Bridgewater State University - Alpha Yearbook (Bridgewater, MA)

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A TRAINED TEACHER FOR EVERY CHILD It is fitting that the mural representing the first State Normal School in America should have the central place in our auditorium among those paintings which show the progress of education throughout the world. This one must be an inspiration to all who see it. It was at Lexington, July 3, 1839, that the dream of Horace Mann was realized, Massa- chusetts at last had a State Normal School! And the picture of this first Normal School was painted by a student of the Massachusetts School of Art, one of the many products of this small beginning. Although it may not seem so, the subject of this painting is one which is only too familiar -representing the entrance examination into the first state normal school, offering quite a contrast, in numbers at least, to the entrance examinations today. In the background is Horace Mann, whose broad vision and tireless labor made this establishment possible, and near him is the Reverend Cyrus Pierce, the first principal and teacher of the school. The three girls are, of course, the prospective pupils. The weather certainly gave no encourage- ment-it was raining heavily, a dark, gloomy, dismal day. Small wonder that only three persons were present. But he whom a dream hath possessed knoweth no more of doubting, and despite the small beginning, the hopes and ideals of the Father of Massachusetts Normal Schools never faltered. He is shown as a slim, grayhaired man with a mobile face alive with enthusiasm on this most auspicious day. Massachusetts, he believed, was the only state in the Union where Normal Schools could be established with any chance of success. How he had worked and hoped and planned for this day can be realized to only a slight extent when we consider his lectures, his educational reports, his writing and his Common School journal,--every- thing he did and said to further the cause. One of Mr. Mann's biggest problems was the selection of a principal for this school. He went over all New England before he found someone he thought could manage with a fair chance of success. He chose the Reverend Cyrus Pierce of Nantucket, an excellent teacher who possessed the supreme power of winning the confidence of his pupils. His responsibility was very great, greater even than he realized, for if the school were not re- garded favorably by the public at the beginning, the whole Normal School movement would be a failure. But this man who excelled in training both the mental and moral natures of his pupils, and whose motto was Live to the truth, did not fail, and the whole cause was strengthened by his presence. By the time the first quarter was over, there were twelve pupils, and, greatly encouraged, Mr. Pierce wrote in his journal that most of those who had attended had made a good beginning. This school at Lexington, however, was for women-students exclusively, it was moved twice before being permanently located, first to VVest Newton, and finally to Framingham. Thus with but three pupils and one teacher, less than a century ago was started the move- ment which proved to have such a glorious future. From this small beginning have come the teachers and leaders and educators who have spread and fostered the Normal School cause throughout the broad vastness of the United States. CATHERINE D1LLoN

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, fM3li4-j'.' HORACE MANN AND FIRST EXAMINATION AT FIRST NORMAL SCHOOL One of a group of murals painted by students of Massachusetts School of Art in Horace Mann Auditorium, Bridgewater Gift of Alumni

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THE FIRST THREE PRINCIPALS OF THE BRIDGEWATER STATE NORMAL SCHOOL NICHOLAS TILLINGHAST Principal 1840-1853 MARSHALL CONANT Principal l853-1860 ALBERT GARDNER BOYDEN Principal 1860-1906