Description The Pictou Advocate Historical Edition

117 years of Service to Cause of Learning (article Above Photo of Thomas McCulloch Ending Under The Photo Of Sir. William Dawson)

Founded in 1816 By Dr. Thomas McCulloch, Academy Has had Varied and Interesting Career---Outstanding Men Among Teachers and Graduates.

 

The Story of the Early days of Pictou Academy has been often told and the main facts are familiar to all who have interest in or sympathy with educational questions in Nova Scotia. The Story should be known for with it are intimately interwoven most important political as well as educational issues. The Following sketch is offered to those of the present day, who may not heretofore have been interested in the story or may not have had the opportunity of informing themselves of these long past events.

Although the centenary of Pictou Academy was not celebrated until 1916, the institution really had birth one hundred and five years previously in the brain of its founder, Dr. Thomas McCulloch.

A Notable man was this Dr. McCulloch-a man of courage and faith- a strong man- a man who “did things.” His settling in Pictou was, humanly speaking, an accident, due to the fact that he arrived here from Scotland too late in the autumn (Nov.1803) to get passage to Prince Edward Island, which was his intended destination.

Heroic Madness

As the first English Settlers had arrived in the county only some thirty years earlier, the sparseness and poverty of the population and the social and educational condition of the settlers can be readily imagined. Schools were few and of the most elementary character. The people were waging a hard struggle for the very necessities of life. Yet these were the people who must be mainly depended upon to furnish the funds for higher educational work. In the Face of These Conditions Dr. McCulloch projected a college for this handful of struggling colonists. What folly!  What Madness! So it must have appeared to sane, calculating people. But, judged by the issue, what wise folly, what heroic madness ---the kind of madness that springs from courage and faith and defies impossibilities, the madness displayed by a Howard, a Wilberforce, A Gordon, A Wolfe.

But was there necessity for such undertaking?  The Answer is found in the Educational condition of the province at that time True, there was a college at Windsor, King’s College, receiving a grant of nearly $2,000.00 a year from the provincial treasury and $5,000.00 a year from the British government. But its doors were barred to all but adherents of the church of England. Dissenters, as all other protestants were called, and who formed four-fifths of the population of the province, were destitute of all facilities for obtaining a liberal education. There was then urgent need for such an institution.

Religious Intolerance

Why Should any difficulty be anticipated in securing ample government aid for the projected college? If the province gave a grant of $2,000.00 for the education of one-fifth of the population, by a simple arithmetical calculation it should give $8,000.00 for the education of the remaining four- fifths. Unhappily, it was not a question of arithmetic, but of religious bigotry and intolerance, strong factors in those early days. The irresponsible “Council of Twelve” was composed entirely of adherents of the Church of England, with the bishop as one of its most influential members. These men considered money spent on the education of dissenters as worse than wasted. They could brook no rival for this pet college at Windsor. They displayed malicious ingenuity in hampering and defeating Dr. McCulloch’s plan of founding a non-sectarian college. When the bill for the establishment of the academy was presented, the council added a condition that trustees and teachers of the institute must be members either of the Church of England or of the Presbyterian Church. The Effect of the condition was to cut off from the Presbyterians the support of the Methodists and Baptists who would gladly have joined with them in supporting the college. The whole burden of maintaining the college was thus thrown upon the Presbyterians of the province, consisting of not more than twenty weak and struggling congregations.

The sum of $4,000.00 was raised by subscription of which sum more than three-fourths was subscribed in Pictou. The “Act of Incorporation” was passed in 1816 and classes were opened in the autumn of 1817. Dr. McCulloch was principal. Rev. John MacKinlay, who was then in charge of the “Grammar School” in the town, assisted him by giving instruction to the classes in classics and mathematics; all the rest of the academic work was done by Dr. McCulloch himself.

For the first term classes were conducted in a private house, and it was not till the following year that the academy building was erected. This building was considered—and really was—a magnificent one its day, and the circumstances under which it was erected.

And now began the long, hard struggle with the council for recognition and aid for the Academy. By the way, the name “Academy” rather than “College” was adopted for the new institution to avoid arousing the jealousy of the friends of King’s College. For the same reason the right of conferring degrees was not demanded in the charter, although the purpose was to teach a full college curriculum.

Grants Passed

 In 1818 the trustees petitioned Lord Dalhousie, then governor, to recommend a grant in aid of the Academy. The assembly passed a grant of $2,000.00 but the council refused assent. A similar vote, passed in the following year, received the assent of the council. For the next years about $8,000.00 was granted on yearly application by the trustees, but a permanent grant of $2,000.00 a year passed by the assembly in 1824 was negative by the council.

This continued obstinate opposition on the part of the council to the will of the people expressed though their representatives were one of the main causes which gave rise to that agitation for the over throw of irresponsible power which resulted in the establishment of responsible government in Nova Scotia.

Year after year the struggle went on. Bill after bill providing grants for the Academy passed by the House of Assembly – often unanimously, always with overwhelming majorities—was rejected by the council. Unfortunately, at this time a section of the Presbyterian body joined forces with the opponents of the Academy and gave countenance and aid to the council in their opposition to the institution.

Claims Sustained

Finally, in 1831, Jotham Blanchard was sent to England as the agent of the trustees to lay the whole case before the British government. It may be stated here that Mr. Blanchard, whose portrait hangs in the Academy Hall, was the founder and editor of the “Colonial Patriot”, the first newspaper in the province published outside of Halifax. In this paper he strongly advocated the rights of the Academy, and boldly and vigorously assailed the arbitrary and unconstitutional powers exercised by the council. His mission to England was successful. Virtually all the claims for the Academy were sustained by the colonial office. Unfortunately, full advantage of this decision was not taken by friends of the Academy. Compromise was attempted and dissensions between the two parties on the board of trustees resulted in the decay of the institution.

In 1838 Dr. McCulloch, with $800.00 of the grant of the Academy, was transferred to Dalhousie College, Halifax. Thereafter the Academy lingered on shorn of its prestige, until 1865, when it was remodelled as a county academy under the Nova Scotia School Act.

Frist Principal

Herbert A. (afterwards Dr.) Bayne was the first principal . The class was conducted in the lower wast room of the “ old academy” on church street. The students of That time numbered from forty to sixty and the great majority were from the town with only a sprinkling of “outsiders”. The whole work was in the hands of the principal and faithfully and energetically was the work done. The curriculum was much less pretentious than at present and quality rather than quantity was the criterion of the work.

In the autumn of 1867 Mr. Bayne left to complete his course in Dalhousie College and Aubrey Lippincott, B.A., one of the first graduates of Dalhousie College, was appointed substitute principal for the year. He also, was very successful in winning the respect and affection of his students and carried forward the work most efficiently. He later became an M.D. and practised in the city of New York.

In the following year Mr. Bayne returned. Accompanied by J.J. Mackenzie. Mr. Mackenzie at first taught the preparatory department but shortly afterwards the two departments were combined, Principal Bayne teaching classics and Science and Mr. Mackenzie English and Mathematics. These gentlemen both resigned in 1873 to take post-graduate courses in Germany, where each won a doctor’s degree. Returning to Canada Dr. Bayne took position in the military college, Kingston, and Dr. Mackenzie the professorship of physics in Dalhousie College. Both were cut down by death in early manhood.

A.H. MacKay Principal

In 1873 A.H. MacKay (later Dr. MacKay, superintendent of education for Nova Scotia) became Principal. With him was associated F.W. George, M.A., Principal MacKay teaching mathematics and science and Mr. George, English and classics. In October, 1876, Mr. George Resigned to enter upon church work and Mr. James A. Sutherland held the position for two months, November and December.

In January, 1877, Robert MacLellan afterwards principal, was appointed to the classical and English department, which position he held until 1883 when he resigned to take the post of inspector of schools for Pictou and south Colchester.

Rapid Strides

 Under Principal MacKay’s strong administration, the academy made rapid strides. It became celebrated throughout the province and far beyond its limits. Students flocked in from all quarters until there was not room enough to receive them. Larger quarters became absolutely necessary and a new building was erected in 1880 on the site of the present building. Although it would be entirely inadequate for the present work, it was far in advance of any other high school building in the province. It contained four class rooms, Convocation hall, a small chemical laboratory capable of accommodating five or six students, and several small subsidiary rooms. At the same time a third instructor became necessary and Rod. MacKay, B.A., was appointed teacher of mathematics. After two years Mr. MacKay resigned to engage in church work and W.R. Fraser B.A. (later Ph.D. Johns Hopkins) was appointed as his successor. Mr. Fraser taught until 1888 when he resigned to take a post-graduate course in Johns Hopkins.

Prominent Men of Staff.

Meanwhile in 1883 Mr. MacLellan resigned as before stated and was succeeded by Mr. Hector McInnes, now K.C., and one of the most prominent lawyers in the city of Halifax. Mr. McInnes taught mathematics while the classical subjects were divided between Principal MacKay and Mr. Fraser.

In 1885 Mr. McInnes was succeeded by Mr. Humpfrey Mellish B.A., now judge of the supreme court of Nova Scotia. In the same year a fourth teacher became necessary and Mr. Isaac Gammell. B.A., was appointed as instructor in English and History

 

 

The Old Pictou Academy (article below the photo of the First Pictou Academy)

(by Rev. P.M. MacDonald)

Perchance some scoffing passer-by may smile

In wonder at thy frame, so quaint and crude.

Considering not, through ignorance, the brood

That Found thee wondrous kind and wise, the while

Outstretched, thy wings protected them from guile;

Up brought and nurtured them to war with rude.

Strong Error, rooted in the Multitude,

And for the heralding’s the reconcile-

Commerce and culture felt thy fine foresight;

Altar and Court-room, science, arts of skill,

Drew from thy sons’ safe leaders, and the state

Enlisted many a stalwart potentate,

Made fit in thee to sense the people’s will.

 

Yet strong to boldly dare and do the right.