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 PROVIDENCE, R. L, 
 
 ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1879. 
 
 PniNTED r.Y ORDER OF THE GENERAT- ASSEMBLY. 
 
 PROVIDENCE: 
 
 E. L. FREEMAN & CO., PRINTERS TO THE STATE. 
 1879. 
 
THE 
 
 DEDICATION 
 
 ^yTll U 
 
 lllllB 
 
 PROVIDENCE, R. I., 
 
 ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1879. 
 
 TKINTBD BY ORDER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 
 
 PROVIDENCE : 
 
 E. L. FREEMAN & CO., PRINTEKS TO THE STATE. 
 
 1879. 
 
.% 
 
 
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL BUILDING. 
 First Floor. 
 
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL BUILDING. 
 Second Floor. 
 
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL BUILDING. 
 Third Floor. 
 
THE BUILDING. 
 
 The State Normal School buildmg is situated on 
 Benefit street, between Angell and Waterman streets. 
 The building was constructed by the city of Provi- 
 dence, in 1843, for the accommodation of its high 
 school. Upon the erection of a larger and more com- 
 modious structure for that purpose, in 1878, the city 
 sold the old High School building and grounds to 
 the State for the uses of the Normal School. 
 
 The building is a plain, but substantial edifice, built 
 of brick, and three stories in height. The size of the 
 original structure was fifty-six feet by seventy-six, to 
 which an addition has now been made in the rear, 
 forty-two feet by thirty-two. There are three en- 
 trances, one on each of the streets which bound the 
 lot. The entrance on Benefit street is for the teachers 
 and visitors ; the one on Angell street for the young 
 ladies ; and the one on Waterman street for the young 
 gentlemen. 
 
 Entering from Benefit street, at the right of the 
 hall is a reception room, twenty-one feet by fourteen, 
 
4 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 from which opens a room, fifteen feet by thirteen, for 
 the use of the Trustees and Examiners. In the rear 
 of this room is the gentlemen's dressing-room, which 
 connects directly with the Waterman street entrance. 
 At the end of the entrance hall is the heating appa- 
 ratus, which consists of five of Gold's patent steam 
 furnaces, with the necessary radiators and other ap- 
 pliances. At the left of the main entrance is the 
 chemical laboratory, thirty-two feet by twenty-eight, 
 connected with which in the rear are two large store- 
 rooms. The laboratory is provided with a teacher's 
 desk and pneumatic trough, and two working tables 
 for the use of the pupils, which will accommodate 
 twenty at once, and furnish every facility for individ- 
 ual practice. There are also many other conveniences 
 for laboratory work, including a special ventilated 
 chamber, with glass doors, for the performance of ex- 
 periments involving noxious gases and odors. These 
 rooms are twelve feet high. 
 
 The second floor is reached by a handsome ash 
 stairway. This story is bisected by a hall twelve feet 
 wide, which connects with the stairway in the addition 
 leading to the main hall. On each side of this hall 
 are two rooms, each twenty-eight feet by twenty-one. 
 The two on the south and the one on the north-west 
 are fitted up for recitation rooms. In connection with 
 the south-west room is a small ante-room, which is used 
 as a philosophical cabinet. The north-east room has 
 
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDINa. 5 
 
 been converted into a dressing-room for the young 
 ladies, and is reached directly from the entrance on 
 Augell street, by a short and easy flight of stairs. 
 These four rooms are each thirteen feet high. Two 
 recitation rooms have also been secured on this floor 
 in the addition, one on the south, twenty-eight feet by 
 eighteen, for general purposes, and the other on the 
 north side, twenty-four feet by eighteen, for drawing. 
 These two rooms, owing to the elevation of the floor 
 above, are fifteen feet high. Ample room is furnished 
 in the halls on this floor for the erection of cases for 
 collections. Already two cases of minerals and one 
 of birds have been put in position. 
 
 A flight of easy stairs leads to the third story, in 
 which is the Study Hall, occupying the whole of 
 this floor in the original building. It is also reached 
 from the ladies' dressing-room by an independent 
 stairway on the Angell street side. This hall is six- 
 teen feet in the clear, and is unobstructed by pillars 
 or posts, the roof being supported by heavy trusses. 
 It is furnished with one hundred and twenty single 
 desks, made of cherry, with lids, and portable chairs. 
 A number of beautiful engravings and photographs 
 adorn the walls, among the latter being a set of pic- 
 tures of the Governors of the State who have been 
 connected with the school since its reestablishment. 
 At the south of the hall is a small lobby, which is 
 used for a library. On the east of the hall is the 
 
6 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 platform, twenty-three feet in length, and nineteen feet 
 deep, but which projects into the hall only five feet, 
 the remainder being recessed back into the addition, 
 so as not to trespass upon the looks or availability of 
 the hall. To the south of the platform, in the new 
 part, is a small reception room for the lady teachers. 
 Immediately in the rear of the platform is a recitation 
 room twenty-eight feet by seventeen. This is separa- 
 ted from the platform by sliding doors, which can be 
 thrown back so as to furnish sufficient space to seat 
 the whole school, apparently on the platform. Open- 
 ing out of this recitation room, on the north-east, is 
 the principars office, which connects directly also with 
 the main stairway leading from the second to the 
 third floors. 
 
 Thorough ventilation has been secured by the erec- 
 tion of two new shafts of ample size, and carrying a 
 furnace pipe of cast iron throughout the entire length. 
 Water has been introduced and freely distributed 
 throughout the building. The walls are tinted so as 
 to produce a pleasing effect upon the eye, while the 
 wood work is finished in imitation of oak. 
 
PROCEEDINGS 
 
 At a meeting of the Trustees of the State Normal 
 School, held September 6, 1878, it was 
 
 Voted, That it is expedient to provide for suitable pubhc 
 exercises on the occasion of the opening of the new school 
 building, and that Messrs. Leach, Cross and Stockwell be a 
 committee to arrange therefor. 
 
 At a subsequent meeting, held October 2, 1878, in 
 view of the fact that the building could hardly be 
 sufficiently completed at the time of the transfer of 
 the school on the first of December, to permit the 
 holding of any public services, and for other pruden- 
 tial considerations, it was 
 
 Voted, That the dedicatory exercises of the new building for 
 the Normal School be deferred to the end of the present term. 
 
 The Committee of Arrangements, deeming the oc- 
 casion a fitting opportunity for gathering up and pre- 
 senting to the people the whole history of Normal 
 School work in the State, invited the Rev. Augustus 
 Woodbury, of Providence, to deliver at the dedica- 
 
8 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 tion an historical address. Mr. Woodbury accepted 
 the invitation, and Thursday, the twenty-third day of 
 January, 1879, the day before the close of the term, 
 was set apart for the exercises. 
 
 On the day appointed, at 12 o'clock, M., in response 
 to an invitation extended by the Trustees, the General 
 Assembly, together with many of the former officers 
 and teachers of the Normal School, and many friends 
 of education from different sections of the State, as- 
 sembled in the hall of the new building. 
 
 The exercises were opened by a song, " The Merry 
 Mountaineers," from the pupils of the school, under 
 the direction of Mr. Benjamin W. Hood, the teacher 
 of music. 
 
 His Excellency Governor Van Zandt, President of 
 the Board of Trustees and presiding officer of the 
 day, then spoke as follows : 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen: 
 
 As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, 1 have 
 pleasure in welcoming you, and it affords me gratifi- 
 cation to be able to say that to-day the State Normal 
 School ceases to be an experiment, and is one of the 
 permanent institutions of Rhode Island. This build- 
 ing was purchased for a reasonable price, and has 
 been altered and arranged in a prudent and economi- 
 cal manner. The teachers are admirably qualified, 
 intellectually and morally, for their duties, and the 
 
ADDRESS OF GOVERNOR VAN ZANDT. 9 
 
 attendance is steadily increasing. I have no doubt 
 that this central location will present greater induce- 
 ments and facilities for parents to send their sons and 
 daughters to the school. 
 
 The people of the State will derive satisfaction from 
 a comparison of the expenses incurred in the arrange- 
 ment and conduct of the Normal School, with those 
 connected with the erection and management of other 
 educational institutions. 
 
 At the conclusion of his address, the Governor in- 
 troduced the Hon. Samuel H. Cross, of Westerly, 
 Chairman of the Joint Special Committee of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly, who made the following report : 
 
REPORT 
 
 BUILDING COMMITTEE 
 
 At a meeting of the State Board of Education, held 
 on the 8th day of June, 1870, a committee was ap- 
 pointed to investigate and report upon the condition 
 of the schools supported wholly, or in part, by money 
 received from the State ; also, upon what should be 
 done to raise the standard of education and to secure 
 more systematic and efficient work in these schools. 
 
 This committee reported it to be of primary im- 
 portance that the State should provide a Normal or 
 Training School, where such persons as were desirous 
 of becoming teachers could obtain, without cost, a 
 practical education, — an education adapted to the 
 work of the school-room. 
 
 The Board being aware of the fate of a similar in- 
 stitution in the State, not many years since, could not 
 be sure that success would attend their efforts in this 
 direction, at this time. However, on the 14th day of 
 
REPORT OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE. 11 
 
 December, 1870, after careful consideration, the Board 
 voted it expedient that the experiment should be 
 tried ; and to this end, adopted a resolution, asking 
 the -General Assembly to appropriate the sum of 
 $10,000 for the purpose of establishing a State Nor- 
 mal School. This resolution was presented to the 
 General Assembly, at its January Session, 1871, and 
 on the 11th day of March, 1871, an appropriation of 
 $10,000 was made. Much time was spent in perfect- 
 ing plans and securing teachers for the institution, 
 and everything that could be was done to insure its 
 success. It was decided to locate the school in the 
 city of Providence, and its establishment being but an 
 experiment, it was thought best to lease buildings 
 necessary for its use, until such time as results should 
 demonstrate its usefulness, and the State should recog- 
 nize it as being essential to its educational interests, 
 and provide for it a suitable and permanent home. 
 
 Rooms were leased of the Hon. A. C. Barstow, and 
 on the 6th day of September, 1871, the school was 
 opened with appropriate exercises, and with a number 
 of candidates for admission far out-numbering the an- 
 ticipations of its most sanguine friends. The success 
 which has attended the efforts of the Board of Trus- 
 tees, ably seconded by Professor Green ough and his 
 efficient corps of teachers, to make this One of the 
 first institutions of its kind in the country, it is not 
 necessary to detail in this report. Not many months 
 
12 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 after its inception, the fact became apparent to the 
 Trustees and to its friends generally, that the useful- 
 ness and success of the school were greatly hampered 
 by reason of its straitened quarters. The great benefit 
 derived from the institution in all parts of the State, 
 had made its success and necessity no longer doubtful. 
 It was then determined to take active measures for its 
 recognition as one of the permanent institutions of 
 the State, and to secure for it the location and con- 
 veniences coextensive with its needs and advantages. 
 
 On the 28th day of January, 1875, a Joint Special 
 Committee was appointed by the General Assembly 
 to ascertain and report at what price a suitable loca- 
 tion for the State Normal School could be obtained. 
 Several locations were considered by the committee, 
 among them, the Providence High School estate, 
 possession to which it was thought could be had 
 upon the completion of the new city High School 
 building. 
 
 The committee, accompanied by Prof J. C. Green- 
 ough, the principal of the school, and Mr. A. C. Morse, 
 an architect of the city of Providence, made an in- 
 spection of the building and grounds proposed, and 
 decided that this location was the most desirable of 
 any presented ; that the supposed price at which it 
 could be purchased was the most reasonable, and that 
 the necessary changes could be made in the premises at 
 or within a proper cost. The committee reported the 
 
REPORT OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE. 13 
 
 results of their labor to the General Assembly, at its 
 January Session, A. D. 1875. The report was ac- 
 cepted, and the same committee was continued, with 
 power to purchase the Providence High School estate, 
 provided it could be purchased and fitted for the uses 
 and purposes of the State Normal School at a cost not 
 to exceed $40,000. Proposals for the purchase of the 
 Providence High School estate were advertised for by 
 the city of Providence. The committee thereupon em- 
 ployed the architect, Mr. Morse, to make plans and 
 estimates of the cost of the proposed requisite im- 
 provements. The plans and estimates submitted by 
 Mr. Morse were considered so favorable, that the 
 committee felt justified in submitting a proposition to 
 the city to purchase the estate for $30,000. 
 
 On the 1st day of July, 1878, the city transferred 
 the estate to the State. Thereupon the building com- 
 mittee requested Mr. Morse to make specifications of 
 the work to be done, and to obtain proposals for doing 
 the same. 
 
 July 6, 1878, the committee met to open the pro- 
 posals received, and accepted that of Messrs. W. C. 
 Davenport & Co., to do the work required, for the 
 sum of $8,387.00. 
 
 Since then they have done other and necessary 
 work, by order of the committee, to the amount of 
 $898.01, making the whole amount paid Messrs. 
 Davenport & Co. $9,285.01. 
 
14 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 In addition to this, payments have been made for 
 services of architect and for work not specified in 
 the contract, to the amount of $705.78, making the 
 total amonnt of expenditures to be $39,990.79. 
 
 To Mr. Morse, the architect, the committee are 
 greatly indebted, and they tender him their personal 
 thanks for the great interest he has manifested in these 
 changes and improvements, and for the invaluable 
 assistance he has rendered them from the commence- 
 ment to the completion of the work. 
 
 The committee are not unmindful of a desire to 
 bear testimony to the faithful manner in which Messrs. 
 Davenport & Co., the contractors, have performed the 
 work placed in their hands. 
 
 The duties of the committee will be completed 
 upon the delivery of these keys to you, Mr. Stock- 
 well, the representative of the Department of Educa- 
 tion of our State. And the committee present these 
 keys to you with no little pleasure, knowing as they 
 do, of the fidelity and ability with which you have 
 discharged all the trusts reposed in you by your fel- 
 low-citizens. 
 
 Mr. Cross then delivered the keys to Mr. Stock- 
 w^ell, the Commissioner of Public Schools, who ac- 
 cepted them with the following address : 
 
ADDRESS 
 
 COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 Mr. Chairman : 
 
 It is with feelings of unusual satisfaction that I rise 
 to accept these keys at your hands. The setting 
 apart of any building for the work of education in 
 any one of its manifold branches is an interesting oc- 
 casion, and may well call for our sympathy and atten- 
 tion. But when we come to the dedication of a 
 Normal School the significance of the act is greatly 
 enhanced, and we are warranted in ascribing to it a 
 chief place among the events of the hour. A Nor- 
 mal School is preeminently a centre of influences 
 which radiate in every direction. From its very con- 
 stitution it must constantly reproduce itself, through 
 its graduates in their respective fields of labor. Is it 
 too much, then, to say that this day marks a new 
 epoch in the history of common school education in 
 this State, — the day which beholds the permanent es- 
 
16 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 tablishiiient of the Rhode Island State Normal School 
 in this beautiful home of its own ? 
 
 I can but feel it a special honor to be permitted to 
 stand in this place and receive, on behalf of the Trus- 
 tees, through your hands, this generous gift from the 
 State to the cause of popular education. I can assure 
 you, sir, that the Trustees are not unmindful of the 
 increased responsibilities and enlarged opportunities 
 which the occasion brings to them. But they accept 
 them with the purpose to meet the one and improve 
 the other, to the best of their abilities. As in the 
 past, it will be their aim in the future, to so conduct 
 the school as to enable it to lift up the schools of the 
 whole State to a higher plane of efficiency and value. 
 In their behalf, I thank you, sir. 
 
 I desire, also, to express the thanks of the teachers 
 of the State. From the earliest history of common 
 schools in Rhode Island, the teachers have been most 
 persistent in their demands for suitable facilities for 
 obtaining a better preparation and a more complete 
 equipment for their work. Hence they rejoice to-day 
 in the dedication of this school for the teacher. They 
 look to it not merely to furnish those who have the 
 high privilege of its training and discipline with the 
 means of accomplishing a better work than they 
 otherwise might do, but to exert a reflex influence 
 upon the whole profession. They believe it will be 
 the centre of an energy which shall pervade the entire 
 
ADDRESS OF THE SCHOOL GOMMISSIONEH. 17 
 
 State, enter every school-room, and ultimately mould 
 and sway tlie doctrine and discipline of every teacher. 
 Hence, sir, they rejoice in the promise of this occasion. 
 
 But there is another class in our communities, much 
 more numerous than the teachers, who are specially 
 interested in these exercises. I refer, sir, to the chil- 
 dren, who are the pupils in our schools. I should 
 deem myself recreant to my duty, as well as negligent 
 of my privilege, did I not here recognize the para- 
 mount interest which they must have in this event. 
 
 This school, in its ultimate analysis, means, if it 
 means anything, an end of empiricism in the school- 
 room, an overthrow of the novice and the installation 
 of the skilled workman ; it means the substitution of 
 rational methods for irrational, or no methods at all ; 
 it means order in place of confusion, true discipline 
 instead of self-rule, development instead of repression. 
 To all of these new conditions of school life the aver- 
 age pupil will respond with hearty good-will. How- 
 ever indisposed to personal effort, or to the recogni- 
 tion of authority, he still rejoices in the domination of 
 a master spirit, and in the guidance of a skillful hand. 
 Not the least of the fruits of this day's doings will 
 therefore be found in the lives of those who shall be 
 trained up to paths of usefulness, whose characters 
 shall become symmetrical and perfect, through the in- 
 struction and example of the graduates of this school. 
 
 And lastly, sir, I feel that I must express what I 
 
18 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 know to be the sentiment of every friend of educa- 
 tion in the State, — that of deep gratitude that our 
 public school system is now complete, and its future 
 progress and development assured in these ample pro- 
 visions for its support and nourishment. For the per- 
 fection of these arrangements, for the wise counsels 
 whereby so much has been secured with the means 
 provided, great credit is due to you, sir, and to the 
 "•entleinen associated with you bv order of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly. To each one are special thanks due 
 for the fidelity with which the trust has been dis- 
 charged. 
 
 It now becomes my privilege to transi'er these keys, 
 and with them the care and custody of this building, 
 to you, Mr. Principal. But least important of all is 
 the care of the property, valuable as it is. Higher 
 mterests of a transcendent character are involved in 
 this charge. These keys carry with them the control 
 and mastership of the school which shall occupy these 
 spacious and well-appointed rooms ; they stand for the 
 firm and wise guidance which shall be needed, for the 
 application of sound principles and correct methods 
 in all of the work to be done here, for the culture of 
 a true manhood and womanhood ; in brief, for the full 
 and complete equipment in knowledge, power and 
 character of the future teachers of our State. It is 
 because we have had in the past the highest proofs of 
 your ability and success in doing this thing, that I 
 
RESPONir^E OF PRINCIPAL OF NORMAL SCHOOL. 19 
 
 now take the deepest satisfaction in asking- you to 
 accept these enlarged facilities for your work. It is 
 also meet that it should be said here to-day, that this 
 school, in its present vigorous condition, with the 
 promise of a still greater activity, is due in no small 
 measure to your own earnest and faithful labors. 
 
 But while we recognize the value of all that has 
 been accomplished in the past, we can but feel that it 
 has been done in spite of, rather than in consequence 
 of, the conditions in which the school has been placed. 
 We believe that the same efforts, under more favor- 
 able conditions, would have secured better results. 
 Hence it is, that we now commit this building, with 
 all of its apparatus, into your hands, in the confident 
 expectation that you will be able to both enlarge 
 the scope of your work and increase its efficiency. 
 
 May you be long spared to preside over the desti- 
 nies of the Rhode Island State Normal School! 
 
 Mr. Stockwell then transferred the keys to Mr. 
 Greenough, the Principal of the school, who responded 
 as follows : 
 
 In accepting these keys from you as Commissioner 
 of Public Schools and Secretary of the Board of Trus- 
 tees, I undertake a service for the State. No one can 
 perform this service as perfectly as its importance de- 
 mands ; but aided by my associates, under your direc- 
 tion, gentlemen of the Board of Trustees, with your 
 
20 DEDlrATIOX OF THE NOHiMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 cooperation, fellow-citizens of Rhode Island, and rely- 
 ing- upon Him without whom human strength is but 
 weakness, I will strive according to my al^ility to so 
 discharge the duties imposed, that this school shall 
 appropriately subsei've the highest interests of the 
 State. 
 
 The following selections from the Holy Scriptures 
 were then read by the Rev. Thomas Laurie, D. D., of 
 Providence, who followed them with the Prayer of 
 Dedication. 
 
 '' Wisdom criotli witliont; slie utteretli lier voice in the 
 streets; she crieth in tlie chief ])l;ice of concourse, in the 
 openings of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words, 
 
 ''Happy is the man that findetli wisdom, and the man that 
 getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better 
 than the merchandise of silver, and tlie gain thereof than fine 
 gold. She is more precious than rubies; and all the things 
 thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length 
 of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and 
 honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths 
 are peace. 8he is a tree of life to tliem that lay hold upon 
 her; and happy is every one that retaineth her. The Lord by 
 wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath estab- 
 lished the heavens. By His knowledge tlie depths are broken 
 up, and the clouds drop down the dew. 
 
 " My son, if thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply 
 thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowl- 
 edge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seek- 
 est her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then 
 shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowl- 
 
SELECTIONS FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 21 
 
 edge of God. For tlie Lord givetli wisdom; out of his moiitli 
 Cometh knowledge and understanding. 
 
 '' Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:- and 
 with all thy getting get understanding. 
 
 "Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether 
 tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall A'anish 
 away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. If any 
 man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet 
 as he ought to know. But when that which is perfect is come, 
 then that which is in part shall he done away. For now we 
 see through a glass, darkly; hut then, face to face: now I 
 know in part; hut then shall I know even as also I am known. 
 
 ''Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise glory in his wisdom, 
 neither let the mighty glory in his might; let not the rich 
 glory in his riches: but let him that giorieth, glory in this, 
 that he understaudeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord 
 which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, 
 in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. 
 
 ''And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, tlie 
 only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent; in 
 whom are hid all treasures of wisdom and knowledge." 
 
 The school then sang the hymn, " God, the all 
 Merciful." 
 
 The Rev. Augustus Woodbury, of Providence, was 
 then introduced, and delivered the dedicatory address. 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS 
 
 REV. AUGUSTUS WOODBURY. 
 
 The occasion which has called ns together is one of 
 great interest to every citizen of our State. It is the 
 first time in the history of our Normal School that it 
 can welcome its friends to a house which it can call its 
 own. It seems, therefore, especially fitting that, while 
 congratulating the school upon its present good for- 
 tune and its happy auspices to-day, we shonld review 
 its past career, and read the lessons which its story 
 has to suggest. It is a story of struggle, hard and 
 sometimes doubtful. But we are glad to feel that 
 faithful and persistent striving has at last won its 
 crown. 
 
 Normal Schools in this country are of a very recent 
 origin. For a considerable period they have found a 
 place in the European systems of public instruction, 
 and their efficiency has been amply proved. They 
 date l)ack in Germany to the time of Luther and the 
 Protestant Reformation. Indeed, if it be accepted, 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 23 
 
 that the schools which bear this name are for the es- 
 pecial purpose of training their pnpils in the best 
 methods of teaching, they belong to a very early day 
 in the history of the Christian church. It has long- 
 been considered essential, that he who would teach 
 others must be taught how to do his work most effec- 
 tively. Even the word of the Lord could best find 
 its utterance from the lips of those who had been in- 
 structed in "the schools of the prophets." The old 
 Avorld saw and supplied the need. The new world, 
 destined to be "time's noblest offspring," cannot cer- 
 tainly be indifferent to the opportunities and duties 
 which time has brought. 
 
 Within the last century the cause of public educa- 
 tion in the United States has been set forward by a 
 strong and vigorous impulse. In New England, and 
 especially in Massachusetts, Mr. Horace Mann was 
 preeminent in the work. He, more than any one else, 
 was, doubtless, instrumental in educating the pub- 
 lic sentiment to the point of feeling the need of a 
 special training for the teachers of the common schools. 
 His zeal, his self-devotion, his ability in affairs, his moral 
 enthusiasm, were all engaged in the work, and as Sec- 
 retary of the Board of Education, he had the satisfac- 
 tion of establishing in Massachusetts — partly by private 
 enterprise, partly by State aid — normal instruction, or 
 the instruction of teachers, as a part of the school 
 system of that State. 
 
« 
 
 24 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 On the 2d of July, 1839, Mr. Mann wrote in his 
 diary: "Tomorrow we go to Lexington to hiunch 
 the first Normal School on this side of the Atlantic. 
 I cannot indulge in an expression of the train of 
 thought, which the contemplation of this event awak- 
 ens in my mind. Much must come of it. either of 
 good or of ill. I am sanguine in my faith that it will 
 be the former. But the good will not come of itself. 
 That is the reward of effort, of toil, of wisdom." 
 The next day he records: " Only three persons pre- 
 sented themselves for examination. In point of num- 
 bers this is not a promising commencement. What 
 remains but more exertion, more and more, nntil it 
 must succeed ?" But the school was established — that 
 was the main thing. Mr. Cyrus Pier'ce, a name hon- 
 ored and revered, was appointed Principal. A second 
 school was started in Barre, September 5th of the same 
 year. For the first five years, the enterprise was bare- 
 ly sustained. In 1844 it seemed to be at the point of 
 utter failure. But Mr. Mann persevered, and by dint 
 of great effort with his friends, and great sacrifice on 
 his own part — at one time selling his own library — he 
 saved the institution. He bought a building in West 
 Newton, which he fitted up for a State Normal School. 
 This became a success. In 1850, two other schools 
 were established, and thenceforward, Normal Schools 
 were firmly fixed in the policy of the State and in 
 the affections of tlie })eople of Massachusetts. 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 25 
 
 In the State of Rhode Island, Henry Barnard be- 
 came a worthy coadjutor of Horace Mann for the pro- 
 motion of the same great cause of public education. 
 Doubtless the system of free common school instruc- 
 tion had excited as deep an interest among many of 
 the people of our State as among other communities 
 in New England. But it did not take, until within 
 the present century, that practical form in our legisla- 
 tion, which would make it an effective agent for the 
 public good. In the Constitution adopted in 1842, 
 provision was made for the establishment of a school 
 fund, and it was made the duty of the General Assem- 
 bly " to promote public schools and to adopt all means 
 which they may deem necessary and proper to secure 
 to the people the advantages and opportunities of 
 education." Previous to this time the different towns 
 had given some attention to the subject. Public 
 spirited citizens formed associations, which were in- 
 corporated by the General Assembly, and maintained 
 schools by the taxation of the different members. In 
 this way, the Legislature, by virtue of the authority 
 given in that clause of the charter, which empowered 
 the General Assembly to do what was "meet for the 
 good and welfare " of the Colony, had, to a limited 
 extent, favored the cause of public education. At 
 the February Session of 1800, an act was passed "to 
 establish Free Schools." But in 1802 it was sus- 
 pended, and in 1803 it was repealed, and the matter 
 
26 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 was again left to private enterprise and liberality, or 
 to the action of the different towns. At the January 
 Session of 1828, however, the General Assembly 
 definitely passed an act "to establish Public Schools," 
 Provision was made for the appointment of School 
 Committees and the formation of a school fund. In 
 the acts granting the privilege of lotteries at this 
 time, a section was always introduced providing for 
 the payment of a certain sum into this fund. But the 
 year 1842 must be marked as the time when a system 
 of public school instruction became embodied in our 
 fundamental law. Not then, indeed, did the schools 
 become absolutely free. Even down to a very recent 
 date there existed a provision in the General Statutes 
 by which a school district could impose a "rate of 
 tuition, to be paid by the persons attending school, 
 or by their parents, employers or guardians." It is 
 true that the rate was small, but it Avas still a charge, 
 and in many cases might have proved a burden. 
 The removal of this special tax in the January Session 
 of 1868, accomplished the result of giving to Rhode 
 Island free common schools. 
 
 The General Assembly, in providing for the en- 
 forcement of the Constitution of 1842, authorized the 
 appointment of a School Agent. But this office was 
 merged in that of Commissioner of Public Schools, 
 which was established in 1845. Mr. Barnard was ap- 
 pointed the first Agent, and subsequently the first Com- 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 27 
 
 missioner. Immediately upon assuming the duties of 
 the position, he engaged in a series of labors which 
 fully occupied his time and demanded the utmost of 
 his strength. He visited every portion of the State, 
 delivered lectures, organized teachers' institutes and 
 associations, began what he calls an "itinerating Nor- 
 mal School agency," and endeavored in every possible 
 way to arouse the people to a sense of the necessity 
 of raising the standard, both of the schools and their 
 teachers. During the period of Mr. Barnard's occu- 
 pancy of the office, more than eleven hundred meet- 
 ings were held expressly to discuss topics connected 
 with the public schools, at which more than fifteen 
 hundred addresses were delivered. Experienced 
 teachers were sent on missions of education through- 
 out the schools of the State. More than sixteen 
 thousand pamphlets, relating to the subject, were dis- 
 tributed among the people, and the columns of the 
 public journals were employed to call public attention 
 to the matter. Even the popular almanacs were en- 
 listed in the cause, and in one year not one of this 
 class of public manuals was sold in Rhode Island, 
 without having at least sixteen pages of educational 
 reading attached. The indefatigable Commissioner 
 left no labor unperformed, which could in any way con- 
 duce to the promotion of the object to which he had 
 devoted himself Especially was he interested in the 
 establishment of " a thoroughly organized Normal 
 
28 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 School, or an institution for the special training of 
 teachers." Convinced of its great need, he says: 
 " I have everywhere so set forth the nature, necessity 
 and probable results of such an institution, as to pre- 
 pare the public mind for some legislative action toward 
 the establishment of one such school." 
 
 Mr. Barnard's plan contemplated the establishment 
 of two Normal Schools — one in the city of Provi- 
 dence, and the othei* at some convenient point in the 
 country. The school in Providence was to have a 
 connection "under the auspices of the School Com- 
 mittee" with the municipal school system, "and also 
 with Brown University, under a distinct professorship, 
 with access to libraries, apparatus and courses of lec- 
 tures." The school in the country was to be a train- 
 ing school, modelled in some of its features after the 
 then famous school in Kruitzlingen, in Switzerland. 
 It was to be partially industrial, and the pupils were 
 to earn a portion of their living by their labor. The 
 course of instruction in both schools was to include 
 the teaching of those j^rinciples of science which were 
 most closely applicable to the occupations of our peo- 
 ple. Mr. Barnard was sanguine of the success of this 
 plan, believing that the facilities for carrying it into 
 execution were greater in Ilhode Island than else- 
 where. " Her territory is small ; her wealth is abun- 
 dant ; her population is concentrated ; and the occu- 
 pations of her people are diverse. Commerce will 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 29 
 
 give expansion ; mannfactures and mechanical arts 
 will give activity, power, invention and skill ; and 
 agricnlture, prudence and conservatism." The con- 
 ditions seemed favorable. 
 
 But this plan proved to be more comprehensive 
 than many thought practicable. The General Assem- 
 bly seemed willing that the experiment should be 
 tried, at least in part. At the June Session of 1844, 
 a bill, consolidating the different acts relating to pub- 
 lic education, was passed by the House of Represen- 
 tatives, in which it was made a part of the duty of 
 the School Commissioner to " establish one thoroughly 
 organized Normal School in the State." Mr. Barnard 
 made an address before the Legislature upon the sub- 
 ject, and the bill and his remarks were printed for 
 circulation among the people. At the June Session 
 of 1845, the bill again came before the General As- 
 sembly, and, after revision, was passed by a large 
 majority. The section containing the authority for 
 the establishment of the Normal School was retained 
 intact. But a fatal omission was made. No appro- 
 priation was made for carrying the provision into 
 effect. Mr. Barnard, of course, could do nothing 
 without money, and, as voluntary subscriptions and 
 gifts were not forthcoming, the project fell still-born. 
 Resolutions were passed by meetings of teachers — 
 notably by the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction 
 in January, 1850 — and reports were made by the local 
 
30 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 School Committees, commending the institution. But 
 resolutions and reports are a somewhat unsubstantial 
 foundation for a structure of this kind. The State 
 took no further action. The Normal School was yet 
 only a promise — perhaps hardly that. 
 
 Brown University now began to move in the mat- 
 ter. The reorganization of that institution in 1850, 
 according to Dr. Wayland's plan of affording a more 
 practical education than a curriculum mostly classical 
 could give, embraced a professorship of didactics. 
 The duties of this office included a course of normal 
 instruction, of which it was hoped many young men 
 and women intending to become teachers, or already 
 in the profession, would be glad to avail themselves. 
 It was also proposed that other Professors in the Uni- 
 versity should take part in this instruction by means 
 of lectures upon various subjects connected with the 
 schools and the methods of communicating knowledge. 
 Mr. Samuel S. Greene, then Superintendent of Schools 
 in Providence, was appointed to the professorship. 
 An arrangement was made with the city authorities 
 by which he was enabled to hold both positions, and 
 in the winter of 1851-52, the first normal classes were 
 taught in the hall of the Providence High School 
 house. 
 
 It is a curious and noteworthy fact, that the Normal 
 School should virtually have had its beginning in the 
 very place in which we have now met, and to wliich. 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 31 
 
 after an absence of twenty-seven years, it has now re- 
 turned for its permanent home. About eighty per- 
 sons, mostly young women, are said to have attended 
 the first winter's instruction. So successful was the 
 experiment as to attract the attention of the commu- 
 nity to a remarkable degree. The School Committee 
 of the city cordially approved it, and the contribu- 
 tions of rich and liberal citizens furnished the means of 
 enlarging its scope. Professor Greene was able to rent 
 and fit up suitable rooms in the building then owned 
 by the Second Universalist Society, on the corner of 
 Broad and Eddy streets, for the accommodation of his 
 classes. Messrs. Dana P. Colburn, from the Normal 
 School at Bridgewater, Mass., Arthur Sumner, from 
 the Normal School at Lancaster, Mass., and William 
 Ptussell, were engaged as assistant instructors, and, on 
 the 24th of October, 1852, the school was opened. 
 The term continued until April 18, 1853. Eighty-five 
 different pupils, with an average attendance of seven- 
 ty-five, received instruction. The results were very 
 gratifying to the friends of the enterprise, and in the 
 autumn of 1853, Professor Greene began his third 
 term of instruction. Messrs. Colburn and Sumner 
 again became his assistants, and to these was added 
 Professor Arnold Henry Guyot, who delivered a course 
 of lectures on physical geography. This term began 
 November, 1853, and ended April, 1854. Meantime 
 such had been the interest in the movement as to in- 
 
32 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 diice the City Council of Providence, under the advice 
 of the School Committee, to pass a resolution, March 
 31, 1854, providing for the establishment of a Normal 
 School for the city, as a part of the municipal system 
 of public instruction. Professor Greene, now fully 
 occupied at the University, retired from the immediate 
 superintendence of the school, glad to feel that he had 
 been instrumental in beginning a work of permanent 
 benefit to the community and the schools. Mr. Col- 
 burn was appointed Principal, and the term was ad- 
 vertised to begin on the 29th of May. 
 
 Stimulated hy the success which had attended the 
 Normal School in the city, the General Assembly be- 
 came aroused at last to the necessity of providing for 
 the institution. Mr. Barnard, on account of impaired 
 health, was obliged to resign his office of Commission- 
 er in 1849. The thanks of the General Assembly 
 were voted to him. A testimonial was presented by 
 the teachers of the State, and his portrait was painted 
 and given to the Rhode Island Historical Society. 
 His labors in the cause of public education are very 
 gratefully remembered at the present day, and his 
 successors in office have in many ways expressed their 
 high appreciation of his faithful service. 
 
 Upon the retirement of Mr. Barnard, the office of 
 Commissioner was filled by the appointment of Mr. 
 Elisha U. Potter, of South Kingstown. It certainly 
 was a fortunate selection. With an earnest and cor- 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 33 
 
 dial interest in public education, Mr. Potter joined 
 a fine culture and excellent attainments. His legal 
 knowledge, liis extensive acquaintance with leading 
 citizens throughout the State, his wide range of read- 
 ing, were all brought into requisition, and the common 
 school system of our State is largely indebted to his 
 judicious administration and his well-directed labors. 
 He was especiall}' active in the work of providing a 
 better education for teachers. He "had hoped," he 
 saj^s, in a letter addressed to Governor William W. 
 Hoppin, May 3, 1854, "that the Normal School al- 
 ready started in Providence might succeed as a private 
 undertaking ''■ — the sam needed to make up any de- 
 ficiency in its support to be "supplied by private or 
 legislative aid." The General Assembly, at its Jan- 
 uary Session, 1854, had already made an appropria- 
 tion of one thousand dollars for this purpose, but it 
 was "found impracticable to continue the school in 
 this Avay." He apprehended "that serious dif3ficulties 
 would arise" from a "partnership" of city and State 
 in supporting such an institution. Pie therefore recom- 
 mended that the General Assembly should appropriate 
 a sufficient sum of money for the school, that it might 
 be " entirely free of expense for tuition, so that the 
 poorest might receive its advantages." 
 
 Mr. Potter's recommendation was favorably re- 
 ceived. The General Assembly, at the May Session 
 of 1854, passed an act establishing a. " State No]'mal 
 
84 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 School," and appropriated three thousand dollars for its 
 support. The hall in the building, before occupied by 
 Professor Greene's school, with some additional room 
 and accommodations, was hired at an annual rent of 
 seven hundred and fifty dollars. On the 29th of May, 
 the school was opened, as had before been announced. 
 Mr. Colburn was appointed principal and Mr. Sumner 
 assistant. The pupils were requested to sign a pledge, 
 that it was their intention to fit themselves for teach- 
 ers in the public schools of the State. Three young 
 men and twenty-four young women passed the pre- 
 liminary examination and were admitted to the school. 
 The opening exercises consisted of prayer by Rev. 
 Theodore D. Cook, of Providence, introductory re- 
 marks by Governor Hoppin, and-an address by Commis- 
 sioner Potter. The address closed with the expression 
 of the confidence which its author had, that his hearers 
 and himself would '' hereafter look back to the oc- 
 casion as constituting an era in our educational his- 
 tory." Addresses were also made by Professor Greene 
 and Rev. Edwin M. Stone. During the first year 
 eighty-eight different students — seven young men and 
 eighty-one young women, with an average attendance 
 of sixty-six and four-ninths — -belonged to the school. 
 Of these, seventy-six found occupation as teachers 
 very soon after their graduation. A few of the first 
 members of the school continue, after a quarter 
 century's service, to hold the position and success- 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 35 
 
 fully to perform the duties of teachers in our public 
 schools. 
 
 The State Normal School seemed now to be an ac- 
 complished fact. The first written report of Mr. Col- 
 burn to the Commissioner, dated December 3], 1856, 
 gives a very creditable exhibit of the work and prog- 
 ress of the school to that time, and speaks with en- 
 couragement of its future prospects. The teachers 
 appear to be enthusiastic, and the pupils faithful and 
 studious. A library of 1200 volumes was accumula- 
 ted, and a beginning made in the collection of an 
 apparatus. The list which is given of the latter, it 
 is true, is somewhat meagre — '■" two movable black- 
 boards, a good piano, one six-inch and two twelve- 
 inch globes, a valuable collection of outline maps and 
 charts, and a set of anatomical plates." But, as Mr. 
 Greenough remarked, at an educational convention, 
 held in 1872, "costly buildings, beautiful furniture, 
 convenient apparatus, good text-books may aid, but 
 our teachers make our schools." Teachers certainly 
 made the Normal School in the first year of its ex- 
 istence ; for the supply of everything else was very 
 deficient. The chief and promising fact was that a 
 beginning had been made. 
 
 A notable event of this period was the holding of a 
 special session of the school, beginning April 7, 1856, 
 and continuing for three weeks. "It was attended," 
 says Mr. Colburn, "by nearly one hundred and fifty 
 
36 DKDICATION OF THK NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 teachers,''" and is believed to have been in a higli de- 
 gree successful." Of the gentlemen who gave in- 
 struction and lectures, 1 find the names of Rev. Rob- 
 ert Allyn, who succeeded Mr. Potter as Commissioner 
 in 1854, Mr. Barnard, Rev. Dr. Barnas Sears, then 
 President of Brown [diversity. Professors Alexis Cas- 
 well, Robinson P. Dunn, James H. Angell, George I. 
 Chace, William (Janinioll and Albert Harkness, Rev. 
 D]-. Edward B. Hall, Re^ . George T. Day, Rev. E. M. 
 vStone, Rev. Thos. H. A'ail, Rev. John Boyden, Rev. 
 Dr. S. A. Crane, Rev. T. D. (^)ok, Hon. Welcome B. 
 Sayles, Gen. Joseph S. Pitman and Mr. Jjcvi W. Rus- 
 sell. The last mentioned gentleman gave a "valuable 
 course of lessons in reading and elocution'' — which 
 was thought deserving of special mention. 
 
 Mr. Sumner resigned Ins ]X)sition in July, 1855, on 
 account of ill-health, and Miss Haniuih W. (roodwin, 
 Mi.ss Enuna T. Brown and Miss Annie F. Saunders, 
 who had been ''assistant pupils," were appointed 
 assistant teachers. Misses Browji and Saunders very 
 acceptably performed the duties of their office until 
 their resignation, July 10, 185T. Professor Greene, 
 at the l>egiuning of the second term, September 11, 
 1854, took charge of the de[)artnient of P^nglish 
 Grammar and the Analysis of the English Language, 
 and held the position until July 10, 1857, when he 
 
 ■•' Tli(' wliolc niiiiiIxT WHS one luiiidicd mid forty-six — thirtu(.'U yoiiiis iiicii and oiic liim- 
 drcd and thirty-thiTC yoinif? women. 
 
])EDTCATORY ADDRESS. 37 
 
 resigned. A'ocal music was taught by Mr. Charles M. 
 Clark, from September 11, 1854, to July 13, 1855, 
 when the department passed into the charge of Mr. 
 Robert S. Fielden, who held it till his resignation, 
 July 10, 1857. Mr. Colburn states his obligations to 
 Professor Krusi, of Lancaster, Massachusetts, and to 
 Professors Dunn and Aiigell, of the University, for 
 valuable assistance. Professor Dunn gave a course of 
 ten lectures on English literature during the spring of 
 1856, and Commissioner Allyn delivered a course of 
 twenty lectures on intellectual philosophy, during the 
 wiuter of 1855-5(1 The school had thus, at the 
 start, enlisted the sympathy and aid of the leading 
 educators in our community. Mr. (Vjlburn was san- 
 guine that its future was assured. 
 
 At the January Session of the General Assembl}^ 
 in 1857, there were certain tokens of a coming change. 
 It was thought by some, that larger pecuniary aid 
 should be given by the towns, and that the State 
 Treasury should be relieved in part of the expense 
 of maintaining the school. A movement was made, 
 especially in Bristol, which looked to the removal of 
 the school to that place. A proposition was also 
 made to transfer the school to Woonsocket. It was 
 still hoped that it might be retained in Providence, as 
 really the only place where the school would be likely 
 to flourish. But the city authorities were unwilling 
 to make any appropriation for its support. The 
 
38 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 school had outgrown its accommodations. It had 
 increased to ninety-seven members, with an average 
 attendance of seventy-nine ; yet only sixty-four could 
 find seats in the rooms. Mr. Colburn earnestly pleaded 
 for the erection of a suitable building, but the General 
 Assembly turned a deaf ear to his appeals. A house 
 of sufficient size and convenient arrangement could 
 not be rented in Providence without increased ex- 
 pense, and there was no hope of obtaining from the 
 Legislature a larger appropriation. Moreover, there 
 were then, as there always are, persons who imagine 
 that change is synonymous with improvement. At 
 any rate, it was found that the school would soon be 
 obliged to remove from Providence. The town of 
 Bristol, with its beautiful situation, its well tempered 
 climate and its delightful society, seemed very attrac- 
 tive, and the General Assembly, after long discussion, 
 decided that it was the proper place. 
 
 At a town meeting held Aj^ril 1, 1857, a committee 
 consisting of Messrs. Byron Diman, Nathaniel Bullock, 
 William H. S. Bayley, John Norris and Samuel W. 
 Church, was appointed to procure suitable rooms. 
 At a subsequent meeting, the committee reported that 
 they had bought a lot of land, had secured the old 
 ('Ongregatioiial Meeting House, then standing in the 
 middle of one of tlie principal streets, and had ar- 
 ranged for its removal to the new site. Their action 
 was confirmed, and the sum of $4,564.15 was paid by 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 89 
 
 the town for the land, the removal of the bnilding, 
 the necessary repairs, furniture and other needful ex- 
 penditures. An annual appropriation was also made 
 for the care of the building, fuel and the like. The 
 citizens were generously disposed and were evidently 
 glad to have the school among them. At the May 
 Session of 1857, the General Assembly passed the 
 resolution, by authority of which the removal was 
 made. 
 
 A farewell reunion of the pupils, graduates and 
 friends of the Institution was held in the rooms which 
 the school had occupied in Providence, on the 10th of 
 July. It was attended by over tw^o hundred of the 
 former members of the school and a large number of 
 invited guests. Public exercises were held in the 
 audience room of the Second Universalist Church, 
 kindly offered by the society for the purpose. Orig- 
 inal hymns by Miss Seraphine A. Gardner and Miss 
 Mary M. Shelley, were sung. Prayer was oftered by 
 Rev. Mr. Cook and addresses were delivered by Presi- 
 dent Sears, Professor Greene and Commissioner Allyn. 
 After the exercises in the church, a collation was 
 served. Songs by Miss Sarah C. Padelford and Miss 
 Candace G. Wilcox were sung, and a poem was read 
 by Miss Padelford. President Sears, Professors Greene 
 and Angell, Ex- Governor Hoppin, Mayor William M. 
 Rodman, Rev. Mr. Cook and Mr. Colburn made brief 
 and happy speeches, expressing their regret for the 
 
40 DEDR'ATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 removal of the school from Providence, and their 
 hopes for its continued success. 
 
 Mr. Colburn began the eleventh term at Bristol, 
 with Mr. Daniel Goodwin, a graduate of Brown Uni- 
 versity of the class of 1857, and Miss Hannah W. 
 Goodwin, as his assistants. The scliool held its ses- 
 sions in the old Methodist Church, from September 
 15th to the '21st, when it removed to the Coart House, 
 where it remained till October 28d, when it took pos- 
 session of the building furnished by the town. It was 
 thought iitting that the occasion should be observed 
 by public exercises of dedication. Prayers were of- 
 fered by Rev. Mr. Reed and Rev. Dr. Thomas Shep- 
 ard, of Bristol, and addresses were made by Governor 
 Elisha Dyer, Ex-Governor Byron Diman, Commission- 
 er John Kingsbury, who succeeded Mr. Allyn in 1857, 
 Mr. Colburn, Lieutenant-Governor Thomas G. Turner, 
 of Warren, Rev. J. Lewis Diman, of Fall River, Rev. 
 Messrs. A. McKeown, Reed and William Lawless, of 
 Bristol, and Eaton Maxcy, of Warren. The school 
 opened with seven young men and thirty young 
 womeiL The people of Bristol did all in their power 
 to make the school successful, and Rev. Dr. Shepard 
 was especially active and cordial in the expression of 
 his interest. He made frequent visits to the school, 
 and on one occasion delivered a very valuable address 
 upon the literature of the Bible. The town itself was 
 certainly attractive; but it was c()m))aratively incon- 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 41 
 
 veiiient of access, and there was lacking the stimulus 
 which a busy community always imparts. 
 
 The third year of the removal was rendered inex- 
 pressibly sad by the sudden death of Mr. Colbiirn, 
 December 15, 1859. The painful story of the acci- 
 dent by which his mortal life was ended lias been 
 often told. He was thrown from his carriage, drag- 
 ged upon the frozen ground and killed, almost at the 
 very moment when he was preparing for an increased 
 joy in life. His death caused an universal expression 
 of sorrow and sympathy, not only in our community, 
 but among tlie teachers and friends of public educa- 
 tion throughout New England. He was widely known 
 and wherever known was both esteemed and beloved. 
 Full of enthusiasm in his profession, he had won an 
 enviable reputation in New Hampshire, Massachusetts 
 and Rhode Island. Particularly in the direction of 
 Teachers' Institutes he was favorably known in New 
 England and in several of the Middle and Western 
 States. But, says his biographer, " There can be no 
 doubt that the o-reat work of Mr. Colburn's life was 
 
 o 
 
 his instruction in Normal Schools. For ten years he 
 consecrated to this vocation his ripest powers of mind 
 and heart, and by his success' in it the value of his 
 brief life must be estimated. The Normal School was 
 his workshop, whence emanated his most positive in- 
 fluence on the surrounding woi'ld, and where his loss 
 will be longest felt," Within a week of completing 
 
42 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 his 3Gth year, he was taken suddenly away from 
 earthly scenes, yet he had lived long enough to se- 
 cure for himself a very large measure of public con- 
 fidence and private friendship. Possessing the math- 
 ematical genius which seems to belong to the Colburn 
 family by right of birth, he prepared and published 
 several manuals of arithmetic, which, even in these 
 days of the multiplicity of text-books, have an excep- 
 tional character and value. 
 
 After the death of Mr. Colburn, the appointment 
 of Principal was given to Mr. Daniel Goodwin, who 
 had been Mr. Colburn's assistant until November, 1859. 
 Mr. Goodwin, however, had already begun his theo- 
 logical studies, and he could only accept the appoint- 
 ment for a short time. He finished the term, remain- 
 ing until February, 1860, when his connection with 
 the school was ended. His sister. Miss Goodwin, was 
 appointed temporarily to the place, with Miss Eleanor 
 R.. Luther as her assistant. Meanwhile, the General 
 Assembly at its January Session in 1860, established 
 a Board of Trustees of the Normal School, to whom 
 its administration was entrusted. This Board consis- 
 ted of Governor Thomas G. Turner, ex-ojficio, Messrs. 
 John Boyden, William Goddard, Thomas Shepard, 
 Samuel G. Arnold, John J. Reynolds, and School 
 Commissioner Joshua B. Chapin, who had been ap- 
 pointed in 1859, ex-ojjicw. Subsequently, Governors 
 William Sprague, William C. Cozzens and James Y. 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 43 
 
 Smitli, Messrs. Charles H. Denison, A. H. Diimont, 
 Charles T. Brooks, Benjamin H. Rhodes, John P. 
 Hubbard, and Commissioner Henry Rousmaniere, 
 were members of the Board. Their first annual re- 
 port was submitted at the January Session, 1861. 
 At this time it is stated that the library of the school 
 contained 1913 volumes, mostly text-books. There 
 was also a good supply of maps, charts and apparatus 
 for illustrating the principles of chemistry, galvanism 
 and electro-magnetism. 
 
 On the 17th of May, 1860, Mr. Joshua Kendall, of 
 Meadville, Pa., was elected Principal of the school, 
 and he soon afterwards assumed its direction. Miss 
 Goodwin held the position of assistant till the summer 
 of 1863, when she retired, carrying with her the warm 
 esteem of all who had come under the influence of her 
 teaching and the high appreciation of the Trustees for 
 her ''eminent qualifications as a normal instructor." 
 Miss Luther was promoted to her place, and Miss Ellen 
 J. LeGro was appointed second assistant. During the 
 two years immediately following Mr. Colburn's death, 
 the school had succeeded in holding its own, but had 
 made no increase. Notwithstanding the faithful exer- 
 tions of the teachers and the excellence of the in- 
 struction, the number of pupils began to lessen. The 
 place was not commodious to the people of the State. 
 The removal of the school was a blow from which it 
 was found difficult to recover. During the 24th term, 
 
44 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 ill tlie spring and summer of ISGl, there were but 
 twenty students in attendance, of whom, however, 
 thirteen were young men. TTpon ^Ir. Kendall's ac- 
 cession, the school numbered nineteen — five young- 
 men and fourteen vouns^ women. 
 
 The new Principal came to the school with a, high 
 reputation, and all that he did while he held the office 
 Avas fully in accord with it. But he came at an inop- 
 portune time. It was just before the breaking out of 
 the great civil war, which was a disturbing influence 
 through all parts of our national life. It was a time 
 of national perplexity and trouble, such as we may 
 all pray may never visit us again. The interests of 
 education suffered deeply. Yet in the school year 
 1862-63 the average numljer of students was forty- 
 one, Ijiit immediately afterwards the numbers dropped 
 rapidly. Mr. Kendall held on manfully through the 
 waning fortunes of the school, laboring earnestly and 
 faithfully, and striving, amid tlie din of arms, to well 
 perform the scholar's quiet duty. But the constant 
 diminution of numbers was far from encourao-ing-. In 
 some quarters, also, a spirit of opposition to the school 
 itself arose. Some of its graduates, as was natural, 
 had failed in their teacliing. Local jealousies also be- 
 gan to show themselves. Tliere were plenty of critics 
 to say that the results were not equivalent to the ex- 
 penditure of money and labor. The low rate of wages 
 for teachers at the time also hindered the growth of 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 45 
 
 the school, as few yoiuig men, especially, could be 
 foniifl willing to receive a smaller compensation than 
 they could command in other kinds of labor. 
 
 In the face of these discouragements, Mr. Kendall 
 bravely held his position and did his work. He was 
 very zealously aided by two men, whom he has par- 
 ticularly mentioned as having placed him under special 
 obligation — Rev. Dr. Shepard, of Bristol, and Rev. 
 Mr. Boyden, of Woonsocket. They were both per- 
 sistent and able supporters of the school and highly 
 valued friends of the teachers. Dr. Shepard had 
 "long served the cause of education in Bristol as 
 chairman of the School Committee in that town," 
 and Mr. Kendall "found him ready to listen to his 
 representations, sagacious in counsel and ever loyal 
 to the best interests of the school. Mr. Boyden lived 
 at a distance, and, of course, was not so frequent a 
 visitor, but his coming was always an interesting oc- 
 casion. He was sure to give some fresh word of 
 cheer, some suggestions drawn from the depths of 
 experience or some lofty ideas to guide and stimulate 
 the youthful teacher." But it became more clearly 
 evident, year by year, that the . school was doomed. 
 In February, 1864, Mr. Kendall tendered his resigna- 
 tion, to take effect at the end of the summer term, 
 but was induced to continue in his office until Jan- 
 uar}^, 18G5, when he closed his connection with the 
 school. Miss Luther was left in charge, Miss LeGro 
 
46 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 having taken a position as teacher in a private school 
 in Providence. At the close of the spring term, 1865, 
 the school adjourned for a vacation of five weeks. It 
 was hoped that the General Assembly would consider 
 the feasibility of sending it back to Providence, and 
 some proposition was made to that effect. But it 
 amounted to nothing. The Trustees suspended the 
 school until after the meeting of the Legislature in 
 May, and in July voted to suspend it indefinitely. 
 
 During its lifetime of eleven years, the State Nor- 
 mal School, in the opinion of its friends, and of those 
 best qualified to judge of its character and its work, 
 had accomplished a great deal of good. Six hundred 
 and fifty-five pupils — one hundred and twenty-three 
 young men and five hundred and thirty-two young 
 women — had received its instruction. Its excellent 
 influences were recognized by every School Com- 
 missioner. Mr. Allyn, in 1856, declares that "the 
 success of the experiment had been very gratifying 
 to the friends of the measure. ''^ •» * ^- « 
 The effect of the graduates of the school is already 
 felt to some extent for good upon the teachers of the 
 State. They have gone abroad into various vschools, 
 and by coming into contact with other teachers, and 
 by making popular the methods of instruction learned 
 in the school, they are gradually but surely causing 
 the standard of attainments in school teachers to rise, 
 as well as the standard amount of duty they shall be 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 47 
 
 required to perform." In 1857, lie says that "many 
 of tlie teachers of the State now deem it an essential 
 preparation for their duties, even when they know 
 that a few terms in the school-room may be their 
 whole teaching life, to attend the Normal School and 
 devote a period to the special review of their school 
 studies, and to receiving instruction in methods of 
 teaching and ordering a school. ^' '^ "^^ The larger 
 majority of these pupils of the State have shown 
 themselves to be possessed of more than the usual 
 spirit of zeal in their profession and of sacrifice for 
 the great object of all teaching — the good of others." 
 He notices an improvement in "skill in interesting 
 children" and "tact in communicating instruction," 
 and declares " that nowhere else than in the Normal 
 School can a young person obtain for his mind a more 
 profitable discipline." Commissioner Kingsbury, in 
 1859, declares that the success of the experiment "has 
 demonstrated the necessity of the Normal School, 
 wherever it is the design to raise the entire mass of 
 teachers to a higher level of knowledge and charac- 
 ter." Commissioner Henry Rousmaniere, who suc- 
 ceeded Dr. Chapin in 1861, declares, in his first report, 
 that " the qualifications of many teachers and the gen- 
 eral standard of instruction in Rhode Island have been 
 advanced by the agency of the State Normal School." 
 Its " graduates — with a single exception — are among 
 the most active and successful teachers in our State." 
 
48 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 He also justly says, that the school maintained "under 
 Mr. Kendall a reputation for thoroughness and earn- 
 estness equal to that which it had during the admin- 
 istration of the lamented Colburn.' Throusfh Mr. 
 Kendall's entire administration he enjoyed the confi- 
 dence and esteem both of the Trustees and the pub- 
 lic, and it was with genuine regret that the friends of 
 public education in Rhode Island separated from him. 
 Now follows a period of trial and suspense. For 
 five years the State made no adequate provision for 
 the instruction of the teachers of its schools. The 
 necessity of the Normal School was felt, as soon as 
 it ceased to be actively alive. Different attempts 
 and experiments were made, with a view of supply- 
 ing the loss. It was thought that the city of Provi- 
 dence might add a Normal Department to its High 
 School. But this was found as before, to be both 
 impracticable and inconsistent with the municipal 
 scheme of public instruction. It was also thought 
 that the city and State might be induced to take 
 some joint action in the premises. A memorial 
 upon the subject was presented to the City Council 
 and the General Assembly in May, 18(57. But no 
 action followed. It was also thought that a Normal 
 Department could be added to the incorporated acad- 
 emies in the State. An act was passed, March 31, 
 1860, for providing instruction in the special prepara- 
 tion of teachers. Agrecnibly to the proN'isioiis of this 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 49 
 
 act, about one hundred and fifty pupils were thus 
 trained at the Providence Conference Seminary at 
 East Greenwich, and the Lapham Institute at Scit- 
 uate, at an expense to the State of $2,440.00.* 
 
 Meanwhile, the subject came up for discussion in 
 the Teachers' Institutes, and resolutions were passed, 
 recommending the reestablishment of the State Nor- 
 mal School and its permanent location in Providence. 
 Dr. Chapin, who was reappointed Commissioner in 
 1863, and held the ofl&ce till 1867, urged the matter 
 with great force and earnestness in his annual reports 
 to the Legislature. School Committees — particularly 
 those of Providence, Cumberland, Scituate, Ports- 
 mouth, Exeter, North Kingstown and Westerly were 
 decided in their expressions of the need of the insti- 
 tution. The Committee of Cumberland declares, that 
 "the need is every year becoming more urgent." 
 That of Scituate says, that the establishment of such 
 a school "would tend to elevate the character of our 
 schools, and hence, in the highest measure to benefit 
 our children." Portsmouth says, that "the best in- 
 terests of public education cannot be promoted with- 
 out the establishment of a State Normal School." 
 Exeter says, that "it is much to be regretted that we 
 have no Normal School." North Kingstown says, 
 that " the importance of establishing a State Noi'mal 
 
 * The amounts paid were to the Seminary at East Greenwich, in 1867, $420.00; in 1868, 
 $375.00; in 1869, $600.00; to Lapham, in 1867, $580.00; in 1868, $180.00; in 1869, $885.00. 
 
50 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 School, as a means for the advancement of our com- 
 mon schools, needs no argument." The Committee 
 of Westerly is very emphatic : " We hope that a Nor- 
 mal School will be established in this State, and that 
 no persons will be employed to teach in our public 
 schools, except graduates of that or similar institu- 
 tions. Much of the time of the children is now 
 thrown away at the commencement of each term by 
 employing teachers, who, while their intellectual cul- 
 ture is all that could be desired, know but little, if 
 anything, of the art of teaching." 
 
 The extracts which I have quoted — and more might 
 be added — are taken from the reports of the year 
 1869-70. Such strong testimony to the value of 
 normal instruction, was a very effective proof of the 
 feeling of the people of the State, especially in the 
 country towns. But above all the rest, and bringing 
 all the rest into a cumulative force for the reestablish- 
 ment of the State Normal School, were the persistent 
 and untiring labors of the Commissioner. Mr. Thomas 
 W. Bicknell received the appointment in May, 1869, 
 and he at once set himself to work to bring about the 
 desired result. He left no stone unturned during the 
 years 1869 and 1870, to inspire and combine the pub- 
 lic sentiment in favor of the enterprise. It is true 
 that the ground had already been prepared and the 
 seed had been sown by the labors of his predecessors, 
 and he was able to reap the harvest which had in part 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 51 
 
 been brought on to its growth and maturity by them. 
 But at this particular moment it seemed to need pre- 
 cisely the qualities which Mr. Bicknell possessed, and 
 the efforts which he put forth to bring the former 
 labors to their consummation. 
 
 Yet the Commissioner's work was by no means 
 easy. There was still much prejudice to overcome, 
 and much opposition to encounter. The educational 
 paper of the State, the "Rhode Island Schoolmas- 
 ter," was in a state of suspense, having fallen by 
 the wayside through apathy and inertion, in 1868. 
 The General Assembly was naturally indisposed to 
 make a second attempt which might end in a second 
 failure. Public opinion does not rapidly crystallize 
 in our State. Mr. Bicknell immediately revived the 
 " Schoolmaster," and organized the work required to 
 reestablish the school, which he presented as his first 
 and most important theme in his report of January, 
 1870. Then, by public educational lectures in every 
 town in the State, by Teachers' Institutes, and papers 
 and discussions thereon, by the newspaper press, which 
 opened its columns freely to the Commissioner, by the 
 Rhode Island Institute of Instruction, by the distribu- 
 tion of educational tracts, and by personal interviews 
 with the members of the General Assembly, the labors 
 of the Commissioner gradually began to bear fruit. In 
 these two years of effort a great deal of work was done, 
 and that it was well done the event has amply proved. 
 
52 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 As a preliminary measure, the General Assembly at 
 the January Session of 1870 established a Board of 
 Education, consisting of the Governor and Lieutenant- 
 Governor, ex-officio^ two members from Providence 
 county, and one from each of the other counties of 
 the State. The School Commissioner was to act 
 as Secretary. On the 31st of March, 1870, the 
 following gentlemen were elected in Grand Com- 
 mittee : Messrs. Frederic W. Tilton, Newport ; A. F. 
 Spalding, Bristol; George W. Greene, Kent; Samuel 
 H. Cross, Washington ; Daniel Leach and Charles H. 
 Fisher, Providence. Since then, Governors Henry 
 Howard, Henry Lippitt and Charles C. Yan Zandt, 
 Lieutenant-Governors Charles R. Cutler, Charles C. 
 Van Zandt, Henry T. Sisson and Albert C. Howard, 
 Messrs. Augustus D. Small and Thomas H. Clarke, of 
 Newport, Ezra K. Parker, of Kent, George L. Locke, 
 of Bristol, and Commissioner Thomas B. Stockwell 
 have held places on the Board. The office of Gov- 
 ernor was at that time held by Hon. Seth Padelford, 
 and that of Lieutenant-Governor by Hon. Pardon W. 
 Stevens, who heartily and effectively seconded Mr. 
 Bicknell's endeavors. Governor Padelford was es- 
 pecially interested in the matter, and rendered very 
 valuable service. Another year passed, and the diffi- 
 culties were, one by one, smoothed away. At the 
 January Session of 1871, a bill was introduced rees- 
 tablishing the State Normal School. Upon the ques- 
 
DEDTCATORY ADDRESS. 53 
 
 tion of its passage in the Senate, Mr. Bicknell was 
 invited to speak upon the subject. He addressed the 
 Senate for an hour, and after answering a few inquir- 
 ies from individual Senators, the bill was passed with- 
 out further discussion, and with but one dissenting 
 voice. Some opposition was shown in the House of 
 Representatives, but the bill was finally passed by a 
 very large majority. The Board of Education and 
 the Commissioner were made Trustees. Ten thou- 
 sand dollars were appropriated for the special uses of 
 the school, and an additional act was passed, giving 
 mileage to those students who were obliged to travel 
 a distance "not less than five miles." Mr. Bicknell 
 might well say in his report of 1871: "This act is 
 most vital to the interests of all our people, and the 
 spirit of our legislators in regard to this measure, and 
 the unanimity of their action in its passage through 
 both houses of the General Assembly, express the 
 felt want of such an institution in our State." 
 
 The Trustees were authorized to fix upon the place 
 for the school. They wisely and promptly decided 
 to establish it in Providence, and immediately ad- 
 dressed themselves to the performance of the duty 
 assigned to them. They visited the best Normal 
 • Schools in New England, and those at Albany and 
 Oswego, in New York. The High Street Congrega- 
 tional Society, in Providence, just vacating its house 
 of worship, disposed of its property, and the pur- 
 
54 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 chaser offered the building on reasonable terms of 
 rent. The audience room and gallery were fitted up 
 as conveniently as possible, and hired for the school. 
 Mr. James C. Greenough, as Principal, and Misses Susan 
 C. Bancroft, Mary L. Jewett, and Almira L. Hayward, 
 as assistants, were appointed as the staff of instruc- 
 tion. To these were afterwards added by resigna- 
 tions, new appointments and changes. Misses Sarah 
 Marble, Anna C. Bucklin, Lydia S. Rathbun, Ida M. 
 Gardner, Annie E. Kenyon, Mary J. Briggs and 
 Louise P. Remington. Special teaching and lectures 
 were given during the first year by Professors Chace, 
 Greene, Diman, Benjamin F. Clarke and T. Whiting 
 Bancroft ; by Messrs. George W. Greene, Nathan W. 
 Williams, Charles H. Gates, Carl W. Ernst, Ellery 
 C. Davis and Mrs. H. M. Miller. To these was subse- 
 quently added instruction by Professors Eli W. Blake 
 and Charles W. Parsons, Mr. Benjamin W. Hood, Mrs. 
 Maria T. Richards and Mrs. Ellen D. Carney. The 
 school and the University were once more united. 
 
 The opening exercises occurred on the Gth of 
 September, 1871. Prayer was offered by the Rev. 
 Professor Diman, and addresses were delivered by 
 Governor Padelford, Mayor Thomas A. Doyle, Rev. 
 Daniel Leach, and Messrs. Greenough and Bicknell. " 
 One hundred and fifty applicants for admission were 
 present, and, immediately after the formal exercises 
 were ended, the preliminary examinations took place. 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 55 
 
 Certificates were given to one hundred and six. Be- 
 fore the end of the year 1871 the number of students 
 was increased to one hundred and fifteen — of whom 
 eight were young men. The lectures given by the 
 professors of the University were attended by au- 
 diences that crowded the rooms. The teachers of 
 the public schools in Providence gave very interesting- 
 lessons and exercises in different branches of study. 
 Dr. Lowell Mason presented the school with singing 
 and service books, and gifts were made to the cabinet 
 by different gentlemen of Providence and elsewhere. 
 The public interest was manifested in a very cordial 
 and generous manner. The friends of the enterprise 
 had reason for especial gratification in the manner of 
 its renewal. 
 
 It required but a very short time to convince even 
 doubting minds of the wisdom of the step now taken. 
 Mr. Colburn may have been too sanguine, when, in 
 his first report, he anticipated for the school over 
 which he had been placed, a most prosperous future. 
 He was "not aware," he said, " of a single instance in 
 which a public Normal School, whether established by 
 city or State, had been discontinued, or had failed to 
 command popular favor." It would have been very 
 sad for him to have lived long enough to witness the 
 temporary failure of the Institution which he had 
 helped to found. It certainly was painful to those 
 who did witness it, But in the glad resumption 
 
56 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 of the school, the disappointment, if not forgotten, 
 was put aside for better feelings. The day had come 
 when the people of our State were ready to give a 
 generous support to their school. Year by year their 
 interest and their confidence have since been grow- 
 ing stronger. The school has rapidly increased both 
 in public influence and public favor. The annual ap- 
 propriations have been readily made. The gentlemen 
 who have filled the executive chair of the State — Gov- 
 ernors Padelford, Howard, Lippitt and Van Zandt — 
 have given it a hearty support. The numbers of 
 students have grown with the years. The graduates 
 of the school have won for themselves a good repute, 
 and the value of their service has been everywhere 
 recognized. The office of the teacher has gained in 
 honor, and the cause of public education has been 
 largely helped. 
 
 Thus we reach the last chapter of our story. Mr. 
 Bicknell resigned the office of Commissioner, Decem- 
 ber 31, 1874. Mr. Thomas B. Stockwell was ap- 
 pointed his successor, and has filled the place with 
 distinguished energy and ability. So well had the 
 work been done in the Normal School, as to induce 
 the General Assembly to take yet further measures 
 for its progress. For several years the plan of 
 building a new High School House in the city of 
 Providence had been discussed, and, in 1874, the 
 time seemed near for its execution. It was thought 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 57 
 
 that the city would be willing to sell to the State the 
 old High School House estate. In situation it was all 
 that was desirable, and the building could easily, and 
 at a moderate expense, be enlarged and fitted for the 
 Normal School. Here was an opportunity too good 
 to be lost. The General Assembly, at its January Ses- 
 sion of 1875, passed a resolution, appointing Messrs. 
 Samuel H. Cross and John A. Adams, of the Senate, 
 Augustus Woodbury, Albert C. Dedrick and Brad- 
 bury C. Hill, of the House of Representatives, to 
 purchase the estate, and fit up the building for the 
 uses of the school. An appropriation of $40,000 was 
 made at the May Session of 1877, to enable the com- 
 mittee to perform their work. Upon the decision of 
 the city to build the High School House, the com- 
 mittee at once proceeded to complete their business. 
 The estate was bought for $30,000, and possession 
 was given July 1, 1878. Under the direction of Mr. 
 Alpheus C. Morse, architect, who is to be highly com- 
 mended for the tastefulness and economy of his plans, 
 the work was immediately begun. Messrs. William 
 C. Davenport & Company took the contract, and by 
 them, with great fidelity and thoroughness, the build- 
 ing has been placed in its present condition. An ad- 
 dition has been built, partitions have been removed 
 or changed, a laboratory prepared, dressing-rooms 
 furnished, stairways improved, the grounds graded, 
 and all needful accommodations secured at an expense 
 
58 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 of $9,990.79, making the entire cost of the building and 
 hind $39,990.79. The work was finished November 
 15th, and the school took possession of its new premises 
 at the opening of the winter term, December 2nd. 
 
 At last, the State Normal School has found a per- 
 manent home. It will not be compelled to seek a 
 shelter elsewhere than under its own roof. It has 
 established itself firmly in the confidence of the peo- 
 ple. Its experience has been hard and trying, but 
 through it all, the friends of the school have kept 
 their courage and their faith, and they rejoice to-day 
 in the success which they have won. Since its rees- 
 tablishment, in 1871, its record has been very credit- 
 able. Five hundred and eighty young men and 
 women — of whom one hundred and fifty-five were 
 teachers before their coming — have entered the school 
 for regular instruction, and seventy more have at- 
 tended upon special exercises. The number of grad- 
 uates has been two hundred and one. More than 95 
 per cent, of these have taught since graduation, of 
 whom twenty have received appointments in Provi- 
 dence, and six in Newport ; five are teaching in high 
 schools, and eight in Normal Schools. The whole 
 number now teaching, so far as can be ascertained, is 
 one hundred and thirty. Of the graduates, forty-two 
 had completed, and sixty-five had partially received a 
 course of high school instruction before entering the 
 school. 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 59 
 
 It is with great satisfaction that we see the advan- 
 tages of our State School improved and appreciated. 
 We promise ourselves better results still. We have 
 come to understand that the best instruction in the 
 art of teaching is needed to give a special training for 
 the useful and honorable profession, whose duties are 
 studied here. The welfare of future generations de- 
 mands that the need should be supplied. Through 
 the children of to-day, the character of our State 
 through many years is to be formed. Through the in- 
 fluences that proceed from our public schools and 
 their teachers, the widest results for good or evil are 
 to be wrought. Let us be careful lest we introduce 
 false methods of study ; lest we allow the substance 
 to be sacrificed to the show, the love of knowledge to 
 be overcome by the desire for rank, solid instruction 
 to give place to the encouragement of ambition to 
 shine in public displays. How responsible the posi- 
 tion, how important the duty of those who are to 
 guide the teachers of the children, to direct their 
 minds, to set their hearts aright ! We are glad to feel 
 assured to-day that this position is held, and that this 
 duty is here performecl by faithful men and women. 
 To Mr. Greenough and his assistants our whole com- 
 munity is deeply indebted. Their diligent labors, 
 performed under the impulse of a rare enthusiasm 
 and earnestness, are for the elevation of the character 
 of our whole State. There is not a school district 
 
60 DEDICATION OF THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 within our borders but will be the better, and not a 
 home but will be the brighter for their faithfulness. 
 May they continue for many years to work for us and 
 for our fellow-citizens, receiving fi'om the public au- 
 thorities a generous support, and winning the deserved 
 honor of public appreciation ! 
 
 To faithful and thorough work, then, in the in- 
 struction of our teachers for the improvement of our 
 schools and the elevation of our communities through- 
 out the State, we now dedicate these pleasant and 
 commodious rooms. In former years they have been 
 the scene of good, genuine, truthful labor, faithfully 
 performed and closely applied to the practical life of 
 those who have here been taught. Some of our best 
 and most successful men, some of our truest women, 
 have been educated within these walls. The city of 
 Providence may well be proud of the results which have 
 been wrought in its High School. That school has 
 been removed to a more spacious and elegant struc- 
 ture, and I doubt not has before it a future as brilliant 
 as its past. But the old walls and the familiar rooms 
 are still endeared to us by tender memories and grate- 
 ful associations. Still will this house continue to be 
 sacred to the same high uses of good instruction, 
 sound and useful knowledge, pure and lofty aims of 
 life to which it was originally devoted. Hither will 
 come up the young men and women of our dear 
 
DEDICATORY ADDRESS. 61 
 
 Commonwealth, inspired by a generous ambition to 
 serve the interests of their State by the efforts they 
 are making to improve its schools. What fine and 
 gracious fruits of life are here to be borne! If we 
 cannot look back to the past with perfect satisfaction, 
 we can look forward to the future with a certain hope. 
 That this hope may be fully realized in the success, 
 soundness and stability of this Institution is now our 
 sincere prayer. For we recognize the fact, that here 
 we lay the foundation of that strong buttress and sup- 
 port of a republican government — the free, public, 
 common school ! 
 
 The address was followed by a song from the 
 school, called, "Through field and forest." 
 
 The benediction was pronounced by the Rev. Dr. 
 Laurie, and the exercises were finished. 
 
COMMISSIONERS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
 
 Henry Barnard 1845 — 1849. 
 
 Elisha R. Potter 1849—1854. 
 
 Robert Allyn 1854—1857. 
 
 John Kingsbury 1857—1859. 
 
 Joshua B. Chapin 1859 — 1861. 
 
 Henry Rousmaniere 1801 — 18G3. 
 
 Joshua B. Chapin 1863— 1 809. 
 
 Thomas W. Bicknell 1869 — 1875. 
 
 Thomas B. Stockwell 1875— 
 
 TRUSTEES OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Thomas G. Turner, ex-officio 1800—1800. 
 
 Joshua B. Cliapin, ex-officio 1860 — 1801. 
 
 John Boyden 1860—1805. 
 
 William Goddard 1800—1865. 
 
 John J. Reynolds 1860—1861. 
 
 Thomas Shepard 1860—1865. 
 
 Samuel G. Arnold 1860—1862. 
 
 William Sprague, ex-officio 1860 — 1863. 
 
TRUSTEES OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 63 
 
 Henry Kousmaiiiere, ex-officio 1861 — 18G3. 
 
 Charles H. Denison 1861 — 1864. 
 
 A. H. Dumoiit 1862—1863. 
 
 William C. Cozzens, ex-officio 1863 — 1863. 
 
 James Y. Smith, ex-officio 1863 — 1865. 
 
 Joshua B. Chapin, ex-officio 1863 — 1865. 
 
 *Charles T. Brooks 1863—1863. 
 
 Benjamin H. Rhoades 1863 — 1865. 
 
 John P. Hubbard 1864 — 1865. 
 
 .Seth PadeJford, ex-officio 1871—1873. 
 
 Pardon W. Stevens, ex-officio. 1871 — 1873. 
 
 Thomas W. Bicknell, ex-officio 1871 — 1875. 
 
 Daniel Leach 1871 — 
 
 George W. Greene 1871 — 1874. 
 
 Samuel H. Cross 1871 — 
 
 Frederic ^N . Tilton 1871—1872. 
 
 Charles H. Fisher 1871— 
 
 George L. Locke 1871— 
 
 Charles R. Cutler, ex-officio 1872-^1873. 
 
 Augustus D. Small 1872—1873. 
 
 Henry Howard, ex-officio 1873 — 1875. 
 
 Charles C. Van Zandt, ex-officio 1873—1875. 
 
 Thomas H. Clarke 1873— 
 
 Ezra K. Parker 1874— 
 
 Henry Lippitt, ex-officio 1875 — 1877. 
 
 Henry T. Sisson, ex-officio 1875—1877. 
 
 Thomas B. Stockwell, ex-officio 1875 — 
 
 Charles C. Van Zandt, ex-officio 1877— 
 
 Albert C. Howard, ex-officio 1877 — 
 
 * Elected, but did not qualify. 
 
EXAMINERS OE THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 
 
 1873-4. 
 
 Edwiird L. Freeman Providence County. 
 
 Thomas Steere Providence County. 
 
 Frederic W. Tilton Newport County. 
 
 George Lewis Cooke Bristol County. 
 
 James H. Eldredge Kent County. 
 
 Nathan W. Littlefield Washington County. 
 
 1874-5. 
 
 Charles J. White Providence County. 
 
 Ansel D. Nickerson Providence County. 
 
 Thomas Wentworth Higginson Newport County. 
 
 William J. Miller Bristol County. 
 
 Thomas W. Chace Kent County. 
 
 Rowland Hazard Washington County. 
 
 1875-6. 
 
 Augustus Woodbury Providence County. 
 
 George Bullon Providence County. 
 
 Frank E. Thompson Newport County. 
 
 Robert S. Andrews Bristol County. 
 
 Dexter B. Potter Kent County. 
 
 Darius R. Brewer Washington County. 
 
EXAMINERS OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 65 
 
 1876-7. 
 
 Charles W. Parsons Providence County. 
 
 Charles R. Fitz Providence County. 
 
 Thomas Coggeshall Newport County, 
 
 William N. Ackley Bristol County. 
 
 Albert C. Dedrick Kent County. 
 
 Nathan F. Dixon, Jr Washington County. 
 
 1877-8. 
 
 T. Whiting Bancroft Providence County. 
 
 George W. Jenckes , Providence County. 
 
 Darius Baker Newport County. 
 
 Isaac F. Cady Bristol County. 
 
 Josej)h Eastman '. Kent County. 
 
 Arthur E. Main Washington County. 
 
 1878-9. 
 
 Merrick Lyon Providence County. 
 
 Mowry Phillips Providence County. 
 
 Lucius D. Davis Newport County. 
 
 S. K. Dexter Bristol County. 
 
 Henry kS. Vaughn Kent County. 
 
 Darius R. Brewer Washington County. 
 
 TEACHERS OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Dana p. Colburn, Principal 1854 — 1859. 
 
 Arthur Sumner, Assistant 1854 — 1855. 
 
 Samuel S. Greene, Special 1854 — 1857. 
 
 Charles M. Clark, " 1854—1855. 
 
 9 
 
66 
 
 TEACHERS OF THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 Robert S. Fielden, Special 1855—1857. 
 
 Hannali W. Goodwin, Assistant 1855 — 1863. 
 
 Emma T. Brown, 
 Annie F. Saunders, 
 Daniel Goodwin, 
 Daniel Goodwin, 
 Eleanor R. Luther, 
 Joshua Kendall, 
 Ellen J. LeGro, 
 
 1855—1857. 
 
 1855—1857. 
 
 1857—1859. 
 
 Principal 1859—1860. 
 
 Assistant 1860—1865. 
 
 Principal 1860—1865. 
 
 Assistant 1863—1864. 
 
 Jas. C. Greenough, 
 Susan C. Bancroft, 
 Mary L. Jewett, 
 Almira L. Hay ward, 
 Charles H. Gates, 
 Nathan W. Williams, 
 Ellery C. Davis, 
 Harriette M. Miller, 
 Carl W. Ernst, 
 Sarah Marble, 
 Anna C. Bucklin, 
 Lydia S. Rathbun, 
 Ida M. Gardner, 
 Annie E. Kenyon, 
 Mary J. Briggs, 
 Louise P. Remington, 
 Benjamin W. Hood, 
 Ellen D. Carney. 
 
 Principal 
 
 1871— 
 
 Assistant 
 
 1871—1878. 
 
 i( 
 
 1871—1878. 
 
 i i 
 
 1871—1872 
 
 Special 
 
 1871— 
 
 i i 
 
 1871—1873 
 
 a 
 
 1871— 
 
 i i 
 
 1871—1873 
 
 i i 
 
 1871—1875 
 
 Assistant 
 
 1872— 
 
 a 
 
 1872—1874 
 
 n 
 
 1874 1875 
 
 iC 
 
 1875— 
 
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 1878— 
 
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 1878— 
 
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 1878— 
 
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 1878— 
 
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 1878— 
 
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