USA > Missouri > Linn County > Compendium of history and biography of Linn County, Missouri > Part 16
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
The first state school money received by Linn county was in Jan- uary, 1847. The amount was $51.43.
The following school statistics of Linn county are from the report of E. L. Joyce, county superintendent of public schools, the report being for the annual school year ending June 30, 1911 :
Enrollment: White-Male, 2,959; female, 3,109; total, 6,068. Colored-Male, 64; female, 79; total, 143; grand total, 6,211.
Number of districts in county enrolling less than 15 pupils, 78; 15 and less than 25, 42; 25 and less than 40, 39; 40 and less than 60, 11; more than 60, 9.
Number of districts in county having an average attendance less than 10, 8; 10 and less than 15, 21; 15 and less than 25, 51; 25 and less than 40, 20; more than 40, 9.
Total number of days' attendance by all pupils, 704,593; average daily attendance, 4,367.
Average length of school term in days, 149; number trees planted on Arbor Day,
Number schools in county having less than four months, 0; having four and less than six months, 3; having six and less than eight months, 46; having eight months, 55; having more than eight months, 5.
Number of pupils that may be seated in public schools-White, 7,766; colored, 50; total, 7,816.
Number of pupils graduating in state course of study-Male, 23; female 56; total, 79.
Number of districts in county having libraries, 100; volumes in libraries, 11,720; value of libraries, $5,570; volumes added this year, 700; number of districts that complied with the library law this year, 50.
Number of teachers holding life state certificates, 5; limited state certificates, 2; normal diplomas, 13; normal certificates, 3; county certificates, 161.
Number of teachers holding county certificates-First grade, 58; second grade, 42; third grade, 60; special, 1.
Number of teachers employed in the county: White-Male, 41; female, 139; total, 180. Colored-Male, 2; female, 2; total, 4; grand total, 184.
Buildings: Number of school houses in county-White, 114; col- ored, 4; total, 118. Number of school rooms occupied in county-White, 177; colored, 4; total, 181.
Amount paid for teachers' wages-Male, $16,859.25; female, $47,- 122.65; total, $63,981.93.
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Average salaries of teachers per month-Male, $51.05; female, $40.67; general average, $45.86.
Amount spent for incidentals-Clerks, $949.50; janitors, $4,182.75; fuel, $4,501.11; library, $895; all other expenses, $7,809.16; total, $18,305.64.
Number of school houses built during year, 2; amount spent for building, $2,000; spent for repairs, $2,082.60.
Number of school houses in county valued at less than $300, 1; value from $300 to $600, 66; value more than $600, 51.
Estimated value of school property, $2,305.75; assessed value of the taxable property, $10,444,000.
Bonds voted this year, 0; bonds paid, $4,475.20; present indebted- ness, $56,801.
The following sketches of some of the Linn county schools are taken from The Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition of The Linn County News, D. B. Ormiston, editor and proprietor:
Meadville School: The beautiful little city of Meadville is one of the oldest towns in North Missouri-it being a prosperous little town even before the Burlington railroad was built. The Meadville public schools have thus had a long and honorable history.
From the early days of Squire Harvey and the one-room school until the present time, with its modern finely equipped building, and half dozen teachers, the school has done excellent work and sent many young men and women to lives of success and usefulness.
During the recent years great improvements have been made in the building and grounds. The entire school had been reseated witli single desks, the walls have been redecorated-slate blackboards. every- thing modern and convenient. A broad granitoid walk was laid the en- tire distance of both sides of the beautiful wood grounds. Nearly three hundred and fifty fine new books have been added to the library, and some physical apparatus for scientific work.
One thing that has done much to keep the Meadville schools up to a high standard is the progressive policy of the school board. That policy has been that when they find a good teacher to keep him or her at any cost. The average salary paid in the Meadville schools is the high- est of any school in the county. That the people in that vicinity appre- ciate this school is well attested by the large outside attendance. An additional half year's work has been added to the high school, making a full four year's course. The state university high school examiner has consented to accept the school grades in all work done.
Among other interesting and progressive features of the high
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school work is a fine stereopticon with about five hundred slides, which is used in connection with the history and literature courses.
Marceline School-The people of Marceline are justly proud of the Marceline public school system. A good school is always evidence of a good wholesome school spirit. This school spirit is almost a mania with the citizens of Marceline.
The board of education, owing to the youthfulness of the town, has always been handicapped for want of sufficient finance to properly care for the rapidly increasing enrollment in the schools.
Some years ago Marceline's five hundred and twenty school chil- dren were crowded into one ten-room building and were taught by twelve teachers, including the superintendent. The following spring the board of education seeing that another building was imperative, submitted a proposition to the people to bond the school district to the limit of the law for the purpose of erecting another building. The proposition was carried almost unanimously, and a splendid brick build- ing was erected.
In order to provide teachers for this new building the people were asked to increase the tax levy to the limit, which they did with but two dissenting votes.
The school enumeration has continued to increase with unabating energy. The last enumeration gives the army of school children in Marceline a total of thirteen hundred thirty-six. To care for about nine hundred of these the board of education has employed twenty teachers this year. The board insists upon a high standard of qualification among its teachers. This is evidenced by the fact that of the twenty teachers now employed, thirteen have had Normal school training and five have had university training. They are all of the progressive, wide awake kind who seek to keep in touch with the best educators of the state. Half of our teachers spent their vacation in school this summer. Six were in Kirksville State Normal School, three in the Missouri University, and one in the University of Minnesota.
The growth of Marceline high school has been phenomenal. The school has a good reference library, a good working laboratory in physics and physical geography, and one hundred ten students were enrolled the first week of school this year.
The enthusiasm and energy of the student body and faculty is such that it inculcates in the minds of the students a desire for higher learn- ing, and they leave our high school as graduates to go to college. Forty- five per cent of the graduates of last year are in college this year.
Marceline public school system is destined to be one among the
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best in the state, for everybody works for the good of the schools in Marceline.
L. A. M.
Browning School-The Browning high school is located in the city of Browning, which is composed of 1,000 inhabitants. Browning is on the Chicago, Burlington & Kansas City Railroad in the Locust valley on the boundary line between Linn and Sullivan counties.
The school, with good roller wall maps and a good reference library, has during the past maintained a three-year high school with two approved high school teachers. Below the high school there are four teachers for the elementary school, or eight grades.
Many students from the surrounding rural districts attend the high school and several the elementary school each year.
This year we hope to add many new volumes to the library, so that the work in all the departments will be strengthened more than ever before.
Laclede School-The Laclede school has made, for several years past, a steady progress, until today it is one of the leading schools of Linn county. In 1901 a splendid new building was erected, and at the present time the school property is valued at $18,000. The board made many improvements on the school property the past summer and are planning for a number of others the coming year, among which are a new laboratory in the basement for agriculture, and perhaps chemistry, and new single seats for the assembly hall and room No. 1.
The course of study offered is equal to that of the leading schools of the state. Both music and drawing are taught in the grades, and it is hoped that a room may be fitted up in the near future for the teaching of manual training. The Laclede high school offers a complete three- year course, and with three teachers devoting full time to high school work it is expected that the high school will be accredited for fifteen units by the university soon. The following courses are offered: The four-year Latin or classical courses; a scientific course, which offers three units of science-agriculture, physics and physical geography- and two years of German; an English course, offering four years of history, and an elective course, which offers bookkeeping and business arithmetic, and five units selected from the other courses.
The school library, which is steadily growing, contains several hun- dred volumes of the best reference books in English, history and science. A new stereopticon was purchased recently and is now nicely installed with 500 slides in history, literature, and science. The school
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is supplied with the necessary teaching facilities in all departments, and with the expenditure of a few hundred dollars more for improve- ments will be one of the best equipped in this part of the state.
Athletics have been encouraged though not to excess, and at the present time the basket ball and foot ball teams are practicing daily. A fine school spirit exists among both pupils and patrons. The people of Laclede and community are proud of their school
Linneus School-This handsome building was constructed in the year 1902 at a total cost of $13,500.00, which includes the seating and heating apparatus. It is a much better structure than is usually seen in towns of the size of Linneus, as its plans were drawn with the view to economy, convenience and hygiene, as well as to architectural sym- metry. It is built of pressed brick, with slate roof, and it stands in a commanding position near the center of a four-acre tract at the eastern edge of the city. On the school grounds grow several kinds of forest trees, and ample room is afforded for a commodious and pleasing play- ground for the pupils.
In the basement are the furnace rooms for the steam heating mechanism, toilet rooms, storage closets, etc. The first floor contains three recitation rooms and the chemical laboratory. On the second floor are four commodious recitation rooms. All the rooms are finely lighted by large windows, and the interior walls are finished in soft gray color which is restful to the eyes. Any room in the building may be entered without disturbing the occupants of any other room.
The chemical laboratory is fully equipped with apparatus and chemi- cals for doing the first year's work in elementary chemistry. In the library are over 400 carefully selected volumes. The books are classi- fied and catalogued by the card index system, and a librarian has charge. The library is largely the result of the efforts of a lecture course committee which undertook the work about two years ago.
All the teachers in the high school, and part of them in the "grades" are graduates of a normal school or college. The others are teachers of long experience and recognized ability. We confidently believe that all the teachers in our public schools are fittingly prepared to do most excellent work.
A new course of study which consists of twelve grades has been adopted. Four years will be required to complete the work in the high school. It will consist of four years of history, four years of English, three years of mathematics and one of science, and four years of Latin. The "grade work" will consist of the same amount of work usually alloted to the first eight years of school work.
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The school now has the required number of teachers to do the above work.
Following compose the faculty: E. J. Powell, superintendent ; Anna R. Miller, English and history; Eolean Berger, Latin and mathe- matics ; Susie C. Ormiston, assistant Latin and music; Minnie Trippeer, seventh and eighth grades; May Belle D. Symons, fifth and sixth grades; Susie V. Betson, third and fourth grades; Martha E. Dryden, first and second grades.
Members of the school board: A. W. Mullins, A. J. Betson, H. E. Symons, W. B. McGregor, G. W. Anderson and W. E. Forman.
The colored students have a comfortable and commodious frame building in the western part of the city. The instructor is Mary Frazier.
Purdin School-In the midst of one of the most fertile spots of Linn county is situated the city of Purdin. It has all of the environ- ment for a progressive town, and its people have taken the advantage of every opportunity to make it the best town of its size in the state.
In the southern portion of the city, away from the noise of the business section, stands the public school building. It is surrounded by the large and well arranged baseball, football, basketball courts and other games are indulged in, much to the pleasure and the profit of students.
The purpose and aim of the school is to do the very best work in the course it undertakes. The course of the Purdin school is better than ever before. It affiliates with the large schools of the county and receives from them a credit for all the work done. The working library includes cyclopaedias and reference works, and supplementary work for every class in every grade.
The students of the upper grades, and those of the high school, have formed themselves into a literary society which meets semi- monthly in the public school building. The teachers are honorary mem- bers and attend all meetings.
Purdin school has non-residents, about one-half of whom drive from their homes each day, while the weather is good.
The graduating class of 1912 consists of a body of students, a num- ber of whom came especially for the advanced work which is being offered. On the whole, a more enthusiastic body of students cannot be found in the county. Purdin people are justly proud of their public school.
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COUNTY SPELLING MATCH
An unusually interesting feature in connection with the public school work was a county spelling match, held at Laclede, April 26. This was a part of a plan, statewide in its scope, to find the best speller among the public school students of the state. While the fact that there was going to be a spelling campaign was duly announced by the state school authorities, yet the papers containing the rules and other neces- sary information concerning the contest did not reach County Superin- tendent E. L. Joyce until late in February. This cut the time of prepar- ation very short. Other counties had been able to begin their township and district matches in December. However, Mr. Joyce immediately began on the big undertaking of finding Linn county's champion speller. Local matches were held at various places, and finally some thirty con- testants appeared for the county match at Laclede. The contestants were pretty equally divided as between boys and girls. The spelling was confined to the adopted text book, the words being all written by the contestants. During the three hours of the match something like 1,000 words were given. The champion was "Jack" Rummell, a pupil in the first ward or Hickman school, Brookfield. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Rummell, and was only 14 at the time of the match. In winning the county and district match "Jack" received two good suits of clothes as prizes. His record was perfect in both matches.
Ruth Benson, aged fourteen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gus Ben- son, received the second prize at the county match, a handsome spring jacket. She is a student of the Warner district school.
Considering the extremely bad weather, the shortness of the notice and the immensity of the undertaking, Mr. Joyce expressed the opinion that the schools made an excellent showing. He says that the spelling campaign created enthusiasm in every town and district, and was very beneficial on the general school work. However, in order that a county spelling match may be had with more deliberateness, and under more favorable circumstances, he has in mind the holding of another one at a convenient season, possibly in the spring of 1913.
"I heartily approve of any plan designed to increase interest in spelling," said Mr. Joyce, "and I believe that spelling contests are always productive of increased interest in school work generally. Good spelling always goes with a good education."
CHAPTER XIII
The Press of Linn County-In 1875 There Were But Two Papers-In 1912 There Are Eleven-High Character of Publications-H. J. Wigginton on "Journalism"-Bishop Marvin's Terse Description of a Friend-Faults of Some Newspaper Men-Sketch of Linn County's First Publisher-A Pioneer Editor and Printer-Worked Alongside of "Mark Twain"-Went on a "Frolic" That Lasted Four Years-Original Country Correspondent Lives in Linn County-Reported Sensational Murder Case-The Brookfield Ga- zette-The Linneus Bulletin-The Linn County News-The Linn County Budget-The Brookfield Argus-Marceline Papers (See History Marceline).
According to an old history of Linn county there were but two papers in the county in 1875, the Linneus Bulletin and the Brookfield Gazette. The former was established by Thomas E. Brawner in 1859, and the latter paper by R. Channing Moore on April 23, 1867. Both papers are in successful operation today under their original names. But there are more competitors in the field now. In Brookfield there are the Gazette, Argus and Budget. In Linneus the Bulletin and the Linn County News. In Marceline are the Mirror and the Journal. Then there are the Bucklin Herald, the Laclede Blade, the Meadville Messenger and the Browning Leader-Record-eleven in all.
These papers evidence the growth of the county, and reflect the enterprise and ambition of the people. Nearly all of them were started under primitive conditions, and lived for years on hope, a hope that has been abundantly realized by those who worked and waited with patience.
The Linn county press stands at the head of its profession. No- where in the west are there more ably edited or better printed papers. Brookfield and Linneus have set the pace for handsome typographical arrangement in their papers, and the press of the other towns have followed. The truth is, there are few metropolitan newspapers that equal the mechanical style of the Linn county publications. The printer who examines them will readily admit that.
Not long since H. J. Wigginton, editor and publisher of the Linneus
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Bulletin, wrote an editorial on journalism, which so well illustrates the idea of the profession in Linn county that some extracts are reproduced here :
"I wish to say by way of introduction, that the people of Linn county are a reading people, intelligent, prosperous and happy. In addition to their liberal patronage of libraries, periodicals and the daily press, they give substantial support to eleven weekly newspapers, and recognize them as valuable factors in the promotion of the common good. Concerning the profession of journalism, I take pleasure in here presenting the following opinions :
"There is dignity in all honest labor, commensurate with its use- fulness to humanity. That journalism is labor can be proved by a host of witnesses experienced in the profession. There is not, perhaps, a member of the profession in Linn county who would not modestly admit that it is honest labor and that two of the leading characteristics of the journalists are honesty and truthfulness. In none of life's avoca- tions are the truth and purity of one's words more safely guarded than in the field of journalism. The orator may change the color of former utterances. The talebearer may flatly deny, the pulpit, in the absence of a reporter, may escape rigid adverse judgment, but the journalist, by means of the 'art preservative,' puts his opinions down in black and white to stand the scrutiny of friend and foe alike.
"From the printed page there is no appeal. All journalists well understand the meaning of that old hero of sacred history who, when pressed hard by his accusing enemy, and seeking some means of re- course, cried out in bitter extremity of soul, 'O, that mine enemy would write a book!'
"It is dangerous for bad men to write books or issue newspapers. Type cannot afford to lie. When it does, the evil consequences recoil upon its own head. I believe that in most cases when the journalist lowers the dignity of his profession by misrepresentation or otherwise, the fault is of the judgment and not the heart. In this fact alone, how- ever, there is little comfort; because successful journalism is born of the virtues of both heart and head. Industry, honesty and truthfulness are invaluable material in the temple of journalistic dignity, but they alone can never make a journalist. Combine them with common sense, keen discernment and discretion, and a heart that beats in sympathy with the great heart of struggling humanity, and you will have a tower of dignity and strength against which the prince of error himself cannot prevail.
"Bishop Marvin, in speaking of the virtues of a friend, once said:
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'He is as good as he knows how to be, and he knows how as well as any man God ever made.' The knowing how accounted, perhaps, for the biggest end of the goodness. The journalist must know the real dignity and worth of his work, and he must know how to impress them upon the community in which his paper circulates.
"There are some country newspapers that insist upon putting the profession before their readers in the attitude of a hugh joke. They prate about the journal's lack of veracity, of his half-clothed, half- starved condition until many of their readers actually believe that the whole profession is made up of liars and mendicants. I once saw the following in an exchange: 'Friends, a little help would be appreciated very much-can't you bring us some sweet potatoes or corn An editor once choked himself to death trying to eat grass.'
"Such pleas are painfully pathetic; only because of the utter fail- ure of their attempt to be humorous. The sooner this style of journal- ism 'chokes down on grass' the better for the profession. Published appeals to delinquents for pay in either cash or produce are in bad taste, especially if persisted in. They usually annoy the good patron more than the class for whom they are intended, and they also make the business appear cramped and unstable. It is true that no man un- der heaven comes nearer earning one hundred cents on the dollar for his time and investment than does the faithful country journalist; but he should collect those earnings in a businesslike way, by individual statements, and without afflicting his paper with a perpetual begging for that which is due him.
"Another menace to the dignity of the press is its too frequent abuse of its privilege to compliment and censure. We forget that every editorial opinion should bear upon its face the stamp of cool, deliberate thought and earnest, honest conviction; and that for neither love nor money can an editor afford to let the sincerity of his opinions be ques- tioned. We forget that there is lack of dignity in flattery. Every com- pliment unworthily bestowed by a journalist weakens his power to com- pliment the worthy. The journalist who persists in 'roasting' those whose rights to differ from him he holds in question, soon paralyzes the power of his own pen to do further injury, and, if he escapes the shot- gun, falls a victim to the venom of his own words. There is beauty in dignified discussion; but newspaper quarrels are detestable. Bitter words and harsh insinuations indicate jealousies and kindred weak- nesses. Such journalism is self-destructive and on the decline. With the coming age of journalistic schools, such as we have now at the Missouri University, let us hope that it will become practically extinct.
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The true journalist enters bravely and heartily into the work of assist- ing humanity onward and upward and speaks his words of courage and counsel from a sympathetic and generous heart. He recognizes the fact that the lives of individuals and nations are moulded by the quality of their thinking; and that it is the high privilege of the journalist to train the tastes of his readers away from the morbid contemplation of life's dark pictures and help them to see the beauties and the glories of the bright side of things. With his pen he draws the pictures that are to be ideal suggestions to young and old alike. He begins with the impressible mind of the child and continues to influence its thought until, dim-eyed with age, it lays aside its glasses to listen with eager ear while children and grandchildren read aloud to him the family newspaper. It is an influence that reaches from life's opening dawn unto its evening twilight.
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