USA > Kansas > Sedgwick County > History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas, past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county, Vol. I > Part 30
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and down this magnificent valley upon which now stands your great establishments of commerce and industry. Here at the junc- tion of these rivers was located an Indian village, and who knows but what on this very spot some mighty warrior of the tribe whose name you bear had his wigwam, where councils of war and peace decided the fate of unprotected frontier settlements? You are indeed fortunate in having among you men who saw this vil- lage townsite without an inhabitant of our race or of our civiliza- tion or of that religion that makes America greater than any other nation on earth today. From what I know of the frontier plains- man, I shall not be surprised to see William Mathewson, the orig- inal 'Buffalo Bill,' with you when you celebrate that great jubi- lee a few years hence, when the census enumerators for the first time will have counted 100,000 inhabitants in Wichita.
"The Wichita you see here today is not so much the product of tireless energy and endless toil as it is the result of a great faith and a greater loyalty. Wichita has had its dark days of trial and almost despair, but the indomitable spirits of its citizens enabled it to stand the shock of panics and survive those erratic changes of the elements which would have discouraged a less determined people. The race that has made Kansas so great came from a stock that can change even the elements when they are unfavorable. This is no figure of speech, but a scientific fact that can be easily demonstrated. Cities, like individuals, have sown wild oats, and Wichita is no exception, and I am gratified immensely today to hear upon every hand that she is standing up for righteousness in a way that touches the pride of every decent, law-abiding person of Kansas. No city in this broad West has any better schools and churches and colleges and academies, and I am informed that the spirit of moral uplift and civic virtue is the predominating influence that controls your community. This; with your marvelous commercial business and industrial opportu- nities, are winning favor for you everywhere and constitute the strongest and most attractive appeal to people of ambition, energy and character throughout the land. But I want to say to you, my friends, that you have only just commenced your career of for- tune. Within this generation you will have 100,000 inhabitants, and in twenty years you will be laying foundations of other build- ings that will make this one which we are eulogizing here today look insignificant. No man of understanding can reflect on the vastness and richness of this valley and territory, or estimate its
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development, without seeing in the distance a city of a quarter of a million people. Your pioneer fathers were considered the wildest sort of dreamers when they saw in the far-away future a city of 50,000 inhabitants. You have more than that now, and you will have doubled it within the near future, or I am no prophet. It is especially gratifying to me to know that the first ten-story building in Kansas is to be the home of a newspaper, Modern civilization is largely influenced by the public press. Cities can dispense with almost any other civic factor and succeed, but they cannot make satisfactory progress without newspapers.
"Now, I am sure you will all agree with me that at the head of the newspaper which is to make this building its permanent home is a writer and business man who has few, if any, superiors in the Mississippi valley. I have known Henry Allen for some years, and am well aware of his faculty to make himself heard in the world, and in making himself heard he will make all Kansas and all of the United States hear of you and your city. With the added prestige of his great achievement of financing this build- ing, he has an extraordinary opportunity before him to not only increase his fame and fortune, but to be of signal usefulness to his city, his state and his country. I feel sure he will improve this opportunity at every point, and hence my allusion to the meaning and significance of the occasion. The newspapers of our state have never had such a harvest of opportunity as they enjoy today, and as many of that profession are with us, I cannot refrain from giving expression to some of the ideas of a layman. I have some right to do this, for in my brief public career I have contributed indirectly to an increase in your powers in the state. I have taken a humble part in making government in this state respon- sive to public opinion. This came from my faith in the people. and I hope I shall never have any reason to regret it. I partici- ยท pated in the movement that gave to every man in Kansas a free voice in the nomination of men for public office. I call this matter to your attention for no other purpose than to say that the day the primary election law became effective the newspapers were clothed with not only greater power but also with greater respon- sibility. The public press in a large measure moulds public opin- ion, and under the primary election law public opinion makes or unmakes public officers. If I did not have an abiding faith in the patriotism of the editorial profession, I am frank to state that I
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would not have voted for a law that places in your hands such tremendous power to shape the destiny of this state.
"I would suggest also that you get into closer touch not only with your publishers, but with your editors and reporters. I regard the men who gather the news for newspapers among my best friends, and in every way worthy of my confidence. They do not always agree with me, but I have yet to know one of them who has not been true to his relations with myself and my office. The newspaper man is a good companion because he is intelligent and knows a great deal about public affairs and public opinion. It is a serious mistake to suppose that a newspaper is a party organ or a political institution. In this day and age of the world it is as much of a business institution as a bank or general store, or a factory, and if it is successful it must pursue the same busi- ness methods of sterling honesty and render the same kind of service to its customers. In Kansas, I am told by good profes- sional authority, we have the best newspapers in the United States, taking into consideration the size of the cities where they are pub- lished. I read in a magazine a few days ago that we have more editors who have national reputations than any other state of a similar size in the Union. Stand by the newspapers. Work in harmony with them and give them your moral and financial en- couragement, and you will have a better business, a better com- munity and a more healthy and wholesome moral and political atmosphere."
CHAPTER XXIX.
WICHITA AN IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL CENTER.
The growth of Wichita in the past twenty years from a village to a modern city of 55,000 people has been a source of surprise and wonder to those who have watched the development of the great Southwest, but nothing in the city's history has been more remarkable than the rise of her educational institutions. Wichita is proud of her universities and her colleges. They have risen to splendid proportions during the past few years and are rapidly taking positions of high rank among the educational institutions of the country. Each succeeding school year brings an increased number of college students to Wichita. They come from all over Kansas, Oklahoma and neighboring states. They are attracted here by the unusual advantages that are offered by the universi- ties and colleges of Wichita and by the high educational stand- ards that are consistently maintained by these schools. The uni- versities and colleges of Wichita owe much of their remarkable success to their efficient management. The executive heads of these growing schools have been able to organize their institu- tions to take care of the increased enrollments and extended courses. They have managed to acquire larger facilities and to offer better things to their hundreds of students every year. They have been progressive. The favorable location also has helped with the work and a prosperous city has done its part in support- ing the institutions in the way that schools of their class deserve to be supported.
The sum of all these efforts has made Wichita the educational center as well as the commercial center of the great Southwest.
FAIRMOUNT COLLEGE.
Fairmount College has grown into a splendid, thriving institu- tion within the fifteen years that it has been organized for college work. With a net enrollment of 341 students, the college is rap- idly enlarging its facilities for taking care of a larger student
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body. In a short time another large dormitory will be erected for the young women of the college. It will be similar to Fiske Hall which is now used for dormitory purposes by the college men and the new building will need to be quite as large as Fiske Hall. The main hall of the college is a roomy and attractive building. The founders of the college laid their plans for a large school when the building was erected and it will furnish classroom ac- commodations for several hundred students. One of the other principal buildings on the campus is the fine library building for which a substantial gift from Andrew Carnegie is largely respon- sible. The new building now houses a library of over 30,000 vol- umes, which is open to the students and to the public. Fairmount has a faculty of twenty-five scholarly people, who are laboring earnestly and industriously for the intellectual development of the college men and women. Dr. Henry E. Thayer, the president, has shown marked ability as an executive officer, and those asso- ciated with him on the faculty are specialists in their respective lines.
Fairmount deserves the reputation it has as one of the best colleges in Kansas for liberal arts work, and its conservatory of music is rapidly rising in importance among the departments of the college. Fairmount also maintains a preparatory school for those who are unable to meet the entrance requirements.
FRIENDS UNIVERSITY.
Friends University was established twelve years ago. About 400 young men and women are taking training there at the pres- ent time, and the enrollment in the college of liberal arts has increased about fifty this year. Under the administration of President Edmund Stanley, the university has made a healthy growth and a prosperous epoch has opened for the institution. The university has one of the largest college buildings in the West. Not all of the interior is yet finished for use, but about $12,000 has been spent this year finishing additional rooms in the building, and splendid accommodations are now provided for all the class work. The building is well equipped, and dormitories are provided for the students. Courses are offered at Friends' in liberal arts and sciences, theology, education, music, fine arts, commercial work, physical culture and preparatory work. Spe-
FAIRMOUNT COLLEGE.
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cial prominence is given in the curriculum to liberal arts work and music and the institution is acquiring a wide reputation for the work it is doing in these departments.
Friends' has a faculty of finished scholars, and they are mak- ing the university one of the most progressive and most thorough schools in the state.
MOUNT CARMEL ACADEMY.
Mount Carmel Academy is another school that is prominent among the institutions of learning in this section. Mount Carmel was established in 1887, but its greatest growth has been made during the past few years. It is a boarding school for young women and is under the management and control of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Owing to the ever-increasing number of students, new constructions have been added to the original building, until the present academy is of magnificent proportions, with a frontage of 300 feet, and accommodations for over 250 students. The teaching staff of the institution has been greatly enlarged during the past two or three years, and the Sisters of Charity, who are in charge of the school, devote their entire attention to the refinement and education of the young women in their charge. The academy is favorably located two and a half miles west of the city. Students of all religious denominations are admitted. Courses in academic, preparatory and primary departments are maintained.
WICHITA PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The children and young men and women who are now enrolled in the public schools of Wichita now number 8,556, an increase of 1,236 over the corresponding period of last year. The high school has an enrollment of 832, an increase of seventy-six over last year.
Seventeen buildings in the city are now being used by the grade schools and three more large ones are under course of con- struction. The new buildings will be ready for use at the opening of the next school year. In addition to the new buildings for the grades, a contract will be let during the next two weeks for the erection of a new high school building on Emporia avenue, be- tween Second and Third streets. The new building will cost a quarter of a million dollars, and will be completed in about twelve
-
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months. Over 175 teachers are employed in the city schools. The salaries of these teachers amount to about $13,000 a month. The officers and employes draw $300 a month more, and janitors are paid about $1,000 a month, making the pay roll of the public- school system in the neighborhood of $15,000 a month.
BUSINESS SCHOOLS.
In addition to all these splendid institutions of higher learning and the extensive system of public instruction which the city maintains, there are many thriving schools of business training, music, languages and other special lines of learning and culture.
Wichita is a great school city. Her power and influence in educational matters are increasing with the march of years and her enlarging facilities for the training of young men and women are rapidly making her the Athens of the great Southwest .- From the "Daily Beacon."
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF SEDGWICK COUNTY.
There are no better schools in Kansas than the public schools of Wichita and Sedgwick county. The residents of the county point with no small degree of pride to the county schools. There is a uniform system of school books, and the country schools in Sedgwick county, as in all counties of Kansas, are carefully graded. The schools of the county are now under the efficient management of Prof. J. W. Swaney, a most experienced educator.
THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
That Sedgwick county is one of the greatest school counties in the state, is shown by the 12,000 and more pupils who are attend- ing the schools this year. The school census for the county showed that there were 17,914 persons between the ages of five and twenty-one years. This means that almost 61 per cent of them attend school. This fact was learned from the annual report of J. W. Swaney, county school superintendent. It is learned from this report that to educate the children of Sedgwick county last year took the tidy little sum of $378,186.90. The monthly pay roll of teachers in the schools, outside of Wichita, amounts to $11,525
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every month. The monthly pay roll of teachers in the city schools amounts to $15,000 per month. It costs $2.54 per month to educate the pupil in a one-teacher school, and $3.23 to educate one in the two or more teacher school. The monthly cost of instructing a pupil in the Barnes high schools is $5.81.
The salaries paid in the county schools are no jokes. When it is realized that the average monthly salary of women teachers in the schools amounts to $51 per month, it is easily understood why there is a desertion from the dry goods counters. The men receive an average monthly salary of $57, but the men are scarce. The lowest salary paid in the rural schools is $40, the highest $111. There is nothing the matter with the attendance of the pupils. The average enrollment in the one-teacher schools is 23, and the average attendance is 17. In the two-teacher-or-more schools the average enrollment is 31 and the average attendance is 28.
RURAL SCHOOLS ARE GROWING.
The rural schools of the county are growing. There are at least 200 more pupils enrolled in the schools this year than there were last. The number of teachers in the country schools is four- teen more than were on duty last year. Sixteen thousand dollars were spent in building new schools last season, and several thou- sand will be expended this year. The enrollment in the high schools is 100 better this season than it was last. The high school is becoming one of the most attractive features of the Kansas plan of education. Under the Barnes law, any town that can show one year's work on high school work, done thoroughly, is given aid from the Barnes fund the next year. Several strong schools have been built under this plan. Two of the strongest high schools in the county are the Cheney high school and the Clear- water high school. Each of these schools has a complete four years' fully accredited course and is turning out some strong men. Superintendent Swaney says that the county high school makes it possible for every boy to have the same chance. Last year 226 were graduated from the county schools. A majority of them entered the high schools and academies of the state. The education of the farmer boy doesn't stop now at the sixth, eighth grades or senior year of high school. You will find him in the uni- versities and colleges. In the common country school he comes
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in contact with broad-minded teachers-this is especially so in Sedgwick county-who show him the value of an education.
Mr. Swaney says that this report is one of the best he has ever received from the county schools and that he expects greater things next year.
The various district school buildings of the county were the very best buildings in the district when built. The last decade has seen a most agreeable change for the better in the school buildings ; the old house has been added to, or has given place to a larger and more commodious structure; the buildings in this day are painted, and present a neat and attractive appearance. In many instances convenient stables have been erected upon the school lots where the horses of the pupils are cared for, those at a distance now attending school, and driving in conveyances. This method was unheard of in the olden days. Better teachers are the rule, those holding normal school certificates being preferred, and the pupils wear better clothing than in the past.
15,225 SCHOOL KIDS IN SEDGWICK COUNTY.
Superintendent J. W. Swaney, of the county educational sys- tem, is busy preparing the apportionment of the state and county funds for school purposes, pro rata for all children of school age. The aggregate will be the largest in a long while, and far in excess of last year. Prof. Swaney gives it out that there are in all 15,225 children in the county of school age, and that means between the ages of five and twenty-one years. The first appor- tionment of the superintendent will be the first dividend on the semi-annual school fund divided among all pupils. Of the total number of scholars above given, Wichita's portion is 9,353, and the rest of the county 5,872. The state fund will be about 49 cents per student available, and from the county, such as fines, forfeited bonds from the district court, about 10 cents more, mak- ing in all about 60 cents per capita. For the first dividend last year, in February, it was but 45 cents, and for August last it was 50 cents. There are 167 organized districts in the county, and nearly all are in the finest of condition, all view-points considered, such as high tone of scholastic work done, punctuality, standard of teachers, and numbers attending out of the school population.
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THE WICHITA CITY SCHOOLS.
By RODOLPH HATFIELD.
As the public schools of an American community constitute a reliable index to its intellectual, moral and industrial rank, the history of such an important feature of Wichita's growth must prove interesting and worthy of conservation in its annals. This is especially true, as the men who have composed its directorates and boards have been animated by no spirit of selfish gain nor motives of ambitious preferment, but rather by a sense of duty to serve their day and generation for the common good, with- out hope or expectation of monetary benefit, or, indeed, of being the recipients even of any considerable amount of unanimous pub- lie gratitude. No other branch of public service demands and receives such time and attention, unremunerated by the public treasury. Such service is the most conspicuous exception to the truth and rule, "The laborer is worthy of his hire."
Forty years ago, or in 1870, Wichita was a newly founded frontier village, with a population of fifty souls, all told. The spirit of free schools, a cardinal principle of American civilization, found early expression in infantile Wichita, and resulted in the organization of its first public school, in the spring of 1871, hold- ing its sessions in the Presbyterian church, corner of Wichita and Third streets, with Miss Jessie Hunter (now Mrs. James H. Black) as teacher, during a portion of the summer. The enroll- ment was twenty-five pupils, and the munificent salary of $40 per month was paid the said teacher. Mrs. Black may congratu- late herself in having so successfully started public instruction in Wichita as to require now nearly 200 teachers, after forty . years, to conduct it properly. The city should fittingly recognize the services of its first school teacher.
The members of that first directorate were: John M. Martin, director ; Dr. Lewellen, secretary, and Dr. Oatley; treasurer. The first-named gentleman has continued an honored resident of the city through all the intervening years of frontier vicissitudes, and has repeatedly served the people well as a member of the Board of Education, as well as a member of the city council. Mr. Mar-
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tin may be justly termed the "official founder or father" of the Wichita city schools.
The first public school building in Wichita was a small two- room frame, erected on the site of the late Webster, corner of Emporia and Third, which latter, in turn, has been razed recently to make room for the new high school now in course of con- struction.
In the winter and spring of 1872, according to the very meager records of that time, Prof. Snover and Miss Lizzie Higday taught a short term of school, but there remain no details of the first work in the new building.
During the summer of 1872, the first school building was en- larged and that fall Mr. John Tucker was chosen first superintend- ent, and, with Mrs. Lizza Tucker, Mrs. Helen Fees and Miss Lizzie Higday as teachers, constituted the corps of instructors for the school year of 1872-73. Mr. Tucker was paid a salary of $80 per month as superintendent, and several years later served Sedgwick county as treasurer for two terms. The first building, as enlarged, burned December 21, 1879.
In the spring of 1873 Wichita's public school system assumed more metropolitan proportions and rank, by forming its first Board of Education, with a membership of six, as follows: Dr. A. H. Fabrique, C. M. Garrison, H. J. Hills, N. McClees, M. R. Moser and R. L. West. The first board was organized with Mr. R. L. West as its president, Mr. (now ex-Gov.) W. E. Stanley as secretary, and Rev. J. P. Harsen as treasurer. In that early and far-away day, it may be noted that the official microbe was mani- festing itself in the political system of our genial and distinguished ex-governor.
The first school enumeration in Wichita was officially taken in 1873, and showed 449 children of school age. It was during this same summer, too, that the school board instituted the first step in municipal finance by submitting a proposition to the peo- ple to vote and issue $3,000 of bonds, but the voice of the people was not the voice of the board, and the proposed bond issue was defeated by a majority of 145 votes.
In the ensuing two school years of 1873-74 and 1874-75, Prof. B. C. Ward was elected superintendent, at $120 per month, with Mrs. Helen L. Fees, Miss Lizzie M. Foote, Miss Mattie J. Nichols and Mrs. M. H. West as teachers.
Including the present incumbents, eleven different individuals
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have acted as superintendents, twenty-two as presidents, nine as secretaries and six as treasurers of the Board of Education. Super- intendent R. F. Knight has served in that capacity more years than any of his predecessors, being now in his tenth consecutive term. Keeping out of partisan politics has kept him in his place and given the city the most satisfactory and efficient superin- tendence of its schools.
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