USA > Illinois > Illinois in 1818, 2nd ed > Part 16
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Facilities for education were extremely limited in Illinois at the close of the territorial period. A system of public schools was scarcely dreamed of, and the few private schools in exist- ence were very rudimentary in character. Although surveying and bookkeeping were taught in a school near Belleville as early as 1806 and a Mr. Sturgess in 1816 advertised a school at
180 Spectator, October 30, 1819; Reynolds, My Own Times, 82-86.
PRINTING PRESS USED IN PRINTING THE Missouri Gazette IN 1819. THE SAME TYPE OF PRESS WAS USED TO PRINT THE Illinois Intelligencer [Original in Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis]
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Prairie du Rocher where grammar, geography, surveying, astronomy, Greek, and Latin would be taught, instruction was generally confined to the "three R's." John Mason Peck, the Baptist missionary, and one of the best informed men on the frontier in all that pertained to matters of culture, after a sur- vey of educational conditions in the neighboring state of Missouri, where the frontier life was similar to that across the river, reached the conclusion "that at least one-third of the schools were really a public nuisance, and did the people more harm than good; another third about balanced the account, by doing about as much harm as good, and perhaps one-third were advantageous to the community in various degrees."181
The conditions in Illinois were thus described : "During the early history of Illinois, schools were almost unknown in some neighborhoods, and in the most favored districts they were kept up solely by subscription, and only in the winter season, each subscriber agreeing to pay for one or more scholar, or stipulating to pay for his children pro rata for the number of days they should be in attendance. The teacher usually drew up articles of agreement, which stipulated that the school should commence when a specified num- ber of scholars should be subscribed, at the rate of $2, $2.50, or $3 per scholar for the quarter. In these written articles he bound himself to teach spelling, reading, writ- ing, and arithmetic, as far as the double rule of three, Occa- sionally a teacher would venture to include English grammar. But in the earlier years of my youth, I knew of no teacher who attempted to give instruction in grammar or geography. And such branches as history, natural philosophy, or astronomy, were not thought of. Many parents were unwilling that their children should study arithmetic, contending that it was quite unnecessary for farmers. And what was the use of grammar to a person who could talk so as to be understood by every- body? I studied English grammar, and all the latter rules of arithmetic, when about twelve years old, without the aid of a teacher, and geography at a later age, after I had begun to prepare for college.
181 Babcock, Memoir of Peck, 123; Ford, History of Illinois, 38; Reynolds, My Own Times, 95; Intelligencer, September 5, 1816.
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"The mode of conducting schools was peculiar. All the pupils studied their lessons, by spelling or reading aloud simultaneously, while the teacher usually heard each scholar recite alone; although, in the opening of the school, a chapter of the Bible was read by the older scholars by verses, in turn, and at the close in the evening, the whole school, except the beginners, stood up and spelled words in turn, as given out by the master."182
It would naturally be expected that schools of a somewhat better sort would be found in the capital of the territory, but such does not appear to have been the case. As late as Novem- ber, 1816, the Intelligencer published a long editorial bewailing the lack of a school in Kaskaskia, "a place which must at some day be a towering city." About a year later one J. Cheek pub- lished a card "To the Patrons of Literature" in which he
INFORMS the friends and the guardians of erudition that he has opened a SCHOOL in the town of Kaskaskia, for the instruction of youth, in the different depart- ments of English literature .- He will extend the sphere of instruction, so as to include the following sciences, viz. Reading, Writing, Orthography, Arithmetic, Eng- lish Grammar, Geography, History, Rhetorick, Compo- sition, Elocution, ect. He flatters himself that from his attention of the morals and scientifick avocations of his pupils, he will share no inconsiderable portion of the patronage of a judicious and descerning people.183
A teacher who arrived in Kaskaskia in 1818 appears to have aspired to the role of public entertainer. The paper of Decem- ber 2 published a notice in which "Mr. Cross respectfully informs his fellow citizens of Kaskaskia, that he will, this even- ing, ascend the Rostrum, in the Representatives' chamber, and exert his best efforts for their moral amusement." In the next issue of the paper,
MR. CROSS respectfully informs the citizens of Kas- kaskia, and its vicinage, that he intends, should suffi- cient patronage be afforded, to open a SCHOOL in this town, for the instruction of youth, in Orthography,
182 Patterson, "Early Society in Southern Illinois," in Fergus Historical Series, no. 14:121-122.
"Intelligencer, January 1, 1818.
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Orthoepy, Reading, Writing, English Grammar, Arith- metic, and Elocution.
Scholars who shall have graduated in these branches of tuition, will be instructed in the rudiments of His- tory, Geography, Natural Philosophy, and Mathe- matics.
Mr. C. will endeavor to instill into the minds of his scholars, the vital importance of sound moral principle, and correct manners, which he will elucidate, by a regu- lar course of lectures, every Saturday. As soon as he can procure the necessary appendages his school will be Lancasterian. No advance payment will be re- quired, but a punctual compliance with the terms of sub- scription, at the expiration of each quarter, is confi- dently calculated upon.
Mr. C. will, this evening, in the Representative cham- ber, give various specimens of Elocution, Instructive and amusing, original and selected. Tickets to be had at Burr and Christy's Hotel, and at this office.184
An entertaining side light on the character of the man who thus proposed to instruct the children of the community and to furnish "moral amusement" for his fellow citizens may be learned from the opening paragraphs of a "Masonic Oration" which he delivered a few weeks later and which, printed in full at the request of the committee, filled nine columns of the paper.
"THAT the rostrum has been assigned to me on this august festival, excites feelings which language faulters to impart, and I address you with sensations too strong for entire suppression. Oh permit me, your homeless, healthless brother, an exile from domestic enjoyment, to claim all the indulgence which our sacred relationship affords.
"With a resolution and perseverance which I hope will win for the meridian of my life, the esteem and respect of society, and in obedience to my duty as a Mason, I have, under the bless- ing of the Great Architect, regained the narrow, but Heavenward path of temperance. No longer succumbing to the pressure of misfortune and far superior to the blandishments of indolence and dissipation with which the profession of arms and my san- guine nature have seduced me, I returned towards Missouri, of
184 Intelligencer, December 9, 1818.
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which I am a citizen, in the hope & belief that domestic happiness would reward my self-conquest, and that a friendship, which had proved as sincere and magnanimous as my delight in looking at the bright side of human nature induced me to believe it would have honored the Grecian Pyth- yas, awaited my embrace. You know, brethren, how my dearest earthly hopes have been blasted, and how little my HANDMADE BRACE heart deserved the remediless infliction.
Used in a machine shop in St. Clair county in 1818. [Original owned by Judge Perrin, Belle- ville]
"I stand before you with a lacerated bosom, endeavoring to act with that for- titude and resignation which the prin- ciples of our order enjoins. Believe me, therefore, that I acknowledge with grati- tude the influence of the oil and wine which, with the brethren of Columbia, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Illinois, you have poured into my wounds; and, though you have much over-rated my talents by this honorable distinction, gratitude to the fraternity, and my ardent love of the soul-redeeming science of Masonry, must, at least for this day, absorb my individual sufferings."185
These rudimentary attempts at academic instruction were not supplemented to any considerable extent by reading. There were few books among the people of the frontier. A dozen years be- fore Illinois became a state, according to Reynolds, "not a man in the country, professional, or otherwise, had any collection of books, that could acquire the name of library. There were some books scattered through the country, but they were not plenty. Although my father was a reading man, and possessed a strong mind, yet as far as I recollect, he brought to the country with him no books, except the Bible. Many of the immigrants acted in the same manner as to books."186
By 1818, some of the lawyers possessed fair collections of books. In that year, one of the rooms of the market house erected
155 Intelligencer, January 6, 1819.
186 Reynolds, My Own Times, 93.
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in the English settlement of Albion, "was fitted up for the recep- tion of books, that were given by individuals in England, as a nucleus for a public-library, and was used for public-meetings, and public-worship." The credit for the establishment of this institution is due to Richard Flower, and something of its devel- opment and of the attitude of the American frontiersmen toward books may be seen in an extract from a letter which Flower wrote in January, 1820, to friends in England.187
"You would have been much amused if you had been with us a few weeks since, when I had a visit from Captain Burke, a sensible and intelligent backwoodsman. He paid me a short visit, put off his business that he might fetch his wife, which he did; we thought we saw through the plan; he returned with her the next day, and we felt disposed to gratify their curiosity. 'There wife,' said he, 'did you ever see such fixings?' He felt the paper, looked in a mirror over our chimney-piece which reflected the cattle grazing in the field before the house, and gazed with amazement. But turning from these sights to the library,-'Now,' said he to my wife, 'does your old gentleman' (for that is my title here) 'read those books?' 'Yes,' said she, 'he has read most of them.' -'Why if I was to read half of them, I should drive all the little sense in my head out of it.' I replied that we read to increase our sense and our knowl- edge; but this untutored son of nature could not conceive of this till I took down a volume of Shaw's Zoology. 'You, Mr. Burke, are an old hunter, and have met with many snakes in your time. I never saw above one in my life; now if I can tell you about your snakes and deer, and bears and wolves, as much or more than you know, you will see the use of books.' I read to him a description of the rattle-snake, and then showed him the plate, and so on. His attention was arrested, and his thirst for knowledge fast increasing. 'I never saw an Indian in my life, and yet,' said I, 'I can tell you all about them.' I read again and shewed him a coloured plate. 'There,' said he, 'wife, is it not wonderful, that this gentleman, coming so many miles, should know these things from books only? See ye,'
187Flower, English Settlement, 133; Thwaites, Early Western Travels, IO:126-128; Illinois State Historical Society, Journal, 6:248.
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said he, pointing to the Indian, 'got him to a turn.' In short, I never felt more interested for an hour or two, to see how this man's mind thirsted after knowledge; and though he dreaded the appearance of so many books, he seemed, before he left us, as if he could spend his life amongst them.
"Our library is now consolidated; and that the kind intentions of yourself and others may not be lost, and that your names may live in our memories and be perpetuated to future generations, I have conveyed all the books presented to us, in trust to the proprietors of the town, for the use of the Albion Library ; writ- ing the names of the donors in them; and in my next letter I shall, pro forma, be able to convey to you our united thanks for the books presented. Our little library is the admiration of travellers, and Americans say we have accomplished more in one year, than many new settlements have effected in fifty-a well supplied market, a neat place of worship, and a good library."
This first public library in Illinois owed its existence to the unusual character of the founders of Albion and cannot be considered as typical of frontier Illinois. Less than a year after it was founded, however, a subscription library was organized in Edwardsville, though the funds for it evidently were collected with some difficulty. On August 7, 1819, the "Director" gave notice through the Spectator that the books ordered from Boston had arrived, and urged those who were in arrears to pay their subscriptions, so that they might entitle "themselves and families to the use of one of the best collections of books in the country." Fortunately a catalog of the books in this library in November, 1819, has been preserved; it is worthy of reproduction in full as evidence of the books which were available for reading in this pioneer American community.
"American State Papers, in 12 Volumes; Adams' Defense; Burns' Poems ; Blair's Lectures ; Brydon's Tour; Butler's Hudi- bras ; Beauties of History; Bartram's Travels; Belknap's Amer- ican Biography; Coeleb's in Search of a Wife; Cowper's Homer, 4 volumes ; Campaign in Russia; Carvel's Travels ; Camilla, or a Picture of Youth; Clarke's Travels; Christian Researches in Asia; Clarkson's History; Clark's Naval History; Depom's
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Voyage; Domestic Encyclopedia; Ely's Journal; Elements of Criticism; Ferguson's Roman Republic; The Federalist; Guy Mannering; Gibbon's Rome, 4 volumes; Goldsmith's Works, 6 volumes; Grand Pre's Voyage; Gil Blas, 4 volumes; History of Carraccas; History of Chili; History of Greece; History of Charles Fifth; History of England; Hawkworth's Voyages; Humboldt's New Spain; Jefferson's Notes; Letters of Junius; Marshall's Life of Washington; McFingal, a Modern Epic Poem; Mayo's Ancient Geography and History; Modern Europe; McLeod on the Revelation; Mckenzie's Voyage; Moore's Poems; McNevins' Switzerland; Ossian's Poems; Practical Education; Plutarch's Lives; Porter's Travels; Ram- say's Washington; Rob Roy; Rollin's Ancient History, with atlas, 8 volumes; Rumford's Essays; Robertson's America; Scottish Chiefs; Sterne's Works, 5 volumes; Scott's Works, 4 volumes; Salmagundi, 2 volumes; Shakespeare's Plays, 6 volumes ; Spectator, 10 volumes; Tales of My Landlord; Telem- achus; Warsaw; Travels of Anacharsis; Thompson's Seasons; 'Turnbull's Voyages; Universal Gazetteer; Vicissitudes Abroad, 6 volumes ; Volney's America ; Virginia Debates; Vicar of Wake- field; Views of Louisiana; Wirt's Life of Patrick Henry ; Watt's Logic; Wealth of Nations; Young's Night Thoughts; Zimmer- man on National Pride."188
A century ago, a considerable part of the reading of the people was furnished by newspapers, just as it is now. Besides outside publications, which were probably taken in considerable number, two weekly papers printed in Illinois at the time it became a state, were available. The older of these was established at Kas- kaskia in 1814 by Matthew Duncan, with the name of Illinois Herald. Its publication was made possible by both federal and territorial patronage, for it was paid liberally for printing the United States laws and proclamations, and had in addition a monopoly of the public printing for the territory. In 1816, prob- ably in April, the paper was sold to "Daniel P. Cook and Co." and the name was changed to Western Intelligencer. Late in May the firm name was changed to "Cook and Blackwell," in
188 Illinois State Historical Society, Journal, 6:246-247.
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September it became "Berry and Cook," and in October it changed once more, this time to "Berry and Blackwell." With the issue of May 27, 1818 the title was changed to Illinois Intel- ligencer.189
Under a United States law of November 21, 1814, the secre- tary of state was "authorized to cause the laws of the United States, passed, or to be passed, during the present or any future session of congress, to be published in two of the public news- papers within each and every territory of the United States; Provided, In his opinion, it shall become necessary and expe- dient."190 With only one paper printed in the territory it would seem that an opportunity was being missed, and this probably explains the establishment of the second paper in Illinois in the summer of 1818. The promoters of the enterprise were Henry Eddy, a young lawyer, and Peter Kimmel and his sons, printers, all of Pittsburgh. With the aid of Nathaniel Pope, the territo- rial delegate in congress, they secured before leaving Pittsburgh authorization for printing the United States laws. Loading a press on a flatboat, they floated down the Ohio to Shawneetown, set up their establishment, and began to publish the Illinois Emigrant. The firm name was Eddy and Kimmel, and it is probable that the editorial work was done by Eddy while the Kimmels, who were somewhat illiterate, ran the printing estab- lishment.191
The weekly issues of both papers consisted of four small pages of four columns each. Rarely were more than two columns devoted to local news and editorial comment. Often a full page or more was required for the printing of national or territorial laws, and further space was occupied by official notices and proc- lamations. When congress was in session its proceedings and debates, copied from a Washington paper, were printed at great
189 Scott, Newspapers and Periodicals, XXVIII, 211-212; Intelligencer, passim.
100 Statutes at Large, 3:145.
101Kimmel to Pope, December 22, 1817; Pope to Adams, January 22, 1818; Adams to Pope, January 23, 1818, in United States State Department, Bureau of Indexes and Archives, "Miscellaneous Letters;" Scott, Newspapers and Periodicals, XXIX, 314. The Shawnee Chief listed by Scott is a myth. The paper was called the Illinois Emigrant, from the beginning. There appears to be no evidence that the two papers were the organs of rival parties in 1818.
TROUSSEAU TRUNK OF REBECCA WELLS, BROUGHT TO FORT DEARBORN 1810 [Loaned by her granddaughter, Martha Heald Johnson, to Chicago Historical Society. Reproduced from negative in possession of the Society]
PIANO OF MARTHA FLOWER (MRS. WM. PICKERING), ELDEST SISTER OF GEORGE FLOWER [Original owned by Chicago Historical Society]
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length, while the proceedings of the territorial legislature and the convention, reported briefly in the Intelligencer, were copied in the Emigrant. The remaining space was filled with foreign news and literary productions in both prose and poetry reprinted from other publications. As a rule about one fourth of each issue was occupied with advertisements of various sorts. Local merchants called attention to their wares in notices which ran for months without the change of a word; lawyers and physicians published their cards; and those who wanted to buy feather beds, provisions, law books, or servants were told to "enquire of the printer." During a political campaign and occasionally at other times much space was given over to lengthy communications. Often these were published in series and sometimes they took the form of a debate which would drag on and on until the issue under discussion would become almost wholly obscured by personalities.192
The spiritual welfare of the Illinois pioneers was not neglected. The religious observances, with the exception of those of the French Catholics, were of the familiar frontier type. The prin- cipal Protestant denominations at the close of the territorial period were the Methodists and the Baptists, the latter classified as "regular," or "hardshell," and separating. Presbyterian- ism was just beginning to get a foothold. The ministers were of two types-the circuit rider, who covered wide stretches of country and devoted all his time to religious work, and the occa- sional preacher who supplemented his meager income from the church by farming or some other occupation. Governor Ford has left an account of the unlearned but zealous frontier preach- ers, of their sermons, and of the results of their work, which cannot easily be improved upon. "Preachers of the gospel fre- quently sprung up from the body of the people at home, without previous training, except in religious exercises and in the study of the Holy Scriptures. In those primitive times it was not thought to be necessary that a teacher of religion should be a scholar. It was thought to be his business to preach from a knowledge of the Scriptures alone, to make appeals warm from
182For examples of the above see chs. 5, 8, 9.
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the heart, to paint heaven and hell to the imagination of the sinner, to terrify him with the one, and to promise the other as a reward for a life of righteousness. However ignorant these first preachers may have been, they could be at no loss to find congregations still more ignorant, so that they were still capable of instructing some one. Many of them added to their knowl- edge of the Bible, a diligent perusal of Young's Night Thoughts, Watts' hymns, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Hervey's Meditations, a knowledge of which gave more compass to their thoughts, to be expressed in a profuse, flowery language, and raised their feelings to the utmost height of poetical enthusiasm.
"Sometimes their sermons turned upon matters of controversy ; unlearned arguments on the subject of free grace, baptism, free will, election, faith, good works, justification, sanctification, and the final perseverance of the saints. But that in which they excelled, was the earnestness of their words and manner, leaving no doubt of the strongest conviction in their own minds, and in the vividness of the pictures which they drew of the ineffable blessedness of heaven, and the awful torments of the wicked in the fire and brimstone appointed for eternal punishment. These, with the love of God to sinful men, the sufferings of the Saviour, the dangerous apathy of sinners, and exhortations to repentance, furnished themes for the most vehement and passionate decla- mations. But above all, they continually inculcated the great principles of justice and sound morality.
"As many of these preachers were nearly destitute of learning and knowledge, they made up in loud hallooing and violent action what they lacked in information. And it was a matter of astonishment to what length they could spin out a sermon embracing only a few ideas. The merit of a sermon was meas- ured somewhat by the length of it, by the flowery language of the speaker, and by his vociferation and violent gestures. Neverthe- less, these first preachers were of incalculable benefit to the country. They inculcated justice and morality, and to the sanc- tion of the highest human motives to regard them, added those which arise from a belief of the greatest conceivable amount of future rewards and punishments. They were truly patriotic also; for at a time when the country was so poor that no other
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kind of ministry could have been maintained in it, they preached without charge to the people, working week days to aid the scanty charities of their flocks, in furnishing themselves with a scantier living. They believed with a positive certainty that they saw the souls of men rushing to perdition; and they stepped forward to warn and to save, with all the enthusiasm and self-devotion of a generous man who risks his own life to save his neighbor from drowning. And to them are we indebted for the first Christian character of the Protestant portion of this people."193
The Methodist church was very active during the later ter- ritorial period, under the leadership of such vigorous characters as Jesse Walker and Peter Cartwright. In 1818 there were five circuits in the Illinois district, one with three preachers; four with one preacher each. In addition there was a presiding elder for the district. A contemporary account of one of the rounds of Jesse Walker, and John Scripps, as written by the latter, will serve to illustrate the character of the work and the difficulties encountered.
"He commenced this round at Goshen meeting-house, near the site of the present town of Edwardsville, Illinois, on Friday, the Ist of April. Closing his meeting on Monday, the 4th, he traveled a zigzag route, filling daily and nightly appointments in different neighborhoods in the Illinois Circuit, till he arrived at the Big Spring meeting-house on Friday, the 8th, where, in a protracted meeting, he labored till Monday, the IIth. A second week of similar services, through otherwise destitute set- tlements, brought him to Davis's school-house, below the con- fluence of the Big Muddy River with the Mississippi, probably one hundred miles south of his starting-point. I found him here on Saturday, the 16th, accompanied by Jacob Whitesides (then just putting on the itinerant harness). At this place there were some conversions, and a class of sixteen persons was formed. Jacob Whitesides was sent back to labor in the field of the last week's operations, with directions to form a new circuit, which was eventually effected, and it was denominated the Okaw Circuit.
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