Education. 



99 



ral of the sciences were included in those required in the school 

 " for the benefit of the whole town," in towns of 4000 inhabitants. 

 Hingham had grown to this required population, and from this 

 time until the establishment of our High School in 1872, the legal 

 requirements were not carried out. 



That no such school, in accordance with the requirements of 

 the later statute, was kept in Hingham until 1872 must not be at- 

 tributed to any desire of the town to avoid the law. The princi- 

 pal reason for this neglect arose probably from the fact that the 

 branches usually taught in High Schools were taught in the Derby 



SSS^*** 



THE HINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL. 



Academy, and in great measure the children of the town were 

 furnished with such instruction as to comply with the spirit of the 

 law. Two unsuccessful efforts were made by the town to make the 

 Academy serve the purpose contemplated by the statute, a more 

 particular account of which will be found in the history of the 

 Academy. But the Academy was not recognized by the Common- 

 wealth as a High School, and the town's portion of the Massa- 

 chusetts School Fund was consequently withheld. There was no 

 choice for the town. Any inhabitant could demand a free edu- 

 cation for his child, such as the law made provision for. 



All hope of utilizing the Academy as a High School having dis- 

 appeared, the town took the necessary action, and in 1872 the 

 Hingham High School became a reality. The school has main- 

 tained a high rank from the beginning. Mr. Jacob 0. Sanborn 

 has been its principal teacher from the opening of the school to 



