving the bright minds from the lower grades. Its membership is increasing every year, and we are proud of it; for we know that those who have had the inestimable opportunity of a college training have gone from our High School to Harvard, Yale, Boston University, Smith, and Vassar with high rank, and have graduated with honor to themselves and the schools which nourished them. Not only that, but those who were but the children of yesterday have come out of our schools, and are occupying prominent positions in the community and in our public affairs to-day.
We trust and hope that you children of to-day are fitting yourselves for these positions of trust and honor in the future.
The people of the town and city of Malden have been as a unit in doing all in their power to advance its educational interests.
Since Malden became a city, in 1882, about six hundred thousand dollars have been expended in new school buildings. I most firmly believe that this department of the city will advance steadily, keeping pace with the rapid growth of our population, in the future as in the past.
ODE BY ARTHUR MARK CUMMINGS.
SCHOOL CHORUS. Music, Fair Harvard.
Fair City, rejoice, mid these jubilant throngs, As thy children assemble to-day,
With pageants, and banners, and garlands, and songs, Their tribute of honor to pay.
And among us yet others are standing unseen, Sober-clad and of visage austere :
They have noiselessly come from their low tents of green To partake of our festival cheer.
O rugged forefathers and mothers, the years Bring rich triumphs to crown your repose :
The vine in the wilderness planted with tears Hath blossomed like Sharon's sweet rose. God Unchanging, with us, as with them, be Thy grace ; Be our purpose as lofty and pure.
When beside them we lie, in our last resting-place, May our mem'ry as nobly endure.
THE CHAIRMAN. - We much regret that the inclemency of the weather prevents the attendance here this afternoon of the man whose name is in all our thoughts when we enter our beautiful public library 3
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or stroll through the shady lanes in Pine Banks. "Oh ! he sits high in all our hearts," - Malden's first citizen, the Honorable, ay, always Honorable, Elisha S. Converse !
The oldest living ex-member of the school committee in point of service is William S. Stearns, - a well known Boston lawyer, - whose absence from the state prevents his presence here to-day. He was a member of the school committee in 1849, just fifty years ago.
Rev. Aaron C. Adams, D.D., now of Wethersville, Conn., was a member of the school committee in 1854, as were also Rev. Daniel P. Livermore, D.D., of Melrose, and Matthias Crocker of this city. Dr. Livermore is confined to his home by illness, - his distinguished wife, Mary A. Livermore, expressing in a letter to the committee regret at their inability to be present. Dr. Adams, responding to our invita- tion, wrote : " I am not old enough to forget Malden and my old Malden friends way back in the '50's ; specially, as members of the school committee, Mr. Blanchard, whom I early lost sight of, Mr. Charles Carleton Coffin, with whom I maintained a good deal of intimacy to the end, and Rev. D. P. Livermore, whose doxy and mine, religiously, were a good way apart, yet in no way hindered our co- operation and good-fellowship."
George D. B. Blanchard was a member of the committee in 1856, and James F. Eaton in 1857. Dr. J. Langdon Sullivan's service on the committee dates back to 1852, forty-seven years ; and thirty-eight years ago in the stormy days of '61 he was chairman of the school committee. "Ours," said he, in the report of that year, " is the age of progress, of expansion." True then, true now ; then eleven hun- dred children and twenty-three teachers, now five thousand children and one hundred and sixty teachers. "The office of school commit- tee," he tells us in his quaint way, " is no sinecure ; its responsibili- ties are great ; its anxieties and perplexities manifold. The species of service they who accept it are called to render is one which towns seldom appreciate, and for which they are never grateful." In clos- ing this report he says : "When the future shall do justice to us, let it be said in our praise, 'They dared to speak the truth.'" I present one whose coming into many of our homes has been a benediction - the good physician, the poet, the man who "dared to speak the truth," Dr. J. Langdon Sullivan.
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