USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland, (Vol. 1) > Part 56
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Julia Butler, the boys primary and Caroline Belden the girls. The Bethel School (ungraded) at the corner of Vineyard and James streets, F. J. Blair taught the boys and Maria Shildon the girls. There was a primary school at the corner of Prospect and Ontario of fifty-five boys and girls, which was taught by Eliza Johnson, and another primary school with forty-six pupils on Chestnut Street for both boys and girls.
Mr. Freese gives a daily program of one of the schools by reason of showing the routine in 1840:
A. M.
1. Scripture Reading.
2. English Reader Class.
3. Porters' Rhetorical Reader Class.
4. Historical Reader Class.
5. Angell's No. 2 Reader Class.
6. Smith's Geography Class.
7. RECESS
8. Second Class in Smith's Geography.
9. Class in Parley's History of the United States.
10. Smith's Grammar Class.
11. Second Class in Spelling.
12. First Class in Spelling.
P. M.
1. Historical Reader Class.
2. Angell's No. 2 Reader Class.
3. Class in Kirkham's Grammar.
4 .Class in Adams Arithmetic.
5. First Class in Smith's Arithmetic.
6. RECESS
7. Second Class in Smith's Arithmetic.
8. Third Class in Smith's Arithmetic.
9. Class in Algebra.
10. Class in Natural Philosophy.
11. First Class in Spelling.
Soon after this the School Board or Board of School Managers, as they were then called, prescribed a uniform list of text books for each grade. The reform in school furniture did not come then. There was the same two long lines of long seats around the room a short distance from the wall, the rear ones having no backs and the front ones having no fronts. It was not until 1845 that the two-seated pine desks were introduced. These in form practically as we have them today were a great improve- ment as they provided a comfortable seat and a desk for books and papers. The salaries of the male principals were $10 a week, and the week consisted of five and a half days. Until 1846 no other important changes occurred, the Board of Managers were bending their efforts to take care of the ever increasing number of "scholars," by renting and equipping rooms, wherever they could be secured. Some of these were not of the best. It is related that in the growing school in the South, conducted by Booker Washington, in order to provide room, a building,
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THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
that had been used as a chicken house, was commandeered. The colored custodian was directed to clean it out and put in desks. "What's that," said he, "clean out a hen house in the daytime."
In this year of 1846 Mayor Hoadley recommended the establishing of a high school composed of the best scholars of the common schools. Many citizens opposed the plan. They held that the city council had no power to establish such a school and further it was maintained that it was wrong to tax the people for higher education. Arguments in the city council and about town were very heated and continuous, but the high school idea prevailed. The council acted and the basement of a church on Prospect Street was rented for the new academic department and Andrew Freese, principal of the Prospect School, was chosen as principal. The high school was opened July 1, 1846, but it was a school for boys only. In the spring of the next year, however, a girls department was opened. The cost of operating the new departure was $900 the first year, the salary of the principal being fixed at $400 and that of his assistant $250. In the year 1852 another assistant was added and the girls department had grown with the rest. Much credit is due Mr. Freese for the success of this first high school in Cleveland, but a large measure must be given to the boys under him and no doubt to the girls as well. They were a particularly live bunch. John P. Jones, later Senator Jones of Nevada, and Lucius Fairchild (Wisconsin) and others, who became noted in vari- ous fields of endeavor, were among them. The pupils aided in buying philosophical apparatus, bought the material and themselves built a small brick laboratory, and made some of the apparatus for use in the school. They published a well edited monthly called the "School Boy," and all these things did much toward breaking down the prejudice against the high school.
More room was the cry in 1850 and the agitation for new buildings began. The next year the Brownell schoolhouse was built and the year following opened for use with E. E. White as principal. This was immediately filled and more room was needed. A providential wind blew off the roof and this gave the school authorities the idea of adding another story, which they did, and so came into form the first three-story school building in Cleveland. This building was sold in 1863. In 1852 the Mayflower School was opened in a small frame building at Mayflower and Orange streets. Three-fourths of the pupils were Bohemian and could speak but little English, but they learned rapidly by associating with the English speaking children as well as in the class room. In 1854 a three-story brick schoolhouse was built at this locality and with a seating capacity of 500. Five years later this building was enlarged to seat 1,000 pupils. The high school had a home of its own, when, on a lot purchased on Euclid, a temporary frame building was erected, which was supplanted in 1856 by a three-story brick schoolhouse, which was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. The supervision of the schools up to this time (1853) had been in the hands of George Willey, a lawyer, Charles Brad- burn, a merchant, and Harvey Rice, the latter from the city council, but the work of these gentlemen was largely a labor of love and without remuneration. The time had come and the increase of the schools and school ennumeration demanded that some one should be especially em- ployed to supervise them.
In May, 1853, R. C. Parsons introduced a resolution in the city council to establish the office of Superintendent of Instruction, the Board of School Managers to make the selection and the council to fix the salary. Andrew Freese was appointed and his salary fixed at $300 per year with the
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understanding that he was to give part time to the work of supervision and continue as principal of the high school. Thus his salary for both jobs amounted to $1,300. The next year the council voted Mr. Freese the full $1,300 with the provision that he give his whole time to the work of supervision. Mr. Freese, the first superintendent of the Cleveland schools, held the position for eight years. The second year Ohio City was annexed to Cleveland. There were then 2,438 pupils of school age in the city, of whom 800 were enrolled in the public schools and 200 in church and private schools and apparently the balance had either finished their education or had not commenced it. Penn Street School enrolled 195, Universalist Church School 162, Vermont Street 54, Seminary Building 107. Three of these schools were housed in buildings owned by the city. Soon after the annexation of Ohio City, three school buildings were built on the West Side. Pearl, Hicks and Kentucky school buildings were all finished in 1854, and at a cost of $7,000. All the schools of the West Side were transferred to the new buildings.
The West Side Central School, an advanced common school, was transferred to the upper story of the Kentucky Street School. The rivalry that existed between Ohio City and Cleveland was inherited by the schools, and this West Side school, after the union of the two municipalities, wanted to be a high school and on an equality with the East Side High School. As the law only provided for one high school, the city council got around the problem by making this a branch of the high school. It was called the Branch High School, but it was absolutely independent and the mild evasion of the law was not attacked. Like the boy, who when challenged with fraud because he was selling cold pies and calling them hot, responded that "that was the name of them," so the West Side people responded that the "Branch" High School was the name of it. In 1859 the board of managers appointed by the city council was replaced by a board of education, elected by the people. The first board of educa- tion consisted of Charles Bradburn, Allyn Maynard, Charles S. Reese, William H. Stanley, F. B. Pratt, Nathan P. Payne, J. A. Thome, W. P. Fogg, Lester Hayes, Daniel P. Rhodes, and George H. Vaughn.
This board had control of the schools on both sides of the river and they soon began to take on the form and general character that has, with enlarged and multiplied opportunities, continued until the present time. Cleveland had a school superintendent before it had an elective board of education, but Mr. Freese continued for two years after the elected and larger board came into being. His work in the high school before, as well as his work as superintendent, made him popular as the school head. When the new board took office, there had been marked advance in the schools. There was the East High School on the east side and the West High School on the west side. Music and drawing had been in- troduced. The grading had been carried out in the grammar and primary grades. The kindergarten, manual training, and much more was yet to come. The Civil war came and many graduates of the Cleveland schools . went to the front, that is many in line for graduation.
After the war East Cleveland was annexed to the city, and, as we have said, the high school was continued as before, adding a third high school to Cleveland, then Newburgh was annexed and a fourth high school came in, to be a part of the school system of Greater Cleveland. L. M. Oviatt succeeded Mr. Freese in 1861 as superintendent, and after two years, Anson Smythe, who had been State Superintendent of Schools, held the office for four years. He was succeeded by Andrew J. Rickoff, whose long service in the office, during which time the population of the
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THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
city advanced at a rapid rate, is interesting history. Central High outgrew its accommodations and the present site, then Wilson Avenue, but now East Fifty-fifth Street, was secured and a building erected that was pointed to as a model of school architecture. The general arrangement of the building originated with Superintendent Rickoff, whose plans were carried into practical effect by Capt. Levi Schofield, who was the architect. It was dedicated December 3, 1878. The Normal School had been estab- lished four years before.
In 1880 under Superintendent Rickoff there was an attendance of nearly 23,000 pupils, distributed as follows: Bolton 384, Brownell 1,682, Case 1,333, Charter Oak 125, Clark 251, Crawford 38, Detroit 518, Dun- ham 68, Eagle 381, Euclid 216, Fairmount 287, Garden 227, Gordon 217, Hicks 833, Independence 40, Kentucky 934, Kinsman 157, Lovejoy 60, Madison 153, Marion 44, Mayflower 1,303, Meyer 69, North 630, Orchard 1,482, Outhwaite 1,834, Quincy 124, Ridge 42, Rockwell 1,160, St. Clair 1,087, South 161, Sterling 1,508, Tremont 1,196, Union Mills 211, Wade 973, Walnut 726, Warren 772, Woodland 75, York 52. There were sixty-five pupils in the Normal School, 747 in Central High, and 211 in West High. Out of a total of 394 teachers, two were in the Normal School, seventeen in Central High and nine in West High. The salary of the superintendent was $3,000, of the principal of Central High $2,400, West High $2,000, Normal School $2,100, and the salary of teachers ranged from $400 to $625. There were special teachers receiving more. At this time Z. P. Taylor was principal of Central High School, J. H. Shultz of West High, and Oliver Arey of the Normal School. There were two districts and H. M. James was supervising principal of the first, and L. W. Day (afterwards superintendent) was supervising principal of the second.
Twenty years after this period William J. Akers wrote a book on the Cleveland schools, which he dedicated to the memory of Charles Brad- burn, to whom, as he said, "more than to any other man the Cleveland schools owe their present greatness." Mr. Bradburn was not an instructor but as a citizen, as a member of the city council, as a member of the school board, through periods of opposition and obstruction, he labored always for the advancement of the schools. The book is entitled "Cleveland Schools in the Nineteenth Century." Mr. Bradburn, as the first president or head of the board of managers chosen in 1841, looked after the busi- ness interests of the schools, but George Willey gave his attention to the educational work of the schools. Both men gave much of their time through a period of nearly twenty years. To quite an extent in later years the board of education as constituted has not been given to fre- quent changes, many of its members serving for long periods.
Of the school superintendents before the beginning of the twentieth century, Andrew J. Rickoff, who served for fifteen years, left the most lasting impression. He was recognized as a leading educator all over the country. He was a great organizer. He abolished the separate divi- sions for boys and girls, organized a normal school, and prepared a course of study providing a specific work, for each term, in each study. This was adopted by the board and revised from time to time. He created the office of supervising principals. Their duties were to have a general oversight as to methods of instruction under the direction of the super- intendant, settlement of cases of discipline, the rendering of needed infor- mation to parents and the general public, the establishment and enforce- ment of rules for the preservation of good order about the school build- ings, the establishment of proper classification in all the grades, and the
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CUYAHOGA COUNTY AND
transferring from grade to grade. They also gave half of their time to teaching. In April, 1868, a new school law was enacted, which gave the board of education control of all moneys raised for school purposes. Previous to this time authority of the city council was necessary in prac- tically all expenditures. The new law abolished the board of visitors, which was like the "school committee" of Colonial days, but in the development of a great school system it fell by the wayside as a very inadequate and insipid method of supervision.
In the school year of 1869-70, the study of German was first intro- duced in the schools. It began in the schools of the fourth, sixth, and eleventh wards, these wards containing the largest German population. Previous to this time the study of music had made but little progress, being confined to the schools where the teachers were competent to take it up. It was now decided to make instruction in music a daily lesson.
ANDREW J. RICKOFF
N. Coe Stewart was employed to take charge of this department. His method was not to divide his time in an attempt to reach the pupils in each room direct, but to teach the teachers, usually out of school hours, at teachers' meetings. It amounted to a normal music class. He in this way directed the teaching of music to 8,000 pupils by 160 teachers. Mr. Stewart became a well known figure in the schools of Cleveland. During school hours he taught pupils, direct, in the high schools and in the higher classes of the German schools. It may be mentioned that Mrs. N. Coe Stewart, the wife, was well known in musical circles of the city, and the popular winter courses of concerts organized by her and most successfully conducted, particularly those held in Music Hall, are a vivid and pleasant memory. The burning of that historic building sad- dened many hearts.
Superintendent Rickoff was the first to employ women as principals in the schools. In his annual report for the school year of 1870-71 he says : "It can not be denied that our schools are more efficiently governed and more thoroughly taught than when there was a man at the head of every house. The improvement in the respect and attention paid by the older pupils to their teachers is remarkable. Classes of boys, corresponding to some that in times past drove one principal after another from his post,
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THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
are today so quiet, orderly and studious that it is often wondered that their predecessors should have ever given any trouble. This is true, not of one school alone, but of every school formerly distinguished for its insubordination. What physical force failed to control, subtler influences have completely mastered. It might be supposed, as indeed it has some- times been asserted, that the more equitable and thorough government of the schools today is owing to greater watchfulness on the part of the superintendent and his assistants to check the first signs of insubordination in the senior classes, and to the greater severity exercised in cases of discipline; but the fact is that fewer scholars of the advanced grades are referred to the office, and that less rigor is necessary than formerly."
In this year Miss Harriet L. Keeler and Miss Kate Stephan were appointed special supervisors of the two lower primary grades, and Alexander Forbes, who had been serving as supervising principal, retired, leaving two male supervisors, Henry James and L. W. Day. In the year following the East High School came in with the annexation of East Cleveland and with it two who became prominent in the history of the Cleveland school, Elroy M. Avery, who was acting as superintendent of the East Cleveland schools and Mrs. Avery, who was principal of the high school. It is said that when Mrs. Avery became a successful candi- date for member of the Cleveland School Board, her campaign was initiated and managed by her former pupils, grown to manhood, who went into the campaign with a vigor and directness that nothing could withstand. The enrollment in the Central High School, S. G. Williams as principal, reached over 300 and the agitation began for the new building referred to in a previous paragraph.
The Normal School was placed on a firm foundation in 1874, when Theodore Forbes, who had previously declined the appointment on account of ill health, was elected principal. The graduating class of twenty-six young women were all given positions in the Cleveland schools as teachers with the exception of Miss Lina E. Jean, a colored graduate, who took a position in the colored high school at Washington, District of Columbia. Special teachers were soon employed in the Normal School, including Mrs. Rebecca D. Rickoff, wife of the superintendent of instruction. M. G. Watterson, president of the School Board and afterwards county treasurer, in his published report at the close of the school year in 1875, gave the total value of school property at nearly $1,400,000. Superintendent Rickoff supervised a fine exhibit of the work of the schools, which was prepared and sent to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. Several medals were awarded and the exhibit received favorable comment over the land.
In this centennial year the superintendent promulgated a set of revised rules for the government of the schools, which were very complete, cover- ing every phase of the school system and including some very progressive requirements, that have become as fixed in the government of the schools as are principles enunciated in the Ordinance of 1787 and the Constitu- tion, in civil government. They were sixty-six in number. Many were in advance of the ideas that had prevailed for a century. Number thirty- four recites : "In inflicting corporal punishment (which should be re- sorted to only in case of extreme necessity arising from flagrant and persistent disobedience), no other instrument than a common rod or whip shall be employed, and all cases of such punishment shall be re- ported to the superintendent, according to the form and requirement of blanks, to be furnished by him for the purpose. No. 36-"No proper school work shall be exacted as a punishment." No. 39-"No donations shall be called for or permitted by the teachers in any of the schools of
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CUYAHOGA COUNTY AND
this city from the pupils for any purpose whatever, unless specially au- thorized by the board of education." No. 60-"Whenever, on due in- quiry and investigation, it shall appear to the supervising principal of a district that the attendance of any pupil, either by reason of incorrigibility or immoral conduct, is pernicious to the interests of the school of which he is a member, the supervising principal shall refer the case in full to the superintendent of instruction, stating the reasons which may have led him to that conclusion, and at the same time he shall notify the parent of said reference to the superintendent, thereupon, the superintendent may, on conference with the parent, transfer the said pupil to the Unclassified school, if no objection be made by the parent; but if objection be made, it shall be the duty of the superintendent to submit the case with all the necessary information pertaining thereto, to the committee on discipline, who shall, at their discretion, return the pupil back to the school from which he came, for further trial, assign him to the Unclassified school, or report him to the Board for expulsion, as they may deem best." .
The rules reciting the duties as to care of school rooms and school grounds were very complete and drastic as applied to the janitors. No. 10-provided as follows: "Whenever any text book is adopted by the Board to the exclusion of another already in use, it shall be obligatory on the part of the publisher, or his agent, to exchange the former for the latter, for the period of two months, without cost to those pupils who have been provided with the latter; and it shall be the duty of the super- intendent and the principal to see that this condition is fulfilled." Another rule was incorporated which did away with the suspense attending the delay in electing teachers. Many times in the past, after the close of the school year, teachers were in doubt as to their engagement for the follow- ing year, and the uncertain tenure of their positions cast a menacing cloud over the vacation season that should have been a time of rest and recuper- ation. This rule was No. 26-"The teachers of the public schools shall be elected by the Board of Education annually, at its last regular meeting previous to the close of the schools for the summer vacation, and shall hold their positions for one year unless sooner removed by the Board."
The present public library, now grown to such mammoth proportions and soon to be housed in a structure for the main library on Superior Avenue, that will be one of the finest in the land, is an outgrowth of the Cleveland public school system. It began with a free public library in 1868. The board of education fitted up a room adjoining the rooms of the superintendent of instruction in Northrop and Harrington's Block on Superior Street. Books of the school library and new books, purchased, amounting to over 6,000 volumes, were placed on the shelves and the library opened to the public February 17, 1869. At the formal opening Stephen Buhrer, mayor of the city, and E. R. Perkins, president of the board of education, addressed the gathered assembly. Mr. Oviatt was installed as librarian. In the first six months 4,000 registered and quali- fied themselves to draw books and during the first year an average of 250 books were drawn daily. The books "embraced the whole range of literature."
In 1880 the Legislature passed a law authorizing the board of educa- tion to elect seven men to take charge of the public library. Under this law the board of education were authorized to regulate the number of assistants, fix salaries and pay the bills. A distinguished library board was selected as follows: Hon. S. J. Andrews, Rev. J. W. Brown, W. F. Hinman, Dr. William Meyer, John Hay, W. J. Starkweather, and Dr. H. McQuiston. Hon. S. J. Andrews was elected president. The number of books drawn this year amounted to 105,339 volumes, a wonderful increase
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THE CITY OF CLEVELAND
in eleven years. At the close of the school year in 1881-82 Superintendent Rickoff retired from the Cleveland schools. The schools had increased in almost a geometric ratio. The school enumeration of the city was nearly 59,000 and there were 27,000 enrolled in the schools. In the high schools there were 1,005. The expenditures amounted to $462,768.65. Publishing houses engaged in the school book trade were interested in the Cleveland schools. There was bitter rivalry. Superintendent Rickoff, who had a great reputation over the country as an educator, who had been super- intendent of the public schools of Cincinnati, then the metropolis of Ohio, and had held various positions of prominence in educational organizations, and was regarded as one of the leading public school men in the country, in connection with William T. Harris, superintendent of the schools of
B. A. HINSDALE
St. Louis, Missouri, and Mark Bailey of Yale College, engaged in the preparation of school text books. The first of these were published in 1879.
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