Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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in the three hundred years of its his- tory. And, fifty-six years ago Ips- wich did have one of the best high schools in Massachusetts. But that was fifty-six years ago. An unfor- tunate feature is that the people of Ipswich have never been wholly conscious of their responsibility to the youth of the town, feeling that the Manning Fund should take the place of legitimate taxes for the support of schools. Secondly, it does not set a very good example to the youth in the handling of sa- cred trusts. What should we have done if our high school had not been left to us by this man ? A fund to help further the edu- cation of worthy boys and girls af- ter graduation from high school was given by Roxanna Cowles. As she had been an instructor at Vassar College and a woman much inter- ested in education, she realized the value of a college education. In her will she left ten thousand dollars, called the Eunice Cowles fund, to be used to help Ipswich boys and girls of good character who had graduated from Manning High School with an average of at least 85% to continue their education. She provided that two hundred dol- lars might be given each year to each of two students who were deemed worthy of this aid. This is an excellent aid to any boy or girl ambitious to go to college and it should be an inspiration for any- one who enters high school desiring to further his education to do his school work faithfully. The Richard T. Crane, Jr. Fund is one from which all the school chil- dren and teachers in Ipswich re- ceive pleasure. Mr. Crane has giv- en a sum of money to be used each year for the purpose of giving a pic- nic at Crane’s Beach to the school children and teachers of the town. The first picnic was given on the occasion of his son’s birthday and one has been given regularly every year since. As a result anyone who goes to school in Ipswich can be as- sured of at least one picnic each year. We all realize his kindness in providing for this picnic and we all look forward to it each year as a day of enjoyment. Marianna Jones bequeathed a fund to the town of Ipswich for more general purposes. She did not specify any method of using it but left it for the town to use in any way it sees fit. The town accepted this sum of money and now draws the interest on it. If at any time the town should be in need, this en- dowment could be used if it were so voted. A fund given for a somewhat dif- ferent purpose was that given by Mrs. William G. Brown. She wished to prevent cruelty to dumb animals of which many people are guilty. Therefore, she left some money to be used to convict those on trial for cruelty to dumb animals. Although this may be a bequest for a purpose of which many people would never think, it certainly is a very humane bequest and one which can be used for a worthy cause. From all these funds, therefore, Ipswich has received as gifts a free public library, a high school, two other schools, the provision for a school picnic each year, the oppor- tunity for ambitious boys and girls to further their education, an amount of money for its own use, and the protection of dumb animals. Certainly, these are gifts which add much to the welfare of the town and give our citizens and future citizens many great opportunities. May they show their appreciation 22

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the terms of the bequest. There- fore, by a legal procedure, the terms were changed for a more logical purpose. The interest from the money accumulated as there was little use for it. Later much of the money was used for building a schoolhouse which is called the Bur- ley School, named after Mr. Burley. Robert Payne also desired that Ipswich might have schools for the education of its future citizens. He carried out his plan in somewhat the same way in which Augustine Heard provided for the library. He built a schoolhouse at his own cost and held it until 1863. Then he gave this schoolhouse to a board of trustees and it became the Payne School. Although this school is not very imposing now, it has stood the wear and tear of many years and has proved itself even more dura- ble than Manning High School. William Payne was also interest- ed in the welfare of his town. He gave Little Neck to Ipswich, where it might build a schoolhouse. How- ever, as it was not deemed wise to l)uild a schoolhouse there, it has been used otherwise. At present it seems that Little Neck has been of more value in its present use than it might have been if it had been used for the building of a school- house. The town now holds Little Neck and the income from it is ap- propriated toward the maintenance of our high school. Little Neck is now one of the most beautiful sum- mer colonies in this vicinity and it adds greatly to the attraction and beauty of the town. The most important of all the funds is the Manning Fund. Di . Thomas Manning had always been a kind and generous man. He was an ardent supi)orter of the town and helped his town in many ways. How- eve! , when he tried to provide for a high school in Ipswich, he be- came the innocent cause for much trouble and scandal. He left sixty thousand dollars in the hands of executives to be invested in good stocks and to be given to trustees at the end of twenty years “for the purpose of maintaining a free high school for the use of youths of both sexes of good moral character and deportment and of suitable age.” The first point of combat was that he was incompetent to make out a will. His son thought he was de- prived of his proper share of the money and therefore fought for his rights. However, the Manning High School was built in 1874 and it still stands. But at this point the misfortunes began. For several years, for some reason or other, the trustees made no report upon the condition of the funds. Because of this, a bill was passed in the Massa- chusetts legislature forcing the trustees to make a public account- ing each year. At present the fund amounts to about forty thousand dollars, part of which is invested in the Colonial Building. This re- turns about two percent and some- times less on the investment. An- other part of the money is invested in the so called Masters house which was acquired by the trustees to re- lieve the local bank of a bad mort- gage. The major portion of the ) est of the funds is invested in Mexi- can railway bonds of questionable value. It can be plainly seen that all of these investments are doubt- ful and certainly cannot be of any great value. Tliere are good results and bad results from this Manning Fund. Of course, the best result is that we did get a high scliool. An- other good feature is that li)swich has never had to build a high school 21

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and gratitude by making the most of these opportunities ! NATHANIEL WARD AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE MASSACHUSETTS OF TODAY Mary Brennan To understand Nathaniel Ward and to have a proper conception of what he contributed to the Ameri- ca of to-day we must observe him with his friends, watch him in his daily work, and glimpse his edu- cation and training. Says M. C. Tyler of Nathaniel Ward, “Perhaps no Englishman who came to Amer- ica brought with him more of the ripeness that is born not only of time and study but of distinguished early associations, extensive travel in foreign lands, and varied profes- sional experience at home.” Born in England, he graduated from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1613 and became a barrister in 1615. He practised law for some years but through his natural incli- nation and his friendship with Dav- id Pareus, a theologian of Heidel- berg, he entered the ministry at the age of forty and served as Rector of Standon, Massey, Essex for a short time. Very early in his career as a minister he evidenced those characteristics which later led to his excommunication from the church because he refused to conform to some of its practises. After his ex- pulsion he emigrated to America in 1634 and spent the first winter in Ipswich at the home of Governor Winthrop. The next year, having become minister of Ipswich, he built a home of his own located on the east side of the South Common, about opposite the Saltonstall resi- dence. For Nathaniel Ward the path of life was never an easy one, for his home training and education em- phasized the solid virtues which we have come to associate with the Pu- ritans. Unable to disassociate him- self from the rigorous rules of his upbringing, he condemned the “Book of Sports” and the practice of bowing at the name of “Jesus.” It was this condemnation which led to his excommunication in 1633. In reading the story of his times we find him constantly disapproving of the modes and manner of dress and constantly voicing that disapproval. We see in his refusal to conform to the common practices the evidence of his grim determination to follow the dictates of his conscience. Whether or not we agree with his actions, we must admire his tenacity of purpose in holding to his own honest opinion. Life was far from kind to Nathan- iel Ward and we see him laboring under many handicaps both mental and physical. It is no easy matter for a man of forty suddenly to change his life’s work, Yet trained for a lawyer, at forty he finally con- ceived the purpose of entering the ministry. However a short time af- terward he had to face the shame and hardships of excommunication. In another very short period his wife died and he found himself a lonely disillusioned man, faced with the necessity of raising and educat- ing two sons and a daughter. In bitter sorrowful loneliness, despair- ing of any asylum or field of useful- ness in England, in common with many of the Puritans of this time, he turned to the New World. His personal fi-iends wei e men of cul- tui ' e, refinement, and education. Among them may be numbered Sir Ei’ancis Bacon and the Aixhbishop 23