Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 1.djvu/353

 EDUCATION IN HOPKINTON.

��345

��New Hampshire legislative committee on incorporations, which body, not com- prehending the significance of the term "New Church," were disposed to treat the matter with supreme indifference. Mr. I. D. Merrill, however, was a repre- sentative for this town, and a member of the committee on education. Through his influence and official position the charter became a fact. Although the work of building was not completed, yet upon the act of legal incorporation a meeting was held in " Academy Hall," among the lumber and shavings, and or- ganization effected as follows :

Abiel Silver, President; John Burn- ham, Vice President; William Howe, N. A. Davis, H. C. Stanley, Ebenezer Mor- rill, Paul R. George, S. L. F. Simpson, H. E. Perkins and Joseph Dow, Direc- tors; Abiel Silver, John Burnham, I. D. Merrill and Alonzo Currier, Executive Committee; Abiel Silver, Rev. Win. B. Hayden and Asa Kimball, Property Board of Trustees. On the 24th of Au- gust Geo. L. Kimball, I. D. Merrill and S. L. F. Simpson were chosen a commit- tee to arrange for a term of school.

The first term of Contoocook Academy began in the autumn of the same year, with about 80 pupils. Ambrose Way- land Clark of Dartmouth College was principal. He remained but a short time, owing to a more advantageous op- portunity for employment. In 1858, Rev. Geo. H. Marstonof Limington,Me., came to Contoocook to become the successor of the Rev. Abiel Silver as min- ister of the New Church, and also to take charge of the academy. He was associ- ated with Miss Amy Andrews of Boston, who afterwards became his wife. He re- mained till sometime in the year 1862. Since that time there have been different teachers iu charge of the institution. Mr. John C. Ager. Mr. Thos. B. Richard- son Mr. S. C. Kimball and others have taught for longer or shorter periods. Rev. Chas. Hardon is the present princi- pal.

Contoocook Academy stands on the high land south-west of the village of Contoocook, on a site purchased by the corporation of Wm. Howe for the sum of $150. It is a neat building, two

��stories in height, containing Academy Hall above and drawing and recitation rooms below. In the tower is a bell. W. S. Davis is president of the corpora- tion.

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.

Having thus briefly closed our histori- cal sketch, it becomes proper to consider the present status of education in Hop- kinton, and offer such suggestions and reflections as may be profitable. During the years that are past this town has lost many advantages through circumstances beyond her control. These circum- stances have already been in part pointed out. Still we have made very material gain. In the department of school disci- pline we have accomplished much. The teacher no longer inspires the child through the terrors of the rod or the rul- er, and the order of the children is as good as, or superior to, that of past times. Not so much improvement as might be has been made in school archi- tecture, yet we have some school houses that are sources of justified pride. The edifices of No. 1, No. 5, No. 12 and No. 24 are especially commendable. Certain others are quite decent, comfortable and respectable. Some of our instructors seek to approach the youthful mind by improved rational methods, and with ed- ifying success. Various arts are devised to make the place and hour of school at- tractive and inviting rather than repul- sive and forbidding. It is now quite common to find various features of decor- ation and ornamentation, as with pic- tures, flowers, and different tasty con- ceits, sustained throughout the whole school year.

Yet we have room for very important improvements. Prominently, we need a better distribution of the school funds. In our town are 21 school districts, con- taining, in 1875, 478 legal pupils. That year we raised from all sources $2507.52, or $5.24 for each scholar iu the town. Now if every scholar could get his share of educational advantages for the sum of $5.24 expended, the distribution would be even ; as it is, however, only six dis- tricts in town get their schooling for any- thing less than $5.24 per scholar, while the remaining 15 pay over that amount.

�� �