Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 47

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048

USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2 > Part 47

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Dr. Charles Woodward, who at the time of his death in 1874 was called the oldest medical practitioner in the city, was a graduate of Prince- ton and the University of Pennsylvania and came to Cincinnati in 1828 where he practiced for 46 years.

Dr. John H. Tate came to Cincinnati in 1853 and was also connected with the college and the hospital. He was regarded as the founder of the library and museum of the latter institu- tion.

Dr. Nathaniel Foster was born in Ireland in 1817 and came to Cincinnati in 1833 to visit his uncle, Dr. John Morehcad. Here he studied medicine and graduated at the Medical College of Ohio in 1838. He subsequently studied in Europe after which he returned to Cincinnati, taking up the practice of Dr. Morehead, who had returned to Ireland. He occupied the same office for nearly forty years. Throughout his life he was a very active practitioner, devoting much of his time to work among the poor. He was connected for many years with the Good Samaritan Hospital. He married in 1853 a daughter of Gen. Robert T. Lytle and Elizabethi Haines and a granddaughter of Gen. William Lytle. He died in 1882.

Dr. Thaddeus A. Reamy, whose name appears in the faculty of the Cincinnati College of Medi- cine and Surgery in 1859, is one of the few survivors of this period still in the practice of his profession. He was born in Virginia in 1829. He studied at the Ohio Wesleyan University and at Starling Medical College. He was elected in 1858 to the professorship just mentioned, which position he held for two years after which he re- turned to Zanesville where he had formerly prac- ticed. It was not until 1871 that he settled per- manently in Cincinnati.

Dr. Alexander S. Dandridge came to Cincin- nati in 1843, where he married the daughter of Jesse Hunt. He practiced his profession here for over forty years.

Dr. C. S. Muscroft was also a well known physician who graduated at the Medical College of Ohio in 1843, after which he engaged in the practice of Medicine in this city, achieving an enviable position.

Cincinnati has always been a center of in- fluence in the Eclectic school of medicine. In 1830 the Reform Medical Society of the United States concluded to establish a school in the West for the purpose of availing themselves of the "advantages resulting from a scientific knowl- edge of botanic medication." The school was cs- tablished at Worthington, Ohio, in 1832 under Prof. T. V. Morrow. It was moved to Cincin- nati in 1842 and received a special charter as the Eclectic Medical Institute in 1845. It went through the period of quarrels and jealousies that had distinguished the founding of the old school institutions and for a time there was a split, resulting in the establishment of the Eclec- tic College of Medicine and Surgery. The two institutions afterwards came together.

One of the most prominent of the Eclectic practitioners for over a third of a century was Dr. Zoheth Freeman, born in Nova Scotia in 1826. He was educated at the Buffalo Medical College and graduated at the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati in 1848. He taught for a time in Rochester, New York and in Memphis, Tennessee, but returned to Cincinnati in 1851 to take a chair in the Eclectic Medical Institute here. From that time until the time of his death, a few years since, he was very active in the practice of his profession. It was said for many years he had one of the largest practices in the city which however was not as remuner- ative as it should have been, as a very large por- tion of his time was given to those who were unable to compensate him for his services. A

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sketch of Dr. Freeman appears in the second part of this work.

His brother, Dr. Edwin Freeman, whose sketch appears in Volume II of this work, came to Cin- cinnati in 1854, where he graduated two years later from the Eclectic Medical Institute. He practiced in this city until the time of the war when he served as a surgeon in the Army of the Potomac and also in Central Kentucky and Tennessee. Ile was also at Vicksburg where he contracted typhoid fever which resulted in his resignation from his service in 1864. At the con- clusion of the war he moved to New York to become a member of the faculty of the Eclectic Medical College in that city. In 1871 hie re- turned to Cincinnati where he remained for 16 years after which his health obliged him to go to California. In 1892 he returned to Cincin- nati, where he practiced until the time of his death in January, 1904.

Another prominent Eclectic was Dr. John King who came to Cincinnati in 1840. He practiced in this city for nine years and again from 1857 until 1800. Drs. A. J. Howe, J. M. Scudder, R. S. Newton, J. R. Buchanan and F. J. Locke were also prominent practitioners of this school.

The pioneer Homeopath in Southern Ohio was Joseph H. Pulte, who was born in Germany in 1811. He graduated at the University of Mar- burg and came to this country in 1834. In 1840 he came to Cincinnati where he opened a private dispensatory. He was very successful, particu- larly during the cholera year of 1849. He as- sociated himself with Dr. Benjamin F. Ehrmann, who came to the city in 1849 and was also for many years a successful practitioner of home- opathy. Other practitioners of this school at this time were Drs. H. P. Gatchell, James G. Hunt, Adolph Bauer, Gerhardt Saal and Edwin C. Witherell.

Dr. William Owens was also for many years a prominent Homeopath. He entered upon the practice of medicine in 1849. He took an active part in the War of the Rebellion, being mustered out as captain in 1863 and afterwards rejoin- ing the army, as assistant surgeon. He was one of the founders of Pulte Medical College.

THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The "Cincinnati Almanac" for 1839 begins its description of the common schools with the state- nient that "the free public schools of Cincinnati are the pride and glory of the city and were never in a more favorable condition than at pres- ent." The same statement is practically reiter-

ated the following year. The nuniber of teachers in.the schools at that time was 66,-25 males and 41 females, -- with an average attendance to each teacher of about 40. The number of pupils en- rolled was 4,480, "of whom three thousand and ninety-seven remained" and twenty-five hundred were in daily attendance. The teachers were said to be persons of "intelligence, morality and refinement" who paid the "strictest attention to the inculcation of sound morals, politeness and the habitual use of chaste and correct language on the part of the pupils." There were nine school houses of uniform size and elegant ap- pearance, 68 feet in length and 40 feet in breadth. Every parent in the city we are told had it in his power without direct expense to himself "to give his children a thorough education in Read- ing, Spelling, Writing, English Grammar, Geog- raphy, History, Astronomy, Arithmetic, includ- ing the higher branches of Mathematics, Natural Philosophy and Political Economy, comprising a complete instruction in all the branches necessary to the useful purposes of life." There were libraries in all the school houses, some contain- ing valuable assortments of books which were circulated and read by the pupils and their friends. Among the trustees and visitors at this time were a number of well known citizens such as Elam l'. Langdon, William Wood, William S. Ridgley, Peyton S. Symmes, Daniel F. Meader, James HI. Looker, Thomas J. Matthews, Charles Sonntag, Joseph Bonsal, James H. Perkins and Nathaniel Holley. Among the examiners and in- spectors were William Greene, E. D. Mansfield, W. IL. McGuffey, John C. Vaughan, Salmon l'. Chase, Jolin Delafield, Jr., and Dr. Aydelott. Almost the first matter of importance that con- fronted the schools was the establishment of a German department as referred to below. In 1842 the night schools, which were authorized by the same law authorizing the German schools, were opened and continued for 15 years. About this time, too, special professors of penmanship were added to the general staff. A discussion that continued for a great many years first at- tracted public attention in 1842. This was with reference to the use of the Protestant Bible in the public schools of the city, which was especial- ly repugnant to the children of those of Catholic faith. As a result the School Board gave direc- tion that in the event of objection children should not be required to read the King James version of the Bible and teachers were instructed to re- frain from giving any sectarian instruction with regard to religious subjects. In October, 1845.

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

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came the first suggestion of a central school for advanced pupils and two years later came the Central High School referred to hereafter, which continued until 1851 when it was merged into Hughes High School. Separate schools for col- ored people were authorized by an act of the Legislature but these soon passed under the con- trol of the School Board.

In 1850 the number of pupils in daily attend- ance was 5,557 with 138 teachers meeting in 14 school houses including the Central High School. There was also a school in the Orphan Asylum under the care of the common school instructors. The number of pupils enrolled in the schools in the year was 12,240 and the youth of the city enumerated between the ages of four and 21 numbered 36,073, of whom 1,069 were colored. At this time in the Catholic parochial schools, 13 in number, 48 teachers taught 4,494 pupils.

By virtue of an act passed March 23, 1850, the public schools obtained for the first time a superintendent, who was elected by the popular vote of the people. The first superintendent elected by the people was Nathan Guilford to whom the city owes so much. He held this po- sition for two years during which time he drew the munificent salary of $500 per annum.

. The president of the School Board during the same period was Bellamy Storer and among the examiners were such men as William Greene, joli B. Stallo, H. H. Barney, Henry Snow, D. Shepardson, Joseph Ray and E. S. Brooks. At the end of Mr. Guilford's term of office Dr. Joseph Merrill was selected but he held his posi- tion but a short time, terminating his connection with the schools by resignation.

THE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL.

An intermediate school was started in 1853 which combined the two highest grades of the district school and in December, 1854, the new school house on Baymiller street was occupied as the First Intermediate School with 547 pupils taken from the Eighth, 11th and 12th districts. The pupils were divided into 12 classes and teachers were assigned to special subjects, that is, one teacher had charge of history, another of geography, another of arithmetic, etc.

In 1854 by virtue of a new law passed in 1853, Andrew J. Rickoff became superintendent of the schools and held this position for 14 years to June 15. 1850. During the same period of time the president of the School Board was the late Rufus King, the citizen whose services were given for many years to the city without com-

pensation and who is justly entitled to recogni- tion as one of the most public spirited men in the history of the community. By the cooperation of Mr. King and Superintendent Rickoff, the schools were raised to a much higher degree of efficiency. A normal class for the purpose , of training teachers was organized in Hughes High School and H. H. Barney became its principal. Although this did not continue for a very long time, it was the forerunner of the Cincinnati Normal School. Superintendent Rickoff, as did his predecessor Mr. Guilford, protested against the memory or verbatim system of recitation by the pupils who were crammed so as to be able to repeat from memory the exact words of their text-books. This was thought to be due to the incompetency of the teachers and the opposition to it was so great as to result in the appointment in 1857 of a special committee selected by the Board of Education to report on the subject. This committee consisted of Drs. C. G. Comegys, R. C. Cox, William B. Davis, William J. Schulz and William H. Harrison. In the report made by them, they complained of the defects of the memory system and urged its eradication from the school.

Mr. Rickoff established a private school in the city in the year 1859, as a result of which he retired from the superintendency of the public schools. He remained however a member of the Board of Examiners for Teachers and finally succeeded Rufus King, upon the latter's retirement, as president of the Board of Educa- tion. Dr. Isaac J. Allen was superintendent for two years and assisted by Dr. Lilienthal urged strongly the so-called objective method of teach- ing. Ile was succeeded in 1861 by Lyman Hard- ing.

In 1858 the number of pupils enrolled in the public schools was 17,685, of whom 10,493 were in attendance. The teachers were 278 in num- ber. In the Catholic parochial schools, including the Catholic high schools, there were 7,750 pupils and 78 teachers. For the year ending June, 1861. 341 teachers were employed in the public schools.

GERMAN IN THE SCHOOLS.

The teaching of German was regularly in- troduced into the schools by the law of March 9, 1840, which made the teaching of German upon proper request compulsory. The first Ger- man and English school was opened in the base- ment of the North German Lutheran Church, now the Third German Protestant Church, on Walnut between Eighth and Ninth. The teacher

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was Joseph A. Heeman. He was succeeded after a few years by Henry Poeppelmann who taught until 1885. A couple of months later in Novem- ber, 1840, another German and English school was opened in the rear of St. John's Church on Sixth street. The Board of Education did not seem to be in entire sympathy with these schools and as a result a meeting of German citizens was held on July 16, 1841, which discussed the at- titude of the board and made certain demands upon it. This seemed to be without effect and as a result an agitation was started in the city by the German citizens to organize a proper German and English school to be supported by contribu- tions. It was also agreed that the attitude of candidates for the State Legislature on this sub- ject should be considered as a test of their avail- ability. The school was started by the Germans in the German Lutheran Church on Walnut street, which soon moved to a house on Main between Woodward and Abigail. This was under the charge of Mr. Heeman. As a result the Board of Education took alarm and soon came to terms. Mr. Heeman however refused to serve under the board and resumed his connec- tion with the Catholic school on 13th street. The election of Dr. Frederick Roelker in 1843 to the Board of Education aided the cause of the Ger- mans very materially and the continued election of various German citizens to the board made certain that German would be treated with proper consideration. About 1849 the so-called German and English schools were abolished and the German department of the various district schools was inaugurated. The Know Nothing agitation of 1852 induced a number of German citizens to investigate the teaching of German and as a re- sult of the defects found another reorganiza- tion took place by which German instruction was entirely separated from English. German was introduced in the high schools by the inaugura- tion of a professorship in 1853-54. (John Schwaab in Schools of Cincinnati.)

PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

The principal private schools and seminaries of these days have been referred to in the ex- tracts from Mr. Cist's volumes. One of the most important of these during this period was the Wesleyan Female College organized in 1842 under the auspices of the Methodist Church. A small house on Ninth street was rented but this was soon found to be too small and the institution was removed to the residence of Jolin Reeves on the north side of Seventh street between

Walnut and Vine, where a new building was es- pecially erected for dormitory purposes. Rev. Perlee B. Wilber was the first principal. The second session of the College opened in the new building in February, 1843. The institution of- fered a six-year course of studies. The number of pupils increased so rapidly that it soon be- came necessary to move once more and a piece of property, the residence of Henry Starr on the west side of Vine between Sixth and Sev- enth running through to College street, was purchased. A building was crected on this suf- ficient to accommodate 500 pupils. This build- ing is now occupied by the printing office of the Enquirer. A familiar illustration of the col- lege at this time is given in Shotwell's "Schools of Cincinnati." In 1851 the institution con- tained 437 pupils and 15 teachers. Rev. Mr. Wilber continued at its head until his death in 1859.

Another institution that was quite successful was the Cincinnati Female Seminary located for a number of years at the southwest corner of Seventh and Mound. This institution in 1851 boasted 100 pupils and five teachers. In connec- tion with it was a calisthenium fitted up with the most approved apparatus designed "to give elegance of carriage, grace of motion and sym- metrical bodily development." It had a museum including a geological cabinet, a herbarium and aquarium and a well selected library. This prop- erty was afterwards sold to the Pulte Medical College.

The Mount Auburn Young Ladies' Institute was founded in 1856 and was located on the beautiful site and in the building now occupied by Christ Hospital. It was at this time under the charge of Rev. E. A. Crawley.

Lyman Harding's School for Girls was located at different times on Broadway between Fourth and Fifth in Day's Building, No. 261 Walnut street, on the south side of Fourth between Race and Elm and on the south side of Fifth between Vine and Walnut.

Another institution for girls was Mrs. Lloyd's Ladies' Seminary which was on the south side of Third between Broadway and Ludlow.

At a little later time, in 1855, Prof. Horatio Wood opened a school for girls on Fourth street between Elm and Plum. Associated with him was Miss Elizabeth H. Appleton afterwards the librarian of the Historical and Philosophical So- ciety of Ohio. This school soon became one of the most successful in the city.

Donald Macleod conducted a school of elo-

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cution for young ladies on Seventh street. Not far from this was a school of Mrs. Alexander Kinmont on the south side of the street between Race and Vine.

Among the boys' schools one of the best known and most successful was the "Academy" of Joseph Herron at which the number of pupils averaged 200. In 1851 there were 242 pupils and 11 teachers in this institution and in 1859 the pupils numbered 160 and instructors, nine. The academy was at that time on the north side of Seventh street between Walnut and Vine. It is described as "being out of the business part of the city and surrounded with fine private resi- dences and shaded by beautiful trees."

Another well known school at which were edu- cated many of the best known men of the city was E. S. Brooks' Classical School for Boys which was on the north side of Fourth between Sycamore and Broadway in the fire company's hall. This school continued for a number of years and was regarded as one of the most suc- cessful in the city. The successor of this school was the well known private school conducted so many years by the former president of the His- torical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, Eu- gene F. Bliss, to whom that society and the city owes so much for his historical work.

Another "High School" was that of R. and H. H. Young located at different times at the southwest corner of Western row and George street, on the south side of Seventh west of Momid and on Plum between Seventh and Eighth.

St. John's College of which Dr. Colton was the principal, the school of Edward Steffens on Bremen street, the Scientific and Classical In- stitution of Edward S. Lippitt in Day's Build- ing on the corner of Walnut street and Gano alley and that of Gustavus Junkerman on Wal- nuit as well as those of Charles E. Matthews and Mrs. Elijah Wright are also mentioned during the "fifties." The last two schools were on the east side of Walnut street, one above Fifth and the other below Fourth.

Chickering's Academy was opened in the fall of 1855 in the hall of the George street engine house between Central avenue and Plum. Josiah B. Chickering who was at the head of this school had been an instructor in grammar in high schools in the East for a number of years and was induced by Miles Greenwood to come to Cincinnati in the antumn of 1852. Ile kept for a time a private school in Avondale. The new academy on George street increased in number

of pupils until it became necessary about four . years later to move to a larger building. A lot on George street between Jolin and Smith was purchased and a two-story brick building erected which was occupied by this school for more than a quarter of a century. During the first year in the new building, 155 pupils were in attendance and the number increased so rapidly that it be- came necessary a little later to add another story. The school was continued by Mr. Chick- ering until his death in 1881 after which time W. H. Venable continued it until June, 1886, when it was closed.

Another school for boys was the English and Classical School of Andrew J. Rickoff estab- lished in 1859, after Mr. Rickoff had retired from the superintendency of the public schools, at the corner of Ninth and Elm.

SECTARIAN SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES.

The Catholic parochial schools have been men- tioned in the chapter referring to the publica- tions of Mr. Cist.

Mount St. Mary's Theological Seminary was founded in 1852 and located on Price Hill west of Mill creek valley. About this time also the Sisters of Charity purchased the property on the Warsaw turnpike for a mother house and in 1858 a school was erected at this point.

In the carly "fifties" the Baptists purchased a site at Fairmount and here erected a large seminary known as the Fairmount Theological Seminary.

Another institution of temporary life was the Cincinnati Theological Seminary, Old School Presbyterian, which was started in May, 1850, by the opponents of Lane Theological Sem- inary. Its instructors were made up of various pastors throughout the city who taught 12 stil- dents in their church lecture rooms. The facul- ty included Revs. James Hoge and L. N. Rice. In 1840 the old Athenaeum on the west side of Sycamore between Sixth and Seventh was placed by Bishop Purcell under the Jesuit Fathers and it became known as St. Xavier Col- lege. It was presided over at that time by Rev. Mr. Elet and contained about one hundred pupils. It was chartered in 1842 and for a time maintained dormitories and a boarding depart- ment but the dormitories were closed about 1854. It is said that the fact that this college strictly enforced the use of the rod induced many Protes- tants to prefer it to their own seminaries.

The St. Francis Xavier Theological Seminary to the west of the city was also an institution

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of the Roman Catholic society for the instruc- tion of those who expected to enter the priest- hood.

The faculty of Lane Theological Seminary at the outset of the second half century of the city's life consisted of Rev. Lyman Beecher as presi- dent and Revs. Thomas J. Biggs, B. Dickinson and Calvin E. Stowe. Dr. Biggs shortly after- wards resigned to accept the presidency of the Cincinnati College. Dr. Dickinson left Cincin- nati at the end of 1839 to accept a chair in Au- burn Seminary and Professor Stowe in 1850 accepted a professorship in Bowdoin College. Nearly four hundred students had been educated at Lane Theological Seminary by the year 1851. The faculty .at that time was still headed by Rev. Lyman Beecher as president. Other members were Revs. D. H. Allen, George E. Day and J. B. Condit. Dr. Beecher resigned the presidency in 1852 and returned to Boston al- though his name was continued in the seminary catalogue as president until his death in 1863. Rev. Mr. Day continued as professor of Biblical literature until 1866 when he entered the faculty of Yale College. Professor Condit removed to Auburn, New York, in 1855 and was succeeded by Prof. Henry Smith of Marietta College, where he remained until 1861, afterwards to re- turn in 1865. At the end of this period the facul- ty consisted of Professors Allen, Day and Smith. At this time the president of the board of trus- tees was Nathaniel Wright. The students num- bered 32.

Rev. J. C. White in his "Reminiscences of Lané Seminary" read before the Lane Club De- cember 10, 1889 ( Pamphlet 36,366, Hist. & Phil. Soc. of O.), says: "In 1840 there were about five hundred population scattered over the hills where now there are about fifty thousand. On this Montgomery road opposite our campus there were ten houses from Peeble's Corner to Dr. Monfort's hilltop. Three of them were vacant. * * There were only three institution build- ings on the campus two of which now ( 1889) re- main, but remodeled. One was our boarding house and used for our janitor and superintend- ent of the farm, the other was for our studies and dormitories, the whole basement of which was our work shop where chairs were bottomed and brooms made for market-and from the broom corn.raised by the students, for Old Lane was a manual labor institution in aid of health and purse. The other building is gone forever. * It was the grand Old Chapel with its noble Grecian pillars in front ; its basement story

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Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 47

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1048

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048