USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The memorial history of Boston : including Suffolk County, Massachusetts. 1630-1880, Vol. IV > Part 35
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2 At one of the meetings of the Society, Pro- fessor Jeffries Wyman made a report on some fossil remains exhibited in New York as the skeleton of a sea-serpent. They consisted of a great number of vertebræ, apparently belonging to a single individual. These, with what pur- ported to be the head, measured in length about one hundred and fourteen feet. There were also teeth, ribs, and paddles. The examination proved that the bones belonged not to one, but to many individuals of different ages, and had none of the characteristics of an ophidian reptile. As to the bones or portions of bones of the paddle, they were no bones at all, but casts of the cavities of
a camerated shell. The teeth were not those of a reptile, but of a warm-blooded mammiferous animal; probably a cetacean. The exhibition had attracted crowds of visitors.
8 The committee in charge of this consisted of President Wyman, Professor William B. Rogers, Dr. James C. White, Dr. B. Joy Jeff- ries, and Thomas T. Bouvé. On June 3, 1864, the new museum was dedicated with appropriate exercises. Professor William B. Rogers gave a brief history of the Society. . He alluded to the fact that even while the flames of civil war were lighting the country, the Legislature granted the land asked for by the Society ; and that no one was more earnest in advocating it than Gov- ernor John A. Andrew. His Honor, Mayor Lin- coln, congratulated the members on the success of their past efforts, and bade them God-speed in the future. The Rev. Dr. R. C. Waterston gave an address on the importance of such an institution as that of the Boston Society of Natural History. Its objects, like those of the Public Library and the Institute of Technology, were essential to the higher education of the community.
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THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
with pleasant memories of the many profitable evenings spent there in listening to the discussions of Professor Agassiz, Professor William B. Rogers, and other eminent scientific men.
The accidental burning of a menagerie in the city this year was an unexpected boon to the Society, as the bones of the animals which were very valuable, and but slightly injured, came into its possession.
In 1862 the Boston Marine Society presented a valuable collection of objects in natural history, and of specimens of the workmanship of different East India and Pacific nations. The presentation of so many works of art led to the establishment of a department of ethnology, with Dr. Charles Pickering as curator. In the erection of the new building, and obtaining the additional funds necessary, the committee were greatly assisted by M. Denman Ross, whose interest in this Society and in the Institute of Technology were of great benefit to both institutions. At this time, when money seemed particularly desirable, a gentleman who would not allow his name to be known offered the sum of $20,000, provided the same amount could be obtained by subscrip- tion. This additional sum having been easily obtained, President Wyman announced that the donor of the $20,000 was Dr. William J. Walker, whose liberality had given to the Society but a short time before the building they were occupying. In 1864 a bequest of $9,000 was received from the estate of Benjamin D. Greene ; and another donation of $20,000 was received from Dr. William J. Walker towards a work- ing fund, with the condition that the same amount should be given from other sources. This was easily obtained by subscriptions from one hundred and thirty-five persons who gave $20,705. The whole amount was to be invested in certain specified securities to form a permanent fund,1 the interest only of which could be used.
In this year, Rev. Dr. Waterston and John Cummings urged the expediency of instituting courses of lectures for the benefit of the school teachers. These were im- mediately begun on the most interesting departments of natural history. They were amply illustrated by specimens and diagrams. At the close of each lecture the ex- tensive cabinets of the Society were thrown open for inspection. All expenses were generously paid by Mr. Cummings.
On April 5, 1865, the death of Dr. Wm. J. Walker, the Society's greatest benefac- tor, was announced. The property he left amounted to $1,250,000. Of this he gave $200,000 to his family, $10,000 to the Redwood Library in Newport, R. I., $27,780 in various legacies, and the rest in equal divisions to the Boston Society of Natural History, Institute of Technology, Amherst College, and Tufts College. Thomas T. Bouvé, treasurer of the Society, was one of the executors of his will.
In 1867 a bequest was received from Miss Sarah E. Pratt of a large collection of shells, - many of rare species, - her library of works on conchology, and the sum of $10,000 as a fund for that department.
Among the many interesting discussions at the meetings of the Society this year was that on the introduction of the common house-sparrow of Europe. Dr. Charles Pickering maintained that nothing but evil could follow their increase ; that the habits of this bird were of the most destructive character. Dr. Thomas M. Brewer defended it, claiming that it had already accomplished much good in the destruction of insects, and cited many authors in proof of its usefulness.2
1 John A. Andrew, Samuel K. Williams, Jeffries Wyman, Thomas T. Bouvé, and George A. Kettell were appointed trustees of the fund.
2 Reports of this discussion may be found in the eleventh volume of the Proceedings of the Society.
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EDUCATION, PAST AND PRESENT.
A bequest of $20,000 was received from Paschal P. Pope, a successful merchant of Boston. Among the most valuable additions to the cabinet in 1868 were a series of humming birds, over seven hundred specimens, and three hundred species ; a collection of one thousand five hundred eggs, three hundred and fifty species, - all a donation from Mrs. Henry Bryant, whose husband was for many years a prominent member of the Society. Several thousand rock and fossil specimens were given by Dr. C. T. Jackson, and a collection of skulls by Dr. J. W. Merriam.
On Sept. 14, 1869, the Society celebrated the birthday of Alexander Von Hum- boldt. The address at the Music Hall was by Louis Agassiz, before an immense audi- ence. Delegates were present from the leading literary and scientific societies in New England, and representatives from the colleges of Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, and Har- vard. There was an evening reception at Horticultural Hall, which was attended by a large and distinguished company.1
In 1870 Thomas T. Bouvé, for many years one of the most interested and efficient members of the Society, was elected its president. A letter was received from Prof. J. D. Runkle, President of the Institute of Technology, proposing a co-operation of the two institutions. An arrangement was accordingly made, which proved to be advan- tageous to both. The chief features of it were that the Institute should use the halls of the museum and the collections for the instruction of its students, and grant to the Society the use of Huntington Hall for lectures, etc. Through the favor of John Amory Lowell, trustee of the Lowell Institute, several courses of lectures were given from that fund, on subjects pertaining to natural history, under the auspices of the Society.
In this year John Cummings again made a donation of $500 for educational lec- tures to teachers. He believed that what they might learn in this way could be used with beneficial effect upon the many thousand children under their charge. The interest excited by these lectures, and the large number attending them, showed the wisdom of this movement inaugurated by Mr. Cummings. For many years the Teachers' School of Science was sustained by aid from the same liberal hand.
In 1871 a bequest of $1,000 was received from the estate of the late Sidney Homer, all of which was appropriated for New-England mammals.
At the first autumnal meeting in 1874 the death of Professor Jeffries Wyman was announced. For fourteen years he was President of the Society, and, during his long connection with it, always one of the most successful contributors to its scientific re- searches. In the departments of Ichthyology, Herpetology, and Comparative Anatomy he had no superior.2 The announcement of his death elicited appreciative addresses on his character from Professor Gray of Harvard University and others.
The semi-centennial anniversary, on April 28, 1880, was an interesting occasion. A large audience filled every available part of the hall. On the platform were seated . many of our most distinguished literary and scientific men. President Bouvé, in his introductory address, spoke of the early steps taken to inculcate a love for the study of Nature in this community, particularly dwelling upon the formation of the Linnæan Society, its history, and its decline. He then gave a brief account of the movements
1 Rev. Dr. R. C.Waterston, the originator and most active agent in the celebration, felicitously welcomed the guests. Addresses were made by Prof. F. H. Hedge, R. W. Emerson, and Prof. E. J. Young. A portrait of Humboldt was pre- sented to the Society by Dr. Waterston.
2 The records show that he made one hun- dred and five scientific communications, several of them very important papers, -every one of some positive value. Many of these were pub- lished in the Journal and Proceedings of the Society.
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THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
made towards the formation of a new association, which culminated in the founding of the Boston Society of Natural History.
From the felicitous remarks of his Excellency Governor Long, we give a brief extract : -
" Memory and imagination, those exquisite poets of the human mind, - memory that looks tenderly back over the past, and imagination that idealizes, and yet in all its mount- ing knows that it fails to picture or command the future, - are making this occasion not the mere boast of fifty years' success, but a tribute to what man has done, and a stimulus to what man yet a thousand times more shall do in behalf of the happiness, the delight, the knowledge, the ennobling of his fellow-men, unlocking from every nook and corner of the earth, and displaying in every form and motion of life, the beneficence of God. What a stride from those first small days, - that parlor sofa that once held you all, - those modest rooms, to this splendid temple, which I trust is to be your permanent home, where shall not only gather your rare and beautiful collections, but cluster with them also the memories of the zeal and devotion that have marked so many of your members! The birds of Bryant, the insects of Harris, the shells of Gould, the fossils from the Sivalik Hills, the contributions of a thousand helpful hands from every quarter of the globe, suggest something more than their scientific value; for they are still alive with the gen- erous love of science which prompted their bestowal, and which, clinging to them still like the scent to the vase, wreathes your walls, more beautifully than the chisel of the artist, and in more enduring material, with the names and features of those of whom I have spoken; yes, and of Greene, and Wyman, and Jackson, and Greenwood, and Brewer, and a hundred others. If fifty years have wrought all this from such a slender beginning, what shall not fifty years more achieve ? Everything, indeed, for science, - everything for human knowledge."
At the close of the exercises 1 all present were invited to examine the collections with the aid of the General Guide to the Museum, which had been distributed among them. In the evening there was a social gathering of members of the Society and others at the house of the President.
At the commencement of this historical sketch, we stated how limited were the means of the Society for accomplishing the important purposes of its establishment, and how earnest were the voluntary labors of all interested in its success. We now give the result of these labors on its semi-centennial anniversary.
The Society owns the building known as the Museum, its furniture, library, and collections, free from all encumbrance. The value of the building may be estimated at the cost of $150,334.86, as it certainly could not be erected for that sum now. The Society also owns property in notes, bonds, and stocks valued at $154,405. The money value of the library and collections cannot be given. The former contains over fourteen thousand volumes, and nearly six thousand pamphlets. The collec- tions are of inestimable worth, not only to the Society but to the community, for a considerable portion of unique and type specimens in the several departments could never be replaced.
Persevering efforts continue to be made to render the collections more educational, not only by such arrangement as will facilitate their study, but by models and anatom- ical preparations giving the internal structure, and showing the habits, of animals.
The Society holds meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of each month,
1 Eloquent addresses were also made by Dr. Alexander Agassiz, Curator of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, and Rev. Dr. Robert C. Waterston.
Samuel Eliot, Superintendent of Schools, Presi- dent Charles W. Eliot, of Harvard University,
27I
EDUCATION, PAST AND PRESENT.
.
except during the warm season, at which scientific communications, written or verbal, are made, and followed generally by discussions upon the matter presented. All im- portant communications and remarks are published in the Memoirs or Proceedings of the Society.1
In its laboratory the Society is doing much for the students of natural history. In- struction is given to a class of the Boston University in Biology and Zoology ; to a class of the Institute of Technology in Zoology and Paleontology ; and to a special class of teachers in the Public Schools in Zoology. The laboratory room and the working collections therein are used also by other persons engaged in teaching or studying.
In addition to all that has been said, the Society is sustaining its library, which is open not only to members, but to all engaged in scientific investigation, upon proper application and under reasonable restriction. By an agreement with the Institute of Technology, its students are allowed the privilege of consulting the Society's books and taking them out for study. The use of the library is now much greater than it has been at any former time, and is constantly increasing.
At the annual meeting in 1880, the President, Thomas T. Bouvé, who had been an officer of the Society nearly forty years, and its President ten, declined a re-elec- tion. His administration was so efficient and successful, that his name will always be identified with the best interests of the Society. The officers now are, - President, Samuel H. Scudder ; Vice-Presidents, John Cummings, Frederick W. Putnam ; Cus- todian, Alpheus Hyatt ; Honorary Secretary, Samuel L. Abbot ; Secretary, Edward Burgess ; Treasurer, Charles W. Scudder ; Librarian, Edward Burgess.2
PERKINS INSTITUTION AND MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND. - The merit of proposing to establish the first school for the blind in Boston belongs to the late Dr. John D. Fisher. While pursuing his studies in Paris he made frequent visits to the Royal Institution for the young blind, and was so impressed by its great advan- tages and beneficent results, that on his return to Boston he advocated with great earnestness, and interested his friends in, the establishment of a similar institution here. At a public meeting, which was attended by many of our prominent citizens, Dr. Fisher gave a minute account of the several processes employed to communicate knowledge to the blind ; described the various manufactures by which they were en- abled to obtain a support ; and exhibited specimens of books printed for their use, contributed by friends of the institution, which the blind read by touch.
His statement excited so deep an interest in all present, that a committee was appointed to consider what measures should be adopted for the establishment of an institution for the blind in New England. The report of this committee was so en- couraging, that application was made immediately to the Legislature for an act of in- corporation. This was unanimously granted in both Houses without debate. The name of the corporation was "The New-England Asylum for the Blind," for the pur-
1 Of the former, three volumes quarto have been issued, and of the latter, twenty volumes octavo, besides many valuable memoirs and occasional papers, which have been published separately. These publications are of such a character as to give the society additional repu- tation at home and abroad.
Exchanges are now made with three hundred
and sixty societies and proprietors of scientific journals.
2 [It should be remarked that the writer of this notice most faithfully served the Society as Librarian for more than thirty years, and until it moved into its present quarters, and saw the library increase from two hundred to six thou- sand volumes. - ED.]
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THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF BOSTON.
pose of educating blind persons, the institution to be under the direction and man- agement of twelve trustees, eight to be elected by the corporation, and four by the Board of Visitors. The Governor, Lieut .- Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chaplains of the Legislature constituted the Board of Visitors. The Legislature might send to the Asylum, for maintenance and education, such blind persons as they might think proper, not exceeding thirty, pay- ing for each such sum as is charged for other persons in the Asylum. In 1830 the first Board of Trustees was elected, with Hon. Jonathan Phillips for President. Dr. Fisher, who had been foremost in promoting this beneficent enterprise, being unable to engage in it personally, had enlisted the sympathy and co-operation of Dr. Samuel G. Howe, who was soon appointed superintendent. Immediately after his appoint- ment he visited Europe, by request of the trustees, to make himself fully acquainted with the mode of conducting such an institution, to procure one, or at the most two, trained assistant teachers, and also the necessary apparatus. He returned in the fol- lowing year, bringing with him Mr. Trencheri, a graduate of the Paris Institution, as literary teacher, and John Pringle, of the Edinburgh Institution, as teacher of handi- crafts. In 1832 the school was opened with six pupils, varying in age from six to twenty. Early in the following year, Dr. Howe exhibited before the Legislature the results of his six months' instruction, and so satisfactorily proved the practicability of educating the blind, that an appropriation of $6,000 per annum was at once made for the Institution, on condition that it should receive and educate free of cost twenty- four blind persons belonging to the State.
A number of public exhibitions were then given in Boston and elsewhere, and an address, containing much valuable information collected by Dr. Howe while in Europe, was widely circulated. The result of these efforts was far more favorable than was expected, and sympathetic interest so thoroughly excited that subscriptions and do- nations were freely given. The ladies of Boston held a Fair, by which a large sum was realized. An additional stimulus was given to public liberality when Colonel Thomas H. Perkins gave his estate in Pearl Street, valued at $25,000, as a permanent residence for the blind, provided a sufficient sum could be raised to assure the es- tablishment of the institution. This liberal spirit was so warmly seconded by the com- munity that within one month over $50,000 were added to the funds. Connecticut afterward voted an appropriation of $1,000 per annum, for twelve years, for as many blind children as could be educated for that sum; Vermont appropriated $1,200 for ten years, and New Hampshire made a temporary appropriation of $500 ; . the States of Maine and Rhode Island afterward made appropriations, - and thus the in- stitution became the educational establishment for the blind of all the New-England States, as the Asylum at Hartford already was for the deaf and dumb. The institution being now well established, Dr. Howe, by his own exertions, raised subscriptions for a printing fund ; and after many and costly experiments with the ordinary printing presses, a new press, especially adapted to printing for the blind, was obtained. A series of experiments in adapting the alphabet to the sense of touch resulted in the adoption of a slight modification of the ordinary Roman letters of the lower-case. This was the first printing office for the blind opened in any English or American in- stitution, and its work was so actively carried on that very flattering testimonials of its work were soon received, in the shape of orders from England, Ireland, and Holland.1
1 The British and Foreign Bible Society ordered a complete edition of the book of Psalms, for which they paid $7 50.
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EDUCATION, PAST AND PRESENT.
Instruction in the literary department included not only the simpler branches of a common-school education, but some of the higher mathematics, history, astronomy, and languages. In addition to vocal music, with instruction upon the piano and organ, the foundation for a band was begun, with favorable results.1 Instruction was given to male pupils in the manufacture of mattresses, cushions, mats, and baskets, while the girls were taught sewing, knitting, braiding, and some household duties.
One of the earliest scholars of Dr. Howe was Laura Bridgman,2 whose education has probably attracted more attention than that of any living person. The success which attended her intellectual development has encouraged multitudes of teachers, and favored the foundation of twenty-seven institutions for the blind in this country.
In 1829 increased accommodations having become necessary for the New England Institution, it was removed to its present location at South Boston. At this time its name was changed to the "Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind," in honor of its greatest benefactor. In 1840 an additional department was opened to provide employment for those who had acquired their education and learned to work, but could not carry on business alone. The making, cleansing, and renovat- ing of beds, mattresses, and cushions; the manufacture of mats, and cane-seating chairs, - these were the occupations in which the blind could best compete with seeing workmen. The test of years proved this department to be a valuable auxiliary in assisting the blind to self-maintenance.
The evils attendant upon congregating so many persons laboring under a common infirmity were perceived at an early date in the history of this institution. Additional buildings being absolutely necessary, the trustees applied to the Legislature for an additional grant. They asked the Commonwealth to furnish the means of educating her blind children in some slight degree proportionate to the means so liberally fur- nished for educating her seeing children. They did not ask it as a charity, but ex- pected it as a part of the obligation, early assumed, to educate every son and daughter of the Commonwealth. The Legislature of 1869, admitting the justice of the claim, granted an appropriation of $80,000 for erecting suitable buildings. In addition to this sum, $15,000 were contributed by friends of the institution.3
By the death of Dr. Howe, Jan. 4, 1876, the institution lost not only its Director, but its life-long friend and benefactor.4 In accordance with his often expressed wish to remove it from the class of charitable institutions, and place it on the same footing with other educational institutions, the trustees voted, Oct. 3, 1877, that its name
1 For music and poetry the blind have long manifested peculiar taste and capacity. The names of Stanley, Gautier, and Chauvain are widely known among musical composers. Of sightless bards we have a long array, headed by the "blind old man of Scio's rocky isle," whose verse has charmed every age, and been repeated in every tongue. That the blind have abundant capacity for the highest education is manifest from the number of those who have become eminent. Ancient history abounds with these. The names of Didymus of Alexandria, Eusebius, and Aufidius are well known. In modern times we have Saunderson, a distinguished Profes- sor of Mathematics in the University of Cam- bridge, England ; Dr. Henry Moyes, Professor of Philosophical Chemistry in Manchester ; Rev.
VOL. IV. - 35.
Dr. Blacklock, a successful poet ; and many oth- ers of equal eminence.
2 See the Life and Education of Laura Dewey Bridgman, the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Girl, by Mary Swift Lamson.
8 Two dwelling houses to accommodate four families were erected, and a school-house, with music rooms, etc. The number of blind persons connected with the institution is one hundred and fifty-six; of these, one hundred and thirty- seven are in the school proper, and nineteen in the workshops for adults.
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