The Albany Lancaster School 



sure, economical. There was a principal teacher and two assistants, 

 one male and one female. Only these received pay, and small pay it 

 surely was — $700, as I have read to you, per year— I assume this 

 paid all. To aid these teachers there were two monitor-generals, one 

 for the boys and one for the girls. Over each class a pupil, selected 

 from among the brighest scholars, was placed to act as teacher. The 

 system of school training was full of incentives to get on; to be the 

 foremost scholar. At every stage in the school gradation there was 

 a reward offered, and the successful competitor was known throughout 

 the school. In the writing class, the youngest class were provided 

 with sand placed in a box before them. Here they commenced to 

 make letters and figures. The next higher class used slates, and the 

 most advanced were allowed pen, ink and writing books. In all these 

 studies, "Excelsior" was the prevailing thought. To be a teacher 

 was coveted; to be a monitor-general was even more of an honor; but 

 to obtain a free scholarship in the Albany Boys' Academy was the 

 most desired prize. This provision was made for only/o?/r pupils at 

 a time. I know two of our valued citizens, who now occupy promi- 

 nent positions in our city, who hud the benefit of this last honor. 

 The school was free to all comers, but those parents who could afford 

 to do so were expected to pay a small tuition fee. 



Of William Anderson Tweed Dale, the principal, I have only grate- 

 ful and pleasant recollections. That he had much learning and was 

 "apt to teach " is well known. He was an unique character — strong, 

 mentally and physically; decidedly religious, and of the Baptist faith. 

 He was never rich in this world's goods, except, it may be. as the 

 owner of two wigs, which I well remember. One was black; the 

 other something different. I think it had been black, but the hand 

 of time and exposure to the elements had changed it to a dingy 

 brown. It came to be known in the school that when the brown wig 

 put in an appearance it was a "storm signal" — a sign of heavy 

 weather, a caution to look out for squalls; whereas the black one said, 

 "all is calm and serene." Perhaps I should add that the brown wig 

 was only worn when the weather was disagreeable, when something 

 had occurred down stairs (he had a wife), or when visitors were not 



Mr. Dale possessed in full measure the characteristic good qualities 

 of his native race — the Scotch. A good many in our city remember 

 him, in the last year or more of his life, as a conspicuous figure on our 

 stivers, dressed in a gay colored calico wrapper, and riding astride a 

 small donkey. I presume this was done to promote his waning health 

 — possibly in imitation of "the meek and lowly One" whose example 



