TRIVIUM SCRIPTATRIVIUM SCHOOL LANCASTER, MASS. VOL. VIII Spring 2003

SENIOR THESESDr. William Schmitt

THE “SCANDAL” OF A LIBERALEDUCATIONMark Langley

Parents, students, and friends began to arriveat 5:45. It was theses night, and the five seniorswho had their names on the evening programwere chatting nervously. Outside, it was stilllight. The library, however, was growing dark,except for the wooden podium before thefireplace. A little after 6:00, I rang the schoolbell and more than one hundred guests gath-ered eagerly to hear the presentations. Wewere ready to begin.

Senior theses are an integral part of theTrivium education. They are not the result ofone class, and the grade which the studentreceives (Summa cum laude, magna cum laude,etc.) is only part of his composition grade. Butits importance for the student exceeds this: inmany ways it is the culmination of his entireTrivium education.

Preparation begins after Christmas whenthe students choose their topics. This year, Ihelped them by having them first choosegeneral topics, and then we reviewed thesetogether in Intellectual History class. Eachsenior prepared a short paper on a topic inorder to gain a general understanding of whatwas involved. They chose topics such as An-archy, Evil, Comedy, and Conscience. Thenwe moved from their topics and began todevelop thesis questions. I reiterated that whatthey chose should be important to them,something that struck their imagination orwas a problem that they wanted to pursue.Several students found their way into myoffice or caught me during study hall to dis-cuss these things. Only after they have fin-ished will they realize that the questions theyask are a key part of their own intellectualdevelopment. In almost every case, the stu-dents found topics that help them articulate a

(Continued on page 4.)

Blessed John Henry Newman, speaking of theunique status of Western Civilization in thehistory of the world, emphatically asserts:

I think it has a claim to be considered as therepresentative Society and Civilization ofthe human race, as its perfect result andlimit. . . . I call this commonwealth preemi-nently and emphatically Human Society,and its intellect the Human Mind.

Can there be a clearer or more forcefulstatement about the value of Western Civili-zation that flies more in the face of the currentattitude of cultural relativism in education?

Dr. Jack Neumayr, a philosopher andprofessor at Thomas Aquinas College, com-menting on Newman’s statement, writes:

Some who regard all culture as empirical, aswe have seen, will defend liberal educationbecause it is good to know our origins; notthat our culture is normative, but it is ours.Others will insist on the utility of knowingthe roots of the good and evil in our society.Still others, thinking it well to know theworks of man, urge us to scan the achieve-ments of western thought. None, however,under the pressures of egalitarianism andskepticism, dares assert it is the measure ofthe human mind.

(Continued on page 5.)

CONTENTS

The “Scandal” of a Liberal Education 1

Senior Theses 1

Trivium’s First Headmaster 2

Girls’ Soccer 3

Boys’ Basketball 3

News & Notes 6

Overriding the objections of Mr. Schmitt, we print thisarticle about the early years of Trivium and a man whohelped to make it possible.

John Schmitt, Trivium’s first headmas-ter, was born in 1927, the seventh son of anartist, Carl Schmitt, and his wife Gertrude.They lived in Wilton, Connecticut, where theyoungsters – ten in all – were home-schooledand attended public schools through highschool. John served in the navy after WorldWar II before entering Providence College.He graduated from Harvard College with aB.A. in History and received his M.A. fromHarvard in teaching history in 1953.

Knowing that some day he wanted tostart a school, he took a job teaching at abeginning school, Colorado Rocky Moun-tain, staying four years. He worked on con-struction of dormitories. He drove an oldarmy truck taking students camping and ski-ing. He conducted the school chorus and, ofcourse, taught history. It was here that he methis future wife, who also taught there.

After they were married, the Schmittswent to Millbrook School in New York State,where Mr. Schmitt gained the experience ofan older more conventional, well-run boys’prep school.

After two years at Millbrook, at the ageof 31, Mr. Schmitt plunged into the adventureof starting a school. He formed a corporationand bought 500 acres in Harrisville, NewHampshire, on a hilltop with a large mainbuilding and a carriage house. Over the nexttwelve years he and his brother David, asbusiness manager, renovated the carriagehouse into a dormitory for some twenty stu-dents, built two additional faculty home/dor-mitories, leveled two playing fields, cleared aski hill, put in tennis courts and a gymnasium,put additions on the main building, and builttheir own homes.

The school was called Thomas More.Each year there were on an average of 60 boysin grades 9-12 preparing for college. It was aCatholic school with competitive sports soc-cer, basketball, skiing, track and field; andthere was an arts program. Among otheractivities, they staged a memorable perfor-mance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado with

an orchestra and an all male cast.With the great cultural upheaval of the

1960s, the Schmitts found it increasingly dif-ficult to conduct a school with enough boyswilling to submit themselves to a disciplinedlife of study without compromise. In 1971they closed the school and moved to Cornwall,Connecticut where they owned a piece ofland. There the Schmitts designed and built abeautiful home and then a second house torent.

When he was offered a teaching positionat Thomas Aquinas College, he accepted theoffer. He, his wife and eight children movedto California in 1974. It was another greatteaching experience, and it was here that theTrivium vision and curriculum was formu-lated. Seven of his children were able to attendThomas Aquinas College.

In 1979, several friends in Massachusettsdiscovered a grand house on Langen Road inLancaster. They lost no time in describing thepossibilities of the property as a school. TheSchmitts were reluctant to move across thecountry again, to take the risk of an unstableincome, and they were hesitant to believe theirfriends’ assurance that there were familiesreally interested in a school. Visiting and see-ing the place did a lot to convince Mr. Schmittthat a school was possible.

In September 1979, the Schmitts livedfor a month in a two-room house that St.Benedict Abbey let them use. In their gener-osity, the monks did not expect anything andthey fed the family of ten three meals a day.Their reward will be great in heaven.

With a handful of students and threeteachers, Trivium began on St. Crispin’s day.It was like a family. They sat around the fire inthe library for classes in the winter. They wentout and sledded on the hill down the road.They took field trips to Boston and wentwhale watching; they put on skits at the Hal-loween party. Many traditions continue fromthe first years, including the junior and seniortheses given before the parents and otherstudents. There have been three plays per-formed every year. That’s seventy-two in all!The form of the commencement exercisesbegan in the first year when there were onlytwo graduating students – one of them, thecurrent headmaster, Dr. William Schmitt.

In 1990, Mr. Schmitt designed and built

TRIVIUM’S FIRST HEADMASTER

John Schmitt several years ago.

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The Trivium Girls’ Soccer Team Front Row: A. Kaulbach, B. Mitchell, K. Goodman, J. Kalendarian, M. Cross,

E. Marr. Back Row:R. McGarrry, A. Turner, M. Cheffers, E. Turner,

D. Goodman, E. Henrickson, M. Smillie, E. Newcombe, K. Bloemer and Mr. Ted

Turner.

Coach J.J. Smillie and Assistant CoachDavid Muir encourage the Trivium team

during a time out.

GIRLS’ SOCCERMary Cheffers

BOYS’ BASKETBALLDavid Muir

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the chapel, a place for students and faculty topray where Mass is celebrated and where theBlessed Sacrament is reserved. In 2000, theSchmitts built their new home near the School.In 2002, the School was able to build an Artsand Athletic Building, adding class room spaceand making an expanded athletic programpossible. Boys and girls compete on teams insoccer and basketball and there is a place bigenough for dances and performances.

Mr. Schmitt retired as Headmaster ofTrivium in 1999 leaving the school in thecapable hands of Dr. William Schmitt. Retire-ment includes directing admissions, teachingthe visual arts and a few classes, and lending ahand whenever there is work to be done at theSchool.

Once again Trivium fielded a strong andenthusiastic boys’ basketball team, coachedby a Trivium parent, John Smillie, and assistedby Mr. Muir of the Trivium faculty. The teamparticipated in the boys basketball league ofthe Diocese of Worcester. Despite losingsome strong players from last year’s graduat-ing class, this year’s team performed well,making it into the semifinal round of theplayoffs. With only one player graduating,next year’s team looks very promising. Staytuned!

The Trivium Girls Soccer team put out a greateffort this year, playing the outdoor season inthe fall, and playing two sessions of indoorsoccer in the winter. The girls have greatlyimproved their skills under the coaching ofMark Cheffers. They are looking forward toanother successful season next fall, when theyhope to make it into the finals.

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Senior Theses Topics 2003

Joseph CrossCan the Church Declare a War

Unjust?

Mary GallagherCan There Be a Christian

Government?

Deirdre GoodmanCan There Be a Christian

Tragedy?

Leah GrimaldiWas the Sin of Adam a “Happy

Fault”?

Dacia GyraCan Love Be Learned?

Francis HannonIs There a Limit to the Law?

Emily HenricksonIs the Christian Life a Comedy?

Clara KnoellDoes the Education of Children

Belong to the Father?

Elizabeth PattersonShould We “Suspend Disbelief”

When Reading Literature?

Amy TurnerIs a Private Wedding Contrary

to the Nature of Marriage?

(Theses: continued from page 1.)major premise in their own way of seeingthings, their Weltanschauung. For example, if astudent wants to say that life is a comedy, she(in this case it is a she!) uses her reason todefend a profound truth that she knows onlyvaguely. Or when a student reflects on thenature of love, she is gratefully acknowledgingwhat she learned from her parents. In thisway, the writing process involves personalexperience.

The tutors met on a Thursday afternoonin February to review and approve the specificthesis questions. More than half were re-jected. When I returned to face the seniorclass, my discouragement was palpable. Mostof the questions were either too vague or tooparticular. Although the class was willing towork, many students were hesitant to committhemselves. The deadline seemed so far away.So we decided to go forward, and I assignedthe tutor advisors. Not every student couldreceive his preferred tutor. I tried to matcheach of them up with a tutor who knew thesubject well and hoped that everyone couldwork together well.

Then the real efforts began. For a monthand a half, each student met with his tutor.Some stayed after school. Often I would see atutor in the Lucy or Library listening, ques-tioning, encouraging. Sometimes the tutors

came to me to share their enthusiasm ordiscouragement. At times I could point to abook or a quotation to help.

Although there are posted deadlines onthe School bulletin board, I explained to thestudents that those deadlines are for theirbenefit and should be adjusted to their needs– with the consent of the tutors. Rules havethe purpose of setting us straight, but therecan be exceptions.

On March 31, the completed theses comein double copies to me throughout the day.On the Wednesday before the presentations,the seniors, the drama tutors and I hold apracticum in the library during sports period.Each student reads his opening paragraphand we critique the rhetoric. Miss Draeger hasthem exaggerate to overcome their defects:“this time shout” or “move your lips like afish” or “s-p-e-a-k s-l-o-w-l-y.” The seniorslaugh nervously. They are ready for the plunge.

The senior thesis is an exercise by thestudent involving all that he has learned. It isa writing and oral exercise that requires clearthinking and eloquent expression. In this wayit embodies the grammar, logic, and rhetoricof the trivium. The senior thesis is our uniquecrowning achievement at Trivium School. Allof the years of writing compositions, demon-strating Euclidean propositions, and present-ing oral arguments are tied together into a ten-minute formal presentation and defense.

There are further benefits that are hardto measure. The thesis often sparks a truefriendship between the student and tutor.After all, they are pursuing the truth “shoulderto shoulder.” A student can give all that he hasand see how much this is respected and takenseriously. Furthermore, the students see thepublic reception of their thesis as, first, aninsurmountable challenge and, then, as a stepinto the world of responsibility. It takes cour-age and spunk to hold your own against abarrage of questions from tutors and parents.Finally, and perhaps most importantly, thethesis is an exercise in seeking truth andwisdom. The student learns how difficult it isto pursue the truth and how rich the fruits are.When they turn with humility and gratitude tome or I see them thank their tutor or whenthey look searchingly out into the audience forparental approval, it is an inestimable gift thatthe Trivium students give.

Dacia Gyra (‘03) practicecsreading for her thesis.

(Liberal Education: continued from page 1.)Indeed, few in our day see the value of

liberal education so clearly. This education,which arises from Western society, is noneother than the education that is the measure ofthe human mind. It is the education thatfulfills the nature of man; it is the educationthat disposes man for the life of grace.

At a lecture given at Trivium School, Dr.Duane Berquist used the term “scandal” todescribe the way liberal education must beviewed in the modern world. And, indeed, it isa scandal to modern ears because it presentsitself in direct opposition; it is a stumbling-block to the aspirations and goals of modern

education. Those goals include no more thanthe desire to equip students with the particularpractical knowledge that will further a specificcareer.

Thus liberal education is a scandal tomodern ears for at least two reasons. It is ascandal to those who are themselves “propo-nents of liberal education” for the wrongreasons; reasons that amount to a sort ofcultural relativism and ultimately deny thatliberal education is the education for the Hu-man Mind. It is also a scandal to those whopropose that the purpose of education is toequip man for this world; for some career.

As Cardinal Newman writes elsewhere:This process . . . by which the intellect,instead of being formed or sacrificed tosome particular or accidental purpose, somespecific trade or profession, or study ofscience, is disciplined for its own sake, forthe perception of its own object, and for itsown highest culture, is called liberal educa-tion.

The scandal of liberal education is aliveand well at Trivium School, and thereforeTrivium continues to carry on the heritage ofWestern Civilization, for “We are but reiterat-ing an old tradition, and carrying on thoseaugust methods of enlarging the mind, andcultivating the intellect, and refining the feel-ings, in which the process of civilization hasalways consisted.”

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Mr. Langley corrects Tim Newcombe’s proof inEuclid class

Mrs. Muir and Marian Keiselbach (’05)were the cashiers at the Trivium Book Salein October.

Jana Draeger tutoring Comp/Lit in the Lucy.

TRIVIUM FRIENDS AT THE BOSTON MARATHON

The Boston Marathon is one of the world’sgreatest athletic events, commemoratingPheidipedes’ running from Marathon to Ath-ens in 490 B.C. announcing the Athenianvictory. Each year thousands of runners par-ticipate and many more thousands supportthe runners as cheering and encouraging spec-tators along the twenty-six mile course. SusanHolmquist, a good friend of Trivium, ran thewhole course in a great time of 5:16:50. “Atmile 14, I was joined by a group of friendsfrom the Trivium School; they ran 3 mileswith me and really gave me the boost I neededat that point in the race.” Those Triviumfriends were Tom, Heather, and Ian Goodman,Anne Hougham, Emma Marr, and AmyTurner. Sue Holmquist and the runners ranfor dollars donated per mile, raising nearlytwo thousand dollars for the School. Manythanks Sue!

NEWS & NOTES

A COLONIAL CONCERT

The Trivium School Chorus of sixty-five voicesperformed as part of the Town of Lancaster’s350th founding celebration 12 May, at 7:00P.M. in the Mary Rowlandson School Audito-rium in Lancaster. The concert included twelveselections from the American colonial periodthat might very well have been sung byLancaster’s founding families. One of thepieces is a Revolutionary War song based ona hymn tune of William Billings (1776) in asetting composed specifically for this concertby J.G. Phillips, one of our music directors.To keep the proper perspective, the chorusunder the direction of Mr. Langley and Mr.Brehany also sang pieces from the “old coun-try” by Mozart, Hassler, and Bach.

LORD OF THE COUNTRY DANCE

On May 17 at 6:30 P.M. Trivium School willhave its annual Spring Dance. The JuniorClass, which has always sponsored the event,has invited Dudley Laufman and his musicalgroup, Two Fiddles, to provide live countrymusic.

In New England, people have danced6 Dr. Schmitt leads the seniors in Intellectual Hitory class.

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always danced. They brought country andcourt dances and simple reels with them fromEngland and France. They danced jigs andreels, accompanied by a fiddle, in log cabinson dirt floors, in kitchens and meeting houses,usually with a jug nearby.

This type of dancing gradually died outelsewhere in the United States, but it remainedalive in the Monadnock region of New Hamp-shire. Laufman is dedicated to passing alongthe old traditions. His efforts have been rec-ognized: He was selected to represent tradi-tional dancing at the Smithsonian FolklifeFestival 1999 in Washington, D.C. Laufmanalso won the 2001 New Hampshire Governor’sArts Award for Folk Heritage.

Even after 50 years of playing and call-ing, the music and the dancing still move him.As a fiercely independent New Hampshireguy, he expresses why they do: “The rise andfall of the notes can bring tears to my eyes.There’s the physical part of the dance, I lookat the whole thing. I see women dance, andthis dancing brings out their beauty. Thenthere’s the social aspects. Even with the littlekids in schools, the element of romance is stillthere. I try to keep it that way.”

(Material for this article is based on anarticle by C. Foster that appeared in The BostonGlobe, 12 April 2002.)

SHAKESPEARE’S THE WINTER’S TALE

As part of the Graduation ceremonies thisyear on Friday, May 30, 7:00 P.M., the 11th and12th grade drama class will presentShakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale in the new Arts& Athletics Building. This lesser known workof the Bard is a challenge: Stage directionsinclude “exit, pursued by a bear.” Can anyonelend a bear? The Winter’s Tale, though it has thebouquet of Shakespeare’s poetic genius, de-fies categorization. It begins looking suspi-ciously like a tragedy, complete with all themadness, death, and destruction that make fora tragedy, but ends looking suspiciously like acomedy, with all of the reunions, surprisesand weddings we have come to expect fromcomedies. You might call it a tragicomedy, ora Romance, or a comedy with a body count,but whatever name you might give, it will stillsmell as sweet. The drama group has beenworking hard on this fantastic tale and theirefforts promise glorious achievement in artis-tic drama production for themselves and anevening of wonderful entertainment for thewhole community.

Juniors and seniors work on painting in art class.

Robert Gallagher and Sam Kaulbach practicethe recorder in music class.

TRIVIUM SCHOOLP.O. Box 597

S. Lancaster, MA 01561

Spring DancePrompted by

Dudley LaufmanMusic by

Two Fiddles

Date: Saturday, May 17 Time: 6:30 P.M.Place: Trivium School Info: (978) 365-4795

Calendar 2003

April 21, Monday Boston Marathon

May 12, Monday Concert for 350thAnniversary of Lancaster

May 17, Saturday Spring Dance

May 26-28 Final Exams

May 28, Wednesday Last Day of School

May 30, Friday R-Group Play: TheWinter’s Tale

May 31, Saturday Commencement