USA > Minnesota > Stearns County > History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II > Part 106
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District Number 63, known as the Wolf Settlement, was organized in 1866. Jacob Mehr, Christ Heisler and Christ Bach were the first school officers. Mary Jane Heisler was the first teacher, twenty-five pupils at- tending. Other teachers were Rudolph Schweitzer, John Fischbach, Philip Rich- ter, John Schmit, Peter Henricy, J. M. Gil- litzer, P. J. Limperich, John Weyrens, N. K. Weber, Jacob Nohner, Joseph Kruchten, Henry Lembeck and Joseph Lahr. The district supplies a cottage for the use of the teacher.
District Number 104, whose schoolhouse is situated on the southwest corner of sec- tion 23, was organized in 1876. August Sack, Charles Schmidt and Fred Wendt- land were the first officers. The school- house originally stood about three-fourths of a mile northeast of the present location. Agatha Blattner, now Mrs. A. L. Riley of St. Cloud, was the first teacher. Others employed in this district were Julia Krugel, Joseph Hemmesch, Ferdinand Arndt, Mr. Hengstebeck, Gustav Koepp, Ida Snow, Calcie Davis, Martha E. Passer, Gustav Koepp, Lena Moede, Magdalen Preice, Ruby Griebler, Gladys Latterell, Grace Haines, Lila Plantikow and Martha Moede.
District Number 193 the Roscoe village school was organized in 1902 .. The first officers were F. W. Hilger, A. Schmitt and Nicholas Kotschevar. Oscar Voss, now living south of Paynesville, was the first teacher, forty-one pupils attending. In 1911 an addition was built to the school- house and since then two teachers have been employed. The teachers after Mr. Voss were Barney Reiter, Conrad Diek- mann. C. A. Boerger and Valentine Henkel. Miss Ottilia Hartel was the first assistant. She was followed by Rosalie Weisser (now Mrs. John Ebnet of St. Cloud) and Hilde- gard Molitor.
Conclusion .- This is a brief, and-it is candidly admitted-imperfect history of the Stearns county schools. Owing to the lack of records and the utter absence, in some sections, of old settlers, it has been impossible, in the limited time at the writ- er's disposal, to collect all details, many of which would have added greatly to the value of this history. However, it is hoped, and urged, that in the future greater pains be taken to keep and to safeguard the rec- ords of the several school districts, so that a coming generation may with greater fa- cility and exactness compile a more cred- itable review, for there are great changes in the making.
Fifty-eight years have passed since Fa- ther Cornelius taught his little school in the pioneer home of Joseph Edelbrock, and out of that humble beginning a system has unfolded of which Stearns county may well be proud. But if during this first pe- riod the changes have been great, the next half century will witness still greater .. The legislature in 1913 created an education commission to make a careful study and investigation of conditions in this state with respect to public education, including the public school system and public educa- tional institutions, and the relation of the educational institutions one to another and the public school system; to recommend a general plan for the organization and administration of public education and pub- lic educational institutions. The general purposes of the commission are to effect economy and efficiency with respect to the several branches of public education in this state.
Briefly stated, the existing conditions which are said to operate against this
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economy and efficiency are as follows: The common schools are managed by local school boards with limited supervision by the county and the state. The county now exercises its supervision through the county superintendent of schools, elected by the people. The local districts are of three classes-common, independent and special. A common district is created by the county board upon petition of the free- holders and is governed by three trustees elected by the district. An independent district is created from, and may be re- duced to, a common district by action of the voters and is governed by a board of six directors. It differs from the common district chiefly in the power to establish and maintain graded schools and high schools, and in the tax levy, fixed by popu- lar vote in one case and by the board in the other. Special districts are those cre- ated by special act of the legislature and they are in each case coterminous with a city. There are also consolidated rural districts, formed either by amalgamation of several districts or by joining several dis- tricts to one graded or high school; dis- tricts covering ten or more townships, un- der a peculiar organization, and unor- ganized districts managed by county school boards.
The teachers in the several districts are employed and their salaries fixed by the local school board, quite independently of other districts and of the superintendent's office. Local school boards, upon the di- rection of the districts, acquire land, build schoolhouses and in short have general control of all the affairs pertaining to their respective schools. It is now proposed to make of the county a financial agency only, a large common school district, gov- erned by one board elected at large, by whose will and pleasure the county super- intendent and all the teachers outside of the independent districts shall hold their positions. The purposes aimed at may be learned from the following extract from the commission's report:
"It is the rural school that needs skilled supervision most and gets it least. In the rural schools the untrained and inexperi- enced teacher is most apt to be found. Those who display marked ability or ac- quire superior knowledge of the art of teaching are soon called to other schools.
With splendid exceptions the rural schools pay the least perforce and obtain the poor- est service.
"While they need special supervision for this reason, the rural districts are least able to obtain it. Districts that can pay for the best teachers and equipment can also provide competent supervision. The district that is hardly able to pay the minimum for teachers has nothing at all to spare for the supervision that it pe- culiarly needs. The small school district, the rural school in general, is dependent solely on the county superintendent for the sort of oversight that strengthens the weak teacher and tones up the school.
"Since these schools are so much in need of trained leadership and since it is offered to them only through the county superintendent's agency, it is of the high- est importance that the county superintend- ent should have knowledge, capacity and experience. Teachers and pupils are alike entitled to the benefit of such qualities in their supervisor.
"It is recognized that the method of en- gaging county superintendents by popular vote does not reasonably insure such a choice. Popular election is indeed the only fit method of choosing representa- tives; the selection of trained men for any service is, in turn, best delegated to a rep- resentative body ..
"Among teachers it has long been held as eminently desirable that the men and women who are to oversee teachers should invariably be fitted for the duty, the most delicate and influential in the whole range of county activities. By assigning this se- lection to a representative body, it is rea- sonable to expect that the desired result will be gained.
"Your commission therefore recommends that all the territory of each county out- side the independent districts shall consti- tute a common school district; that its government be lodged in a common school board to be elected by the district, and that first among its duties the board shall have the responsibility of choosing a su- perintendent of schools for the district who shall have the capacity and authority to put the rural school in every respect within its means on an equal footing with the best city schools.
"This common school board will also de-
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velop a trained body of school directors. Their position will be conspicuous and hon- orable. The responsibilities of the posi- tion will attract men who can shoulder responsibility. Their individual character and the broad basis of their election will be the best guarantee that schoolhouses will be located where they will most con- veniently serve the largest number, that personal reasons will not govern in the election of teachers, and that the funds will be spent for the benefit of the entire- district. To place a building where it will ill serve half the people in a district is to waste public funds; to engage a teacher who is not competent is to throw away money. Yet from personal bias or want of comprehension, both these mistakes are too common.
"In the district governed by the common school board, elected by the people, and ad- ministered by the school superintendent whom this board deliberately chooses, mis- takes of this character should be elimi- nated.
"Moreover, in contracts for school build- ings and in the purchase of supplies, posi- tive economy will be introduced to a de- gree seldom attainable by the more limited experience of the local school board in the small district. It is reasonable to expect this, and so far as experience is available it confirms the anticipation.
"The people do not, by this rearrange- ment of authority, surrender their control of the schools. They transfer it from one agency which has often proved unsatis- factory to one which will be not less re- sponsive to their wishes but will be better equipped to carry them out, an agency that will be more adequate for spending to the best advantage the funds raised by taxa- tion and for achieving the truest economy."
It is not within the province of the writer to call the wisdom of such sweeping changes into question. As the past has
guarded its most sacred interests so will the future be equally vigilant.
Another change, less ostentatious and affecting practically the schools of Stearns county alone, is also approaching. Ever since the first school was taught in this commonwealth religious needs were not lost sight of. Various sections of the county are settled by the adherents of dif- ferent creeds, and these have always been supplied with teachers of their own faith. In some of the exclusively Catholic com- munities nuns of the Order of St. Benedict have been employed, whose work to this day stands unexcelled in the entire county. In a very large number of these schools the children were given fundamental instruc- tion in their religion, being thus provided with the only firm foundation for true citizenship. It is here not denied that there may have been technical violations of the law. But this much is generally ad- mitted: the practice has produced no evil effects.
However, in 1914 the state high school board decreed that from and after August 1, 1914, no graded or high school, in which religious instruction is given and in which teachers wearing a distinctive religious garb are employed, shall share in the state funds distributed by apportionment and special aid, and the superintendent of pub- lic instruction, being a member of the board, was obliged to extend this ruling to the rural and semi-graded schools. The result will be an increased number of pa- rochial schools and the consequent col- lapse of many districts.
May the future historian of Stearns coun- ty's educational institutions be enabled to tell of harmony and cooperation between the public and the parochial schools as cordial as it has been in the past!
(Written by William A. Boerger at St. Cloud, Minnesota, January 1, 1915.)
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CHAPTER XLI.
INCIDENTS AND EVENTS.
Destruction of the St. Cloud Visiter Printing Plant-Reminiscences of John Rengel-Reminiscences of George F. Brott-The Grasshopper Scourge- Decoration Day-The Boom of 1887-Some Old Landmarks-Indian Wed- ding-A Young Recruit-Freshets-Letter of P. Lamb-Experiences of a Pastor's Wife-Meteorological Statistics-Creameries-Lime and Brick -Miscellaneous Notes.
Destruction of the St. Cloud Visiter's Printing Plant .- Within a few months after the arrival of Mrs. Jane G. Swiss- helm in St. Cloud, in June, 1857, the Min- nesota Advertiser, which had been started the first of the preceding January by George F. Brott and which had failed to receive proper support, was offered to her by the proprietor on the sole condition that she should continue its publication. Mr. Brott was an active townsite projector, having large interests in St. Cloud and other embryo metropolises in the northern part of the territory, and believed that a newspaper would aid materially in attract- ing new settlers. A published statement gave the receipts of the Advertiser from its start as having been $462.55, while the running expenses during the same time were $2,500, leaving a difference of $2,- 037.45 for Mr. Brott to pay personally as a contribution toward sustaining a newspa- per in St. Cloud, this in addition to the $800 paid as the purchase price of the press and material. His proposition was accepted by Mrs. Swisshelm with the dis- tinct understanding that she was to be at liberty to express such views editorially as she might see fit. It was well known that she was an out-and-out Abolitionist, while Mr. Brott was a Democrat, but by no means extreme in his political views.
The first number of the St. Cloud Vis- iter, the name by which the paper was to be known under its new management, ap- peared December 10, 1857, with Mrs. Swiss- helm as editor, and James Mowatt, a prac- tical newspaper man who had been in charge of the Advertiser, as publisher. The prospectus announced that it was hoped to publish the paper regularly each week, but as the number of patrons was limited,
as the transportation of paper by wagon or sled was expensive, and as "a large proportion of the people must eat potatoes . and cornmeal this winter for want of money to buy flour," it might not be possi- ble to have a continuous weekly issue, but subscribers would be charged for only the numbers sent them. The political an- nouncement included the declaration that "the Bible and the Constitution of the United States are anti-slavery, and human slavery is unconstitutional in any associa- tion professing to receive either as funda- mental law." The editorial columns were extremely radical in their opposition to slavery, the editor neither asking nor giv- ing quarter, although freely throwing open the Visiter's columns to those who desired to present the opposite views.
The Democratic leader in Northern Min- nesota and a man of strong personal influ- ence was General Sylvanus B. Lowry, who had been connected with an Indian agency, had been a member of the territorial coun- cil and adjutant general of the territory. His voice was dominant in the party coun- cils. A southerner by birth, he believed in slavery as being both right and constitu- tional. When approached to give pecuni- ary support to the Visiter, he declined to do so because of its abolition principles, but indicated that if the paper would sup- port the administration of President Bu- chanan he would give it liberal assistance. Ostensibly accepting the proposition, Mrs. Swisshelm, in the Visiter of February 18, 1858, published an extended editorial arti- cle entitled, "A Change and the Reasons," in which while announcing preliminarily that the paper was to be an administration organ, supporting Mr. Buchanan's meas- ures and advocating his reelection, made
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a most scathing attack, in the garb of ridi- cule, upon the president, his administra- tion and his policies on the score of their affiliation with human slavery. Very soon afterwards, James C. Shepley, General Lowry's attorney, delivered a public lecture in which he assailed "women's rights' women," women who spoke in public, con- ducted newspapers or mingled in politics. In reviewing this lecture in the Visiter of March 18, 1858, Mrs. Swisshelm drew a pen picture of "coquettes," a class, she said, which had seemed to enjoy Mr. Shep- ley's especial favor and admiration.
On the morning of March 24, or past midnight of the twenty-third, the office of the Visiter (a small frame building on what is now First avenue south, near the foot of Tenth street) was broken into, the type thrown into the street and the Mis- sissippi river and necessary parts of the press taken away and presumably also thrown into the river. On a table in the office was found a letter reading as fol- lows:
"St. Cloud, March 24, 1858 .- Editor of the Visiter: The citizens of St. Cloud have determined to abate the nuisance of which you have made the Visiter a striking speci- men. They have decided that it is fit only for the inmates of brothels, and you seem to have had some experience of the tastes of such persons. You will never have the opportunity to repeat the offence in this town, without paying a more serious pen- alty than you do now. By order of the Commannder of Vigilance."
The people of the town, almost to a man and without regard to party, denounced this outrage against free speech and the liberty of the press. The following even- ing, March 25, a largely-attended meeting of citizens was held at the Stearns House, C. T. Stearns being chairman and N. N. Smith secretary. After an address by Mrs. Swisshelm, the chair appointed a commit- tee on resolutions, consisting of T. H. Bar- rett, Leander Gorton, N. Mason, J. D. Hyke and Henry G. Kilbourn. In her address Mrs. Swisshelm made the direct charge that the destruction of the printing outfit had been the personal work of General S. B. Lowry, James C. Shepley and Dr. B. R. Palmer. The committee reported a strong series of resolutions in which the attempt to control the course of the Visiter was de-
nounced; the fullest confidence was ex- pressed in Mrs. Swisshelm, who was as- sured of support "in publishing whatever she pleases on all subjects and on all oc- casions, against all opposition, force or violence, from whatever source it may come," and the declaration made that "the St. Cloud Visiter shall be sustained and we will sustain it."
Another committee, consisting of Miles Brown, James Mowatt, N. N. Smith, J. E. West, Henry Swisshelm (a brother-in-law), H. J. Fowler and A. Scofield, was ap- pointed to devise ways and means to en- sure the speedy reestablishment of the Visiter.
While the citizen's meeting at the Stearns House was in progress a meeting called by Mr. Shepley at the Everett schoolhouse was addressed by him. In his speech he admitted that he had destroyed the Visiter office and said he was willing to abide the consequences, justifying his action by the claim that the article pub- lished in that paper reflected on his fam- ily.
In a letter dated March 29, to the St. Paul Pioneer and Democrat, James C. Shepley assumed the responsibility as "the principal actor" for the destruction of the printing office .. He gave as justification for this that in reviewing his lecture on "Woman," Mrs. Swisshelm had "published an infamous attack" on his wife, although this review had mentioned no names and made no personal insinuations. She al- ways maintained and publicly declared that the destruction of the office had been directly instigated by General Lowry for political reasons alone.
A number of the citizens formed a stock company and purchased a supply of new material, with which the paper made its reappearance May 13, 1858. At a some- what later date a libel suit was brought by James C. Shepley against the stock- holders of the paper, some twenty-five in number, in which damages to the amount of $10,000 was claimed by reason of the republication in the Visiter of the review of Mr. Shepley's lecture on "Woman," this being done by Mrs. Swisshelm to show that her "coquette" portrait had been that of a class and not of any one person, say- ing definitely in a separate editorial arti- cle that she had no thought of making any
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reflection on the character of Mrs. Shep- ley, whom she regarded as "a person of lady-like accomplishments and many good qualities, although not a model woman." A proposition having been made by Mr. Shepley's attorney to the members of the printing company to withdraw the suit provided a card of retraction should be published in the Visiter, "without comment and without repetition," and that there should be no further discussion of the de- struction of the printing press and type in its columns, its acceptance was strongly urged by Mrs. Swisshelm. This was finally, although reluctantly, done by a ma- jority of the persons comprising the com- pany, although several refused to agree to the terms. The card was published in con- formity with the proposition outlined and the suit was withdrawn. Mrs. Swisshelm immediately afterwards became the sole owner of the paper. She changed the name of the paper to the Democrat, the first number of which appeared August 5, with Jane G. Swisshelm's name at the head of the columns as editor and proprietor. It was ostensibly printed by "the two imps" of the office, whose "brethren of the Vis- iter had decamped," and contained an ex- tended obituary of the St. Cloud Visiter, the demise of which was announced to have taken place July 29, 1858-the date on which the proposed card of retraction had been published.
In the columns of the Democrat Mrs. Swisshelm resumed and continued the warfare on General Lowry and Mr. Shep- ley, along both political and personal lines. In later years, subsequent to treat- ment for a serious mental malady with which the former was afflicted, the con- troversy was permitted to die out and a comparatively friendly personal under- standing with General Lowry followed.
liam R. Hughes, Francis Talcott, Miles Brown, H. J. Fowler, A. E. Hussey, J. W. Tuttle, John Emerson, John D. Hyke, Lean- der Gorton, W. Garcelon and J. N. Mason associated together as "a Mechanical Cor- poration," under the name, style and title of "The St. Cloud Printing Company."
The summons and complaint were dated at Sauk Rapids, June 8, 1858, and the com- plaint was sworn to by James C. Shepley before I. H. Day, justice of the peace; Ed- ward O. Hamlin being the plaintiff's at- torney ..
Reminiscences of John Rengel .- I was born in Rhine, Prussia, August 15, 1830; arrived in America with my parents Au- gust 1, 1847. Lived on a farm in Illinois until 1855, coming to Minnesota April 6, 1855; leaving St. Paul for St. Cloud Easter morning, meeting J. P. Wilson at Big Lake. When I reached my destination there was but one house in the place. We made our claims, and my brother-in-law, John Schwartz, went to Chicago leaving me in charge of his claim. While he was gone some men with surveyors tried to jump the claim and burn his house. After con- siderable argument they left. While work- ing at the Schwartz house I went to see my partner, Anton Ruehle. He was cover- ing his shanty when one of the party of men with the surveyors came along and tried to make trouble for us. Then I went back to Schwartz's and found the survey- ors on his land. I ordered them to leave, which they did when my cousin appeared with his gun. Previous to that time they had burned a house Mr. Schwartz had built and they would have burned this one had I not been there. We were not disturbed further for a month.
Father Pierz came at that time and es- tablished the parish of St. Cloud, saying his first mass in the log house belonging to The title of the action brought by Mr. Shepley in his libel suit for $10,000 dam- ages was entitled: James C. Shepley and Mary F. B., his wife, against N. N. Smith, Stephen Miller and Henry Swisshelm, do- ing business as partners under the name of "Miller & Swisshelm," H. Z. Mitchell, James Mowatt, T. Jones, E. Child, A. J. Cutter, R. A. Smith, Geo. E. Kelly, J .. E. West, T. H. Barrett, C. T. Stearns, Frances Mr. Schwartz, which I had put a roof on while Mr. Schwartz was in Chicago, where he married my sister. The altar was pre- pared by cutting tamarack poles which were driven into the ground, there being no floor, and on these poles were placed boards which were covered with clean sheets. The first mass was said May 20, 1855, about twenty-five persons being pres- ent. Mr. Schwartz returned that after- Worcester, James F. Kennedy, Francis L. noon with his wife, when we finished the Smith, A. Scofield, Henry Worcester, Wil- house so that we could live in it. He
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brought with him eight head of cattle, two yoke of oxen and four cows.
As it was necessary to have seed pota- toes, I agreed to go to Long Prairie, sixty miles distant, with oxen and get some. After going twenty miles, I met Anton Edelbrock, who said he had bought all the potatoes that were there, but offered to pay me one dollar a bushel for hauling them down. I went, returning with twen- ty-eight bushels, of which I bought fifteen bushels, and Mr. Edelbrock sold the rest for $2.50 a bushel.
One day while I was cutting wood on my claim a team loaded with lumber, ac- companied by eight men, drove up. I asked them what they wanted and they said they intended making a claim there. I told them they would have to kill me be- fore they got me off the land. They be- gan unloading the lumber, and as soon as a board struck the ground I split it with my axe. This was repeated, when a man with an axe threatened to strike me with it. Just then Mr. Schwartz with four other men appeared. C. Bridgman came up and told the party to take up the pieces that were split and they drove off.
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