Lyceum Phoenix of Friends School - Phoenix Echo Yearbook (Providence, RI)

Page 91 text:

Dr. Samuel Boyd Tobey and his wife were among the most dis- tinguished and loyal friends the School has had in its history. Sarah F. Tobey, until quite recently, survived for half a century, to extend to every child who became a member of the School the measureless influence of a graceful, beautiful, and exalted woman- hood. Her presence was more potent than words. It furnished an example of true and noble life. Enoch Breed, a good, faithful, and substantial Friend of his time, cannot be described without his hat. The founder of the Society, in recognition of the equality of all men before God and the law, took off his hat neither to high nor low in social life, thus, at one stroke, so far as his influence went, leveling all social orders to one common humanity. It was a noble testimony to bear. When VVilliam Penn stood before Charles II with his hat on, the king put off his. Friend Charles, said Penn, why dost thou not keep on thy hat? ,Tis the custom of this place, replied the mon- arch, K' that only one person should be covered at a time. Enoch Breed is said to have worn his hat constantly in the house and out of doors. He wore it at the table, and when he drank tea or coffee, and his saucer met the brim of his hat, then was the time for the boys to put in the fun. They tell an innocent, but doubt- ful, story, that he once took a seat in a barber's chair with his hat on. The barber hesitated, and Enoch Breed said to him: Dost thou not know me P The barber replied : No ! I should think you might b-e Methuselah l No ! I am Enoch? Very soon in his administration a more extended curriculum began to be agitated. They were no longer satisfied with a simple course in English studies. They found difficulty in the lack of teachers who were members of Society. They appoint a commit- tee with a View to expansion, and took a risk 3 but they took special care 'K that the principles and manners of the children may be pre- served from exposure by the introduction of a teacher who is not a member, should they be under the necessity of employing such an one. -- Y. JV. Rec. Vol. 3, p. 195, 235, 253. The Committee proceed, in 1830-1831, to construct the north building, long called the new building, where the natural science department, Thomas J. Battey, and the Seniors are now located. Here and now was organized the classical department, by Samuel J. Gummere, afterwards a distinguished president of Haverford College, and that most distinguished scholar, Pliny E. Chase, was

Page 90 text:

Plainness of speech meant singular pronouns in addressing a single person 3 more thanfthis was vanity. It included also the avoidance of extravagant, vain, and superfluous words in conversa- tion. Plainness of behavior implied a reserve from evil companions ship, places of public resort, horse-races, theatres, and general muster, and other vain assemblies. Plainness in apparel meant nothing for show, in form or color, or to attract attention, A coat must have only one row of useful buttons, another row would be only to stimulate superiiuous vanity. There must be no buttons behind for the same reason, or at any rate not for ornament. No rolling collar was allowed on a coat. It niust rise single, sole, and perpendicular, like a rector's. If it rolled and doubled over, that portion was superiiuous, and the government proceeded at once to do execution on the coat and reduce it to the regulation type, and sometimes even took the whole collar away. A boy came in 1829 from Worcester He had light, beautiful hair, with natural curls and ringlets all over his head. The gov- ernment, in order to subdue the wayward crookedness of his hair, sheared it all off, and left him like that fowl which had its feathers plucked out to reduce Plato's definition of a man to an absurdity: Here is Plato's man. Think of the absurdity of this in the midst of the ten thousand times ten thousand forms of beauty in the world, created solely, and without superiiuity, for the sake of beauty, which is its own excuse for being. Yet we need not think that we shall escape. A future generation will be trying in all ways to translate sense and excuse and reason into our actions and conduct, which will seem absurd to them when far from us. The superintendents were changed in I82Q and go-Enoch Breed and his wife, Lydia, with Stephen and Hannah Gould as assist- ants. Their powers and official stations were, no doubt, properly distributed, but they are not well known at present. Enoch Breed and his wife continued in oflice seven years. He seems to have left a strong impression upon the institution. His wife is said to have been a gifted person, with quick understanding, with a power of penetration into the motives of personal action which was quite remarkable. Her daughter, by ag1'ffr.er husband, entered the list of teachers at this time, and subsequently became the wife of a for- mer teacher, Samuel Boyd Tobey.

Page 92 text:

one of his pupils. This noble work continued under this very ac- complished teacher until 1835. In the meanwhile the most eminent man who was ever connected with the School appeared in the 12th Mo., 1832, as literary principal. This person was Dr. John Griscom, LL. D. He brought with him a fine mineral collection, which was purchased by the School, and still remains its property, in constant use. He brought also an extensive library, and valuable and abundant apparatus for lectures in chemistry and natural philoso- phy. He continued until 1835, and was allowed to go, because he was expensive. He was sadly needed by the Society of Friends in New England, and by this community, and his departure was a great public loss. He was much sought, as a lecturer, by the Franklin and Mechanics societies in the city, and by others at Paw- tucket and elsewhere. j He had traveled extensively in Europe in 1818-1819, and pub- lished two very valuable volumes descriptive of his journey, which are exceedingly instructive books even now. He visited Benjamin VVest, Elizabeth Fry, Hannah More, VVilliam Allen, Baron Cuvier, Baron Humboldt, The Marquis de LaFayette, Thomas Clarkson, James Montgomery the poet, Lindley Murray, Francis jeffrey, Sir Walter Scott, Dr. Robert Brown of Edinburgh, Dr. Chalmers, VVil- liam Wordsvxforth, and Robert Southey. He was either invited to the homes and tables of these people, or to join them in dining with mutual friends. The average number of students under this faculty rose to 172 in 1833. Dr. John W. Francis, of New York, said of him that for thirty years Dr. Griscom was the acknowledged head of all teachers of chemistry amongst usf' He was the personal friend and corre- spondent of that eminent chemist, Benjamin Silliman, of Yale. This was the first renaissance at Friends School. The faculty contained other 11ames notable i11 after years. Dr. Pliny Earle, the distinguished superintendent of Northampton Hospital for the In- sane, was one of them. Moses A. Cartland was another, who seems by his genial manner and sympathy with the boys in their life, work, and sports, to have touched the popular heart more, and to be more .affectionately remembered, than any other person in the coterie. Moses Lockwood and jonathan Slocum, Samuel Austin, and Elizabeth H. Osborne, who was later the wife of Samuel Austin-these persons all gave character to the School in this period, and subsequently served it in numberless ways by loyal and faithful efforts in its support. 5