Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 25

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844

USA > California > Santa Clara County > Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California > Part 25

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The next year, 1855, a county physician was ap- pointed and the city agreed to pay $50 per month to- wards maintenance and medical attendance for indi- gent sick. About the same time the old Levy prop- erty was rented for a hospital, the county paying a monthly rent of $40 per month. In November of the same year the county advertised for proposals for a house and lot for hospital purposes. In response to this call the Merritt Brothers offered to sell the old Sutter House for $5,500. This house was situated to the northeast of the city, and to it was attached twenty-five acres of ground. The proposition was ac- cepted and the county occupied the premises until February, 1856, when, the owners failing to make a good deed to the property, the contract for the pur- chase was rescinded. The county then advertised for proposals for taking care of the indigent sick. The first contract was let to Dr. G. B. Crane, who agreed to maintain the patients and furnish medical and sur- gical attendance for $4,600 per year, the number of patients not to be more than seven per day, or, if in excess of that number, to be paid for at that rate. For several years the patients were farmed out in this manner, the county paying the contractor from $4,000 to $5,000 per year for the service.

In 1860 the necessity for a hospital building be- came very apparent, and a committee was appointed to select a site. Many offers of property were made, but the proposal of Hiram Cahill was finally ac- cepted. This tract contained twelve acres of land, and was situated on the south side of South Street, just west of the Los Gatos Creek. The price paid was $4,000. The buildings were repaired and en- larged, and a pest-house built on the creek to the south. These premises were occupied until 1871. Before this time, however, in 1868, the hospital be- came too small to accommodate all the patients.

The city had grown much larger, and there was con- siderable objection to the location of the institution so near to the city limits. An effort was made to secure another location, but it was three years before a new site was chosen. The Board finally purchased, of John S. Conner, one hundred and fourteen acres of land where the infirmary is now situated. The price paid was $12,400. In 1875 the contract for the building was awarded to W. O. Breyfogle, for $14,- 633.70. Messrs. Lenzen & Gash were the architects. Before this, however, the buildings from the old grounds had been removed to the new site, and the old premises cut up into lots and sold, netting the county $4,518.64. In 1884 eighty-one acres of the new tract were sold to different parties, leaving thirty- three acres in the present grounds. The money ac- cruing from these sales amounted to $14,727.71, being $2,327.7I more than the cost of the entire tract.

Up to 1883 there was no almshouse in Santa Clara County. Invalids in destitute circumstances were cared for at the county hospital, while the indigent who were not invalids were cared for by allowances by the Board of Supervisors. These allowances were of money, provisions, clothing, fuel, etc., as each case might demand. For many years the destitute chil- dren were cared for by the Ladies' Benevolent So- ciety, this society receiving from the supervisors a monthly allowance of a certain amount per capita. Many children are still cared for in this manner. Each supervisor exercised a supervision over the destitute of his respective district, and all allowances were made on his recommendation. This was a vexatious duty for the Board, and whatever care was exercised, impositions were successfully perpetrated.

The expense necessarily incurred by this system of affording relief began to be very burdensome, and in 1883 steps were taken to establish a county farm. In March of that year a committee was appointed to examine the matter, and this committee reported the advisability of organizing an almshouse. From this time to the latter part of 1884 the Board occu- pied itself in examining different sites offered for the location. Finally the present site was adopted, and a hundred acres of land purchased of James Boyd, for $25,000. The tract contained the present main building, which had been erected some years pre- viously by John O'Toole, a former owner, at an ex- pense of $21,000, and which was intended as a resi- dence. Now all aid to destitute persons is extended through this institution. Persons not residents of the county are not aided at all, but are returned to the counties where they belong.

SCHOOLS

T HE first record that we have of the establishment of public schools is a document which was found among the old archives of the pueblo, and purporting to be a contract, made in 1811, between the com- missioners of the pueblo, on behalf of the families thereof, and Rafael Villavicencio, for the instruction of all the children of the pueblo. Having been sent to the commander at Monterey, it was returned with additions and modifications, and the document thus amended constituted the first school law of the city of San Jose. As such, as well as on account of its peculiarity, it deserves a place in this work. Fol- lowing is the text: "I return to you, that the same may be placed in the archives, the obligation which the inhabitants of the neighborhood have made with the infirm corporal, Rafael Villavicencio, who trans- mitted it to me by official letter of the thirtieth of last September, in which he obligated himself to teach the children of this pueblo and vicinity to read, write, and the doctrine, and to be paid therefor at the rate of eighteen reals per annum, by every head of a family, in grain or flour. As in this obligation of both parties the conditions are not expressed, which I consider ought to be, I have thought proper to dictate them, that you may make it known to both parties in public, with their consent, and that it be signed by you, the Alcalde, Regidores, and the teacher, and registered in the archives. Firstly, the pay of eighteen reals annually, by each and every head of a family, I think is quite sufficient for the teacher, and as it is all they can give, in virtue of which the commissioner will be obliged to collect the same at the proper time, in order to deliver it to the teacher. The teacher, in virtue of the pay which is to be made to him, will also be obliged to perform his obligation with the greatest vigilance and strictness, without giving his attention to anything else but the teaching. As the hours are not expressed in which the attend- ance of the children ought to be at school, they will be these: six in a day,-three in the morning and

three in the afternoon; in the morning from eight o'clock until eleven, and in the afternoon from two until five, it being the duty of the commissioner to compel the fathers to make their children attend, and to see that the teacher in no instance fails. Every Thursday and Saturday afternoon the children will not write or read, but explanations will be given them, these two afternoons, of the doctrine (faith), at which times the commissioner will attend, and advise the teacher that he must answer for the much or little explanation which he may make. When the teacher observes the absence of any of the scholars at the school, he will notify their fathers, who will give some satisfactory reason why they were absent on that morning or afternoon; and if they should be absent a second time, then he will notify the commissioner, who will compel the fathers to send their children, without receiving any excuse or pretexts, particularly from the mothers, because they will all be frivolous, since the children have sufficient time to do all that they are required to do. Lastly, during the time in which the children are at school, their fathers will be exempt from being responsible to God for them, and the teacher will be the one who is thus responsible; as he will, also, in consideration of his pay, be re- sponsible for the education and teaching of the holy dogmas of the religion; and the teacher is he who must be responsible to God, the parish priest, and to their authority.

"It is also understood that the fathers are obliged to examine their children at home, as to the advance- ment which they may make, and to complain to the commissioner when they see no advancement, in order that he may remedy the matter, if necessary. As the teacher is responsible in the divine presence for the education and good examples of his scholars, and as he must answer to the State for the fulfillment of his obligations, he has the right to correct and punish his scholars, with advice, warning, and lashes, in case of necessity; and particularly he ought to do it for

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any failure to learn the doctrine, for which he ought not to accept any excuse, nor to pardon anyone from punishment who fails to learn it, or who does not commit to memory the lesson which may be given him."

We have no information as to how long the " infirm corporal" conducted this school, but it was a fair type of the educational system of the country up to the time when the parish schools were organized under the immediate supervision of the church, and taught by the priests. These teachers were men of high education, and the curriculum consisted of consid- erably more than the "reading and writing" bar- gained for with Raphael Villavicencio, and we may logically infer that the spiritual instruction of the pupils was on a correspondingly high plane. At the present day we see these parish schools developed into such institutions as the St. Joseph's day school, and the Academy of Notre Dame, presided over by men and women who have abandoned the world for the purpose of devoting their lives to this noble work.

The first Protestant school of which we have any record was opened by Rev. E. Bannister in 1851, and was called the San Jose Academy. In it were taught not only the English branches, but the classics. At first it was a private enterprise, but in the same year it was incorporated, having a Board of nine trustees.

In 1853 a school for young ladies, called the Bas- com Institute, was opened. It was under the aus- pices of the Pacific Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was managed by nine trustees. Mrs. R. C. Hammond was the first principal. She was succeeded by Samuel Lea as principal, with Orrin Hinds as assistant, and the institution continued pros- perously until October, 1859.

The first common school was organized by a com- mittee of citizens in March, 1853, and was taught by Rev. Horace Richardson. In June of the same year the committee opened another school in the Baptist Church and employed Orrin Hinds as teacher.

Of those whom the discovery of gold brought to this coast, a large proportion were men of liberal edu- cation, many of them collegians and fitted to take the highest rank in the various professions. By rea- son of their intelligence and mental culture, these men were put to the front in public affairs. They determined that the new State should have every facility for popular education that could be afforded. Legislation on this subject commenced early and was characterized by a spirit of liberality, which was

met with enthusiasm by the people at large. As a result of this legislation this county was, in 1855, di- vided into sixteen school districts. Having a large number of educated men to draw on for a supply of teachers, the schools became wonderfully efficient from the start. The liberal salaries paid teachers at- tracted the best educational talent from the older States, and, almost from the very beginning, the com- mon schools of California took rank with the very best in the Union. Especially was this the case in Santa Clara County, where the liberal appropriations of the State were supplemented by equally liberal ones from the county funds, which enabled these schools to be at once placed in a most effective condition. The school statistics for 1888 show that Santa Clara County has seventy-three school districts, with one hundred and seventy-four teachers; that there are eleven thousand two hundred and fifty-nine school children between the ages of five and seventeen years, and that there are eighty public school buildings, erected at an average cost of about $5,000 each. The public school property is estimated at $436,072; the school libraries contain seventeen thousand one hun- dred and seventeen volumes, valued at $25,178. The schools are graded from primary departments to the High School, and the course of study includes all branches necessary to enable the pupil to matriculate at the State University.

The city now owns the following principal school buildings :-

Santa Clara Street School, containing eight rooms and assembly hall; built in 1867, at a cost of $22,000.

Reed Street, or Third Ward School, eight rooms and assembly hall; built 1870; cost $16,000.

Fourth Ward School, eight rooms and assembly hall; built 1874; cost $18,000.

First Ward School, eight rooms and assembly hall; built 1875; cost $20,000.

Second Ward, or Empire Street School, eight rooms and assembly hall; built 1877; cost $19,000.

There are several smaller buildings at convenient points in the city, while another large house to cost $20,000 is about to be erected.

THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL

Was established by an act of the Legislature, May 2, 1862. It opened its doors with thirty-one pupils. It was located in San Francisco, where it occupied rooms in the public-school buildings of that city, first of the San Francisco High School, then rented rooms on Post Street, and afterwards at the Lincoln Grammar

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School. Its usefulness in providing efficient teachers for the public schools of the State was soon recognized, and in 1870 an appropriation was made for the erec- tion of suitable buildings. One of the most memo- rable battles ever witnessed in the legislation of the State, occurred on the question of selecting a location for this institution. Nearly every county in the State offered a site, and some of them large subsidies in money. San Jose offered to give Washington Square, containing twenty-eight acres, for the use of the State, and this offer was accepted. A large and mag- nificent wooden building was erected under the super- vision of the architect, Mr. Theo. Lenzen. This build- ing, with all of its contents, including furniture, maps, charts, library, apparatus, and museum, was burned to the ground, February 11, 1880. The Legislature was then in session and a bill was immediately introduced into that body for an appropriation to rebuild, the school in the meantime occupying rooms in the High School building.

An effort was made to change the location of the institution, and the fight of 1870 again came on with renewed vigor. But San Jose was again successful, and an appropriation was made with which the pres- ent magnificent building was erected. The number of students for the year 1887-88 was five hundred and ninety-seven; there were sixty-one in the gradu- ating class.

SANTA CLARA COLLEGE.

This institution is in the town of Santa Clara, near the old Mission Church, which is included in the grounds. It is a Catholic school, established by the Jesuits, through Father Nobili, in 1851, but was not incorporated and empowered to confer degrees until 1855. Since that time its career has been one of prog- ress in all the branches of a liberal Christian educa- tion. Many of the most prominent men of the State claim her as alma mater. The best educators of the famous Society of Jesus have occupied chairs in the faculty and have administered the affairs of the in- stitution in a manner that has given the Santa Clara College a world-wide reputation. Its curriculum does not stop with the ordinary college course, but em- braces the learned professions as well. When the hills and gulches of California were full of prospectors for the precious metals, the opinions of the Department of Metallurgy were sought for as absolute authority, while in the Departments of Agriculture and Horti- culture it has rendered equally valuable service to the State. Students from the Old World seek its academic shades to perfect themselves in specialties,

while its halls are filled with young men of all classes and creeds. It stands on a historic spot, surrounded with the traditions of the days when the little band of devoted priests planted the banners of the church in this lovely valley, and laid the foundation of our present greatness. The original cross, erected in 1877, still stands before its portals.

COLLEGE OF NOTRE DAME.

The massive buildings and beautiful grounds of the College of Notre Dame, standing in the heart of the populous city of San Jose, in no way indicate the small beginning from which they sprung. In 1844 a band of devoted Sisters established a mission school in the Willamette Valley, in Oregon. In 1851 other Sisters of the Order started from Cincinnati to join in the work on the Willamette. They were to come by way of the Isthmus, and Sister Loyola of Nouvain, and Sister Mary of Nismes, came down from Oregon to San Francisco to meet them. Finding that they would be compelled to wait some time for the arrival of the vessel from Panama, these Sisters accepted the hospitality of Mr. Martin Murphy, and became his guests at his ranch near Mountain View. They looked through the valley and were charmed with its natural beauties and advantages. At this time Father Nobili was laying the foundations of Santa Clara College. He suggested that the Sisters should establish an educational institution here, and these suggestions were supplemented by the urgent entreaties of Mr. Murphy and other citizens. The Sisters were easily persuaded. They chose the present site for their buildings, purchasing at first a tract of ground 10134x137} feet. There was no Santa Clara Street then, and no improvements near them. San Jose had but twenty-six houses, and they were nearly all on Market Street, or further east. The ground was grown up with mustard and weeds, through which an acequia, or water-ditch, flowed slug- gishly. The only improvements were three adobe walls with a tile roof. Whether or not the Sisters knew it at the time, they made a very shrewd selec- tion, the old mustard patch having become immensely valuable. Having made their choice of location, they did not delay their work. Mr. Goodrich, the architect, was employed, and by August their school was in operation. From this small beginning has risen one of the grandest educational institutions in the Union. The foundations of the present main building were laid in 1854, and the Sisters have added buildings from year to year, until they have reached their present dimensions.

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UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC.

This institution was established in 1851, under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church. For the first few years of its existence it had a hard strug- gle for life. It occupied buildings in the town of Santa Clara, working, watching, and waiting for a re- ward for its labors. In 1866 the tract of land on the Alameda, known as the University tract, was subdi- vided into lots, with a site for the University reserved in the center. In 1871 the first building was com- pleted and the University established in its perma- nent home. The expense of the building absorbed all the funds, and the question of meeting current ex- penses and maintaining the efficiency of the institu- tion was a nightmare that continually haunted the trustees. In 1872, at the General Conference held in San Jose, a desperate effort was made for salvation. Eloquent appeals were made to the members of the Conference, and to the lay brethren, and to the friends of education generally. The result was that different sums were pledged by individuals, sufficient in the aggregate to make up a respectable endowment. With this the institution took a new lease of life and has prospered ever since. A new building, to be used as a boarding-house, was soon erected, and this was followed with other and more pretentious improve- ments. The first college class graduated from a classical course in the State of California was sent out from this institution in 1858. Hon. Thomas H. Laine, of San Jose, was a member of this class. The college course is open to males and females alike. The curriculum is complete, and the high position in the various walks of life taken by its alumni fully demonstrates the thoroughness of its discipline.

GARDEN CITY BUSINESS COLLEGE AND ACADEMY.

Prof. H. B. Worcester, proprietor of the Garden City Business College and Academy, came to San Jose in the fall of 1876, and took charge of the Busi- ness College Department of the San Jose Institute for one term; and in January, 1877, opened a school for instruction in book-keeping, and for business train- ing, in his own private parlors. Eight years before, in 1869, Prof. James Vinsouhaler established a commer- cial college in San Jose, which he conducted success- fully until his death, in the spring of 1876. The business college was then connected with the Insti- tute, changing the name to Institute Business Col- lege. But the combination proved unsuccessful, and the school soon went down. After the collapse of the institute, Professor Worcester leased its building on

First and Devine Streets, in which he carried on his young and growing school till near the close of 1878. He then leased the hall in the Farmers' Union Build- ing, corner of Santa Clara and San Pedro Streets, and removed his school to it. There was at first con- siderable unoccupied room in the large hall, forty by eighty feet in area, but under the professor's able man- agement it soon grew to the full capacity of the hall. Still thinking to improve and enlarge the facilities of the college, Professor Worcester leased the still more commodious quarters the college now occupies, known as. Commercial Hall, at 59 South Market Street. The room is one hundred feet square, and is divided into a lecture-room, school-room, recitation-rooms and office. It is admirably lighted and in every way well adapted for the purpose, and is fitted up and fur- nished with all the furniture and appliances of a first- class commercial college, including desks and sittings for a hundred students. The attendance during the school year numbers from one hundred and fifty to two hundred. The business course embraces book- keeping, penmanship, arithmetic, business paper, com- mercial law, business correspondence, business prac- tice, lectures, and reading. The academic course in- cludes such studies and instruction as will fit the pupils to enter any of the literary colleges or universi- ties. Many of the graduates from the Garden City Business College are filling prominent positions in banks and other large business establishments.

After obtaining his early education, Professor Wor- cester enlisted in the U S. Army, from which he was discharged at the end of two years' service on account of ill health. He took a course in Bryant & Strat- tan's Business College, and entered upon a career of twelve years of practical business life, at the end of which he was tendered the principalship of the Aurora Business College, in Aurora, Illinois. He filled this position from 1873 till 1875, when he resigned to come to California, to recover his wife's failing health. As an instructor in the school-room Professor Worcester has few equals. His methods are original, and his power to present facts and impart knowledge to the receptive mind, is peculiarly striking and impressive.

LELAND STANFORD, JR., UNIVERSITY.

In 1884 Senator Leland Stanford announced his intention of founding an institution of learning, as a monument to the memory of his deceased son, and to endow it with property valued, at that time, at $10,- 000,000. The location selected for this great univer- sity was the famous Palo Alto Rancho, in the northern

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part of Santa Clara County. It was to be as com- plete in its scope as any of the noted universities of the Old World, with the modern idea of a thorough technical education in all the departments of art, me- chanics, agriculture, and horticulture. This idea was elaborated by consultation with eminent men, and on the twenty-first day of May, 1887, the corner-stone of the great institution was laid in the presence of the prominent men of the State. In the meantime the value of the property, constituting the endowment,

had increased to nearly double the first estimate, and, with the rapid growth of the State, will be worth over $20,000,000 by the time the university is ready to re- ceive students. With this magnificent fund there will be no limit to the usefulness of the institution. It is not the province of this work to describe the buildings, which are of the most substantial character, and will endure when this book is forgotten. The work is being pushed rapidly forward by skilled workmen.

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Pen pictures from the garden of the world, or Santa Clara county, California, Part 25

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: Foote, Horace S., ed
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 844