sociations of half a century with his mates and his fellow citizens, there never was inspiration. The only trouble is that thoughts come too fast for words, and too many for time. But what contrasts, rich, impressive and joyous, crowd upon our minds tonight; contrasts that we may well enjoy.

to see.

We are amused at the interesting incidents which our friends have presented to us, of the rudeness of our school days, and we may be most grateful and congratulate ourselves for our city and our country on those marks of the progress of the age, which by the blessing of Providence we have been permitted When we contrast the backless stools, the homely, sheep-skin covered books, the long hours, the tedious drill, the roughness of discipline, the bunch of rattans brought in by the new school-master to let us know what sort of a man he was, with the luxuries of these days for our children; when we think of the low-studded and badly ventilated Eliot School, for which even as it was, I bless God that I had so much, compared with the palaces of these days; when we contrast the High School on Pinckney Street, which Guild and Bonney and Austin, and the rest of us fellows trotted across the city to reach, with the luxurious High School building which the city has provided for the children of this day, pictures of which I have loved to obtain from City Hall to send across the water to show the difference between the Mother and the Child,we may well rejoice.

I might go on with these contrasts, but, gentlemen, let me present to you a wider and more thrilling field of thought. Gathered within these rooms

to-night, as I have figured while sitting here, are six thousand years of individual life devoted to the improvement of those opportunities of education which we have had, for the benefit of the City of Boston, the United States of America and the world. We number here 150 men; it is about forty years, on the average, since we attained our majority, and thus we represent here to-night six thousand years of industry and of brain-work for the benefit of our generation. I believe I shall not be considered egotistical, or arrogant, or self-complacent, if I say we have done our part pretty well, as representatives of the school boys of Boston. Many of those who have been associated with us have dropped by the way, having done their part. We may feel some satisfaction that we are spared to look upon the results.

It is a

We have advanced; you see progress. glorious progress. How the old books have been corrected! How the great American desert west of the Mississippi, has been wiped out! How many

How many

now go for

We talk

of our children are found on that coast of which we read in Richard H. Dana's "Two Years before the Mast," as the wild north-west coast? have settled in Florida, where we pleasure, which we knew in our boyhood only as the land of alligators and Seminoles? about death. It is not an unpleasant theme for those who have tried to do their part, and have been spared to see the result. It should not, by any means, be a sad reflection to this company that we are to pass away one after the other; but the pleasant thought is, that with the increase of popu

lation and the growth of our city, this institution is to increase in numbers and influence, and that to our successors is to be given what we see only in prophetic vision.

Mr. William H. Baldwin was introduced and spoke as follows:

Mr. President and Fellow-members of the Association: I certainly think that we ought to congratulate each other upon the success of this organization. When we see the large attendance here to-night, and hear from our Secretary that within the last week some twenty-five have joined the Association, it certainly seems as though we had every reason to believe that this Society is one that is bound to live.

We miss from our ranks those members whose names have been mentioned as having passed away, and we cannot help remembering the cordial greeting that we always had from our friend Mr. Slack, whenever we met him. He was a thoroughly wideawake Boston boy, and one whom we always delighted to hear on any occasion. I will mention one other name, General Oliver, who wrote that beautiful tune "Federal Street," that we have all sung in the churches for so many years,"See gentle patience smile on pain."

When Mr. Guild said he presumed we came here to-night without set speeches, I thought how nice it would be if every one around the table would get up and say something, if only a few words, and pour out from their hearts the thoughts that come up, as they look back to the time of their boyhood. How

delightful it is, as we get along in years, to glance backward and recall the events of life. To me, as I grow older, it is one of the sweetest ways that I can pass the time, to think of the old friends and old schoolmates whom I knew, and I presume it is the same with you all.

It has been said that we do not want any set speeches to-night. It reminded me of what a lady told me of a minister who went away to exchange, and when the time came for the sermon he rose and said: "My dear Christian friends, I find that I have left the sermon that I had very carefully prepared to give you this morning; I shall therefore be obliged to depend upon the Lord, but I promise you I will come much better prepared this evening.”

I

Regarding corporal punishment, I would say that, if I had it in my power, under no circumstances whatever would I allow a teacher in any one of our schools to strike a boy or girl, to give physical pain for a moral delinquency. I say it is all wrong. hope I shall live long enough to see the time when it can be said of this dear old City of Boston, that in no one of her schools is a teacher allowed under any circumstances to whip a boy or girl.

I remember the case of a boy who came to the Rice School from another part of the city, and he brought a letter from the Principal of that school saying that he was a bad boy, profane and vulgar ; one who was constantly getting into fights, and making a great deal of trouble, and they had had a very hard time with him, and his teachers had been obliged to whip him a great deal. What did the Master of Rice School do? He took that boy the

first day, after all the boys had gone, and he said to

"My friend, I want to have a little private You have come to our school.

him:
talk with you.

I

Now I will help you, if

presume you want a good education. I presume you want to start out in life right. I am told you are a poor boy, and by-and-by you will want to do something for yourself. Now let us have an understanding. I have been told that you were a bad boy in the school you have left, and that you have been whipped a great deal. you will help me. Let us work together and one of these days you will have an education, and when you leave this school, if I am alive and well, I will try to get you a situation, to learn a trade, or go into a store, and help you to do something." What was the result? From that day that boy took hold and studied, and when exhibition day came, and the boys came up in line to receive their diplomas, the boy who was number one in rank was the one who had come under such circumstances into the school, only three or four years before.

I congratulate you, Mr. President and friends, upon the success of this occasion.

Three verses of the following Hymn were then sung:

DEDICATED TO

THE OLD SCHOOL BOYS OF BOSTON.

By Wм. H. BALDWIN.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And early school-boy days;

Our mates of many years long passed,

Our play-grounds and our plays?