USA > Missouri > Linn County > The history of Linn county, Missouri. An encyclopedia of useful information > Part 8
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Every year only adds to their popularity, and commends them the more earnestly to the fostering care of our State and National Legislatures, and to the esteem and favor of all classes of our people.
We can hardly conceive of two grander and more potent promoters of civili- zation, than the free school and the free press. They would indeed seem to con- stitute all that was necessary to the attainment of the happiness and intellectual growth of the Republic and all that was necessary to broaden, to liberalize and instruct.
"Tis education forms the common mind ; * * X * * *
" For noble youth there is nothing so meet As learning is, to know the good from ill;
To know the tongues, and perfectly indite, And of the laws to have a perfect skill,
Things to reform as right and justice will,
For honor is ordained for no cause
But to see right maintained by the laws."
All the States of the Union, have in practical operation the public school system, governed in the main by similar laws, and not differing materially in the manner and methods by which they are taught, but none have a wiser, a more liberal and comprehensive machinery of instruction than Missouri. Her school laws since 1839, have undergone many changes, and always for the better, keep-
56
HISTORY OF MISSOURI.
ing pace with the most enlightened and advanced theories of the most experienc- ed educators in the land. But not until 1875, when the new constitution was adopted, did her present admirable system of public instruction go into effect.
Provisions were made not only for white, but for children of African descent, and are a part of the organic law, not subject to the caprices of unfriendly legisla- tures, or the whims of political parties. The Lincoln Institute, located at Jeffer- son City, for the education of colored teachers, receives an annual appropriation from the General Assembly.
For the support of the public schools, in addition to the annual income de- rived from the public school fund, which is set apart by law, not less than twenty- five per cent. of the State revenue, exclusive of the interest and sinking fund, is annually applied to this purpose.
The officers having in charge the public school interests, are the State "Board of Education;" the State Superintendent; County Superintendent ; County Clerk and Treasurer ; Board of Directors; City and Town School Board ; and Teacher. The State Board of Education is composed of the State Superin- tendent, the Governor, Secretary of State and the Attorney General, the execu- tive officer of this Board, being the State Superintendent, who is chosen by the people every four years. His duties are numerous. He renders decisions con- cerning the local application of school law ; keeps a record of all the school funds and annually distributes the same to the counties; supervises the work of county school officers ; delivers lectures; visits schools; distributes educational informa- tion ; grants certificates of higher qualifications; and makes an annual report to the General Assembly of the condition of the schools.
The County Superintendents are also elected by the people for two years. Their work is to examine teachers, to distribute blanks and make reports. Coun- ty clerks receive estimates from the local directors and extend them upon the tax-books. In addition to this, they keep the general records of the county and township school funds, and return an annual report of the financial condition of the schools of their county to the State Superintendent. School taxes are gather- ed with other taxes by the county collector. The custodian of the school funds belonging to the schools of the counties, is the county treasurer, except in coun- ties adopting the township organization, in which case, the township trustee discharges these duties.
Districts organized under the special law for cities and towns are governed by a board of six directors, two of whom are selected annually, on the second Sat- urday in September, and hold their office for three years.
One director is elected to serve for three years in each school district, at the annual meeting. These directors may levy a tax not exceeding forty per cent. on the one hundred dollars valuation, provided such annual rates for school purposes may be increased in districts formed of cities and towns, to an amount not to ex- ceed one dollar on the hundred dollars valuation ; and in other districts to an amount not to exceed sixty five cents on the one hundred dollars valuation, on the condi- tion that a majority of the voters who are tax-payers, voting at an election held to decide the question, vote for said increase. For the purpose of erecting public buildings in school districts, the rates of taxation thus limited, may be increased when the rate of such increase and the purpose for which it is intended shall have been submitted to a vote of the people, and two-thirds of the qualified voters of such school district voting at such election shall vote therefor.
Local directors may direct the management of the school in respect to the choice of teachers and other details, but in the discharge of all important business, such as the erection of a school house or the extension of a term of school beyond the constitutional period, they simply execute the will of the people. The clerk of this board may be a director. He keeps a record of the names of all the chil- dren and youth in the district between the ages of five and twenty-one; records
AN INDIAN CAMP.
58
HISTORY OF MISSOURI.
all business proceedings of the district, and reports to the annual meeting, to the County Clerk and County Superintendents.
Teachers must hold a certificate from the State Superintendent or County Commissioner of the county where they teach. State certificates are granted upon personal written examinations in the common branches, together with the natural sciences and higher mathematics. The holder of such certificate may teach in any public school of the State without further examination. Certificates granted by County Commissioners are of two classes, with two grades in each class. Those issued for a longer term than one year, belong to the first class and are suscepti- ble of two grades, differing both as to length of time and attainments. Those issued for one year may represent two grades, marked by qualification alone. The township school fund arises from a grant of land by the General Government, consisting of section sixteen in each congressional township. The annual income of the township fund is appropriated to the various townships, according to their respective proprietary claims. The support from the permanent funds is supple- mented by direct taxation laid upon the taxable property of each district. The greatest limit of taxation for the current expenses is one per cent. ; the tax per- mitted for school-house building cannot exceed the same amount.
Among the institutions of learning and ranking, perhaps, the first in impor- tance, is the State University located at Columbia, Boone county. When the State was admitted into the Union, Congress granted to it one entire township of land (46,080 acres) for the support of "A Seminary of Learning." The lands secured for this purpose are among the best and most valuable in the State.' These lands were put upon the market in 1832 and brought $75,000, which amount was invested in the stock of the old bank of the State of Missouri, where it remained and increased by accumulation to the sum of $100,000. In 1839 by an act of the General Assembly, five commissioners were appointed to select a site for the State University, the site to contain at least fifty acres of land in a com- pact form, within two miles of the county seat of Cole, Cooper, Howard, Boone, Callaway or Saline. Bids were let among the counties named and the county of Boone having subscribed the sum of $117,921, some $18,000 more than any other county, the State University was located in that county, and on the 4th of July, 1840, the corner-stone was laid with imposing ceremonies.
The present annual income of the University is nearly $65,000. There are still unsold about 200,000 acres of land from the grant of 1862. The donations to the institutions connected therewith amount to nearly $400,000. This Uni- versity with its different departments, is opened to both male and female and both sexes enjoy alike its rights and privileges. Among the professional schools, which form a part of the University, are the Normal, or College of Instruction in Teaching; the Agricultural and Mechanical College; the School of Mines and Metallurgy ; the College of Law; the Medical College; and the Department of Analytical and Applied Chemistry. . Other departments are contemplated and will be added as necessity requires.
The following will show the names and locations of the schools and institu- tion of the State as reported by the Commissioner of Education in 1875 :
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES.
Christian University Canton.
St. Vincent's College Cape Girardeau.
University of Missouri Columbia.
Central College Fayette.
Westminster College . Fulton.
Lewis College Glasgow.
Pritchett School Institute
, Glasgow.
Lincoln College Greenwood.
59
HISTORY OF MISSOURI ..
Hannibal College . Hannibal.
Woodland College
Independence. Thayer College . . . Kidder.
La Grange College La Grange.
William Jewell College . Liberty.
Baptist College . Louisiana.
St. Joseph College St. Joseph.
College of Christian Brothers . St. Louis.
St. Louis University St. Louis.
Washington University St. Louis.
Drury College . Springfield.
Central Wesleyan College Warrenton.
FOR SUPERIOR INSTRUCTION OF WOMEN.
St. Joseph Female Seminary St. Joseph.
Christian College
. Columbia.
Stephens' College
. Columbia.
Howard College . Fayette.
Independence Female College Independence.
Central Female College .
Lexington.
Clay Seminary .
. Liberty.
Ingleside Female College , Palmyra.
Linden Wood College for Young Ladies . St Charles.
Mary Institute (Washington University) St. Louis.
St. Louis Seminary St. Louis.
Ursuline Academy
St. Louis.
FOR SECONDARY INSTRUCTION.
Arcadia College. . Arcadia.
St. Vincent's Academy Cape Girardeau.
Chillicothe Academy Chillicothe.
Grand River College Edinburgh.
Marionville Collegiate Institute Marionville.
Palmyra Seminary Palmyra.
St. Paul's College
. Palmyra.
Van Rensselaer Academy Rensselaer.
Shelby High School Shelbyville.
Stewartville Male and Female Seminary Stewartsville.
SCHOOLS OF SCIENCE.
Missouri Agricultural and Mechanical College (University of Missouri) . Columbia. Schools of Mines and Metallurgy (University of Missouri) . Columbia.
Polytechnic Institute (Washington University) . . St. Louis.
SCHOOLS OF THEOLOGY.
St. Vincent's College (Theological Department) Cape Girardeau.
Westminster College (Theological School) . . Fulton
Vardeman School of Theology (William Jewell College) Liberty.
Concordia College St. Louis.
SCHOOLS OF LAW.
Law School of the University of Missouri . . Columbia. Law School of the Washington University St. Louis.
60
HISTORY OF MISSOURI.
SCHOOLS OF MEDICINE.
Medical College, University of Missouri Columbia.
College of Physicians and Surgeons . . St. Joseph.
Kansas City College of Physicians and Surgeons Kansas City.
Hospital Medical College . St. Joseph.
Missouri Medical College . St. Louis.
Northwestern Medical College . St. Joseph.
St. Louis Medical College St. Louis.
Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri St. Louis. Missouri School of Midwifery and Diseases of Women and Children . St. Louis. Missouri Central College . . St. Louis.
St. Louis College of Pharmacy
St. Louis.
LARGEST PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
NAME.
LOCATION
VOLUMES.
St. Vincent's College ..
Cape Girardeau. .
5,500
Southeast Missouri State Normal School ..
Cape Girardeau.
1,225
University of Missouri .
Columbia
10,000
Athenian Society ..
Columbia
1,200
Union Literary Society
ยท Columbia
1,200
Law College. .
Columbia
1,000
Westminster College .
Fulton
5,000
Lewis College .
Glasgow 3,000
Mercantile Library .
Hannibal
2,219
Library Association
Independence 1:100
Fruitland Normal Institute
Jackson .
1,000
State Library .
Jefferson City
13,000
Fetterman's Circulating Library
Kansas City .
1,300
Law Library
Kansas City
3,000
Whittemore's Circulating Library .
Kansas City
1,000
North Missouri State Normal School
Kirksville .
1,050
William Jewell College .
Liberty .
4,000
St. Paul's College
Palmyra
2,000
Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy
Rolla
1,478
St. Charles Catholic Library .
St. Charles
1,716
Carl Frielling's Library
St. Joseph
6,000
Law Library.
St. Joseph.
2,000
Public School Library
. St. Joseph
2,500
Walworth & Colt's Circulating Library
St. Joseph
1,500
Academy of Science
St Louis
2,744
Academy of Visitation
St. Louis
4,000
College of the Christian Brothers .
St. Louis
22,000
Deutsche Institute . St. Louis
1,000
German Evang. Lutheran, Concordia College . St. Louis
St. Louis
8,000
Missouri Medical College .
St. Louis
1,000
Mrs. Cuthberts Seminary (Young Ladies) St. Louis
St. Louis
4,000
Public School Library .
St. Louis
40,097
St. Louis Medical College
St. Louis
1, 100
St. Louis Mercantile Library .
St. Louis
45,000
St. Louis Seminary .
St. Louis
2,000
St. Louis Turn Verein
St. Louis
2,000
St. Louis University
St. Louis
17,000
4,8co
Law Library Association
1,500
Odd Fellows Library .
61
HISTORY OF MISSOURI.
NAME.
LOCATION.
VOLUMES.
St. Louis University Society Libraries St. Louis
8,000
Ursuline Academy .
St. Louis
2,000
Washington University
St. Louis
4,500
St. Louis Law School .
, St. Louis
3,000
Young Men's Sodality
St. Louis
1,327
Library Association . .
Sedalia .
1,500
Public School Library
Sedalia
1,015
Drury College .
Springfield
2,000
IN 1880.
Newspapers and Periodicals
481
CHARITIES.
State Asylum for Deaf and Dumb . Fulton.
St. Bridget's Institution for Deaf and Dumb St. Louis.
Institution for the Education of the Blind . St. Louis.
State Asylum for Insane
. Fulton.
State Asylum for the Insane
St. Louis.
NORMAL SCHOOLS.
Normal Institute , Bolivar.
Southeast Missouri State Normal School. Cape Girardeau.
Normal School (University of Missouri) Columbia.
Fruitland Normal Institute. . Jackson.
Lincoln Institute (for colored)
Jefferson City.
City Normal School . St. Louis.
Missouri State Normal School . Warrensburg.
IN 1880.
Number of School Children
IN 1878.
Estimated value of School Property . . $8,321,399
Total Receipts for Public Schools . 4,207,617
Total Expenditures . 2,406, 139
NUMBER OF TEACHERS.
Male Teachers . 6,239; average monthly pay . $36.36.
Female Teachers 5,060; average monthly pay 28.09.
The fact that Missouri supports and maintains four hundred and seventy-one newspapers and periodicals, shows that her inhabitants are not only a reading and reflecting people, but that they appreciate " The Press," and its wonderful influ- ence as an educator. The poet has well said :
But mightiest of the mighty means, On which the arm of progress leans,
Man's noblest mission to advance, His woes assuage, his weal enhance,
His rights enforce, his wrongs redress- Mightiest of mighty is the Press.
62
HISTORY OF MISSOURI.
CHAPTER XII.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.
Baptist Church-Its History-Congregational-When Founded-Its History-Christian Church -Its History-Cumberland Presbyterian Church-Its History-Methodist Episcopal Church -Its History-Presbyterian Church-Its History-Protestant Episcopal Church-Its History -United Presbyterian Church-Its History-Unitarian Church-Its History-Roman Cath olic Church-Its History.
The first representatives of religious thought and training, who penetrated the Missouri and Mississippi Valleys, were Pere Marquette, La Salle and others of Catholic persuasion, who performed missionary labor among the Indians. A century afterward came the Protestants. At that early period
" A church in every grove that spread Its living roof above their heads."
constituted for a time, their only house of worship, and yet to them
" No Temple built with hands could vie In glory with its majesty."
In the course of time, the seeds of Protestantism were scattered along the shores of the two great rivers which form the eastern and western boundaries of the State, and still a little later they were sown upon her hill-sides and broad prairies, where they have since bloomed and blossomed as the rose.
BAPTIST CHURCH.
The earliest Anti-Catholic religious denomination, of which there is any record, was organized in Cape Girardeau county in 1806, through the efforts of Rev. David Green, a Baptist, and a native of Virginia. In 1816, the first associa- tion of Missouri Baptists was formed, which was composed of seven churches, all of which were located in the southeastern part of the State. In 1817 a second association of churches was formed, called the Missouri Association, the name being afterwards changed to St. Louis Association. In 1834, a general conven- tion of all the churches of this denomination, was held in Howard County, for the purpose of effecting a central organization, at which time. was commenced what is now known, as the "General Association of Missouri Baptists."
To this body, is committed the State mission work, denominational educa tion, foreign missions and the circulation of religious literature. The Baptist Church has under its control, a number of schools and colleges, the most import- ant of which is William Jewell College, located at Liberty, Clay County. As shown by the annual report for 1875, there were in Missiouri, at that date, sixty- one associations, one thousand four hundred churches, eight hundred and twenty- four ministers and eighty-nine thousand six hundred and fifty church members.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The Congregationalists inaugurated their missionary labors in the State in 1814. Rev. Samuel J. Mills, of Torringford, Connecticut, and Rev. Daniel Smith, of Bennington, Vermont, were sent west by the Massachusetts Congrega- tion Home Missionary Society during that year, and in November, 1814, they preached the first regular Protestant sermons in St. Louis. Rev. Salmon Gid- dings, sent out under the auspices of the Connecticut Congregational Missionary
63
HISTORY OF MISSOURI.
Society, organized the first Protestant church in the city, consisting of ten members, constituted Presbyterian. The churches organized by Mr. Giddings were all Presbyterian in their order.
No exclusively Congregational Church was founded until 1852, when the " First Trinitarian Congregational Church of St. Louis" was organized. The next church of this denomination was organized at Hannibal in 1859. Then followed a Welsh church in New Cambria in 1864, and after the close of the war, fifteen churches of the same order were formed in different parts of the State. In 1866, Pilgrim Church, St. Louis, was organized. The General Conference of Churches of Missouri was formed in 1865, which was changed in 1868, to Gener- al Association. In 1866, Hannibal, Kidder, and St. Louis District Associations were formed, and following these, were the Kansas City and Springfield District Associations. This denomination in 1875, had 70 churches, 41 ministers, 3, 363 church members, and had also several schools and colleges and one monthly newspaper.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
The earliest churches of this denomination were organized in Callaway, Boone and Howard Counties, some time previously to 1829. The first church was formed in St. Louis in 1836 by Elder R. B. Fife. The first State Sunday School Convention of the Christian Church, was held in Mexico in 1876. Be- sides a number of private institutions, this denomination has three State Institu- tions, all of which have an able corps of professors and have a good attendance of pupils. It has one religious paper published in St. Louis, "The Christian," which is a weekly publication and well patronized. The membership of this church now numbers nearly one hundred thousand in the State and is increasing rapidly. It has more than five hundred organized churches, the greater portion of which are north of the Missouri River.
CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
In the spring of 1820, the first Presbytery of this denomination west of the Mis- sissippi, was organized in Pike County. This Presbytery included all the territory of Missouri, western Illinois and Arkansas and numbered only four ministers, two of whom resided at the time in Missouri. There are now in the State, twelve Presbyteries, three Synods, nearly three hundred ministers and over twenty thou- sand members. The Board of Missions is located at St. Louis. They have a number of High Schools and two monthly papers published at St. Louis.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
In 1806, Rev. John Travis, a young Methodist minister, was sent out to the "Western Conference" which then embraced the Mississippi"Valley, from Green County, Tennessee. During that year Mr. Travis organized a number of small churches. At the close of his conference year, he reported the result of his labors to the Western Conference, which was held at Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1870, and showed an aggregate of one hundred and six members and two circuits, one called Missouri and the other Meramec. In 1808, two circuits had been formed, and at each succeeding year the number of circuits and members constantly in- creased, until 1812, when what was called the Western Conference was divided into the Ohio and Tennessee Conferences, Missouri falling into the Tennessee Conference. In 1816, there was another division when the Missouri Annual Con- ference was formed. In 1810, there were four traveling preachers and in 1820, fifteen traveling preachers, with over 2,000 members. In 1836, the territory of the Missouri Conference was again divided when the Missouri Conference includ- ed only the State. In 1840 there were 72 traveling preachers, 177 local ministers and 13,992 church members. Between 1840 and 1850, the church was divided
64
HISTORY OF MISSOURI.
by the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1850, the mem. bership of the M. E. Church was over 25,000, and during the succeeding ten years the church prospered rapidly. In 1875, the M. E. Church reported 274 church edifices and 34,156 members; the M. E. Church, South, reported 443 church edifices and 49,588 members. This denomination has under its control several schools and colleges and two weekly newspapers.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The Presbyterian Church dates the beginning of their missionary efforts in the State as far back as 1814, but the first Presbyterian Church was not organized until 1816 at Bellevue settlement eight miles from St. Louis. The next churches were formed in 1816 and in 1817 at Bonhomme, Pike County. The First Pres- byterian Church was organized in St. Louis in 1817, by Rev. Salmon Giddng. The first Presbytery was organized in 1817 by the Synod of Tennessee with four ministers and four churches. The first Presbyterian house of worship (which was the first Protestant) was commenced in 1719 and completed in 1826. In 1820 a mission was formed among the Osage Indians. In 1831, the Presbytery was divided into three : Missouri, St. Louis and St. Charles. These were erected with a Synod comprising eighteen ministers and twenty-three churches.
The church was divided in 1838, throughout the United States. In 1860 the rolls of the Old and New School Synods together showed 109 ministers and 146 churches. In 1866 the Old School Synod was divided on political questions springing out of the war-a part forming the Old School, or Independent Synod of Missouri, who are connected with the General Assembly South. In 1870, the Old and New School Presbyterians united, since which time this Synod has stead- ily increased until it now numbers more than 12, 000 members with more than 220 churches and 150 ministers.
This Synod is composed of six Presbyteries and has under its control one or two institutions of learning and one or two newspapers. That part of the origi- nal Synod which withdrew from the General Assembly remained an independent body until 1874 when it united with the Southern Presbyterian Church. The Synod in 1875 numbered 80 ministers, 140 churches and 9,000 members. It has under its control several male and female institutions of a high order. The St. Louis Presbyterian, a weekly paper, is the recognized organ of the Synod.
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The missionary enterprises of this church began in the State in 1819, when a parish was organized in the City of St. Louis. In 1828, an agent of the Do- mestic and Foreign Missionary Society, visited the city, who reported the condi- tion of things so favorably that Rev. Thomas Horrell was sent out as a missionary and in 1825, he began his labors in St. Louis. A church edifice was completed in 1830. In 1836, there were five clergyman of this denomination in Missouri, who had organized congregations in Boonville, Fayette, St. Charles, Hannibal and other places. 'In 1840, the clergy and laity met in convention, a diocese was formed, a constitution and canons adopted, and in 1844 a Bishop was chosen, he being the Rev. Cicero S. Hawks.
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