North Andover High School - Knight Yearbook (North Andover, MA)

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JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL Horace Mann’s life although not particularly exciting was one of accomp¬ lishments and significance. Born in Franklin, Massachusetts, he was brought up in poverty but after obtaining a hard earned education, he graduated from Brown University when twenty-four years of age. Upon leaving school he practiced law, but later entered political life as a member of the state legisla¬ ture. With the establishment of the first state board of education in America Mann gave up a promising law career to become the secretary of this board just one hundred years ago. This decision was a turning point not only in Mann’s life but in the history of American education, for it was during his twelve years in this office that he accomplished his great works which so benefited America. To fully appreciate Mann’s achievements in this position one must realize the condition of the schools at that time. The Revolutionary War had for eight years pushed aside all thoughts of education which then, even in New England, had been developed only to a very limited degree. Even after the war real liberty and equality were not practiced. The old idea of class distinction still survived and only a few realized that education for all was necessary if a democratic government was to remain. Each state had its early leaders who helped to bring about the great educa¬ tional revival of the mid-nineteenth century—at the head of which was Hor¬ ace Mann. The problem which he faced in Massachusetts was fairly typical of that in the other states. Free public high schools had not yet won the con¬ sent of the people. There existed only the small, scattered district schools, and to unite these into one state system with proper state and local control was Horace Mann’s task. He described the drawbacks in the district system, saying, “These schools at the present time are so many independent commun¬ ities each being governed by its own habits, traditions and local customs. There is no bond of brotherhood or family between them. They are strangers and aliens to each other.” With the establishment of the Massachusetts Board of Education and the election of Horace Mann as secretary a new epoch began. This pioneer did more than promote and improve the common schools; he lifted the ideals of democracy itself. Through him the whole school system was transformed. Mann has said, “In a republic, ignorance is a crime,” and so clearly did he set forth a plan for the school system that for a century educational progress has moved steadily in the direction which he indicated. At the end of twelve years he resigned as secretary of the board. During this period he had placed education in Massachusetts upon a firm foundation. During his service he brought the cause of education favorably before the public; installed a system of state supervision for schools ; attempted to elim¬ inate sectarianism ; introduced the use of school libraries and established the first normal school. After Horace Mann’s resignation he accepted the presidency of the newly established Antioch College at Yellow Springs, Ohio- Antioch at that time was more or less an experiment and he put his courage and energy into bring¬ ing about order and system from the chaos that existed there. To him a col¬ lege was not only a home of scholarship but also a place for physical and spiritual training. This idea has persisted throughout the life of the college up to the present day and signifies Mann’s achievements there. Six years after his entrance into Antioch, Mann died worn out by the years of overwork and strain. He had come to the end of a career which was to stand out forever in the hearts of all friends of education and of democracy. 22

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1937 YEAR BOOK The rapid progress of industry was made possible by the expansion and de- elopment of the frontier. But now the frontier is gone. There is no great outlet for dense populations and factory products. In the development of this vast continent industry became capable of very rapid production and built up a powerful inertia which must be slowed down if machines are to con¬ tinue to serve men. Now that the frontier is conquered this enormous cap¬ acity must be diverted from the hit-or-miss quantity production and directed into the channels of quality and improvement. This leads to the third way in which the old order has change—namely, liberalism. By liberalism I mean the adoption of new ideas The spirit of liberalism is an outgrowth of the problems created by the unplanned advance of science and business. 1 he severity of the last depression would seem to indicate that there is need, in our economic system for some new ideas. This generation has learned that prosperity which appears in spots cannot survive. When big business thrives at the expense of smaller enterprises, when wealth accumulates and men decay, then there can be no question of national policy. The spirit of reform has made its debut in the “New Deal.” Whether we approve of the “New Deal” or not, we are forced to admit that the era of national planning has begun. This generation looks with disgust at the enormous debts which are forced upon us. We stand with our mouths agape before the hideous slums and poverty stricken areas. We gaze with horror at the denuded hillsides, the gluttonous floods and dust storms, the rapid erosion of soil and the exploitation of natural resources. These are huge problems which the new order has thrust upon us. But it was man who made these problems and it shall be man who cures them. Whatever the future may hold for us, we cannot face it if we have come to distrust our own powers. We need the will to overcome and the determina¬ tion not to be downed, whatever may happen- But let us hope that in the midst of these external changes our sense of fair play, of duty, honor and the dictates of conscience shall continue to govern our spirit of progress. PAUL BIXBY CLASS ESSAY Horace Mann, the Pioneer of Education T would not be possible in these few minutes to review in full the life of wro ' Horace Mann ;— whole books have been written on it. Still more im- aSfiSal possible would it be to attempt to draw even in outline the immensity of his educational work and ideals. There is however one tribute we can pay this great educator. We are finishing twelve years of public school life,— years filled with every advantage,—and have considered them our heritage and due. Now on our graduation, we can pause to recall, with appreciation, the milestones in his career, and to consider some of his ideals and accomp¬ lishments which have so benefited us and will continue to benefit generations to come. His was the American dream,—his the thought of free education for all. In his own words, “If there ever was a cause, if ever there can be a cause, worthy to be upheld by all of toil or sacrifice that the human heart can endure, it is the cause of education.” 21

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1937 YEAR BOOK The full value and extent of his work can never be truly estimated. Due to him all classes have been given the opportunity to acquire an education- Be¬ cause of his work the whole school system has become enlarged. Under this is included the establishment of health and hygiene in schools, an enlarged curriculum and a closer relationship between teacher and pupil. Another major result of his career was the establishment of the normal schools. The result of these schools is now felt tremendously throughout the educational world. Due to them teaching has been elevated to a higher level and the finer points in the school curriculum have been advanced. Mann’s service to the country is on a level with that of Washington and Lincoln. Washington, with the Declaration of Independence brought polit¬ ical freedom; Lincoln and the Civil War brought physical freedom; and Mann, in his fight for education brought intellectual freedom without which the other two types cannot long be retained- His was a life dedicated to a cause; his a life consecrated to a purpose. In our graduation we see the fulfillment of his American dream. We can under¬ stand this whole hearted devotion to an ideal so ably expressed in his last words given to his class at Antioch:— “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” CAROLINE BARKER VALEDICTORY Trends of Chemistry HE first sciences arose to fill utilitarian needs. Every science started with a few practical and useful discoveries. The earliest forms of chemistry were actually only aids to primitive medicine. Many animals seem to know what to eat in order to relieve certain illnesses- Prob¬ ably primitive man also possessed this same sort of knowledge. The first real chemistry was the preparation of herbs for medicinal pur¬ poses. Practitioners of this art were called alchemists. The field of the al¬ chemists gradually widened in scope to include such searches as that for the elixir of life, the universal cure of human ills and the secret of changing the baser metals to gold. Until this time it was believed that all matter was conn posed of four elemental substances: earth, air, fire, and water. Each of these elements had its characteristic attributes derived from four fundamental qual¬ ities : hotness, coldness, wetness, and dryness. Alchemists believed that by altering the proportions of these qualities they could form new elements. It is a well know fact that these alchemists failed due to faulty choice of ele¬ mental substances. However, unscientific as alchemy was, it was the fore¬ runner of modern chemistry- Toward the end of this period of alchemistry pure science crept in. This is the search after truth rather than merely the search to fulfill utilitarian needs. The awakening of the new science of chemistry occurred at about the same time as the awakening of astronomy and physics under Galileo. A character¬ istic part of this change is the publication by Boyle of what is known as Boyle’s Law relating to the expansion of gases. Up to this time alchemists had believed in a substance which they called phlogiston. This was what they thought escaped when something burned, 23