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Among the papers of former Chelsea mayor, Hermon W. Pratt, is the
following story about the Carter Farm School where the Prattville
children were sent between 1840 and the time the Bloomingdale School
was built. It shows how primitive schools were at that time.
One early morning in the year 1851 - our summer vacation well
gone - the children of this region and all the Pratts from North
Chelsea and also myself, a very little chap then six years old, with
our satchels of books and our dinner pails, were gathered around the
respectable two-storied, four-roomed wooden structure called 'Carter
Farm School' situated on a spur of what is now Bloomingdale Street.
The windows of this school looked out upon a vast marsh. No
side streets then from Washington Avenue, just a long springy path,
well beaten, cut a bee line across this marsh starting from down town
by what is now between Fourth and Arlington Streets, a boggy green
either side of it. In rainy weather, it was a very sloppy highway not
to be used. We were waiting expectantly for another new teacher for
after the first teacher, it is said that there followed ten
substitutes, and so, the internal condition of that school was quite
demoralized, and the position of teacher not a sinecure for any incumbent.
But this coming teacher was not to be a substitute. Along that
marshy path we espied the 'Committeeman,' the Rev. Isaac P.
Langworthy of the 'Winnisimmet Congregational Church' now the First
Congregational Church, bringing to us a young Miss who had just
joined his church. It was said that, if she succeeded well here, she
was going to be a teacher all her life; that she had stopped in the
middle of the High School course to test her ability as a teacher and
after a year's trial was going back to complete her education in
Chelsea and in Boston; that in her examination all alone before the
Committee of Ministers and Doctors she had come out ahead of the
other candidates; that old Dr. Otis was the only 'Committee-man' who
was determined that this young Miss should teach the Carter Farm
School rather than in the easier Grammar School for girls down town,
and he was an old Scituate relative.
He said that was the school to educate her for a teacher.
"The big boys called her Miss 'Fifteen-year-old,' and intended
to test her well. In the next house to the school the keys were kept.
The woman who brought them out exclaimed to Mr. Langworthy, 'Brought
that little lady to teach here? Well, she'll find the devil in
there!' The 'Committee-man' looked askance at his protegee timidly
facing so discouraging an introduction, but she never winced;
perhaps, not having had practical experience in the world, she didn't
believe he was there.
In we rushed to our seats, wide-eyed children, 'little
pitchers with big ears,' the very large sixteen or seventeen year old
and the new comers of just four. It was a typical district country
school. After prayer - the Bible had not been turned out of school
then -Mr. Langworthy came round to our seats. He labored to impress
each boy personally that he must be very good. He came in three times
that same forenoon, his keen vision probably detecting the devil the
woman had so casually mentioned. As soon as the coast was surely
clear of Minister Langworthy this spirit proceeded to test the
novice. When she opened with prayer and shut her eyes, they whistled,
tattooed on their desks, notes flew as by post. At recesses one would
have thought it was a battering ram working on the foundations of
that little wooden schoolhouse, but no one could be caught or
discovered by her.
After a while of gentleness, the old ferule was lifted out
from the desk and displayed; after a while it attacked the youngest
sinners only to arouse the big boys. 'She's mean on little uns
because she darn't touch us big uns'; finally it reached, a 'Big Un'
named Daniel, he caught it in his hand and the two spun around till
the hair pins came down. No wonder that twice that season the young
teacher went quietly out of the room and builders opposite saw her
gently lie down on the entry floor head in her hands.
Then 'twas that Committee-man Dr. Chase went to her home and
told her father that she should be transferred now from those
barbarians to the Girl's Grammar School, the one she would have had
but for that dissenter Dr. Otis.
But to the astonishment of all, the young lady refused the
transfer and, as if hurt anew, said, "If I give up Carter Farm
now, how should I know that I would ever be a successful teacher?
I'll stay there till I conquer, however long." The good Doctor
surprised so suddenly, responded, "I greatly admire your
spunk." Rev. Dr. Bartlett of the Episcopal Church, the mild,
very deaf committeeman, was sent to rid the school of the ring
leaders, the five largest fellows whose years justified rigid
severity of the Williams School under the principalship of 'Master'
Payson, a terror to every 'Peck's bad boy.' This public action
brought to our school five frantic mothers each telling how good a
boy hers was and reasoning that it was so far for him to go down town
to school.
Suffice to say that order, peace and progress was the result.
Daniel, the golden-haired, remained and became good. At the end of
the school year, Carter Farm had an exhibition, the first in its
history of ten years, and then Miss Mason, satisfied with her
success, resigned to continue her higher education, and was presented
by the Committee with $50.00 additional to her salary to defray her
carriage hire for that year.
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