USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. I > Part 27
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74
FREE HIGH SCHOOLS
The law of 1913 provided for the payment of the tuition by the school districts, the parent to choose the school with the approval of the directors of distriet in which the pupil resided, provided the high school selected offered a course of study extending through four years.
"It is difficult to over-estimate the far-reaching consequences of such a law. Immediately upon its going into effect, every square foot of territory within the State became high school territory. Be- fore that time over 300,000 boys and girls were living in districts where no high schools were established. When they completed their eighth grade work, all free school opportunity for them ended. If they attended any high school, their parents had to pay the tuition. Here arose that old and ugly distinction where society was divided by a money consideration. With the going into effect of this new law, every graduate of the eighth grade in every district in the State had this free high school opportunity open for him. Ile was not compelled to accept, but it was open if he desired it.
"In the first year under this law it has been tested and tried in practice as well as in the courts. Many of the decisions based on this law are of great interest. Two of them are printed in this biennial report. It is sufficient here to say that the law has been hield constitutional by the Supreme Court. Under its provisions, at least 5,000 boys and girls, who would not otherwise have been in high school, have gone. In the year closing June 30, 1913, there were enrolled in the high schools of the State 78.942; in the year closing June 30. 1914, there were 85,301 pupils enrolled, a gain of over 8 per cent, whereas the gain in the enrollment in the elementary schools is only 2.6 per cent. While the enrollment in the high schools, as compared with the enrollment in the elementary schools. has been gradually increasing this rapid and unprecedented growth must be attributed to the free high school tuition law. Some difficul- ties have appeared. It has been found that some school districts cannot raise enough money under the limit set by the law to main- tain a good elementary school and, at the same time, pay the tuition of their high school pupils."
This worked a hardship in the poorer districts that had a num- ber of pupils in high school. Wherever such a condition existed, the directors had to do one of two things-employ cheaper teachers, thus lower the standard of work done in the elementary school or refuse to pay the tuition of the high school pupils. This law was very unsatisfactory and was the cause of many suits in court.
The Forty-Ninth General Assembly passed a law which repealed the aet of 1913. This law went into effect July 1, 1915. This law provided that the county superintendent pay from the State Dis- tributive School Fund of each county, the tuition at any four-year high school of any pupil residing in a district not maintaining a
252
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
four-year high school. This law was entirely satisfactory to the country districts but opposed by the districts maintaining four years of high school work, the high school districts claiming that their proportionate part of the State Distributive School Fund was being used to pay the tuition of non-resident pupils which was unfair to them.
This law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in November, 1916, on the grounds that it was class legislative and that the state distributive fund was appropriated by the state for the use of their schools and could not be used to pay the tuition of non-resident high school pupils.
This left us with no provisions for paying the tuition of pupils residing in non-high school districts. The Fiftieth General Assem- bly passed another High School Tuition act which was approved by Governor Lowden on June 12, 1917, and went into effect on July 1, 1917.
This law created all the territory of the county not included in four-year high school districts into one district called The Non-High School District. This law provided for the election of a non-high school board of education to consist of three members. The county superintendent of schools is ex-officio member and clerk of the Board and may take part in the discussion but has no vote. It is the duty of this Board of Education to levy a tax on all the property both personal and real of the non-high school district of the county and pay the tuition of every pupil who does not reside in four-year high school district. The pupils may attend and have their tuition paid at any two, three or four year high school whose course of study, methods of teaching and equipment is approved by the State Super- intendent of Public Instruction. This seems to be the most satisfac- tory high school tuition act Illinois has had.
THE SCHOOL SURVEY
The last ten years have witnessed the development of a new tend- eney in public education-that of the school survey. It has arisen ont of the desire of taxpayers. as well as school officers, to have some sort of an appraisement of the quantity and quality of the work which is being done in public education. Unfortunately, for the success of this movement, these surveys took the form, in the begin- ning, of private ventures. Certain clubs, organizations or individu- als provided money to employ experts to conduct these investigations or surveys. In several notable instances, the experts thus employed seemed to be more interested getting out a startling, sensational report rather than in arriving at conclusions which would assist school officers in making the work of the public school system more effec- tive. In many parts of the country. school officers and school teach- ers were beginning to think that these experts were like some surgeons, who were reputed to care very little whether the patient
253
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
survived or not, so long as the operation could be pronounced sue- cessful. No one could deny, however, that the desire for these sur- veys and appraisements represented a distinct and worthy demand on the part of the public. It became necessary therefore, for school officers and school teachers to devise methods whereby the public might be informed in some tangible sort of a way concerning the work of publie education. In the State of Illinois, the State Teach- ers' Association has undertaken a state-wide survey of public instrue- tion. The State Association and its various sections appropriated money out of their treasury. A number of the normal schools. colleges and the State University added to this amount. A com- mittee was appointed to take direct control of this survey. A plan was formulated. The various lines of investigation were placed under the immediate direction of men and women especially fitted to carry them out. Professor Lotus D. Coffman, of the School of Education of the University of Illinois, was made secretary of the State Association and director of the State Survey. It may take two years, three years, or four years to carry out this survey to a conelnsion. When it is done, however, it will have the distinction of having been thorough-going and complete, but at the same time. sympathetie and considerate. The taxpayer will have no reason to question the genuine, bona fide character of the survey. and the friends of public education cannot quarrel with this conclusion on account of any lacking of sympathy on the part of the investigators.
STRONG POINTS OF ADAMS COUNTY SYSTEM
The foregoing epitome picturing the progress of the State system of public instruction, of which the schools of Adams County under the supervision of the county superintendent have been a closely united unit for more than seventy years, is the vital feature of this chapter, as it should enable the reader to better understand and appreciate what has been accomplished in home territory. An inter- esting extension of that picture has been furnished by County Super- intendent John IT. Steiner, who was requested to specially designate the strong features of progress in the county system of public instruc- tion. covering the past decade. "Within that period." he notes, "the State course of study has been adopted. and put into every school in the county.
THE COURSE OF STUDY
"The Illinois State Course of Study is the product of the best educational thought of the times. It has been developed by much experimental teaching and its outlines are based upon sound and practical pedagogical theory.
"Its greatest strength lies in the fact that it unifies the work of the schools by outlining each month's work for every grade. This
254
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
greatly reduces the loss to pupils who move from one district to another and it not infrequently happens that the County Superin- tendent sees the same lesson being taught several times during the same day of visitation.
PERFECT ATTENDANCE
"A perfect attendance system introdneed into the county two years ago has increased the attendance over ten per cent. If a pupil is perfect in attendance for one month-neither tardy nor absent-the teacher issues him a perfect attendance certificate. When he has earned four certificates of attendance, the county superintendent issues him a certificate of award. When he secures four of these certificates, which means that he has not been tardy or absent for two years, the county superintendent issues him a diploma of honor. After receiving two of these diplomas, he is given a gold punctuality button.
BETTER TRAINED TEACHERS
"There has been a remarkable progress in the educational standard of the teaching force of the connty. Ninety-five per cent of the teachers have had either normal school or college training. Prac- tically all high school teachers are either college or university graduates."
HIGH SCHOOLS
The high schools at Quincy, Camp Point. Clayton, Payson and Mendon are on the accredited list of the Illinois State University. The curriculum and the qualifications of the teachers of these schools meet the requirements of the State University and the graduates are admitted into any college or university in the State withont an examination.
The above named schools are recognized by the State Department as four-year high schools. Loraine and Liberty are recognized three- year high schools, while Coatsburg. Ursa, Lima, La Prairie and Plain- ville are recognized two-year high schools.
The Charles W. Seymour Memorial High School in Payson is one of the most modern sehool buildings in Western Illinois, and is de- scribed in detail in the sketch of that village, published elsewhere in this volume.
The Mendon Township High School, an elegant two-story brick building located in the Village of Mendon, is nearing completion. The Mendon Township High School District, the first to be organized in Adams County, inelndes all the Town of Mendon and sections 5, 6, 7, 8 and 18 in the Town of Honey Creek. The building, when completed, will contain six class rooms, mannal training rooms,
255
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
domestie seience room, large gymnasium, and a large auditorium which will seat 500 people.
PARENT TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION
Another agency which is doing a great deal to link up the school with the patrons of it, is the Parent Teachers' Associations. The object of these associations is to co-operate with the schools for their betterment. These associations have been organized in all the schools of the city and most of the villages, and in a number of the rural school districts.
PIONEER SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS OUTSIDE OF QUINCY
The history of the earlier years, during which strenuous efforts were made by the pioneers to provide educational facilities for their children and those of the future, is a record of valiant struggles and few real achievements. Outside of Quincy, schools were early estab- lished in such of the river townships as Fall Creek and Ellington, while Burton, in the second southern tier from the west, was also quite enterprising. Camp Point. Clayton and Northeast, in the sections of the county indicated by the latter township, were well to the front in chronological order of educational pioneering. The southeast, being rather neglected as to means of communication and transportation, was thinly settled and devoid of any considerable centers of population, and the schools were backward in coming for- ward throughont that section of the county. Beverly was perhaps as noticeable for enterprise in that line as any of the southeastern townships. Now a paragraph freighted with names and dates to bear up these general statements as to the comparative standing of the various townships in the matter of schools and teachers during this purely experimental stage of the movement.
Fall Creek was one of the first townships to be settled in Adams County. Justus I. Perigo, who located just south of the present site of Marblehead, being the first settler to locate in the county. The school section (16) was abont a mile to the southeast, and the first schoolhouse was erected thereon in the year 1825. Levi Wells was the first teacher. At an early day, probably about 1831, William Medford. a Methodist minister living on the southeast quarter of section 8. Burton Township, commenced to teach school. The village by that name was laid out some years later, on the section to the west. In the Village of Burton itself the first school was taught, in the winter of 1843-44, by Otis Thompson in an upper room of JJoseph Leverett's dwelling. The first schoolhouse was built in the summer of 1844.
In Northeast Township the first schoolhouse was a log cabin built in section 4. during 1833, and the little class of pioneer children was taught by Miss Janes. Although a school may have been opened in
İRVINO,
KEEPING THE PUPILS BRIGHT
.
257
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
the neighborhood of Indian Camp Point before 1836, it was during that year that a building was ererted by the settlers to be entirely devoted to school purposes. It was erected on the southeast quarter of sertion 26 on land owned by Peter B. Garrett, and several years afterward stood in the midst of quite a settlement known as Gar- rett's Mill. The second schoolhouse in Camp Point Township was built on the southeast quarter of section 29, about two miles to the west of the first, on land owned by Daniel Smith. The year was 1840.
Ellington, in the west, and Clayton Township in the northeast, both budded forth with schools about 1836. In the former river townships irregular classes had met in vacant cabins, when the weather would permit, and Wesley Chapel, which had stood on see- tion 5 for a number of years, had been donated by the Methodists, when anyone could be found to teach. But "regular schooling" dates from the erection of a tiny log house on C. F. Sterne's farm. in the neighborhood of the charel, sometime in the year 1836.
As early as 1829 settlement commenced a few miles north of the present Village of Clayton, in the township by that name, and by 1834 the permanent residents in its sonthern sections were strong in their support of the town by that name which was laid out on section 34. Whether the year when the Village of Clayton was platted and the number of the section upon which it was laid out were mere eoineidenees, without Fuman design or molding, has never been decided by the pioneer historians who might have settled the question. It is known, however, which is more to the point of the present writing, that the early settlers of the township took so much interest in educational matters as to establish a school and engage David M. Campbell as its teacher. That was in 1832: but the first exclusive schoolhouse was erected in the Village of Clayton in 1836. and Amos Andrews had the honor of first teaching in it.
In certain respects the Quincy schools had a more bitter up-hill fight before they were firmly fixed in public favor than those which were established in more rural and modest centers. From the tenor of the accounts which have filtered down to the present, it appears that the business men of the town and the neighborhood farmers felt that the proposed schooling. during the hard-working pioneer period of development, would absorb too much of the time and strength of brisk and vigorous youth and maidenhood. so useful when applied to the conduet of farm, household. tavern and what-not.
"PERNICIOUS SYSTEM" TO ENCOURAGE IDLENESS
An account of the growth of the Quincy Schools to the year when they were transferred from the supervision of the township or the county authorities to the control of the municipality, written forty years ago, is interesting as picturing the difficulties with which the the advocates of popular education had to contend. The history of the local system, if it could be thus dignified, commenced with the Vol. 1-17
258
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
establishment of the first school in 1837. It was opened in what was known as the Lord's Barn, a log church situated very near the present Washington Park. The school contained about thirty pupils, some of them learning their letters and others being able to read and spell indifferently. The school was taught by Mr. Burnham, who had been engaged by Mr. Keyes and a few other public-spirited gen- tlemen, and was paid his salary by them, some of the citizens who sent their children to the school being unable to pay anything for the privilege. A few previous attempts to maintain schools, among them one by Rev. Jabez Porter, the Congregational minister, had been made, but the Burnham School was the first of any permanent value as an educational influence.
"The establishment of the school," reads the old-time account, "was attended with great difficulties. There was serious objection to education in those days, which is even not hinted at now. Some of the people were open and outspoken in opposition to what they considered a pernicious system of keeping boys and girls idle when they ought to be at work; and these, as a matter of course, refused to assist the school in any manner whatever. In that early time a contract was usually made between the teacher and the parents of the pupils, in which it was stipulated that the tutor should receive so much per quarter (probably ten weeks) for each pupil. The com- pensation was necessarily very small, and a part of this the teacher had to secure by 'boarding around' a week at one house, a week at another, and so on until he had been at each house in the district for a given time.
"However, the inconvenience of changing his boarding place was not the greatest obstacle which Mr. Burnham had to encounter. Very few books could be obtained; the seats in the neighborhood were hare boards; the pupils had to walk long distances, owing to the sparsely settled condition of the place; and finally, in 1837, many of those who attended this school died of cholera, and teaching had to be brought to a sudden termination. It was revived, however, the fol- lowing year, with the opponents of instruction fortified by the partial failures which had already occurred. In one of the public meetings held about that time a giant Kentuckian, who was familiar to every- one in the place, made a speech in opposition to the school, declaring that 'eddycashun wasn't no good; that he sent his Sal to school one day an' she didn't larn a hooter ; them teachers didn't know nothin'.' It was the element controlled largely by expressions of this kind that retarded the progress of learning in the then thriving little town, but nevertheless the school succeeded, maintained, as it was, by private subscriptions."
PUBLIC SCHOOL TAX LEVIED IN QUINCY
The first real step forward in the management of the schools in Quincy came of an effort made by R. S. Benneson, Captain Artus
259
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
and Governor Wood, in 1842. In April, they circulated a petition and sent it to the Legislature, which was then in session, for per- mission to amend the existing city charter, which had been adopted in 1839, so as to enable Quiney to levy a tax of 1215 cents on the $100, to be used under the direction of the City Council exclusively for school purposes. The necessary enactment was obtained, was ratified by a vote of the people, and the city then commenced the operation of the school system in a somewhat satisfactory manner.
FIRST TOWN SCHOOLS
It had been necessary, meantime, to rent rooms in various places for the accommodation of seholars, who had been growing in num- bers by the increase of population, and in 1843 the first schoolhouse was built by the town authorities. This was a two-story brick build- ing on the Franklin School lot. Fifth Street, which was torn down to make room for the edifiee afterward ereeted on the old site. Its dimensions were about 40 hy 60 feet and it contained two rooms, and the building continued to be used for nearly thirty years.
A little over a year afterward, a similar schoolhouse was ereeted on Jefferson Square, and this remained occupied for school purposes until the county purchased the ground and commeneed to build the courthonse in 1875. The Franklin and Jefferson schools each cost about $4,000. They were deemed of such ample capacity that it was believed they would meet all the requirements of the school popula- tion for years to come. Like those outside the city. they were under the immediate direction of School Examiner Grover. Although for some time the City Council had been appointing a "visiting com- mittee " annually to view the local publie schools that body had no authority, and the schools were still directly responsible to the eonntv.
THE TOWN SCHOOLS BECOME THE PEOPLE'S SCHOOLS
But the time was near at hand when the municipal authorities were to have their hands forced by the people themselves and be made to bear the responsibility for the maintenance of the schools within the city area. In 1843 the trustees of the Quincy Schools asked the City Council for a "donation" with which to sustain them. As their request was not granted, the citizens held a mass-meeting and adopted this resolution: "That this meeting instrnet the City Conneil to appropriate $300 per quarter to sustain the public schools in this eity, and that this appropriation remain permanent through the remainder of this year, and also continue through 1844."
Thereupon, the Council adopted a series of resolutions, in which they recited the financial disabilities under which the city was labor- ing, and regretted their inability to make the required appropria- tion. They also recognized the duty of public officials to obey instruc-
THE GIRLS HAVE THE STAGE HERE
261
QUINCY AND ADAMS COUNTY
tions, and as they thought they could not in this instance obey, they expressed a willingness to resign, if the citizens desired them to do so, and to replace them with men who could see their way clear to comply with the above instructions. It does not appear from the record that any of the aldermen resigned, yet at the next succeed- ing meeting of the Council the appropriation was made, thus indi- eating a strong pressure from the citizens. So that, at that carly day in the history of Quincy, the public schools, as we see from this incident, had become the people's sehools, and they were a fixed insti- tution. It is true that they often languished afterward for sufficient support to make them efficient, but, except for very brief periods, under unusual circumstances, they have never been allowed to suspend.
The real foundation of the Quiney city system of schools dates from 1847 : as in April of that year the City of Quincy was organized into school districts under control of the city authorities and under the laws of the state. In June of the same year the City Council passed ordinances providing for the support of the publie schools within the municipal limits and for the appointment of a superintendent.
The county superintendent issues the teachers' certificates to city teachers including the city superintendent. The county super- intendent has charge over city schools, as over the smaller districts in the county. They are required to make all their reports to that official.
COUNTY SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS AND SUPERINTENDENTS
Seven or eight years afterward, as has been noted, the broad fon- dations of the present state and county systems were laid, and the fine superstructures of today have never suffered an arrested devel- opment. What has been accomplished in the evolution of both schemes of popular education has been already told by the state and county superintendents. Since 1854, when such unity in educational matters was effected, the county school commissioners and superin- tendents of Adams have been as follows: A. Touzalin. February 21, 1854. to December 1. 1857: A. W. Blakesly, from the latter date until December 1. 1859: then M. T. Lane, whose term commenced December 1. 1859; William Avise, 1860, and Hope S. Davis, 1864. The county superintendents of schools, with years when they rom- menced service : Seth W. Grammer (elected in November, under the school law of 1865, 1865; John HI. Black, 1869: S. S. Nesbitt. 1881 (appointed by County Board of Supervisors : John Jimison. 1882 (elected) and served until his death in Anne. 1893: Ella M. Grubb, appointed by County Board and fille I out Mr. Jimison's nnexpired term: A. A. Seehorn, 1894: A. R. Smith. appointed by County Board, September 16, 1897, to serve ont Mr. Schorn's unexpired term, who had resigned to accept the city superintendeney, and served more than thirteen years: succeeded December 4, 1910. by the present incumbent. John 11. Steiner.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.