USA > New Hampshire > State builders; an illustrated historical and biographical record of the state of New Hampshire at the beginning of the twentieth century > Part 5
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sion and educational opportunities that is apparent in the more wealthy and populous districts. This is inevi- table under existing conditions and methods. It is within the power of each religious denomination to remedy this state of affairs for itself as regards the present disparity in the maintenance of religious teaching, institutions and organizations in different localities. The state must re- form its system of local congestion of school expendi- tures and provide a common school education, first class in every respect, to the completion of the grammar grade, where all the youth of school age in any school district can have just as complete common school opportunities as their fellows who happen to have been born in a large town or a prosperous city.
The light of the sun and the free air are the property of everybody everywhere and in perfect equality of privi- lege and possession. To a certain extent on a similar principle of equality and freedom, reasonable and ade- quate educational opportunities and wholesome religious and moral teaching should be ensured in every locality so that the young everywhere within the limits of school age may have a fair start in education and morals. The two weak places in our educational scheme are in the poverty of school privileges in numerous localities and the absence outside the cities of intelligent, capable and systematic supervision of the schools according to a plan by which the entire state would be divided into super- vision districts and a trained professional educator placed in charge of each district.
New Hampshire has not been such a field as some other localities have been to attract great preachers to service within her borders. A study of the biographical data relative to the native ministry collected by Rev. N. F. Carter, however, discloses a surprisingly large num- ber of preachers and teachers who have gone out from the parishes of this state and engaged in religious work
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in all sections of this country and abroad in all parts of the field of general missions. At the extremes of a cen- tury the distinguished careers of Samuel Langdon and Nathan Lord will be observed,-one going from this state to the presidency of Harvard and the other coming from another state to the presidency of Dartmouth, --- both great lights in theology, education and political science. The list of men eminent in the church who are natives of New Hampshire is indeed remarkable. In that roll will be found the names of Benjamin Randall, founder of the Free Baptist denomination; Hosea Bal- lou, founder of modern Universalism; Carlton Chase, Philander Chase, and William Bell White Howe, Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church; Osmon C. Baker, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church; Alonzo A. Miner, theologian, college president, and reformer; James Freeman Clarke, preacher and author; Samuel C. Bartlett, author and educator; and Francis Brown, eminent in theological instruction and as a religious au- thority.
The Right Rev. Denis M. Bradley, Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester, and the Right Rev. William Woodruff Niles, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, are both distinguished prelates and adminis- trators, whose labors have been marked by material and spiritual progress and achievement in contemporary epis- copacies covering unusually long periods.
Theological education has not been neglected in the past in this state. Both the Baptist and the Free Baptist denominations have had at different times theological seminaries at New Hampton. The Biblical Institute at Concord was the nucleus from which the theological de- partment of Boston University was developed, as the New Hampton school was transferred to Lewiston to constitute the theological department at Bates College.
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A theological seminary of good repute was maintained many years at Gilmanton by the Congregationalists.
The college of St. Anselm at Manchester, established in recent years, has taken high rank as an educational institution of the youth between the high schools and the . academies and the post graduate professional schools.
Dartmouth since the conclusion of the administration of Nathan Lord has more than doubled its resources, its buildings and its corps of instructors. The most con- spicuous and perhaps the most important addition to its departments is the Tuck post-graduate school designed for the higher special education of men intending to en- gage in those lines of business which are not included or provided for in the ordinary professional schools.
The Normal School at Plymouth is permanently estab- lished and supported by the state on constantly progres- sive methods and increasing financial and instructional provisions for its work. It stands well in line with the better class of institutions of its kind.
The local high schools in most of the large towns and smaller cities have been established since the war with facilities of instruction and curriculum to cover the aca- demic courses and those required for admission to college.
The state library, a model institution of its kind, with every modern equipment appropriate to an institution of its standing in the domain of library progress, and more than two hundred local free libraries are no inconsiderable re-enforcement of the educational system. Indeed, a free library is now within the reach of every citizen and every youth of the state.
The College of Agriculture and Mechanic arts, at first established at Hanover upon a federal foundation, in the administration of President Smith, but re-established at Durham by act of the legislature prior to the administra- tion of President Murkland, and known as the State Col- lege, has been the beneficiary of a large endowment by
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Benj. Thompson and liberal aid from the state. It has every prospect of phenomenal prosperity and usefulness, as its resources are organized, directed and concentrated upon that department of education which was within the design of congress and its later benefactor in the pro- vision of the financial foundations.
Among the more influential exponents of journalism who have been identified with the newspapers of the state past and present may be mentioned Isaac Hill, Nathaniel P. Rogers, George G. Fogg, Asa McFarland, John B. Clarke, William E. Chandler and Orrin C. Moore.
In the more national field of this fourth profession, beyond question the primate was Horace Greeley. Commanding position has also been held by a number of other sons of New Hampshire in journalistic labor and enterprise. While there are many who are doubtless entitled to mention in this class, it certainly is not permis- sible to omit the mention of Charles A. Dana, The Sun, New York; Charles G. Green, The Boston Post; Stilson Hutchins, The Washington Post; Horace White, The New York Evening Post; and Charles R. Miller, The New York Times.
Charles Carleton Coffin, Thomas W. Knox, and Franl: B. Sanborn have attained to positions in the highest ranks of able and successful newspaper correspondents.
There are many noted New Hampshire names which are familiar in other fields of journalistic achievement, besides those which are or have been identified with the great metropolitan daily newspapers.
In this list are John A. Dix, James T. Field, Jeremiah E. Rankin, B. P. Shillaber ("Mrs. Partington"), Alonzo H. Quint, Moses A. Dow, John Wentworth ("Long John"), Harris M. Plaisted, Enoch M. Pingree, Nathan- iel Green, Thomas B. Aldrich, Edwin D. Mead, Francis Ambrose Eastman, George B. James, Nelson Ebenezer Cobleigh, John B. Bouton, Thomas G. Fessenden, Na-
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thaniel A. Haven, George W. Kendall, John Farmer, Jacob Bailey Moore, O. W. B. Peabody, J. V. B. Smith, Baron Stowe.
A number of talented women, natives of the state, have been contributors to various newspapers and other periodicals as well as to the general literature of their time, prominent in this category being Sarah J. Hale, Eliza B. Lee, Sarah Towne Martin, Constance F. Wool- son, Edna Dean Proctor and Sarah Orne Jewett.
Since the business of railroading was inaugurated in this state less than seventy years ago its growth has kept in equal step with the development of commerical re- quirements. The present mileage, 1190 30-100 miles of main track and 521 92-100 of sidings is greater in proportion to wealth and population than in the case of any other New England state. The three stages of construction, competition and consolidation have been well illustrated in New Hampshire. From 1870 to 1890 intervened a period of railroad war which di- vided the people as partisans of one railroad systen: or the other, and this allegiance resembled in many ways the fealty which men have accorded to political par- ties. Since industrial peace ensued after the termination of the wars of the rival railroad corporations, and a single system has been developed and perfected, all the other industries of the state have felt the impetus and had the benefits of enlarged and highly organized railroad facili- ties, the extension of railroad lines, the marked reduc- tion of rates, both in passenger and freight service, and innumerable administrative reforms.
The activities and organizations into which the people of the state have entered in the time of this generation are indeed worthy of more extended review than can be given the subject in this connection. For the promotion of state industries, the Board of Agriculture, though of ear- lier establishment, has in recent years been so organized,
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directed and supplied by increased state support that it has become a most efficient stimulus to the cause which it is intended to subserve.
Ancillary to the work of the Board of Agriculture is that of the Cattle Commission and the commissioners of veterinary examination.
The Board of Charities and Correction is a progressive and useful organization which has accomplished impor- tant results in reform of pre-existing systems and time- worn methods relating to the public care, custody and management of prisoners, the dependent poor, and other wards of the State.
The insane asylum, now known as the state hospital, was established in 1838 and has been supported in part by private benefactions and in part by state appropria- tions with constantly increasing capacity for meeting the purposes for which it was instituted.
On parallel lines of state aid in the industrial develop- ment of the state, the Forestry Commissioners, the Labor Bureau, the Inspector of Steamboats and the Fish and Game Commission are well equipped for efficient public service.
The Industrial School at Manchester and the recently established school at Laconia are designed to accomplish educational results for special classes which could not properly be within the scope of the common schools or any other method of instruction.
The Bank Commissioners, the Insurance Commissioners and the Railroad Commissioners having certain advisory, investigating and directory functions, are intermediaries between the people and three classes of corporations.
In the department of conservation of the public health and of preventive medicine, the State Board of Public Health with a well equipped and well directed central office and working station, is fulfilling an important mis -. sion at the capital and throughout the state. With this
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department, in classification, the various boards of medi- cal examination, -- the Boards of Registration in the dif- ferent schools of the medical profession,-of registration in dentistry and registration in pharmacy may be also mentioned. To this division of the public service the state bacteriological laboratory is assigned as well as the bureau of vital statistics.
The Soldiers' Home at Tilton and the Veterans' Camp at Weirs are both visible monuments of the state's appre- ciation of "what they were and what they did" who gave service and imperilled life in camp and battle.
The Grand Army of the Republic, the Veterans' Asso- ciation, the Woman's Relief Corps, the Sons of Veterans, and many other patriotic and historic associations are serving beneficent purposes and keeping bright the mili- tary spirit and the memory of a heroic past, and making sure the perpetuation of that love of state and country which renders impossible no labor and no sacrifice when freemen shall again be summoned to the nation's defence.
The State of New Hampshire is to-day abreast of all the commonwealths of the Union in the advancing civili- zation of the age. Her progress and her prosperity are upon sure foundations. There are no omens of evil in her future except those which a self-reliant and progressive people may confront with courage and confidence.
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EDUCATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
BY JAMES H. FASSETT, B.A.
CHAPTER I
DEVELOPMENT OF THE EARLY SCHOOLS
From the first settlement by David Thompson at Pan- naway, in 1623, until the union of New Hampshire with Massachusetts eighteen years later there is no record that any form of education was provided for the youth of the colony; but after the union, the small settlements at Hampton, Portsmouth, Dover and Exeter came under the excellent school laws of Massachusetts.
The most important of these laws was enacted in 1647, and the characteristic way in which the Puritan fore- fathers were wont to look for and strive to intercept the machinations of Satan, even in educational matters, is most clearly brought out in the preamble of this law. "It being one chiefe project of that old deluder, Sathan, to keep men from the knowledge of the scriptures, as in former times, keeping them in an unknowne tongue, so in these latter times, by perswading them from the use of tongues, so that at least, the true sence and meaning of the originall might be clouded with false glosses of saint seeming deceivers; and that learning may not be buried in the grave of our forefathers in church and common- wealth, the Lord assisting our endeavors :
"It is therefore ordered by this Courte and authority
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thereof, that every towneshipp within this jurisdiction, after that the Lord hath increased them to the number of fifty howsholders, shall then forthwith appointe one within theire towne, to teach all such children as shall resort to him, to write and read; whose wages shall be paid either by the parents or masters of such children, or by the inhabitants in generall, by way of supplye, as the major parte of those who order the prudentials of the towne shall appointe: provided, that those who send theire children, bee not oppressed by paying much more than they can have them taught for in other townes.
"And it is further ordered, That where any towne shall increase to the number of one hundred families or hows- holders, they shall sett up a grammar schoole, the masters thereof, being able to instruct youths so far as they may bee fitted for the university: and if any towne neglect the performance hereof, above one yeare, then every such towne shall pay five pounds per annum, to the next such schoole, till they shall performe this order."
At this time each of the settlements at Dover and at Exeter, certainly, had a man with experience in teaching since the records of Massachusetts Colony show that Philemon Purmont and Daniel Maud had taught schools in Boston for several years. Subsequently both of these men moved to New Hampshire, Purmont going into voluntary exile with Wheelwright in 1638, while Maud was called to become the minister at Dover in 1642.
A little later the following items are found in the records at Dover :
"At a Publicke towne meiting hilled the last of August (1656) Charles Buckher chosen by voet A Schoellmaster for this towne," and in 1658, "It is agreed by ye select men together with ye Towne that twenty pounds per annum shall be yearly raysed for the Mayntenance of a schoolmaster in the Towne of Dover :- That is to say for the teachinge of all the children within the Towneship of
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Dover, the said Scholemaster haveing the preveleges of all strangers out of the Towneship. The sd master also teach to read, write, cast a Compt, and Latine, as the parents shall require."
An early and an active interest was taken also in the higher education. Harvard College, which was the only institution where young men could be properly trained for the ministry, was aided by voluntary contributions.
The amount recommended to be raised for this purpose was "One peck of corn or twleve pence money or other commodity, of every family, that so the college may have some considerable yearly healp towards their occasions."* Moreover in 1669 the towns of Portsmouth, Dover and Exeter granted an annual subscription of one hundred two pounds for seven years toward the support of the college. In presenting this amount the colonists sent the following address to the General Court of Massachusetts : "Though we have articled with yourselves for exemption from public charges, yet we have never articled with God and our own consciences for exemption from gratitude; which to demonstrate, while we were studying, the loud groans of the sinking college in its present low estate came to our ears; the relieving of which we account a good work for the house of our God, and needful for the perpetuating of knowledge both civil and religious, among us, and our posterity after us."
All of the towns in New Hampshire did not take kindly to the compulsory law in regard to the keeping of the common school. Even in Portsmouth as late as 1697 there was a dissenting vote against raising "thirtey pounds mony pr anum for sd scollmasters sallery," signed by twenty-one citizens of Portsmouth; and the following year the town disputed a bill of fifty shillings incurred by the teacher for a schoolroom .; Doubtless their reasons were the same as those expressed by a minority report in
* Bouton. t Brewster.
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the town of Croydon several years later, in which it was contended "that to be obliged to pay money for the tuition of other peoples' children, or even our own, is unjust, tyrannical, and oppressive. Some individuals in the same town even went so far as to refuse to pay their school taxes except by process of law. It is to the credit of the majority of the New Hampshire people, however, that in spite of this active opposition, some of which was, and is still, to be found in all communities, public schools were insisted upon and maintained.
During the troublesome period between 1679 and 1692 in which New Hampshire had been separated from Mas- sachusetts, again united by petition of the people, and again separated by action of the crown, little was done for education. Indeed the fact that, out of three hun- dred seventy-four signers of a petition presented to the Court of Massachusetts in 1690 for protection against the Indians, nearly twenty-five per cent were obliged to make their marks would indicate a lack rather than an abundance of educational privileges.
The germs of education, however, were strongly im- planted in the majority of our New Hampshire citizens. In fact the first year after their separation from the Bay Colony (1693) the following law was passed: "It is enacted and ordained, that for the building and repair- ing of meeting houses, minister's houses, schoolhouses, and allowing a salary to a schoolmaster in each town within this Province, the selectmen, in the respective towns, shall raise money by an equal rate and assessment upon the inhabitants-and every town within this Prov- ince (Dover only excepted during the war) shall from and after the publication hereof, provide a school- master for the supply of the town, on penalty of ten pounds; and for neglect thereof, to be paid, one half to their majesties, and the other half to the poor of the town."
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The next important law relating to education was passed in 1719. It compelled every town having more than fifty householders to hire a schoolmaster to teach the youth to read and write, and where the town numbered one hundred householders a grammar school was also to be kept by "some discreet person of good conversation, well instructed in the tongues." The selectmen were to hire the schoolmaster and were to levy a tax upon the inhabitants in order to pay his salary. The penalty for the neglect of this law was twenty pounds which was to go "towards the support of schools within the province, where there may be most need."
In 1721 because of the general neglect to provide grammar schools it was found necessary to hold the selectmen personally responsible. The law provided that "if any town or parish is destitute of a grammar school for the space of one month the selectmen shall for- feit and pay out of their own estates the sum of twenty pounds, to be applied towards the defraying the charges of the province."
In some of the frontier towns the law relating to grammar schools worked rather a hardship, especially upon the selectmen, and several instances are on record where petitions were granted excusing these newly settled parishes from the grammar school condition; but in no instance was any town or parish excused from keeping a school for reading and writing, "to which all towns of fifty families were obliged."
The vast majority of the towns, however, did not come under either one of the above laws and in most of these small scattered hamlets all the "schooling" which the children received was obtained from their fathers and mothers at home.
In the first settlements near Massachusetts most of the early teachers were men and a great many were college graduates. It has been said that in the town of Hamp-
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ton, one of the earliest to be settled, all the masters previous to the Revolutionary War were college bred. Dow,* however, disputes this fact, but admits that the great majority had had liberal training.
The dame schools were usually taught in the summer and were for the smaller children and the girls. The boys at this time were getting in the hay and assisting their fathers. The women who had charge of the summer schools were expected to teach the girls sewing and knitting as well as spelling and reading. Arithmetic was considered entirely superfluous for girls and in fact it was very little taught even in the winter schools which the boys attended. Frequently the maiden ladies who taught these "marm" schools earned something more than their school wages by spinning between school terms for the family with whom they boarded. They sometimes earned as much as fifty cents per week by this means.
About the year 1720 the influence of the Scotch-Irish settlers, who came to this colony in large numbers and settled in Londonderry and the surrounding towns, began to be felt. They were all people of thrift and intelli- gence. One of the direct descendants of this hardy race writes as follows: "It has been said that the Scotch in Ireland had better schools than the common people in England had at the same time. Of three hundred and thirteen who signed the celebrated 'Memorial to Gov. Shute' (Mar. 26, 1718) three hundred and six signed their names in a legible and generally handsome hand.
"Twelve of the signers were graduates of the univer- sity. Most of these men came to America, and they were fair samples of the intelligent, capable, and well-informed Scotch people, that sought these shores. They and their descendants were set on education, religion and liberty. It is said that every Scotch settler coming to this town, ¿ whether born beyond the water or in some older New
* Town History of Hampton. + W. R. Cochrane. # Antrim.
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England settlement, had a fair common school educa -. tion for those times."
The other settlers were quick to appreciate the intelli- gence and broader education of these Scotch-Irish emi- grants and soon there was a goodly sprinkling of "Macs" and other broad Scotch names in the list of schoolmasters throughout the colony. This led not only to the spread- ing of the Scottish education but also to the proverbial Scottish wit. A story is told of a certain "Master" Russell who one winter had charge of a school in Chester. One day Master Russell called upon a boy in one of his classes to read a list of some of the proper names in the Old Testament. The lad, not being well skilled in the proper pronunciation of the old worthies, was making somewhat hard work of his task, in fact it is to be feared that if the old worthies had been present in person they themselves would scarcely have recognized their names, when the master said, "Stop, stop, Elijah! You bring tears to my eyes, for you are calling the names of my old friends in Ireland."
Something of the repute in which the Scotch-Irish schoolteachers were held may be found in, the following : At one time a Dr. Hoit was master of a school in Weare. During the morning session the school was visited by the chairman of the selectmen together with a Scotch-Irish schoolmaster named Donovan. The town's chief magis- trate proceeded to ask Dr. Hoit for his credentials, saying that he was anxious to have a teacher who understood English grammar. When the dignitaries had departed one of the older boys asked the master what the word credentials meant. The master, turning upon him with a frown, said: "I don't know and I don't care, but I suppose it is some Latin word Donovan put into his head."
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