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The resolution gave rise to debate, but no ac- coverlets and the open stage, or the full costion was taken upon the question of its adop-tume, the scenery and the drop curtain of tion." some village dramatic club.

HOME, Feb. 15, 1858.

Is it easy to convince an intelligent boy that he may innocently attend, on Monday night, the school exhibition, and that it is wicked on Tuesday night to listen to the performance of a dramatic club who employ the same scenes and costumes, and represent the same play that his companions had borrowed the night before? Or is it easy for any candid man to convince himself that if a play be wrong in one place it is right in another? I do not imagine that even the atmosphere of

DEAR SCHOOLMASTER: People of late have labored to convince honest men that theaters are the best teachers of sound morality, but I, sitting at my fireside, have not yet become won to that belief. After questioning many good men on the matter and reading some pages of the history of the drama, I am surprised to find that the opinions of a majority of men of wisdom and sense agree with my own. I have been searching, too, for the benefits of stage instruction, a church can consecrate the "Lady of Lyons" and am compelled to say that I have been dis-to the spiritual good of its hearers, or that "Uncle Tom" is so good as not to become appointed in my search. Those who attend contaminated by the association of the Musemost seem to be benefitted least. I finally arrive at the conclusion that as the tendency of Truly yours, JOHN. such displays must be either good or bad, and as it is certainly not always good, it may be very bad. And this result follows legitimately from the character of the exhibitions. There is danger, and danger ought to be avoided, unless it be essential to embrace it.

•Since there is danger, Mr. Schoolmaster, in attending a theater, there must be wrong in leading one to desire to attend such displays. Now I come to the subject.

um.

For the Schoolmaster.
Dido and Aneas.

A CLASS in Virgil, consisting of nine misses [nine muses], came to the account of Æneas' leaving Dido so unceremoniously, which is given in the Æneid, Book Iv. lines 554-584, and were so incensed at the Trojan leader for such conduct, as well as at Mercury for advising him to such a course, and for uttering the sentiment found in line 571-Varium et mutabile semper fœmina!—that they indig. nantly read the line, Varium et mutabile semper HомO! and afterwards burned Æneas in effigy. They would probably have served Mercury in the same manner had he not been one of the Immortals. The following appear

Those school exhibitions which introduce costumes or other stage effects, such as curtains, scenes, or footlights, extracts from plays or the whole of plays, are nothing less than theaters on a small scale, wherein the performers are boys and girls, the curtains and the costumes impromptu and the scenes ill-painted, if any there be.—But these are only less mag-ed as the composition of a member of the nificent and beautiful than in the complete class, a few days after :

theater because the means of the performers or of the directors will not allow. These facts are self-evident. Perhaps one reader of this letter may have witnessed, as I have, in school exhibitions, the green-room of continuous

DIDO ET DUX TROJANUS.
Pulchram fœminam jam cano

Nomine Didonem,
Laesam perdito et vano,

Audite sermonem.

ED.

L

Ages past, in land far distant, Dwelt a queen in gorgeous state; Ruled her realm without assistant; Planned her city vast and great.

She had risen to her station

With strong will and lofty mind, Founder of a powerful nation, Loved and honored by her kind.

Of a generous, noble nature,

Sordid objects she despised;
Dreamed she of a glorious future
Quickly to be realized.

To the state her thoughts were given;
Its advancement was her care;
Favored by the powers of heaven

Soon she built a city fair.
Radiant in her youth and beauty
With Diana's witching grace;
All intent on her high duty,

Nobly toiled she for her race.
True to one long since departed,-
He she loved was in the tomb,-
All her suitors disregarded
Shared alike the unwelcome doom.

But it might not last forever

Life so calm and gentle peace; Lofty aims and high endeavor, Overruled by fate, must cease. There appeared a princely stranger, With Apollo's graceful mien; Dido blind to threatening dangerWoman still,-forgot the queen. Venus, child of deep blue ocean,

Goddess fair of grace and love,
Urged her on to mad devotion,
Though with scruples, long she strove.

Who can, whether high or lowly,
Circumvent all Cupid's arts?
Who can say, and say it truly,
Love sways not the strongest hearts.
If, perchance, bright dreams romantic
Often tinged her musing hours,
Blame her not, ye minds pedantic,
Only blame the Higher Powers!

Claiming pity,-called the Pious,-
Truth seemed graven on his brow;
Handsome,-Goddess-born Eneas!-
Dido worshipped-loved him now.
Friendship offered no resistance;

Dido yielded heart and state
To the light of her existence,

Trusting for a worthy fate.

Had he, as she fondly deemed him,
Proved as nobly good as fair,
That bright hour when she received him,
Ne'er had changed to dark despair.

But he left her broken hearted

Without word of hope or cheer; O'er the sea in haste departed;

Heaved no sigh and shed no tear!

Wild with grief, to phrensy maddened,
And consumed by hidden fire,
Hopes all blighted, life all saddened,
Died queen Dido on the pyre.

Say not, to excuse the traitor,

"Fate had willed that this should be;" Find the cause in man's own nature,

"Varium et multabile!!"

M. L. B.....

Young Ladies' High School, New London, Ct., January, 1858.

Reunion of the Young Ladies' High School.

Ir is known to many of our readers that the present School Commissioner of our state, John Kingsbury, LL. D., has for many years been the teacher of a Young Ladies' High School in this city. It may not be known to them all that he has been the sole teacher of one school for thirty years. We do not know where a parallel case can be found.

We copy at length from the Providence Journal the following admirably written report of the "Reunion" of the members, past and present, of this school, which took place February 5, in Manning Hall, Brown University. Our readers will allow us to call their

especial attention to the address of Commissioner Kingsbury, particularly to that portion relative to means for securing punctuality and regular attendance.-ED.

Passed like the mist from off the hill,
Yet memory fond recalls them still.
Within a generation's span,
The union ends which then began;
Above, in heaven, oh, may there be
A union for eternity.

Seldom has there been a more interesting
event in the city of Providence than the one
which took place yesterday morning in the
College chapel, the reunion of the members,
past and present, of the Young Ladies' High
School. The hall was well filled, mostly with
ladies of course, of all ages (if it is proper to
speak of age) and sizes, from the slender
maiden of fifteen to the portly matron of-no
matter how many years. A few of the sterner
sex graced the assembly with their presence,
chiefly fathers, husbands and sons of some of
the pupils. Among the honorary guests were
Rev. Dr. Wayland, Rev. Dr. Sears, Profes-
sors Caswell, Chace, Gammell, Lincoln and
Dunn, Hon. George P. Marsh, His Excellen-School in Providence could succeed.
cy Gov. Dyer, Rev. Dr. Crocker, Rev. Dr.
Crane, Rev. Daniel Leach, Rev. Dr. Swain,
Dr. Tobey, and Mr. Amos Perry, the succes-
sor of Mr. Kingsbury.

DR. WAYLAND'S ADDRESS. Dr. Wayland then made a short, but capital address, in which he said perhaps it was necessary for him to say something of the nature of the occasion which had called us out this morning, though he thought the occasion sufficiently explained itself. To him it was a very interesting event, for he had witnessed the beginning of the Institution, and had watched it through all the intervening years up to the close of it under its first Principal. At the beginning doubt was entertained whether such an enterprise as a Young Ladies' High

New

York, Philadelphia, and Boston might have such schools, but it was doubtful whether one could be sustained in Providence. Mr. Kingsbury thought differently. He knew us better At the hour for commencing the exercises than we knew ourselves. He commenced his of the morning, Dr. Tobey led to the pulpit school, and so well did he succeed, that at the Rev. Dr. Wayland, who was to be the chair-close of the first term, he had applicants sufman on this interesting occasion. Rev. Dr. ficient to fill another school of the same size, Swain then offered prayer, after which was He did not condescend to cater to fluctuating sung, to the tune of Old Hundred, the follow-public opinion, but went on in a manly, honest ing hymn, composed by a recent pupil, Pro- and straight-forward manner. He would have fessor Fuller presiding at the melodeon :

A grateful band we come to-day,
Within these sacred walls to pay
A parting tribute to our guide,
Who led our steps to wisdom's tide.

Here are the friends we loved of yore,
With whom we studied earthly lore;
Who trod with us the paths of truth,
In those light hearted days of youth.

Gone from us now those sunny hours,
Vanished like dew-drops from the flowers;

a school that should be an honor to Prov idence, or he would have none at all. What his school has been, is known to all in the community. He has succeeded, as I venture to say, no other man could have succeeded. The result of his labors, the influence of his instructions are seen in almost every family. Not only is a tribute due to him from his pupils, but from the city at large. Not only has he left his mark on his own school, but his influence has been felt in the cause of education in general throughout the state, nay,

I may add, throughout the country. How ties for education that they will be under less much he has done for Brown University, how necessity of spending abroad the most importhe has labored in building up churches, in ant period of their lives-a period in which a helping on the Art Association! In short, he mother's judicious care is so necessary to the has laid his hands on nothing which he has formation of character. In this undertaking not adorned, he has begun nothing that he has we look for support only among those who not completed. The young ladies that have wish their daughters to acquire a thorough edbeen educated under his fostering, superin-ucation. No attempt will be made to gain the tending care may well be called the jewels approbation of such as would prefer showy of the city of Providence;' which sentiment and superficial accomplishments to a well-regwas received with applause, and called forthulated mind.' complacent smiles and congratulatory looks

from those who had been so fortunate as to

SUCCESS OF THE SCHOOL.

The enterprise was regarded as chimerical, have one or more of those 'jewels' shining and certain to end in failure. With all its de

around his domestic board.

MR. KINGSBURY'S ADDRESS. Mr. Kingsbury, being called upon by the chairman to give some account of the school, said that the task which he assumed was extremely difficult. To give the history of a school under the charge of one individual for thirty years, and that individual himself, made the "Quorum pars magna fui" too obvious not to expose him to censure. Yet he knew no other way but to use the little but offensive word from whence egotism comes, and then throw himself upon the kindness of his hearers.

ORIGIN AND DESIGN OF THE SCHOOL.

Just thirty-two years ago, while Mr. Kingsbury was a student in Brown University, Mr. G. A. DeWitt, of the Providence High School, invited him to become an associate Principal in the instruction and management of that institution. The Young Ladies' High School was, at first, a separate department of the larger institution, and hence its name.

A circular was sent forth to announce the opening of this department, and it was the only advertisement ever used to attract public attention. In this circular the following language was used:

ficiencies, however, in one respect, at least, it has not failed. The number was limited, at first, to thirty-six, and afterwards to forty. This number was increased to forty-three, after the erection of the present building, and has remained the fixed number till to-day At the end of six months the complement of scholars was made up. Since that period, the number of applications for admittance, in advance of the full number, has not been less than twenty. It has often been fifty and sixty, and at the time when he decided to close his connection with it, the number was thirty-two. The whole number admitted has been five hundred and fifty-seven, eighty of whom have died. Forty of these were married and forty were unmarried. The whole number who have married is two hundred and eighty-two; consequently two hundred and seventy-five remain single. Eighty-one of the whole number have been named Mary, sixty-one Sarah or Sally, fifty-one Eliza or Elizabeth.

SCHOOLS THIRTY YEARS AGO.

To form some estimate of the difficulty of organizing and sustaining such a school, we must remember that a great change in public sentiment has taken place in the last thirty Our object in the establishment of this de- years. Parents now are more anxious to have partment is to afford young ladies such facili- 'their children educated, teachers are more re

2

last thirty years more. Novelty caused people to flock to see the new school-room, and one man came from Kentucky for this purpose. The old room was low studded and badly ven

way to the present beautiful and commodious structure. The old building, out of deference to early scholars, was pulled down and burned, lest it might be desecrated as the residence of some degraded specimen of humanity.

MEANS FOR SECURING REGULAR ATTENDANCE.

spected and receive a better compensation. As an illustration, Mr. Kingsbury was reminded by one of his college friends that it would be throwing himself away to engage in the business of teaching for life. In further illus-tilated, and at the end of twenty years gave tration of the change, the range of studies was very limited in girls' schools. The study of Latin and mathematics was ridiculed, and the boys, in derision, would say, "There goes the man who teaches the girls Latin." The price of tuition in the highest classical school in the city was five dollars per quarter; and teachers were almost offended that the new school should charge $12 50, not perceiving that they would be the gainers by the change. Public school teachers received $500 per year. Some private school teachers were so much injured that their income in less than two years was doubled. Vacations also afford another illustration. Private schools had no vacation unless the time was lost to the teacher; public schools had four days, viz., the Friday following each quarterly examination, which took place on Thursday.

SCHOOL-HOUSES THIRTY YEARS AGO.

School-rooms were frequently nothing more than rooms cast off as unfit for mechanical purposes. The rudest and cheapest furniture was generally procured for these rooms, and thus a wretched contrast was first presented to those who had come from well-furnished houses at home.

Mr. Kingsbury gave some account of the means taken to secure punctuality and regular attendance. An account of every minute's deficiency has been kept, which has resulted in a great degree of success. Many have attended an entire year without one mark against their names, while the marking has been so rigid that if a scholar were half way from the door to her seat when the clock struck she

could not escape.
have attended two years, one three and one
quarter years, and another four entire years
without a single failure. The teacher has lost
at three different times in the thirty years,
eleven weeks, and has been one minute late,

A considerable number

which, as he was within the door as the clock struck, he desired to have taken off from against his name.

EXAMINATIONS.

He also gave an account of the examination of several classes at an early period of the history of the school. The largest examination that was ever held in the school lasted three days, when a class of five pupils graduated. A testimonial from the examining committee, of which Dr. Wayland was chairman, was then read by Professor Lincoln, after which Mr. Kingsbury resumed. In 1834, another class of five graduated, and another public examination was held, which lasted two days.

A building standing where the present one now stands, which had been used as a school by the venerable Oliver Angell, Esq., of this city, was entirely refitted, and a carpet was placed on the floor; the first carpet, probably, in our country, covering an entire school-room floor. Desks covered with broadcloth, and chairs instead of high-backed board seats were provided. Many exclaimed, what a pity to waste so much money! But the desks and A reminiscence from that class will be read chairs, after thirty years' use, may with care presently.

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