14 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
MANCHESTER SCHOOLS 
OF SIXTY YEARS AGO 
[Continued from Page 1, 2d Col.] 
‘I felt grateful for the thorough 
training in such things I had received 
in my native Topsfield academy, under 
the tuition of Benjamin Greenleaf— 
author of the arithmetic—E. D. San- 
born, afterwards professor at Dart- 
mouth, Profs. Farwell, Slafter and 
others. At the close of the examina- 
tion, Mr. Taylor went to his desk and 
wrote the following certificate, which 
I have in my keeping at the present 
time: ‘This is to certify that the 
bearer, Mr. John A. Gould, comes 
duly recommended to me in respect 
to his moral character, as well as to 
his literary qualifications for teaching 
a common school. As to his literary 
attainments, in this respect I have 
also found him fully qualified by per- 
sonal.examination. O.A. TayLor.’ 
“Thus fairly equipped for my en- 
terprise, I left for home after having 
obtained some idea of the town, which 
I found to contain an active, enter- 
prising people, particularly engaged 
in the manufacture of what was said 
to be the most highly wrought and 
best finished furniture in the land, 
and called for in the best markets. 
There were many large factories, em- 
ploying a great number of men, and 
mills, sawing large lots of mahogany, 
walnut and maple into sheets of wood 
not much thicker than cotton cloth. 
Many church pulpits and desks, and 
the best furniture of the grand hotels 
and elegant private residences were 
purchased in Manchester. 
‘‘In due time I commenced the 
school in Newport, now called West 
Manchester, and continued for five 
months. I also taught the same school 
five months the next winter. A list 
of the whole number of scholars (58), 
preserved all these years, it was my 
pleasure to send recently to the His- 
torical society by Mr. George F. Allen. 
I have also the parting song I wrote, 
and which was sung by the scholars to 
the tune of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at the 
closing exercises. 
“After that winter’s work, in May, 
1843, I was called to the Centre 
school, which was very large and 
flourishing, with about a hundred 
scholars ranging from 7 to 20 years of 
age. This school was at one time 
under the care of Mr. Moses P. Green- 
Jeaf, a nephew of the mathematician, 
who, like myself, married one of Man- 
chester’s fair daughters. I taught in 
this school some five years, until the 
High school was established, when I 
became its principal, continuing as 
such until 1850, when I left Manches- 
ter. 
“During all these years Mr Taylor 
was a valuable friend, always*ready to 
give advice and answer any questions 
that might come up pertaining to the 
schools. Dr. Story, tor whom I am 
glad to see the High .school now 
named, was also a staunch friend to 
the schools ; boarding, as I did in his 
family tor several years, till my mar- 
riage in 1845, I had an opportunity to 
see the private side of his life. I 
found him to be a man of strong mind, 
slow of speech, slow in coming to 
conclusions, but nearly always right. 
He was deeply interested in the social 
side of life, and always had a good 
story to tell. Wednesday and Satur- 
day afternoons I usually spent in writ- 
ing copies and in preparing quill pens 
for the pupils, steel pens not being 
much used then. Sometimes the 
doctor would use those afternoons in 
visiting remote patients and give me a 
ride with him; whether it was for his 
profit or my special benefit I am not 
able to say, perhaps for both; at any 
rate we were both perfectly satisfied 
with the arrangement. The doctor’s 
wife, Aunt Story as she was usually © 
called, was a rich treasure, not only 
to him but to the town and all who 
knew her. She always sought to 
make everybody happy as well as her- 
self. 
“As the doctor was very fond of 
music his house was ever open to 
musical gatherings, for singing of 
glees, anthems, etc He was particu- 
larly appreciative of my efforts to 
have music more generally introduced 
in schools and all the walks of life. 
Some will remember the discussion 
pertaining to the advent of the first 
organ inthe town. It wasat the time 
of remodelling .the old church, of 
which Mr. Taylor was pastor When 
it was decided to have an organ the 
question naturally came up who should 
play it. Several prominent men said 
Mr. Gould was musical and he must 
be the man. But they found that Mr. 
Gould had never practiced on the 
organ or piano. Still, they insisted 
and he consented. I believe there 
was only one piano in town and that 
was owned by John Perry Allen. 
“Mr. Horace Bird, a regular organ- 
ist and teacher of music, was then 
teaching a singing school in Manches- 
ter, and would come nine more even- 
ings. He would give the nine organ 
lessons. The next morning Mr. Bird 
bought a piano in Boston for $80 and 
sent it to me in Manchester. Imme- 
diately on its arrival I began my les- 
sons, practicing scales, picking out 
tunes, improving all the time I could 
get outside my school hours. 
«Time was short, the work on the 
church progressed rapidly, and the 
organ, a gift of two members of the 
society, was brought from Boston and 
placed in position. Mr. David Long, 
brother of the chorister, Mr. John 
Long, who had played the same organ 
for many years in the Salem street 
church, Boston, played at the dedica- 
tion service. The next Sabbath I 
took charge of the organ, and contin- 
ued as organist until I left Manchester 
in 1850. To make the work as easy 
as possible for a’ beginner the hymns 
were given in time for practice durifig 
the week. My knowledge of music 
made it easy for me to give all neces- 
sary voluntaries and interludes. I 
consented to teach a good number 
who were desirous to learn to play the 
piano, after I had thus prepared my- 
self. 
“Some of the music I composed in 
Manchester was’ published by Oliver 
Ditson & Co., Boston, such as ‘The 
Floral Quickstep’; a glee, ‘Gaily our 
boat glides over the sea,’ and anthem, 
‘Awake, put on thy strength,’ and 
others which have been used since. 
But while I continued my work in the 
musical line afterwards, I never taught 
public schools after leaving Manches- 
ter, but immediately went into active © 
business in Boston, where I have re- 
mained to this day. 
‘While writing the above I could 
not forget those moving spirits, those 
honest fathers and mothers who were 
always interested in the schools, and 
were ever ready to work with the 
teachers in preparing their children 
not only for usefulness in town, but 
for blessings to the world. I would 
like to recall their names, but most of 
them are gone. They will be remem- 
bered. 
“Although the public schools were 
so well cared for, it made no differ- 
ence with the select school of Deacon 
John Price, who always had enough 
to do, because he did it well. Every- 
thing moved along in perfect harmony. 
‘Aside from all other considera- 
tions, I shall always hold ‘Manchester- 
by-the-Sea’ in blessed memory. I 
owe her a debt of gratitude for the 
gift of a daughter—Elizabeth Cheever 
Leach—of a selectman for many years, 
Capt. Benjamin Leach. She proved 
a blessing to me and my family, a true 
wife and a faithful Christian mother.” 
This paper sent to any part of the 
U.S., Canada or Mexico for $1.00. 
Don’t Get Discouraged 
because you have old goods on your 
shelves while your competitor who was ~ 
burned out has a new stock all paid for, 
but keep right at it, and don’t forget 
to INSURE WITH : 
GEO. E. WILLMONTON, 
Pulsifer’s Block, Manchester, ass. 
Manchester, 146-3 and 16-3 
Notary Public. Justice of the Peace 
Ta 
a Son ee oe 
