No. 41

The Elders in 1835 with the Classics

Dear Stewart,

Until Henry Brother could incorporate the town and set up some boundaries, both literally and mentally, he could not stand the poor children in the neighborhood.

It was not as if he blew them off completely; he did allow store credit and mill scraps.

This was in 1835. Valentine was 9, Cornelia 8, Rebecca 6, "H. H." (or Hank) was 2 but could not be held or contained, and his wife was pregnant. Henry knew that the misfortunate children of the village needed proper bending, but first he had to set his house in order.

While he and the elders determined what common schools should be, Henry Brother enrolled Val at the Bath Classical School with Ralph Knickerbocker Finch, the spirited young man from Dartmouth College, who just arrived in Bath, New York.

When he did this, there was a sigh from Mary Ann, for she realized the cost would throw the budget off, but the regimental program would take care of Val’s constant questions and desire for more books. It was not long before H.H. followed. Thanks to Finch, Hank learned to sit long enough to pass his lessons.

Finch, a celebrity, came over for dinner and entertained with stories and romance, later tying the knot with your grandmother's best friend.

Finch was a master at philosophy, Shakespeare, and logic.

Finch debated with Henry Brother about co-mingling education. Henry said that it was backwards, and even dangerous, mentally, for boys to be taught alongside of girls.

But Finch knew that the church elders were not a fan of how influential Finch was already becoming, for his thrilling, action-packed but secular stories were incomplete without the New Testament.

Privately, in the hallway, helping Finch with his coat and his books, Mary Ann suggested that maybe Finch had gone too far. Hank might have nightmares. He was starting to carve sailing vessels into the woodwork, drawing under the tables and chairs. He was stealing her stationery. The craft assignments alone, she reported, were draining her ink wells.

But her husband Henry was firm, interrupting her little chat with Finch, squeezing himself between them in the hallway, saying that his sons would study. More suffering would be coming, and his sons needed such rigor.

— Miss Minnie

2025 Copyright Christine Friesel