USA > Indiana > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Indiana > Part 22
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"Before the opening of a term of school the teacher would canvass the district with his article. It is impossible to give the numerous forms of articles which were used. One sample is sufficient :
"'I. John Dunn, agree to teach an English school ( here state county.
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township and district ) for the term of six months, at $. per scholar ; to begin (date). Will teach spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic as far as the single rule of three. My government will be: for being idle, two lashes with beech switch; for whispering, three lashes; for fighting, six lashes; for pinching, three licks across palm of hand with my ferule; for tearing the books or thumbing, four licks with ferule across palm of hand.
"'We, the subscribers, agree to pay said Dunn in vegetables, such as potatoes, onions, beets, cabbage; in fruit, such as apples, peaches ; in corn, bacon and wheat, all at market prices or money in payments; last payment at end of term. (Following this were the names of subscribers and number subscribed by each. )
"'We, the subscribers, further agree to furnish said Dunn a house, or we agree to board him according to number subscribed.'
"Note .- One proposition was house for the teacher with a family. The other was for a single man.
"In those school houses the lessons were studied aloud. The recitations were in classes consisting of one to the class, and the custom was that the first who entered the school house in the morning was the first to recite. After the first recitation it was the general rule for those following to recite in the order in which they reached the teacher's side. Some of those races were amusing. Every one spelled from the old Elementary Webster book. The readers were the old English Reader and 'Robinson Crusoe.' Next were Goodrich's History and McGuffey's readers. The first arithmetic was Guthrie's ; next two were Smiley's and Pike's. These were grand old books, which contained shillings and pence for money. The introduction of Ray's arithmetic was in 1848. From that date dollars and cents superseded the shillings and pence form of money exchange. I should note that as advance- ment gradually progressed stronger teachers appeared and were candidates for schools. These new teachers taught much the same as the first class of teachers. Arithmetic was taught through the single and double rule of three. The advancement was that the teacher proposed to teach, in addition to the last teacher's proposal, 'square and cube roots.' Those old pioneer teachers were not exact in morals. At least some of them were not, but the teachers of the second generation were found generally worthy and better. Many of them taught the 'eight branches,' using the following books: Mc- Guffey's speller and readers, Olney's and Mitchell's geographies, Ray's arith- metic and algebra ; Kirkham's grammar. Goodrich's history, Comstock's phys- iology and copy books. The second generation built the small box frame
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school houses with window sash and pane. These buildings contained stoves, seats with tops to write on, shelves to hold books and slates, with places in the top for the inkstands. Steel pens were used instead of goose quills and good ink instead of that made from red oak pods and pokeberries.
"The system of schools of the second generation has passed on, but a few of those good old teachers still live and a few of those framed box houses are still in use in some counties. The third kind of school house is the brick with ante room and deposit room and many improvements in fur- nishings and in beautifying and enclosing the yard. An entire change has been made in text-books, and there is systematic grading from the first through the eighth year and on through the high school.
"The schools from 1816 to 1839 were controlled by the township. The school board consisted of three members, a president, secretary and treasurer. Those men, under the school provisions of 1816, had much authority to arrange and levy taxes. The principal burdens, however, were paid by manual toil, the citizen receiving so much per day for his labor, which was to liquidate the tax assessment. That system was done away with by the act of the convention of February 10, 1851. After that each township was controlled by a trustee elected by the voters of his township.
"The school of the first generation had customs that have almost passed away-the base play called 'the playing of base:' the ball play called 'bull pen.' Base consisted of two sides evenly chosen by two captains. The two homes were two or three hundred feet apart. When ready, one captain would call to the other, 'Give us a dare.' The other captain would start out one of his swiftest runners, who, if bold enough and had the confidence in his ability to make a circle around the other captain's base would bring off to his captain's base a prisoner by so doing. When he made his start the other captain would send one of his fleetest runners after him. By this the excitement and anxiety were great, and one after another, in regular order, members were sent from each side, until the two bases were deserted for the time. In such races both bases would lose many and the result would be a victory to one or the other side. Frequently those races by fleet and active, nervy boys would not end in time for books. 'Over the plain, fields, hills, creeks and valleys would the chase continue, sometimes until time to dismiss school. Again, another way of the play was that each side would have a prison to retain the captured. Those prisons would be large trees some few rods from the base, and when a prisoner was taken he was put on the prison and closely watched to keep anyone from his base from retaking him.
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This would very frequently bring into the race every one from each side. If the prisoner were reached and touched with the hand of one on his side he was released from prison and given the right to enter again the play. 'Bull pen' was a great play. One side was in the pen, the other side on the corners. The yarn ball covered with leather sewed around it carefully was rapidly passed from one base to another until a throw at those in the pen was made, and if one were 'hit' all the side on the corners ran, and some member of the party in the pen would hastily pick up the ball, run to the edge of the pen and if he could hit one of the runners it would save the one struck in the pen. Those plays were of much exercise and gave delight to all. Another play was 'hide and seek.' Another was 'ante over,' very much enjoyed by all. It is naturally the general opinion of the older generations that those plays of our first schools have not been bettered by the many changes made since.
"Another custom of the first schools, that of turning the teacher out at Christmas, has passed away. A treat was the universal demand of the schools. Those treats generally consisted of several bushels of apples and a holiday of a week. Many plucky teachers resisted the move. Then the door and chimney were barricaded and the teacher was not permitted to enter till he accepted the terms demanded by the school. Those parleys would, sometimes. last a week and the determined teacher would be chased day and night till he capitulated or was caught. taken to the creek, ice broken, and ducked until he came to terms. On some of these occasions the teacher held out firmly, gave up his school and went elsewhere. That custom has passed away long ago.
"The old teacher, generally of the first generation, and many of the second generation. used the arithmetic keys to Smiley's and Pike's arith- metics. Some of the teachers of the second generation can today boast of having in their libraries keys to Davies', Ray's, Loomies' and Robinson's mathematics. But that custom is of the past. In the schools of the first generation very few of our county seats even had a graded school; some had what then was called an academy. Those academies had one teacher only, who taught the 'common branches,' with algebra, geometry, physiology and sometimes Latin. Our townships had no high schools, and very often the higher studies were not pursued in the entire county. At that time the coun- ties had a school examiner, which, under the revised school law in 1873, was changed to county superintendent, who by a revision act of the school law was given the duty of county visitation of schools. Those old examin-
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ers, many of them, were business men and some were lawyers; some were county officers; some were one thing and some another. In an examination the teacher had an easy time. There was nothing to interrupt his happiness and nothing to change his equilibrium. Frequently those examinations would be held while walking from the street to the office of the examiner. One one occasion an examiner, a lawyer, was met on the streets by the can- didate and after the greeting informed the examiner that he wanted a cer- tificate. On their way to the office the examiner asked the candidate, 'How many genders have nouns?' The candidate's answer was 'Four.' 'All right,' said the examiner, 'of course you could name them.' On to his office and after a little conversation the examiner wrote him out a two years' certifi- cate. Again, an old lawyer who filled the office had a class of about twenty. After seating them he began a conversation on teaching. Then, taking his chalk, he went to his little blackboard and began a discussion on decimal fractions. He gave some examples and after doing the principal part of the work himself, took his blanks, filled them out, gave his teachers good advice and dismissed them. On another occasion, when there were two examiners, a county treasurer and a lawyer, an applicant applied and was examined by both. The lawyer's examination was: 'It rains. What does it stand for? Give its antecedent.' The treasurer took up an old arithmetic. Gave: 'What is the interest on $100 for I year I mo. 18 days at 6 per cent. ? What is percentage?' The examination closed and the candidate walked out with a two years' license. One more: An elder of the church and examiner was the teacher of a county-seat school. A candidate went into his recitation room where he had a large class at the board. When he mentioned his business the elder asked him to wait an hour, when he would be through with the forenoon's work. After dismissal he asked the candidate to take a piece of chalk and write the following on the board: 'God said, Let there be light, and there was light.' 'Mr. , will you please punctuate that sentence?' After which the candidate was given a two years' certifi- cate and kindly invited to dinner."
Much valuable information as to the early schools of Johnson county is found in Judge D. D. Banta's History of Johnson County (1888), pages 361-368, but a later and more general review of educational conditions of the early days is found in a series of articles written by him for the Indianapolis News, and published in weekly installments running from January 6 to March 16, 1892. The same are herewith reprinted that they may be available to local students of such conditions :
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"There is a class which entertains the belief that the early settlers of Indiana were not as well educated as were the early settlers of her sister states. I think this belief was quite generally entertained a half century ago, and, perhaps, even later by the people of these sister states. I do not know why this belief should be held by any one today. I know of no reason why the Indiana pioneers should not be considered as the equals in every respect of the pioneer settlers of any of the other states at that period.
"It is stated by Gilmore, in 'The Advance Guard of Western Civiliza- tion,' that of the two hundred and fifty-six settlers who moved in 1779-80 to the after site of Nashville, all but one could write his name. Of thirty-six settlers on the north side of the Ohio, within the present boundaries of the state of Ohio, who signed the petition directed to Lieutenant-Colonel Har- mer, in 1765, one only signed by his mark. Mr. Roosevelt, in writing 'The Winning of the West.' had occasion to examine a great many documents written and signed by the pioneer Tennesseans and Kentuckians, and he gives testimony as following :
" 'In examining original drafts of petitions and the like, signed by the hundreds of original settlers of Tennessee and Kentucky, I have been struck by the small proportion-not much over three or four per cent. at the out- side-of men who made their mark instead of signing.'
"I have no doubt that the same fact would appear from an examination on as large a scale of original documents signed by the Indiana pioneers. 1 have done a little of that kind of work myself and have found the same re- sult that Mr. Roosevelt did.
"Of course, all the schools of the pioneering period were inferior to the schools of today. In methods and appliances the schools of the two per- iods were as wide asunder as the poles, but in results, take it school for school and month for month, I am inclined to think the difference was not so very marked. Dr. Boone, in his 'History of Education in Indiana,' does not, as I remember, discuss this question, but if he did he would hardly agree with me. Nevertheless, the evidence is abundant that the pioneer schoolmasters were, in general, fairly efficient workers in the schoolroom.
" However much or little of school training the Indiana pioneers had, of two facts, I think we may be assured: First, they differed, as a class, in no respect as to their education, from the pioneer settlers of any other state of that period; second, the sentiment quite generally prevailed among them, as it did with the people of all other states, of an earnest desire that their
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children should enjoy far more excellent educational privileges than had fallen to their own lot. Or, in other words, they entertained, in common with all the United States people of their day, the American idea of the great value of school training. Of the truth of these two propositions I think there can be no doubt. Dr. Boone, in his history, makes it quite plain that later on in Indiana there came a time when there was a seeming indifference in educational affairs that was not at all creditable to the people of the state, but that charge can not in justice be laid to the door of the first comers. The truth is that long before any steps had been taken in Massachusetts or New York, or anywhere else in the western world, looking to a free-school system to be supported by the state, Indiana, in her organic law, had made provision for a system of free education, commencing in the township schools and end- ing in the state university, and but for the great poverty of the people, which rendered the scheme absolutely impracticable. there can be no doubt that there would have been a free-school system in active operation in this state twenty years or more before the first blundering steps were taken toward it in any other state.
"If one would take the time for it he might secure quite a varied and extensive assortment of 'first schools' in the state. Randall Yarbro, who came to Clark county in 1810, said: 'What was probably the first school in Indiana was opened in 1811 in Jeffersonville, near the river bank.' From a work entitled 'Indiana Methodism' I quote : 'The first school of any kind in the territory of Indiana was taught one and a half miles south of Charles- town, in 1803.' In the summer of 1796 Volney visited Vincennes, and de- clared that nobody ever opened a school among the French there till it was done by the Abbe R. [ Rivet]. a missionary banished hither by the French Revolution : and he adds the further statement that 'out of nine of the French scarcely six could read or write, whereas nine-tenths of the American emi- grants from the east could do both.' From the testimony of John Tipton. a capital-site commissioner, we are warranted in believing that a Frenchman taught school in an Indian village situated on what is now the northwest corner of Johnson county, before M. Rivet's day.
"The first school within the present borders of the state was a French school. probably at Vincennes. and the first Anglo-American school was taught in Clarksville, whose settlement was begun not later than 1785, and probably two or three years before that. At any rate the place was a 'small town' in 1789, and although it was never a place of more than a few log houses, we might safely assume that schools of some sort were provided for
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the children of the settlement, for this would accord with what I believe to have been the unvarying American practice. After the peace of Greenville, in 1795, the Clark's Grant settlement naturally grew faster than it did before, and in 1800 its population numbered nine hundred twenty-nine. Surely there must have been schools maintained by this time. But we are not left to conjecture merely. From the old records of Clarksville, kept from the first, there are frequent entries relating to the schoolhouses and schoolmasters al- most from the very first.
"The presumption is next to conclusive that a school was opened in: Dearborn county prior to 1802. In the spring of 1796 sixteen families moved across the Big Miami and became the first settlers of Dearborn county. They had settled on the Ohio side of the Miami three years before, and dur- ing their first three years' sojourn there they organized a school and brought in the first schoolmaster known to that part of the country, one Isaac Polk. who 'was known far and near as Master Polk.' What these sixteen families who moved on southeastern Indiana soil in the spring of 1796, and who were joined by four or five of the families of the Ohio neighborhood the same year. did in the matter of schools. the most of history, unfortunately, has not seen fit to say. We are left to conjecture, but with the record made dur- ing the three years of their residence in Ohio, we may feel very confident that the year of their moving. or at farthest the following one, marked the advent of the schoolhouse in southern Indiana.
"Without further discussion, we may accept that in general, whenever and wherever a neighborhood contained enough children to warrant the enter- prise, a schoolmaster was secured and a school was opened. But it must be remembered that neighborhoods in the early days covered far wider reaches of country than is generally the case now. To that schoolhouse south of Charlestown referred to in the 'History of Methodism in Indiana.' D. W. Daily. of Clark county. went when a boy. walking a distance of three miles through the woods. Young Daily's school path, like thousands of others, was not very plain, and was sometimes crossed by wild and savage beasts. His devoted mother. realizing the dangers that beset her boy. went with him part of the way every morning, carrying her youngest born in her arms, and every evening she met him on the way as he returned to his home. One of' the first schools taught in Spencer county drew children to it from a distance of four miles in every direction, and it was by no means uncommon for school children to trudge. morning and evening, three and four and even more miles to attend their schools.
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"In the beginning, houses were not built exclusively for school uses, if an unoccupied cabin or other place was found available for the purpose. The first school taught in Martinsville, certain chroniclers say, was a summer school on a gentleman's porch, by Dr. John Morrison. There are others, however, who insist that the first school was taught in a barn by James Con- way. Barns were not infrequently turned into summer schoolhouses during the pioneer educational periods. The first school taught in Newburg, Warrick county, was in John Sprinkle's barn, and many other barns were given up during part of the temperate season to the pedagogue and his pupils. Mills were also utilized on occasions. The first school ever taught in the English language in the town of Vevay was by John Wilson, a Baptist minister, in a horse mill. An early school in Waynesville, Bartholomew county, was taught by a retired distiller in a blacksmith shop, which school, for reasons not stated, was attended by young men and boys only. In Spencer county a deserted tannery was utilized. In Knox, in Jackson, and perhaps else- where, the old forts, after the close of the Indian wars, were turned into schoolhouses. In the towns of Franklin, Brownstown, and some others, the log court houses were occupied between courts. In Dubois county Simon Morgan, the county recorder, kept school for many years in the recorder's office. John Godlove, of Delaware county, taught one of the first schools in the precincts of his own kitchen, while in every county south of the Wabash, and doubtless, north of it also, abandoned cabins of one kind or another were quite frequently used for school purposes.
"The appropriating of the mills and the forts, of the barns and old cabins for schools was, however, the exception and not the rule. The rule was that if a house of some kind was not found ready-made when the time for organ- izing a school came around, those expecting to be its patrons usually made short work of building one. The first were the plainest and cheapest form of log cabin. The neighbors of the Stotts settlement on White river, in Morgan county, began and finished ready for occupancy their schoolhouse in one day. Of course, it was the rudest of log cabins, but it may well be supposed that there were hundreds of not much if any better in Indiana from first to last. I have been told of one such that was built and occupied in White River township, in Johnson county, at a very early day. It was a pole cabin without window, floor or chimney. The fire was kindled on a raised clay platform or hearth in the center, and the sparks and smoke escaped through a large opening in the roof. The children sat on benches next the walls, facing the center, and studied their lessons by the light that
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came whence the smoke escaped. The house was modeled, evidently, after a hunters' camp. In another part of the same county, a first temple of learning was erected and finished without windows or openings for the light to come in save at the door and the wide throat of the enormous chimney. A similar one was a schoolhouse in Nashville, this state. We usually associate with the primitive schoolhouses the "greased paper windows," but the truth is. 'paper glass' marked a step in the process of the evolution of these structures. In the history of Spencer county the statement is made that the first school- houses had uncovered openings through which the light entered. There were first school houses elsewhere in the state that were without windows. The paper covering, made transparent by a free use of hog's lard or bear's oil, had not yet been thought of, but was to come as an improvement and mark an era in the improvement of schoolhouse architecture. The settle- ment of Spencer county was begun as early as about 1812, and the statement may well be true, for its earliest-built schoolhouse belonged to the first of the territory. In Blue River township, Hancock county, the first one was built of logs and had five corners. It was not chinked and daubed, had no windows, and but one door. This must have been as late as 1830. The uncovered openings of the Spencer county houses are suggestive of the port- holes in the blockhouses built during the early days as a protection against the Indians. It is a well-known fact that after the final cessation of Indian hostilities the old forts were in some instances converted into schoolhouses, and I find it recorded that a school was taught in 1808 in the dwelling house of John Winder, 'which house was almost a fort.' having been constructed with special reference to making resistance against attacks of Indians. In- deed, there is direct authority for the statement that schoolhouses were con- structed in Washington county with portholes for shooting at the Indians, and if in Washington county, we have good reason to suppose that they were likewise so constructed elsewhere at the same time. I have not come across any record or tradition to show that a cabin full of school children was ever beleagured in Indiana. or even that the schoolmasters of the state ever at any time carried rifles to their schools with which to defend their scholars in case of attack ; but when we remember how very few of the specific acts of a man or of men, which belong to every-day life and are not required by some law to be entered of record, find their way into history books, we can see that school- masters may have gone armed to their schools here in Indiana, and the fact remains unknown : and I have no doubt they did.
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