Farewell to the First Congregational Church in Norwalk, Conn. (bound with other addresses)

the remote wilderness. There one learned profes- sor, a man eminent in his native country, was labor- ing on a salary of three hundred dollars a year. Another, a polished, courteous, learned and devoted man, was laboring for simple food and shelter. The Churches, as they are able, send in'k supply of food. All take up a collection once a year for the semina- ry. But the poverty of many of their people upon their first planting themselves in the wilderness can scarcely be understood by people dwelling at the East. The difficulties and hardships of new settle- ments in the wilderness are theirs in full measure : though their proverbial industry and frugality must ere long place them in abundance ; and then their beloved College will live and prosper. But in the mean time they are in deep waters, in need of every thing. I slept one night in their Seminary, and when I parted from these dear brethren, I left them with the deep conviction, that the small amount of aid for which they ask, will be as judicious and as productive an investment of funds for the promotion of the cause of Christ in the Great Valley, as can possibly be made ; and that the friends of our coun- try, and the friends of the Redeemer, who care for the salvation of the future millions of the descend- ants of these Germans, can by no means afford to let their infant Seminary die. These two were the only institutions under the patronage of our So- ciety, which a hasty tour at the West permitted me to see. It is well known that the others are of equal, or of still greater importance. If our country is to be evangelized, if the great West is not to be given 29 up to Infidelity or to Popery. ; if the thousands of in- fant Churches planted in that field, at so much cost and suffering, are hereafter to be supplied with a competent ministry; if the educated minds, not only in the ministry, but in the other public callings, — ■which are hereafter to mould the sentiments of the people of the great West, and so to il-ule our country and the world, — are to be trained under Christian auspices, these institutions must be sustained. As I passed for more than two thousand miles along the mighty rivers, through the vast forests, and over the ocean-like prairies of the West, how often would my fancy move forward one hundred, sometimes three hundred, or five hundred years. In imagination I saw these woodlands and prairies teeming with inhabitants. The land was a garden ; fertile and easy of cultivation, almost beyond the power of those who have always remained on the Eastern shore of our country to imagine. I saw the dwellings embowered in trees ; the highways lined with venerable elms ; the school-house and the house of God rising in every village ; in one word, the fairest village on the most beautiful intervale of New England, repeated, enlarged, and spread out over fields broader in extent than forty New Eng- lands. I fancied these seminaries, now fostered in infancy with so much pains, then established in strength and grown venerable with age. Genera- tions of their alumni had served Christ and their country in their day, and had gone down to the grave, leaving the fruits and the monunlents of their labors behind them. I fancied this ; but it was 30 scarcely fancy : time will realize this picture, and more. In that day the names of the early mission- aries, who toiled and suffered as pioneers in that field, will be had in remembrance. It will then be told what these have done for our country, for the world, and for Christ. In that day the seat of influence and power in a nation of two hundred millions, or of three, or four hundred millions, will be there. And then it wiU be known, that next to the direct work of rearing and sustaining Churches in that field, was the work of planting and sustaining the Colleges and Seminaries which gave to these Churches their perpetuity ; and which trained the men, in the various professions, whose influence fashioned and controlled society there when it was in the forming state. The Lord prosper this work. The Lord bless those who have it in their hearts to aid in laying thus the foundations for many, genera- tions. Amen. ADDRESS TO THE CITIZENS OF NORWALK, ON THE SUBJECT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The undersigned, having been appointed by a meeting of the citizens of Norwalk, a committee to examine and report concerning the state of our public schools, and what should be done for their improvement, would respectfully represent — ' 1. That the number of scholars in the nine school districts of Norwalk, according to the enumeration of 1850, is 1169 ; and that the increase for the last three year® has been at the rate of 49 scho- lars a year : . That owing to this increase, nearly all our school-houses are top small to accommodate the scholars of, their districts. The Over River District has 217 scholars. The school-house has but 60 com- fortable seats, a part of which ought not to be occupied in winter on account of their prossimity to the stove. There are on the list of attenda,nts this winter, 124 scholars — the average attendance is 80. Last winter it. was 90. There are sometimes nearly 100 present at a time. Of these, all above the number of 60 are crowded upon uncomfortable'benches around the stove a,nd in the narrow passages. The ceiling of the room is low, and the ventilation insufficient. In this district, there is no permanent private school, and few of the scholars go out of the district to school. , , The Old Well District numbers 219 scholars ; and has in two rooms, very poor accommodations for 80, The main room, being seven feet between joints, and having none of the modern improve- ments for seating. One hundred and twenty-four have entered the two public schools this winter ; the average attendance is 80. In this district there are an academy, and two private schools, which accommodate many of the scholars. The Main Street school-house is the best in town. It can seat 64 scholars ; the enumerated number of scholars in the district is 120 ; ninety have entered the school ihis winter ; the average attendance is 60 ; when the greatest number is present, the room is much crowded. Considerable time is spent day by day, in assigning the seats of such as are absent to such supernumerary scholars as happen to be present. The same is true of all the schools where the num- ber on the list of attendants is greater than the number of seats. The South Centre District has 190 scholars, and accommodation in two rooms for 100. Ninety have entered the school the present term; many aie drawn off to the private schools within the district. The N'orth Centre District has 109 scholars; it can seat 35 at the_^ desks next to the wall, on seals so high that their feet aie dangling in the air. Some twenty-five or more can be seated on benches in the centre. If the house were comfortably seated in the modem style, it might accommodate 50 scholars. ■ The Down Town District numbers 95 scholars ; accommodates 30 at the desks against the wall, and some 30 moie on the benches in the centre. Seated as it should be, it might accommodate 50 scholars ; seventy-seven are on the list of attendants this term. It will be seen from these facts, that the Over River and Old Well Districts are under the necessity of building, or of making some other arrangements immediately. The accommodatiofis of tSe other districts specified, are also inadequate ; they will be compelled very soon greatly to enlarge, or to build anew, k slight increase of the population will render this inevitable. Unless some better plan can be devised for the organization of our schools, there must.soon be a general rebuilding of school-houses in nearly every district in town. The present is, therefore, thg time to look about us, and to inquire whether some better plan than the present cannot be devised. If we wait till two or three districts have built anew, a remodelling will be diflScult, and for a time perhaps impossible. 2. The committee beg leave to represent further, that the present organization of our schools is necessarily attended with great waste of time and money, and fails to give to our children so good a com- . mon school education as the times demand ; this would seem to be obvious upon a bare inspection of the schools.' For example : Over River School had at the beginning of the teEcn, from 8 to 10 scholars who could not read simple sentences, and these were in various stages of advancement. An average.- of 70 scholars are to be heard in reading twice a day, and in spelling. Fifty-three of those on the list of attendants, study arithmeti;?. 'ilj^ete are 40 in geography, 45 in writing, JK) in grammar, 9 jn history^ and 2 in surveying. The occasional absence of some of tjiese does not relieve the pressure of business, but deranges the ^lassiftcatipn and increases the diffi- culty. The Main-street School, had, at the commencement of the term, eight who could not read simple sentences. Seventy study arithmetic ; there are 30 in geography, 40 in writing, 20 in gram- mar, besides the reading and spelling ; the other schools do not differ essentially from these in the number of classes and studies. Now place any teacher in a confined and over-crowded room, com- pel him" to hasten from one thing to another, vnih such rapidity as he must to get through with such numbers in such a multitude of classes and studies, and no matter what his capacity and diligence, he can- not give thorough instruction. No part of his time is spent to good advantage. The pupils fgel the effect of the impure air and crowded room. Often the foundation is laid for feeble health and impaired constitutions. The pupils are not trained to habits of carefiil study and vigorous application, nor do they learn to express their thoughts with readiness and accuracy. If we estimate the value of the school by the attainments made in a given time, more than half the time and money is worse than wasted. It is no fiction, that elsewhere, under a different system, such attainments are more thoroughly made in half the time. But mental habits and discipline are of more im- portance than the amount of attainments, so that more is wasted than time or money. No teacher can do justice to more than thirty-five miscellaneous scholars, such as are mingled together under one teacher under the present organization of our schools. All above this number is loss and damage, which is by no means compensated by the diminished expense. We hesitate not to say that the advan- tage of the public money should be no inducement to any parent to send a child to an overcrowded miscellaneous school, unless com- pelled so to do by hard necessity. 3. We beg leave to represent further, that the experiment of a better classification, and of a suitable division of labor, has been tried