▁first ▁position ▁was ▁that ▁of ▁t utor ▁of ▁Greek ▁at ▁Harvard . ▁Inst inct ively ▁a ▁human ist , ▁B anc ro ft ▁had ▁little ▁p atience ▁with ▁the ▁narrow ▁curr icul um ▁of ▁Harvard ▁in ▁his ▁day ▁and ▁the ▁rather ▁ped antic ▁spirit ▁with ▁which ▁classical ▁studies ▁were ▁purs ued ▁there . ▁Moreover , ▁he ▁had ▁brought ▁from ▁Europe ▁a ▁new ▁manner , ▁im bu ed ▁with ▁ar dent ▁Rom antic ism ▁and ▁this ▁he ▁wore ▁without ▁ease ▁in ▁the ▁formal , ▁self - s atisf ied ▁and ▁prim ▁provincial ▁society ▁of ▁New ▁England ; ▁the ▁young ▁man ' s ▁European ▁air ▁was ▁subject ed ▁to ▁rid ic ule , ▁but ▁his ▁politics ▁were ▁sympath etic ▁to ▁Jackson ian ▁dem ocracy . ▁ ▁A ▁little ▁volume ▁of ▁poetry , ▁transl ations ▁and ▁original ▁pieces , ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 3 ▁gave ▁its ▁author ▁no ▁fame . ▁As ▁time ▁passed , ▁and ▁custom ▁created ▁familiar ity , ▁his ▁style , ▁personal ▁and ▁literary , ▁was ▁seen ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁out ward ▁symbol ▁of ▁a ▁firm ▁resolve ▁to ▁preserve ▁a ▁philosoph ic ▁calm , ▁and ▁of ▁an ▁enorm ous ▁underlying ▁energy ▁which ▁spent ▁itself ▁in ▁labor . ▁He ▁found ▁the ▁convers ational ▁atmosphere ▁of ▁Cambridge ▁un con gen ial , ▁and ▁with ▁Joseph ▁C og sw ell ▁he ▁established ▁the ▁Round ▁Hill ▁School ▁at ▁North am pton , ▁Massachusetts . ▁This ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁serious ▁effort ▁made ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁to ▁elev ate ▁secondary ▁education ▁to ▁the ▁plane ▁on ▁which ▁it