History Of The "Old High School" 1828-1840
by Charles Wells Chapin




recess of fifteen minutes our in the yard, where there was ample space for a frolic in summer. In winter we had glorious fun sliding down hill on Union street, corner of Maple street. Boys and girls both made the most of the sport and the latter did enjoy having the boys capsize the sled and roll pell-mell into the deep snow! Chester Harding and I studies Latin and Greek grammar-the only ones, I believe, in the dead language department, and we duly felt our importance as we conjugated and declined in a loud voice words of mystic meaning to the others. The girls, I believe, caught on to the verb amo very readily."
    Another pupil of a wealthy family, now residing in New York city, writes this: "Mr. Eaton was of gentle disposition and ruled more by love than fear. He was very fond of minerals and had quite a good collection, which he distributed among his best scholars as prizes. George Bliss, now known as the Colonel, obtained the first choice. The late Samuel Bowles was the big boy of the school, and many a tilt I have had with him at marbles, of which he was very fond."
    The estimable daughter of an eminent physician, now residing in New York city, writes this recollection of the school: "I can see Mr. Eaton now, a quiet conscientious gentleman, wholly incapable, I should say, of administering reproof or punishment to any scholar, and such was the tone of the school and the class of scholars that neither, I think, was ever needed. The highest praise I can give it is to say that I do not believe, anywhere, a school could be conducted on the same plane now. It seemed to me to have been ideal."
    After leaving Springfield, Mr. Eaton went to Boston, living on Roxbury Neck, where he opened a school for young ladies. He served for several years in the Legislature and on the Boston school Board. He was also assistant master in the Boston Latin school. His health became somewhat impaired and he moved to Quincy and superintended the building of a horse-railroad from Wollaston to


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