From the "Boston Transcript," Dec., 1834.
Old times.—Mr. Thatcher stated, in his Lecture before the Boston Lyceum, that the Old Latin School in this City was commenced two hundred years ago, according to the records of the Town, which begin at the same year. For a long time it was the only school; and there was no writing school among us until November, 1684, (just 150 years since.) Master Cheever presided over the Latin 38 years, till he died at 93. He was the teacher of two of the Mathers, and the second Doctor said of him in an obituary essay, with his own peculiar felicity, that
——to vast age he grew,
Till Time's scythe waiting for him rusty grew.
Lovell was his second successor, and held on 92 years, till in 1776 he left the town a Loyalist. The old gentleman had a house furnished for him in School street, and a garden that reached nearly to Court street, which his best boys were allowed to till; and they had also the privilege as a reward of merit of sawing his wood and bottling his cider.—The Lecturer remarked that this was the first manual labor school he had heard of.
A quotation from Scripture.
"In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired."
From the "Salem Observer," 1840.