EDUCATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

BY REV. NATHANIEL BOUTON.

THE system of education now prevalent in New England is the offspring of the personal character and of the civil and religious polity of the first settlers. To give therefore the history of education in a particular State, we must revert to the original settlers, and ascertain the motives which governed them.

If then we ask, first, what induced the Puritans in Holland; and next, what, those in England of the Massachusetts colony, to emigrate to this country- the answer is one. It was chiefly to enjoy and propagate their religion; but next to this and subsidiary to it, it was to educate their children. One reason which determined the Puritan pilgrims upon a removal from Leyden was, "that the place being of great licentiousness and liberty to children; they could not educate them, nor could they give them due correction without reproof or reproach from their neighbors." Among the general considerations for the plantation of New England, Cotton Mather mentions, "Fifthlythe schools of learning and religion are so corrupted, as (beside the unsupportable charge of education) most children, even the best and wittiest and of the fairest hopes, are perverted, corrupted, and utterly overthrown by the multitude of evil examples and licentious behaviors in these seminaries." Though the object of the company of Laconia of Mason and Gorges- was different from that of the Puritans; though Thompson and the Hiltons who began the settlements at Dover and Portsmouth, came over

EDUCATION IN NEW

HAMPSHIRE.

253

to cultivate the vine, to fish and to trade; yet as the subsequent history will show, the views of the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonists extended their influence to these places.

The names of Purmont and Maud as school-masters in Boston, connect the history of education in New Hampshire Iwith that of Massachusetts. For Purmont removed with John Wheelright to Exeter in 1638, and Maud was called from Boston to be minister of Dover in 1642.

How reasonable, moreover, is it to presume that our brother Philemon Purmont did not give up his vocation of “teaching and nurturing children," upon his removal to Exeter and that Mr. Daniel Maud, who was schoolmaster in Boston, probably six years, did not neglect to instruct the children of his flock, during the fifteen years, in which he was the "honest, quiet, and peaceable minister" of Dover. The character of New Hampshire ministers, in that period, favors the opinion that education was not neglected. Mr. James Parker who officiated in Portsmouth, 1643, was a godly man and a scholar." Of the Rev. Timothy Dalton, minister in Hampton from 1639 to 1661, a poet of his day sung,

"Dalton doth teach perspicuously and sound."

66

His successor, Rev. Seaborn Cotton, was a thorough scholar and a diligent student the first graduate from Harvard College who settled in the ministry in New Hampshire. Rev. Samuel Dudley of Exeter, from 1650 to 1683, was "of good capacity and learning." Rev. John Reyner of Dover, from 1657 to 1669, was a wise orderer of the affairs of the church, and had an excellent talent of training up children in a catechetical way, in the grounds of the christian religion." But above all the rest, the Rev. Joshua Moody of Portsmouth, from 1658 to 1697, was a person whom an eminency both in sense and in grace had made considerable." At his death, says Mather, "the church of Portsmouth, (a part of the country that very much owed

66

its life unto him,) cries out of a deadly wound.' His labors in the gospel were frequent and fervent; whereof the press hath given some lasting, as the pulpit gave many lively testimonies." He wrote more than four thousand sermons; and was so eminent for learning and piety, that he was invited to the presidency of Harvard College. From his friends and admirers he received the honorary title of angelical doctor.

Another fact shows still more clearly the interest felt in the subject of education, during this period. In 1669, a general collection or subscription was proposed to be taken through the Colonies, to aid in erecting a new edifice for Harvard College. Portsmouth "which was now become the richest" town in this Colony, made a subscription of sixty pounds annually for seven years; Dover gave thirtytwo pounds, and Exeter ten. With their subscription the inhabitants of Portsmouth sent an address to the General Court of Massachusetts, in which they say, "though we have articled with yourselves for exemption from public charges, yet we have never articled with God and our own consciences for exemption from gratitude; which to demonstrate, while we were studying, the loud groans of the sinking College in its present low estate came to our ears; the relieving of which we account a good work for the house of our God, and needful for the perpetuating of knowledge both civil and religious, among us and our posterity after us."

It deserves honorable mention, that most of our approved elementary and higher class books, are the productions of New-Hampshire men. Nicholas Pike, whose arithmetic has been in use for fifty years past, and is known through New England, was a native of Somersworth. Caleb Bingham was a graduate of Dartmouth College, and there laid the plan of his valuable school books, of which more than a million of copies have been published and sold.

Of native, or resident living authors, whose works are found in most of our schools, it is sufficient praise to name

EDUCATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

255

Kelly's Spelling Book, Adams' Arithmetic, Blake's Historical Reader and Geography, Hildreth's book for NewHampshire children, Putnam's Grammar and Analytical Reader, Hale's History of the United States, Farmer's Historical Catechism and Constitution of New Hampshire, Leavitt's Geography, and Vose's Astronomy,

To obtain a more complete view of public education in New Hampshire, we must look also to other colleges. The number of New-Hampshire students who are known to have graduated at Dartmouth, and at colleges out of the State, since the year 1800, is 825,

The number of students belonging to New-Hampshire connected with different colleges, in 1831, 170; equal to one in 1500 of the whole population. In Massachusetts, the same year, the proportion was one to 1121; in Connecticut, one to 1455; while the proportion in Maine, was one to 2550; in Vermont, one to 2800; in Rhode-Island, one to 3031; in New York, one to 3500, and in the southern and western States, one to about 6000. Thus New Hampshire ranks in public education above all the States in the Union, except Massachusetts and Connecticut; and with laudable pride I may add, in this elevated rank, she is above every country in the world, except Scotland and Baden in Germany.

Much more may yet be done for education in New Hampshire. New England owes her intellectual and moral glory primarily to her religion, secondarily to her schools. Although, then, we cannot compete with our brethren of the middle and western States in the gigantic race of wealth, population and internal improvements; yet we may retain our preeminence in education and in moral and religious character. When their numbers shall be augmented to fifty or eighty millions; their cultivated fields extend from the Alleghany to the base of the Rocky Mountains; when in the councils of the nation, our representatives shall be counted as an insignificant minority-then let our intellects, our enlightened views, our solid arguments, our eloquence and our

moral dignity, secure us respect, and make our voices to be heard in the halls of legislation. Did it not imply partiality, I could not forbear to name some genuine sons of New Hampshire, trained up in our primary schools, academies and colleges, whose influence is co-extensive with the Union. Let it suffice New-Hampshire, that two of her sons belong to the cabinet council of the nation that our ARMY and our NAVY, directed by their wisdom, are becoming as distinguished for their TEMPERANCE as they are renowned for their valor.

Need I add, it is the soundest policy of a state to encourage education? That this is, at once, an effective check to crime and barrier to pauperism? that it inspires noble sentiments holds under restraint the baser passions -ennobles virtue, and is one guaranty of the permanence of our republican institutions? Were it befitting the occasion, I would say to our honored rulers If it is your ambition to benefit and to please the people who have endowed you with authority; if in your public administration you would acquire lasting honor; if you would stamp the character of intelligence and virtue upon the face of the whole people; if you would promote industry, order and happiness in every family, and secure to future generations the rich blessings which we now enjoy — in short, if you would raise the State in which you have the honor to be rulers, to a still higher rank, and place her, like the summit of her own mountains, above all the rest of the Union then promote the interests of education! The sovereign voice of the people bids you do it! Were the law of 1827 restored, with the addition of the fifth section of the act of January 4, 1833; were a penalty also laid on towns or selectmen, for neglect of appointing and sustaining a superintending committee; were grand jurors sworn as in former times, to present all breaches of this law; and were academies and higher seminaries founded to raise up well-qualified teachers, then New Hampshire would be second to no State in the good education of her children. Then her free institutions would