A Young Dutchman Views Post--Civil War America: Diary of Claude August Crommelin

8. In Boston, Providence, Albany, and back to New York City: October–December 1866

8 In Boston, Providence, Albany, and back to New York City October–December 1866 Monday 15 October 1866 Rode from Troy to Boston on the Western Massachusetts Railroad. Picturesque landscape, but barren, rocky, and a lot of stones. Negro minstrels with Mr. Fuller. Tuesday 16 October 1866 Invited by Mr. Bond to stay with him, so I packed up my things and went to Jamaica Plains. Visit with the Fullers. No entry for 17 October 1866 Thursday 18 October 1866 Various visits, many introductions. Mr. Philbrick; dined with Mr. Reed. Friday 19 October 1866 Introduced into several schools by Mr. Philbrick, superintendent of schools; I start my visits today. Brimmer School first, master M. Bates. Grammar school for boys between 8 and 14 to 15 years old. Excellent discipline, military atmosphere, different positions taken by the pupils on orders from above, even in praying. Reading aloud together in different tones, ‘the whispering, the loud, the conversational etc. (vocal gymnastics).’ Generally short lessons of 15 to 25 minutes. A lot of attention, the master in good shape and he knows how to keep the boys awake. The system of teaching by the principal doesn’t please me much. The school has about eight hundred boys; Mr. Bates has a class of his own and has only three half days to organize his own school, and moreover he has to check all primary schools In Boston, Providence, Albany, and back to New York City 77 in his district, of which he is the principal too, at least nominally. But he has an assistant to teach his own class whenever he is away. In those primary schools all the teachers are standing next to each other, and not surprisingly, this causes a lot of bickering and trouble. I also thought the boys too well trained, with a lot of automatons . Each master has his own class, not his own field of science. For boys of 12 or 13 it may be a good system, but some variety would do no harm in my opinion. Later with Miss Penniman, who did a very good job in teaching, many female teachers. Ventilation left a lot to be desired. Corporal punishment usual, but not frequent; good discipline at the end of classes. Hours from 9 to 10:15, 10:45 to 12, 1:45 to 4.1 Ride with Miss S. Bond. In the evening with Dr. Clarke and his daughter Lilian to a soirée of Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, well known in literary circles. She composed a “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which gained a lot of popularity recently, undeserved in my opinion at least. Gov. Andrew and others, who didn’t interest me much; a Miss Deltone pleased me better.2 Saturday 20 October 1866 Visited the several courts with Francis E. Parker. Municipal court, one in every township, for minor offences only, civil $300, no jury. Superior court, civil about $4,000, all crimes except capital crimes; District Attorney Sanger. Various sentences with fines up to $500 for violation of the liquor laws, which prohibit all sales of ‘intoxicating liquors.’ Supreme court, real estate, court of appeals. Everybody is allowed to defend himself in every court.To be licensed as an attorney requires three years of study. All judges are appointed by the governor and his council ‘on good behaviour.’3 U.S. district court, U.S. circuit court, circuits of the Supreme Court in Washington : all crimes at sea, patent rights, forgery, and counterfeiting of the coin of the realm, etc. No appeal from supreme court [of Massachusetts] to U.S. Supreme Court. Dinner with Mrs. Clarke, tea with Mrs. Bond. Sunday 21 October 1866 Sunday, in the evening visit with Mrs. Jones. Monday 22 October 1866 Visited the Idiot School in South Boston. This school, the first in America, was established nineteen years ago by Dr. Howe in imitation of European examples of the same kind. It is well situated on Dorchester Bay, with a lot of fresh air and seawater and in my opinion answered all the needs of such an establishment. 78 A Young Dutchman Views Post–Civil War America The classrooms are spacious and well ventilated, and the teaching is well adapted to the low level of development of the pupils. Mrs. McDonald is the headmistress, a most accomplished and handsome woman. About sixty-­ five or seventy pupils, of which the state is responsible for...