USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Florence > The history of Florence, Massachusetts : including a complete account of the Northampton Association of Education and Industry > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20
The record does not state whether this plan was carried out by the people of the district. The younger pupils went to the North school- house, the older or more advanced to the South. A sweeping list was kept and the pupils took turns in sweeping the rooms.
In 1860 the annual expense had risen to four hundred and fifty-three dollars. In the winter of 1859-60, D. W. Bond taught sixteen weeks for five dollars a week. At this time (1860), it was voted to sell the North schoolhouse and build a new one near the South school- house, and a committee ap- pointed to prepare plans and estimates reported that a substantial two story brick building thirty-four by sixty feet could be built for four thousand dollars, and recom- mended that both school- houses be sold and the pro- ceeds put into a new one. OLD PINES, NEAR SCHOOLHOUSE. IN IS75. No action was taken until 1862, when Mr. S. L. Hill offered to raise by subscription such a sum as, added to the proceeds from the sale of the old buildings, would make up one thousand five hun- dred dollars, on condition that the district raise one thousand dollars by direct tax, and the town appropriate one thousand five hundred dollars. This the town refused to do, and the district voted to postpone the mat- ter indefinitely.
155
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
In 1863 Mr. Hill offered to build a schoolhouse himself if the district would raise two thousand dollars by direct tax and give him both the old buildings, he to retain the use of the second story for ten years, after which time the whole building should be used for school purposes. The offer was accepted, and Mr. Hill built the present schoolhouse at a cost of over thirty-three thousand dollars above the amount raised by the dis- trict. At a district meeting held March 21, 1865, a resolution was passed which expressed in the strongest terms the gratitude of the people for this splen- did gift.
The name of the district was changed to Florence in 1865, and in 1866 the district system was abolished - and the present system adopted. As the school buildings of the Florence district were worth more than the buildings in the other districts, upon taking possession of the school prop- erty the town paid the Florence dis- PINE STREET SCHOOLHOUSE. trict a certain amount of money, which was paid by making a pro rata reduction in the taxes for that year of the inhabitants of the district.
Mr. Hill believed that a superintendent of schools was necessary, and in 1868 offered to pay five hundred dollars towards the salary of one, if the town would pay the balance. The offer was accepted, and the five hundred dollars paid by Mr. Hill for four years.
The introduction of music into the public schools met with much opposition, and in 1868 Mr. Williston and Mr. Hill hired Mr. Henry Jones to teach music in the schools, as an experiment. He was afterward hired by the town. The Free Congregational Society moved to Cosmian Hall in 1874, and Mr. Hill surrendered the entire building to the use of the schools. The second story has been divided into rooms and the heating arrangements altered ; otherwise, very little change has been made since that time.
A list of the principals of the Florence schools : Miss Mary Bond. appointed 1865 ; Miss Chiara A. Curtis (Plimpton), 1868 : Miss Susie L. Leach, 1870 ; Miss Mary E. Hester, 1874; Miss Sarah A. Hunt, 1875 : Mr. Asa B. Copeland, 1876 ; Mr. Charles S. Palmer, 1880 ; Mr. W. F. Nichols, 1881 ; Mr. W. M. Green, 1882 : Mr. George A. Hoadley, 1883 : Mr. William D. Miller, 1886.
156
HISTORY OF FLORENCE.
THE KINDERGARTEN.
ONE of the institutions which has given to Florence a more than local fame is the kindergarten. Established in 1876, it was one of the pioneer institutions of the kind in the country. At a time when in our large cities such an institution existed only for the favored few, the children of wealth, and occasionally in connection with mission work for the very poor, the little village of Florence enjoyed the distinction of having a well equipped kindergarten which was thoroughly democratic, knowing no high and no low, no rich and no poor.
In 1884-86 Mrs. Leland Stanford opened, in San Francisco, six kin- dergartens as memorials of her beloved son, Leland Stanford, Jr., but it was not until 1891 that they were endowed, so that up to that time the Florence institution was probably the only endowed kindergarten in the country. It is still one of the few kindergartens with a building of its own, planned with special reference to its needs, and having spacious lawn and playgrounds.
To speak of the Florence kindergarten is to be reminded of Samuel L. Hill, whose generous benefaction to the village it is, and whose memo- rial it will long remain. It is impossible to estimate the value of such an institution to a community. There is striking testimony to the value of kindergarten training in a recent report of the Golden Gate Kinder- garten Association of San Francisco. After most careful investigation, they fail to find among the juvenile offenders of that city the names of any of the thousands who have been connected with the kindergartens. and this in face of the fact that the kindergartens are located in the districts which are the hotbeds of vice. The conditions are very differ- ent here ; the children generally come from orderly homes, and yet it is not necessary to be much upon our streets to realize that here as else- where there is great need of an elevation of moral sentiment, and in this direction the kindergarten is a vital force.
From the early days of Florence, Mr. Hill was deeply interested in all efforts for the mental and moral advancement of its people, supply- ing from his own means needed appliances for the schools, special teach- ers, and even a school building. After his retirement from active business, he gave nich thought to educational problems, and pondered deeply the question how best to help the youth of Florence to true and noble manhood and womanhood. The more he pondered the subject, the stronger grew his conviction that " the seed sown in life's early spring- time takes deepest root." In those days, Elizabeth P. Peabody was one of the few enthusiastic preachers of the kindergarten idea, and to her Mr. Hill went for counsel. At his solicitation she came to Florence, and
157
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
in a lecture at Cosmian Hall set forth the Froebelian philosophy. Whatever may have been the effect upon the minds of the majority of her hearers, Mr. Hill, whose mind, by long consideration of the subject. was prepared to apprehend the truth that was in her discourse, decided to make trial of this new educational idea, and, with his usual prompt- ness, he set about perfecting the necessary arrangements. A few weeks later, in January, 1876, he opened in the parlors of his own house a kin- dergarten. A brief trial was sufficient to convince him that he had made
FLORENCE KINDERGARTEN.
no mistake and plans were made for a permanent home for the institu- tion.
Meantime the numbers, fifteen at first, increased beyond the limits of his parlors, and for a short time, pending the completion of the new building, the sessions were held in lower Cosmian Hall. In December. 1876, the building was ready for occupancy, and there the children gath- ered about their first kindergarten Christmas tree, laden with the simple gifts which they had prepared for their friends.
The growth of the kindergarten has been slow but steady. There was at first a strong prejudice against it, in the minds of many, because it was supposed to be a place where the children were allowed "to do as they pleased," but this prejudice gradually vanished as it came to be recognized that they did as they pleased because they pleased to do right.
The building erected was supposed to be sufficient for all possibility
158
HISTORY OF FLORENCE.
-
GROUP OF KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN.
of growth, but not- withstanding some additions have been made, it is now, 1894, fairly outgrown, one hundred and twenty children having been together for the morn- ing exercises on many a day of the past year, and while in the be- ginning two kinder- gartners were suffi- cient, eight or nine are now employed.
In addition to the regular kindergarten classes, there is a con- necting class, for ad- vanced kindergarten and primary work, where the children are prepared to enter the second year of the public school. Ses. sions are from 9 A. M. to 12 M. Visitors are welcome at all times.
With characteristic breadth of view Mr. Hill desired that the advantages of the kin- dergarten should be open to every child in Florence ; at the same time he believed that that is more highly valued for which some sacrifice is made, and he framed his statement of terms to meet both these re-
159
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
quirements : "Parents and guardians whose children attend shall be required to pay at the close of each term, such sum as each can afford or is disposed to pay."
Increasing ill health made it expedient for Mr. Hill to leave home immediately after the completion of the building ; he therefore appointed a board of trustees to aid in the management and direction of the kin- dergarten. The following passage occurs in his letter of appointment :-
" The object of the institution being, as you are aware, to promote a healthy physical, intellectual, and moral development of young children, * *
* there- fore, in order that the advantages of the institution may be acceptably extended to the people of the village generally, it is hereby made a condition of its direc- tion and management that it shall be conducted unmixed with any ecclesiastical or theological exercises."
By his will, he gave to the trustees property in trust, for the mainte- nance of the kindergarten so long as it should seem to them expedient. In 1884, by special act of the Legislature, the trustees were made a cor- poration under the title, " Trustees of the Florence Kindergarten."
Although so greatly interested in the kindergarten, Mr. Hill was never a visitor there. While it was in his own house, he sometimes looked in at the open door, but the sight of so many children always touched him, and he lingered but a moment. He was never happier. however, than in listening to kindergarteners' reports of the proceedings, and of the wise or quaint remarks of the youthful recipients of his fos- tering care.
Upon the kindergarten wall hangs a fine crayon portrait of Mr. Hill. On a certain day of each year, the children bring flowers to place before the portrait, and sing songs of gratitude in memory of their benefactor. whose name will be associated in their hearts with that of another friend and benefactor of children, Friedrich Froebel.
MANUAL TRAINING.
BY REV. FREDERIC A. HINCKLEY.
NORTHAMPTON enjoys the distinction of being the first place in the country to adopt on a systematic basis the principle of manual training in its public schools of the Primary and Grammar grades. For some- what over two years the system which now bears the name of our city has been in operation here, and it has become an integral part of our school work. It was first adopted experimentally in the schools of Florence, and the enthusiasm of Florence teachers and pupils was among the earliest factors in its success. It had long been the desire of educa-
160
HISTORY OF FLORENCE.
tors that something should be done to bridge over the chasm between the hand work of the kindergarten and the shop work of manual train- ing schools of the High school grade. Our system does just that, on a basis at once thorough, economical, and entirely American in its spirit and methods. The material used is basswood and soft pine, the tools are pencil, rule, jackknife, compasses, small hammer, screw-driver, gim- let, gauge, and try-square, and the work is all done in the school- room and administered by the regular teacher. As will be seen, the jackknife is the only cutting tool, and, so far as it is con- cerned, the work is divided into three sections, line cutting, sur- face cutting, and cutting of sol- ids. Fifty-one blue print plates have been prepared which fur- nish working drawings of the entire course. About one thou- sand six hundred children are now taking the course in two TEMPERANCE HALL, PINE STREET. periods each week, of thirty minutes each. The annual cost to the city is about six hundred dollars, which sum is spent for material and tools. All the work is dictated by the teacher, and drawing is made a fundamental preliminary to cutting. At every stage the element of original design is introduced and proves a most valuable and attractive feature to children of all ages.
Among the many advantages of this kind of training in our public schools are these :
1. It furnishes a new channel of expression, appealing with special benefit to those who do not find what they most need in abstract mental processes.
2. It teaches accuracy of the mind in listening to the dictation ; accuracy of the eye in observation ; accuracy of the hand in execution.
3. Through the formation of habits of accuracy in these ways, it promotes general accuracy of thought and conduct.
4. It offers the fullest possible realization of object teaching by associating thoughts and things ; the abstract with the concrete.
5. It appeals to the average child and commands the interest of the worker without the temptation of rewards of merit on the one hand, or the push of compulsion on the other.
161
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
To sum it all up, I may say with Mr. George W. Cable, after he had carefully examined our last public exhibit :-
" Manual training can be made in our public schools as materially profitable as arithmetic and as spiritually refining as music."
THE FLORENCE LYCEUM.
BY JUDGE DANIEL W. BOND.
No history of Florence would be complete without an account of the Florence Lyceum. It was not uncommon at this period, during the winter months, for nearly every school district to have its debating
-
LILLY LIBRARY.
society. Everybody attended, and the old men and young took part in the exercises. Some districts were more favored than others with resi- dent debaters, but every district contained some who had ideas upon the various questions discussed and were sufficiently interested to prepare themselves for the debates, and who could express their thoughts with force and oftentimes with elegance. After the debate by the debaters who had selected, or been appointed upon, the affirmative or negative of a question, an opportunity was given for "volunteers." The time from seven to ten and sometimes till eleven o'clock was occupied. For days
162
HISTORY OF FLORENCE.
after the meetings they were the topic of conversation throughout the district,-the weight of the argument, the methods and manners of the speakers, the merits of the question, all came in for a share of attention and were talked over. No old time singing school could " hold a candle " to the village lyceum, for the general interest the meetings created.
Florence was one of the localities that were fortunate in having a number of men who could take their part in a lyceum debate during the palmy days of its lyceum. Generally a declamation was given by some young man ; frequently a young lady read a selection from a standard author ; a paper was prepared, made up of articles written by people, young and old, which its editor read at the meeting. After the paper was read, the debate took place, and usually the exercises were enlivened with some excellent singing by the Glee Club.
The meetings were held in the South schoolhouse, which was "packed,"-every seat was occupied, and all available standing room in the building, including the entries, was crowded. The fact that the people gathered to such an extent one evening in each week during the winter shows the great interest taken in the meetings.
The Florence Lyceum differed from others at this time in one respect. From the days of " the Community " established there, the village con- tained men who held various opinions upon social and religious subjects. In the Florence Lyceum, to avoid injuring the feelings of anyone, no religious questions were discussed, and it was an unwritten law that nothing should be said in debate which could wound the feelings of the orthodox people upon religious subjects, and this law was rarely violated.
The men who took part in the debates in the Florence Lyceum were all engaged in business, and their time and strength must have been greatly exhausted in their special callings. None of them were " pro- fessional " men ; at that time there was no doctor, lawyer, or clergyman living in the village.
Joseph B. Whitehouse was prominent among the men who could always be depended upon to take part in the debates. He was a very pleasant speaker, his manner was deliberate, his sentences were well formed, and his remarks were always interesting.
Deacon Julius Phelps was among the older men who took part in the debates. He was not what would be termed a brilliant debater, but he clothed his thoughts in well chosen words, expressed himself clearly, logically, and without any attempt at display. Whenever he took part he said something ; his remarks did not consist in mere words.
D. G. Littlefield then lived in the village, and was another of the older men who took part in the meetings, although not as generally as some others. He was a man with clear, well defined ideas ; his suggestions
163
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
were always practical and to the point ; his manner was unusually good ; tall, erect, and dignified in his bearing, earnest in his manner, with a good voice, his remarks always received attention.
Morris Machol was probably the best educated member of the lyceum. His German accent and imperfect English made it more difficult to follow him, but he was a good de- bater, and always received close attention. He made no attempt t rhetoric or eloquence, his whole aim seemed to be to present argu- ments, and this he did with great force, clearness, and apparent ease.
INTERIOR LILLY LIBRARY.
Leavitt Beals probablyenjoyed
the debates more than any other member. He had considerable of what would be called natural eloquence ; he seemed much interested in the questions debated, and apparently took great pains to prepare him- self for his part ; he would probably be called the most eloquent debater in the lyceum.
James Flood was always prepared to debate, give a declamation, or take part in the presentation of a play-comedy or tragedy. He was Hamlet in the ghost scene, and his rendering of the declaration : "Whither wilt thou lead me ? Speak ! I'll go no further," was enough to bring any ordinary ghost to a standstill, and to be long remembered by the audience. He was a great lover of eloquence and oratorical dis- play, and seemed to cultivate this tendency ; nothing apparently suited him better than to express some bit of history in a style which would have done credit to a Fourth of July orator of "ye olden time."
E. V. Foster was another member of the lyceum. While he did not take so prominent a part in the debates as others, he was one of the leaders in the dramatic exercises. His "Claude," in the " Lady of Lyons," will be remembered by all who ever heard it. The cheap print of the fair " Pauline," which he exhibited, while it did not do him much
164
HISTORY OF FLORENCE.
credit as an artist, gave him an opportunity to "play his part." His ghost to Flood's Hamlet sent the cold chills over at least the younger portion of the audience.
A. T. Lilly was a prominent member of the lyceum. He was a fre- quent contributor to the paper. Few men could express themselves so clearly, logically, and forcibly upon their feet, in the presence of an audience, as he could, and when in earnest he exhibited much natural eloquence.
William Bonney was one of the younger members. He was consid- ered a talented young man, and displayed much ability as a public speaker.
Edward Birge was another of the younger members, who frequently
FROM COSMIAN TOWER-SOUTHEAST.
wrote for the paper, was its editor a part of the time, and frequently took part in the debates. He was also the leader of the Glee Club. He was regarded as a strong, capable man. While he made no attempt at display, he possessed good sense, was well informed, and had consider- able literary ability.
There were others who took part in the debates, but who were less prominent than those named. The Florence of that period was not the Florence of to-day. Considering the number of inhabitants in the vil- lage, and the opportunities for mental culture, the character of the Florence Lyceum compared favorably with that of any other place, and undoubtedly was instrumental in fostering the spirit of inquiry and love of literature which exist in the village at the present time.
HISTORIC REMINISCENCES.
FLORENCE.
BY MRS. HELEN T. CLARK, NORTHUMBERLAND, PENN.
THE hunted slave whose dusky, trembling form Sank at your sheltering doors for one brief night, Ne'er touched a fairer foothold in his flight To lands where Freedom dwelt with northern storm.
Helpers of man ! The child of poverty May rise, despair may hope, the dull may learn, The wavering torch of genius brighter burn, Where thought magnetic flows in impulse free.
Seekers for truth ! who deem that every soul Should have its perfect meed of growth and light- Not statelier than your Temple reared for Right Rose classic fane where waves ÆEgean roll !
Dear, honored dead,* who wrought for brotherhood, In golden deeds, in words of deathless power, Not vainly did ye live your " crowded hour," And pour your souls out for the wide world's good !
Bright homes of thrift ! strong hearts and kindling eyes Wherein the spirit of the Future thrills- Encircled by your blue, eternal hills, Draw strength and life from blue, eternal skies !
THE "UNDERGROUND RAILWAY."
BY JOSEPH MARSI1.
A COMPLETE history of the underground railway in Florence will never be known. Those who ran it upon the principles of the brother- hood of man did so at their peril. It is not strange that some, moving within and being a part of the influence and inspiration of the com- munistic spirit of Florence, should abhor slavery. Most of them had
* S. L. Hill, A. T. Lilly, Charles C. Burleigh, Mary W. Bond and others.
166
HISTORY OF FLORENCE.
thrown off the bondage of superstition, and had peculiar sympathy with those who were trying to free themselves.
One of the stations on the underground railroad was kept by Samuel L. Hill. Be sure if anything of this kind was going on he would have a hand in it. The account of it is best related by his son in his own words.
FLORENCE, MASS., January 31, 1893. Dear Mr. Marsh,-
Although I saw a good many passengers who were on the underground rail- way, bound north, I remember few of the incidents that occurred. A good many passengers stopped "five minutes for refreshments" at my father's, and conductors were often changed here. On a few trips I was either conductor or assistant conductor. Quite a number of the through passengers temporarily took up their abode in Florence, the balmy anti-slavery climate here proving very attractive to them. After the forced return of Anthony Burns from Boston to the Southern tyrants, the sojourners here became alarmed and pushed on to their original destination, Canada. Father Henson, one of the originals that furnished particulars for Harriet Beecher Stowe's " Uncle Tom," came by this line on one of his trips to Canada. I think that it was not his first trip, but that he had been south again after some of his friends.
William Wilson was landed here, remained a few months, worked and earned some money, returned south secretly, was gone quite a while, but finally reached here again with a grown-up son, that he had been able to guide from slavery to freedom. The two men hired a small tenement, were industrious, and worked for an object. After they had saved money enough they went south to rescue their daughter and sister. After a long absence the younger man returned, the older one having been captured and returned to slavery. The younger was con- fident that his father would again escape and decided to wait for him here. Sure enough, in a little while the old gentleman and daughter came, and after a short stay to rest and get a little money the whole party moved north to the queen's dominions.
Many of the refugees, who were intelligent enough, became the talking centers for our neighbors and sympathizers to gather around. I heard many a thrilling story of brutality, suffering, and exciting adventures in the " leap for freedom." Father's most frequent trip as conductor ran to the Kingman's in Cummington, but occasionally our living freight was delivered at a Mr. Crafts' house in Whately.
Sincerely yours,
ARTHUR G. HILL.
David Ruggles, a colored man who had edited a paper in New York city called The Mirror, kept another station. On account of his activ- ity there in conducting the underground railroad, he was roughly han- dled, but was protected by the Tappans. Broken down in health, and suffering a partial loss of eyesight, he came to Florence, and, by a skillful home treatment upon hydropathic principles, he regained his health in
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.