The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

EDUCATION in the Town Hall which we occupy as a Grammar School, we could have it no longer. But that we might occupy the empty house on R: !the corner of the square as a temporary accomodation for the Grammar School". The school moved to a room in this house, but did not remain there long. A short time later, it was being held in the lower room of the South School. Since the board had almost no source of income apart from fees, it began to despair of finding suitable quar- ters, or of maintaining them if it did. In January, 1856, however, a change in the school law favored the grammar school. By this law, an elected board of common-school trustees could require the town council to provide funds for elemen- tary education; and if the common-school board and the grammar- school board united, the joint board could also require funds for the support of a grammar school and could build a union school to accomodate both elementary and secondary-school pupils. Accordingly in April, 1857, the two boards united, and steps were taken towards building a union school. The members of the two boards at the time of union were: Grammar School Board (appoint- ed by the County Council): Reverend David Caw, Reverend James Boyd, Thos. N. Bosworth, and H. J. Greenstreet. Common School Board (elected by the ratepayers of Paris): George McVicar, George Mitchell, Peter Wilson, and Daniel Totten. When the members of the new board attempted to reach an agree- ment concerning the site of the proposed school, the old feud between Upper and Lower Town flared up. A group of members left one meeting in a rage, swearing that they would never return. Finally, after weeks of dissension, it was agreed that Professor Wm. Ormiston, inspector of grammar schools, should be asked to make the final choice between a site on Walnut Street and one on the grounds of the present Queen's Ward School. The professor was to read a statement by each group, and then was to visit the sites in company with Mayor Hugh Finlayson and Chas. Whitlaw, both of whom could answer the professor's questions, but could not seek to influence him in any way. He was then to make his decision without giving any reasons or comments. Professor Ormiston decided in favor of the hill-site. Soon after- wards, the building that is now remembered as the Old High School was erected. With the opening of the school on August 9, I858, Paris for the first time had a well constructed school-building, and the board could look forward to a small but steady income with which to support it. The elementary school-system of Paris between 185o and I9goo had a number of distinctive characteristics, although some of these were gradually modified during the passing years. For example, the majority of the earlier teachers were probably no better educated 159