USA > Michigan > Calhoun County > History of Calhoun county, Michigan : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 20
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bills for two and three weeks' board for school teachers. In some dis- tricts this plan of "boarding around" continued in vogue until the early eighties.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction recommended to the Constitutional Convention that the schools be made free, and after dis- cussing the various plans proposed by the members of the Convention, the source of revenue for the primary schools was agreed upon as follows: First, the income from the primary school fund; Second, a tax of two mills upon each dollar's valuation of taxable property in the township; Third, a tax not exceeding one dollar a scholar, voted by the districts and collected by the township: Fourth, the rate bill to make up any deficiency.
Previous to this time there had been no close supervision of schools, but a Law was enacted, making the Chairman of the Township Board of School Inspectors (said Board being composed of the Township Clerk and two School Inspectors) inspector of the schools of his township, and requiring him to visit these schools at least one each term. The Board of School Inspectors examined and licensed all teachers in the Public Schools. The good resulting from this supervision became quickly apparent.
This system of inspection continued until 1868, when the Board of School Inspectors was discontinued, and Captain Ephraim Marble, now living in Marshall, was elected the first County Superintendent of Schools of Calhoun county in 1867, which office he held for two years, when he was succeeded by Rev. Bela Fancher (now deceased). Rev. Faneher held the office for four years and was followed by Bertrand F. Weleh, said to be the oldest living teacher in Michigan, and now lives in Mar- shall. It was the duty of these county superintendents to examine all candidates for teachers' eertificates visit all schools at least once a year, and consult with the teachers as to the best mode of instruction and dis- cipline. They were paid by the Board of Supervisors, who fixed their salary per diem for actual time expended.
One of the great hindrances to good school work during these periods was the lack of suitable text books. One of the Superintendents above mentioned informed the writer that in one school visited by him an entire elass had no readers, excepting the New Testament, which they were using in their reading classes. Ofttimes there were as many different text books as there were pupils in a class.
Another of the great hindrances to the district school work was the fact that there was no uniformity in the course of study and the children were allowed to take up the study that pleased their fancy most with- ont reference to the practical side of the matter. The more advanced educational minds began thinking of the advisability of adopting a uni- form course of study and the enacting of a law that would tend to bring about a uniformity of text books. This agitation brought good results, for a few years later they saw their ideas realized.
The people, having become dissatisfied with the County System of Supervision, which they believed to be very expensive for the results secured, returned to the Township System in 1875. The visitation of the sehools was again placed in the hands of the Chairman of the Board of
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School Inspectors of the various townships, who met once each year and elected a member for the County Board of Teachers Examiners, each member to hold for a term of two years. It became the duty of the Board of Examiners to conduct the examination of all teachers of the County. We are unable to find a complete record of the examiners thus chosen, but find that Capt. Ephraim Marble, Miss A. R. Camburn, and S. G. Gorsline all served at sometime during this period.
In 1887, the law again changed with reference to the visitation of schools, taking the work out of the hands of the Township School In- spectors, and placing it in the hands of a County Secretary, who was to be chosen by the Judge of Probate and the two members of the County Board of School Examiners. Report made by this Board to the Board of Supervisors on the 17th day of October, 1887, is herewith given in full.
"To the Honorable Board of Supervisors of Calhoun County :- Acting under the requirements of the new law, the Board of School Examiners of this County met with the Judge of Probate at this office the 28th day of September, and elected Mr. R. A. Culver secretary of such Board for the ensuing year ; fixing his salary there for at $1,300.00.
"They also instructed such secretary to visit in person or by such assistants as he might select, each school in the county, at least twice a year; to ascertain the conditions of such school and success of its teachers; to note the conditions of the buildings and surroundings; to counsel with the school boards and advise as to any necessary improve- ments; to keep a record of such visits and make a yearly report of the same to the Chairman of the Board of Township Inspectors, of the several townships at their annual meeting on the first Tuesday in August.
"Said Board to also require that the whole time of such secretary be devoted to the work, and the supervision of the schools be made as thorough as possible.
"To accomplish this work the board have agreed upon the following estimates, as necessary in their judgment to pay for the same: Salary of Secretary, $1,300.00; Pay of Board of Examiners, $200.00; Pay of assistant visitors, printing, stationery, postage, room rent and janitor, $300.00; Total $1,800.00
"All of which is respectfully submitted,
" (Miss) A. R. Camburn, chairman, "S. G. Gorsline, "R. A. Culver, secretary."
From this time forward the schools advanced with rapid strides. Mr. Culver had the honor of being one of a committee of five who planned the first State Manual Course of Study, which was approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and by him placed in every school district in the state. While the course as laid down was not man- datory, it brought about immediate results, and a general approval of a common course of study for all district schools. Mr. Culver held the position of Secretary for a term of four years. when the law again
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changed, and provided for a County Commissioner of Schools. The first Commissioner was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve one year, after which he was to be elected by the people at the regular spring election for a term of two years.
On June 22, 1891, Mr. Arthur G. Randall of Tekonsha was appointed the first County Commissioner of Schools for Calhoun County, and twice re-elected by popular vote of the people. The law relative to the elec- tion of County School Examiners having also been changed, provided that the examiners should be chosen by the Board of Supervisors. At a meeting held June 22, 1891, the Board selected Mr. Chester L. Williams of Lee and Mr. Edward L. McPherson of Burlington to act as County Examiners for a term of two years and one year respectively.
Mr. Randall's ability as a Commissioner was recognized by an ap- pointment on the committee of five to draft the Second State Manual Course of Study, and he was also appointed a member of the State Teachers Reading Circle Board. He was educated in Hillsdale College ; had had a long and successful experience as teacher; as business man ; as editor and publisher and he entered into his work with such earnest- ness that he could not fail to inspire enthusiasm in both teachers and pupils.
Mrs. Emma S. Willits was elected Commissioner in the spring of 1897. She is a graduate from Albion College and is a lady of more than ordinary culture and refinement. She was a successful teacher, having taught in some of the best high schools in the state. She made an excellent Commissioner and is now the efficient Deputy County Treas- urer in this county.
Ernest Burnham succeeded Mrs. Willits in 1899. He was educated in the rural schools, Battle Creek high school, and Albion College. He was City Editor of the Albion Recorder at the time he was elected. Mr. Burnham was a student of Sociology and as such drew attention of the state authorities who offered him the chair at the head of the Rural Department of the Western Normal at Kalamazoo in 1904.
That the state was fortunate in its choice is evidenced by the rapid growth of the department. IIe took his degree from Columbia in 1911. Dr. Burnham still takes an active interest in the educational affairs of the county.
At the resignation of Mr. Burnham, in 1904, the writer of this sketch and present incumbent, F. D. Miller, was appointed to fill the vacancy and has twice been re-elected. Modesty prevents further comment other than to state that I attribute any success I have had, to a great extent, to the solid foundation, educationally, laid by my predecessors.
At the time the office of County Commissioner of Schools was insti- tuted, the salary was determined by a sliding scale, depending on the number of schools under the Commissioner's jurisdiction. The minimum salary, in this county was $1,200.00 and the maximum was $1,800.00, with all necessary office expenses. The Board of Supervisors fixed the amount at $1,200.00, with no allowance for traveling expenses. In 1903 the length of the term was increased from two to four years, and the salary was raised to $1,500.00 per year; in 1908 an extra allowance of
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$150.00 was voted by the Board of Supervisors for traveling expenses and two years later the salary was raised to $1,800.00 per year.
REGISTER OF STATE AND COUNTY OFFICERS
Superintendents of Public Instruction, elected from Calhoun County : John D. Pierce, 1836-1841; Dr. Oliver C. Comstock, 1843-1845; Ira Mayhew, 1845-1849; Francis W. Sherman, 1849-1854; Ira Mayhew, 1854-1858; Delos Falls, 1901-1905.
Twenty-two of the seventy-six years since Michigan became a state, Calhoun County has furnished the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Chairmen of Committee on Education in Constitutional Conventions : Isaac Crary, of Marshall, in 1836, John D. Pierce, of Marshall, 1850, and Delos Fall, of Albion, in 1909.
Superintendents of Common Schools for Calhoun County : Ephraim Marble, 1869; Bela Fancher, 1869-1872; Bertrand F. Welch, 1873-1874. Secretary of Board of Examiners: Rufus A. Culver, 1887-1891.
County Commissioners of Schools: Arthur G. Randall, 1892-1897; Mrs. Emma S. Willits, 1897-1899 ; Ernest Burnham, 1899-1904; Frank D. Miller, 1904.
County School Examiners: Ephraim Marble,- ; Miss A. R. Camburn,- -; S. G. Gorsline,- - -; Miss Lizzie Cook,
Chester E. Williams, 1892-1894; E. L. McPherson, 1892-1895; F. W. Arbury, 1894-1896; Guy Fisk, 1895-1897 ; Albert II. Whitaker, 1896-1898 : J. H. Atwood, 1897-1899; Kassen Richardson, 1898-1900; F. D. Miller, 1899-1904; A. J. Flint, 1900-1906; E. L. MePherson, 1904-1909; B. J. Rivett, 1906-1907; Josiah Phelps, 1907 --; Maude Blair, 1909-1911; E. L. MePherson, 1911
County Truant Officers : Vern G. Gibbs, 1905-1906; S. M. Reed, 1907. 1910; Wm. Gray, 1910- -.
Truant officer is appointed by the Commissioner and receives $3.00 per day and expenses for time actually expended.
There are 158 one room school buildings, and seven graded schools in the County with a combined teaching force of 193 teachers. There are about 200 teachers employed in the cities, making a total of about 400 teachers in the County.
The following Statistics were taken from the last report made to the Board of Supervisors in October 1911 :
No. of teachers under the jurisdiction of Commissioner 193
No. of teachers employed who had no previous teaching experience. 44
No. of County Normal graduates employed. 47
No. of State Normal graduates employed. 17
No. of visits made by Commissioner during year 360
No. of pupils on census list in rural districts. 4412
No. of pupils on census list in village schools. 951
Cost of instruction in rural districts. $51,757.55
Cost of instruction in village schools. . $16,366.50
Average length of school year in rural districts. 8 mo. 16 days
Average salary per month in rural schools. $39.30
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Average length of year in villages .9 mo. 14 days
Average salary of village teachers (per month) $52.65
No. of pupils who wrote the eighth grade diploma examination. 410
No. of pupils who received diplomas. 217
No. of cases investigated by Truant Officer 250
No. of truancy notices served. 184
There are 155 frame, 25 brick and 8 stone school houses in the rural districts. Two distriets just organized, where frame buildings will be erected. Nearly all the rural schools are equipped with wall maps, dictionaries, globes and other necessary appendages. At least 90 per cent of the rural schools are well equipped and fully 75 per cent have the Stars and Stripes displayed in, or over the building during the sessions. The library money is used for library purposes, so at present 95 per cent of the rural schools have working libraries. More attention is being paid to the choice of books; teachers and officers are now being furnished with approved lists from which to make their selections.
Drawing and manual training have been introdneed in many of the rural schools with excellent results; the annual exhibit, along these lines, in connection with the County fair is evidence of the good work being done. Elementary Agriculture is receiving more and more attention each year in the schools and will be made a part of the course for eighth grade pupils, for intensive study, for the first time this year. Boys and Girls' Agricultural Clubs are being formed in connection with the schools and are finding the work very interesting. At the Agricultural Association meeting in Marshall in 1912, the Boys and Girls' Agri- cultural Club from the Anrand district in Tekonsha, won the Sweep- stake for the best Agricultural exhibit on the grounds.
DR. DELOS FALL
The Educational Ilistory of Calhoun County and the State of Mich- igan would be incomplete without the mention of our honored resident, Dr. Delos Fall, who served two terms as Superintendent of Public In- struction. Dr. Fall is truly the friend of the rural districts, and to him we are indebted for much of the rural progress that has been made in recent years. Dr. Fall recognized that the State institutions were pre- paring teachers for the city schools at the expense of the rural districts, as many of the best rural teachers left their school, took Normal courses, but failed to find their way back to the rural schools after receiving their training. He therefore, was not only instrumental in having rural school courses placed in the State normals where rural school teachers could be trained, but he also provided for the organizing of County Normal train- ing classes in the counties, where it is possible for young people to take a year's training for their important work, at a very small expense.
When these laws beeame effective, there were but two normal trained teachers in the rural schools of the county. Today more than one third of all the rural teachers in the county are graduates from one of the State Normals or from the county Normal, and a goodly proportion of the others have taken summer school work at one of the State Normals. Dr.
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Fall appeared personally before the Board of Supervisors in 1904 and argued the advisability of organizing a County Training class in this county. The Board acted favorably, and Miss Eva Warriner, of Battle Creek, was elected principal and took charge of the class the following year. Miss Warriner has given us some very excellent teachers during the eight years she has had charge of the work
Now, kind reader, we have traced, somewhat briefly, the development of the rural schools, from the organization of the first school, in 1832, to the present. We have seen the passing of the old log school houses with the plank seats, thatched roofs, rude equipment, and in their stead we find well equipped, more modern buildings. The rate bill outlived its usefulness and, thanks to the newly enacted tuition, it is now possible for each child in the state to have free school from the time he enters the chart class, until he completes the high school course. No longer does the old song. "Readin' and 'ritin and 'rithmetic, taught to the tune of a hickory stick," apply to our schools, for today it is possible to get a good practical education in the home district and the "Hickory" is almost an unheard of accessory in school work. Pupils now attend school the entire school year, as taught in the districts, and follow a regular course of study, instead of attending a few weeks, as they did in pioneer times. Untrained teachers of fourteen years are no longer permitted to take the place of the real trained teachers of today. The prophecy of that great educator, John D. Pierce, has really been worked out and while we honor his memory, we should not forget those other great Calhoun county educators, who have taken such prominent parts in shaping school legislation as Dr. Oliver C. Comstock, Ira Mayhew, Fran- cis W. Sherman and Delos Fall, all of whom have held the responsible position of Superintendent of Public Instruction, nor should we fail to pay homage to those brave pioneers, who boldly struck out into the wil- derness, forded streams, endured untold hardships, and carved out their fortunes in this, the best county, in the best state, in the best country on the face of the earth.
VILLAGE SCHOOLS
By Frank D. Miller
There are seven village schools in the county, employing thirty-five teachers. Three of these schools have the regular twelve grades in their courses and the remainder have but ten. East Leroy has been set off into a separate district and will build a three room school building. Two rooms on the ground floor will be used for school purposes after January 1, 1913, and one room on the second floor will be used for lecture room, assemblies, etc. The district has bonded for $3,000.00 for a new building which is now in the course of construction. When completed we will have eight village schools.
The Ceresco school property is valued at $2,000.00. The building is in a good state of repair and is well equipped. Two hundred sixty-three volumes of well selected books are found on the shelves of the school library. Last year, the enrollment was fifty-five and two teachers drew
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$810 for nine months' work. There is a good healthy school sentiment in the district.
Bedford village school was organized in the home of John P. Ames on the sixth day of November, 1842. School has been maintained in the district, each year since that date. There are 83 pupils on the census list, . seventy-seven of whom, with four non-resident pupils, were enrolled last year at a cost for instruction (two teachers) of $810.00. The school building has seen many years service and naturally shows the wear. There has been considerably agitation, during the last few years in favor of a new school house but the proposition has been defeated each time it has been brought to a vote.
Burlington was laid out as a village in 1842, but five years before a log school house had been built where the present frame house now stands and Mary Buckingham was the teacher. In 1838 the district was legally organized by the board of school inspectors consisting of E. A. Hayden, Jonah Bradish and Lorenzo Escanback.
In 1869 the district was graded and a two room building was built, which building is still doing service for the district, although it was found necessary to divide the lower room, making three rooms instead of two. The last census list contains seventy-six names of children living in the district, fifty-five of whom with six non-resident pupils attended school. Three teachers are employed at a cost of $1,220.00 for nine month's work. Six hundred and forty books, including many good refer- ence hooks, are in the school library. The school has a fair equipment.
Urbandale has just completed a fine $14,000.00 school building, which was dedicated October 4, 1912. A fine banquet was served by the ladies of the district, in the main room of the building, to about four hundred people. Twelve years ago Urbandale had not been plotted and one teacher tanght fourteen pupils in the "Little White" school house. Since that time a two room building was built in the district, but was outgrown and a small church was seenred by the board of education and a third teacher employed. One hundred and thirty-two pupils attended school in the district, last year.
The building is well equipped; teachers are among the best in the county ; school board is progressive; patrons and entire community be- lieve that the best is abont right for Urbandale, and the school naturally must get excellent results with such environments. Three teachers are employed at present with good prospects of the fourth being added before the close of the year.
Tekonsha has always taken an active interest in education. From the time Chloe Ann Mead, later Mrs. Harvey Kennedy of Clarendon, taught school in the old plank school house. with but a dozen pupils in 1837. to the present, with Superintendent P. I. Wise and six very efficient as- sistant teachers, with an enrollment of one hundred and ninety-seven pupils. Tekonsha has been found in the front ranks educationally. A fine two story brick building was built in 1873 to which an annex was erected in 1910. The school property is now valued at $30,000.00. School is maintained thirty-eight weeks each year at a cost of $3.400.00 for instruction. It has a full high school course of four years; is on the "accepted list" of the higher educational institutions of the state. The
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pupils take an active interest in literary work, holding weekly meetings where questions of living interest are discussed; best authors are read and the principles in oratory and debate are given proper attention. A high school paper is published each month of the school year by the pupils.
Distriet No. 2. Athens, where the village now stands, was legally organized December 31, 1837, by the school inspectors of the township, at the home of Alfred Holcome. (School had been maintained for about three years in the old log school house but it was in the nature of a private school.) Alfred Holcome was given the contract to build a school house which was to be eight-square, with portico in front, and to contain two fire-places in the middle of the, house. House was to be twenty-two feet in diameter, with eight-feet posts and was to be completed by the first of the following October, for the contract price of $300.00. Asahel Stone, the moderator, donated the lot upon which the house was erected.
A fine $35,000.00 school building was erected in 1911. It is conceded to be one of the best, if not the best, school building for the town the size of Athens, in the state. Superintendent C. S. Harmon with seven assist- ants has charge of the one hundred and ninety-seven pupils who are now attending school in the district. Fifty-three non-resident pupils are found in the high school. The building is equipped with a good working library of seven hundred and eighty well selected volumes, physical and chemical laboratories, gymnasium, and a fine athletic field adjoining the school property. The cost for instruction, last year, was $4,300.00. The school was recently placed on the university list. They are leaders in athletics, having won the state high school baseball championship for the last four years. .
In 1839 Miss Sarah Babcock taught the first school in the village of Homer, with an enrollment of fifty pupils, in an old building which had been fitted up for that purpose.
In 1842 $300.00 was voted to build a new school house. This build- ing was completed in 1843 and served the district twenty years, but finding that two schools could not be supported in a place of the size, at the annual meeting in 1863 it was voted to purchase the academy which had been organized as a select school in 1854, for the use of the district for the sum of $2,000.00. In 1864 a graded school was organized, which has since met the requirements of the thriving village. In 1890 a fine modern brick building was erected. The committee in charge did not let the expense stand in the way of any improvement that would add to the efficiency of the school or the comfort of the teachers and pupils. Each room is so arranged that the light comes from the back and left, while the black boards are in front and to the right.
The equipment consisting of physical and chemical laboratories, libraries and all school appendages are excellent. The school has been approved by the visiting professor from the U. of M. The total cost of the school, last year, was $10,672.30 of which $5,475.00 was for teachers' wages. Two hundred and fifty-nine pupils attended school in Homer last year, forty-one of whom were non-residents. Superintendent A. J. Flint, a Calhoun rural school product, who later graduated from Homer and then took his professional course at Ypsilanti, has charge of the
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