Education: Latin Schools

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Ezekiel Cheever was the Boston Public Latin School's first master. A marble slab records that "Cotton Mather, a grateful pupil, ascribed to him all New England's learning." The third master was John Lovell, a Tory who on April 19, 1775 said owlishly to his pupils: "War's begun and school is done." Five signers of the Declaration of Independence went to Boston Latin School: Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Paine, William Hooper. Four Continental Congressmen were graduates, as were six Massachusetts governors, five U. S. Senators, four Harvard presidents including the late great Charles William Eliot. Other Boston Latin pupils: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Graham Sumner, Henry Ward Beecher, Wendell Phillips, Orator Edward Everett.

Boston Latin School is a part of the city school system. Thirty years ago most of the students were Yankee-born, with Yankee names. Today most of them come from immigrant homes. Among 25,000 College Board candidates last June, Latin School boys took place in the Latin, English, Greek and mathematics examinations. And a fortnight ago Boston Latin School took permanent possession of that coveted award for preparatory schools, the Harvard Phi Beta Kappa Trophy.