Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 66

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

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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

attempted to control the board. On the follow- ing day John D. Minor and others brought a suit to restrain the board from putting its con- chuision into execution. The case was argued before the Superior Court in general term, Judges Storer, Ilagans and Taft, on November 30th, by Messrs. Sage, Ramsey and King for the Bible and Matthews, Hoadly and Stallo for the city .. The court on February 15, 1870, granted a perpetual injunction but Judge Taft dissented. The case was carried to the Supreme Court and in- December, 1862, that body sustained the opinion of Judge Taft to the effect that the con- trol of the Board of Education could not be in- terfered with. From that date the reading of the Bible in the schools, which had been begun in 1829, ceased.

Dr. John B. Peaslee was selected as superin- tendent of the schools in 1874. He was a grad- uate of Dartmouth and the Cincinnati Law School and had been principal of both the Fifth District and Second Intermediate schools. His administration was a most energetic one and characterized by many reforms He opposed the requirement of too much home work and favored the cutting down of the hours of tuition and the length of the school year. Greater atten- tion than ever before was given to ethical train- ing as well as to the physical condition of the children. The matter of the eyesight of the children was particularly investigated. The study of German received greater attention than ever before and drawing and music were taught with great efficiency. Dr. Pcaslee invented a new method of addition and subtraction which known as the "Cincinnati plan" was adopted in many cities. In 1876 the schools of Cincinnati prepared an exhibit for the Philadelphia Exposi- tion and a similar one was sent to the Paris Ex- position of 1878. The jury awarded a gold medal diploma and a silver medal diploma to the Cin- cinnati schools and our national commissioner of education characterized the exhibit as one that had never been equaled before in the known world. Dr. Peaslee was a great stickler for neatness and insisted upon much of the work of the schools being done in writing. As had his predecessors, Dr. Peaslee opposed vigorously the memory plan of education and in report after report characterized much of the time de- voted to study as wasted because of adherence to this method. He took great interest as well in the literary training of pupils and especially in making them acquainted with the writings of

American authors. For this purpose he prepared a selection of "Memory Gems,"

which included some of the best writing in English literature. He also inaugurated the celebration of the birthdays of celebrated American writers, the first one of which was held on December 17, 1879, the anniversary of the birth of John G. Whittier. Other authors honored in this year were Longfellow, Holmes and Emerson. Arbor Day also became an important event in the calendar of the schools and on April 27, 1883, the school children of Cincinnati planted "Authors' Grove," a six-acre tract in Eden Park in which each tree was dedi- cated to some writer of distinction and properly marked. This grove which has since become a splendid forest is unique in the history of the country.

Dr. Emerson E. White was elected to the su- perintendency of the schools in 1887 and held the position for three years, too short a time perhaps to give him an opportunity of impress- ing his personality upon the system. He intro- duced some changes in the method of promoting pupils as well as in teaching. During his admin- istration the appointment of the teachers of the city was placed in the hands of the superintend- ent, a system that is bound, especially at the out- set, to embarrass any one holding that position. It was during his administration also that col- ored children were admitted to the schools on the same footing as white children.

William H. Morgan was elected superintend- ent of schools May 6, 1889, to succeed Mr. White and held the position until September 5, 1899, at which time as a result of a stroke of paralysis which he had suffered in the preceding May it became necessary to elect a new super- intendent. Richard G. Boone was chosen as his successor. Mr. Morgan died January 6, 1900. His predecessor Mr. White died in 1902. Dr. Boone was succeeded in 1903 by F. B. Dyer who had formerly been one of Mr. Boone's as- sistants but had subsequently acted as dean of the State Normal School at Oxford.

The superintendents of the schools of Cin- cinnati with their respective terms of service have been as follows: Nathan Guilford 1850- 52, Joseph Merrill 1852-53, A J. Rickoff 185.4- 58, Isaac J. Allen 1858-61, Lyman Marding 1861-67. John Hancock 1867-74, John B. Peas- lee 1874-86, Emerson E. White 1886-80, Will- iam H. Morgan 1889-99, Richard G. Boone 1899-1903, and F. B. Dyer 1903.

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

TIIE COLORED SCHOOLS.

The first school organized for colored people was that of Henry Collins who kept school in 1825 on Seventh street between Broadway and Deer creek. Colored children of a light hue were received in private schools as late as 1835 but apparently not in the public schools. In 1834 a colored man, Owen T. B. Nickens, opened the first successful colored school on Sixth street hill. This was afterwards moved to New street where it came into the charge of John Mc- Micken, a natural. son of the founder of the University. The latter at one time purchased a large tract of land north of Liberia which he named "Ohio in Africa" and to which he urged negroes to immigrate. This attempt of coloniza- tion was a failure but it was sufficient to cause Mr. McMicken to insert a clause in his will pro- hibiting colored youth from sharing the advan- tages of his great benefaction. During the agita- tion of 1834 against the discussion of slavery, a number of the students of Lane Seminary came down to the city and established schools for the education of the colored youth and one, John O. Wattles, kept a school for boys in a house east of Sixth and Broadway. Another teacher in the public schools was the well known Professor Fairchild, afterwards president of Berea. The largest of the colored schools up to 1841 was that established by Messrs. Goodwin and Den- ham in the Baker Street Church. In 1844 Rev. Hiram S. Gilmore established what he called the "Cincinnati High School" at the east end of Harrison street, which taught the common branches of an English course,-Latin, Greek, music and drawing,-and prepared colored chil- dren for Oberlin and other colleges which would receive them. In 1849, as a result of the Free Soil balance of power in the Legislature, the Democrats enacted legislation for the establish- ment of free schools for colored children. This was followed by litigation as the school authori- ties of the city refused to obey the law. In 1852 the act was sustained and the schools which had been established shared in the public funds. One of the teachers was Peter H. Clark and another was Mr. Nickens. The superintendent of the colored schools, which comprised an east- erni and western district and afterwards a Walnut Hills district, was Stephen L. Massey, a white man, who was shortly succeeded by Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark was succeeded in 1866 by W. HI. Par- ham. The colored schools for many years were under control of a separate board of trus- tees with a few intermissions, during which

time the regular Board of Education had charge. In 1874 they came finally under the control of the Board of Education. For many years the clerk of the colored board was John 1. Gaines, who kept a provision store on the river front from which the steamboats' larders were sup- plied. He died in 1859 and the colored citizens erected a monument over his grave in memory of his services in the cause of education. When in 1866 Peter H. Clark succeeded in obtaining the establishment of a colored high school, it was given the name of "Gaines High School." Mr. Clark was its principal. Here in the build- ing on Court near John four years later was graduated a class of six and the school became a great factor in the education of colored youth. The superintendency of the colored public schools was abolished in 1876 and in 1887 sep- arate colored schools as a class were abolished. In 1887 Mr. Parham succeeded Mr. Clark as principal of the Gaines High School where he continued until 1890. The placing of the colored and white children in the same schools naturally resulted in the abandonment of the Gaines High School which occurred in the year last men- tioned. At present there is what is known as the Frederick Douglass School and its one-room colony, of which Andrew J. Dellart is the prin- cipal.

THE IIIGHI SCHOOLS.

At the beginning of the war Joseph L. Thorn- ton was principal of Hughes High School. lle was succeeded on December 16, 1863, by E. W. Coy a graduate of Brown University, who had previously served as high school principal and superintendent of public schools at Peoria, Illi- nois, and also had been in charge of the high school department of the Illinois State Normal University. Mr. Coy received the degree of Ph. D. from Princeton University in 1886. Ile is now serving his 31st year at the head of Hughes.

The Woodward High School building erected first in 1854 was altered in 1867 and again in 1880. At the beginning of the war the super- . intendent was Daniel Shepardson, who resigned in June, 1862, to take charge of a girls' high school at Granville. He was succeeded by Moses Woolson. In 1865 Mr. Woolson gave way to George W. Harper. Mr. Harper graduated from Woodward in 1853 and taught in that in- stitution from that time until 1900, a period of 47 years. He it was that organized the university department which was carried on at Woodward for a time (1873). He retired in June, 1900,

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and was succeeded by Prof. A. M. VanDyke, who had been for many years teacher of English literature in the school. Professor VanDyke was a graduate of the class of 1857 at Hughes. He served throughout the war participating in over fifty battles and was subsequently superintend- ent for some years of the public schools at Iron- ton, Ohio. He organized in 1893 the Woodward Cadets. This body proved so popular as to in- duce Hughes and Walnut Hills to follow Wood- ward's example in this particular. The over- crowded condition of the high schools made ap- parent the necessity for establishing another school of the same character which should ac- commodate the residents of the hilltops and the suburbs. As a result the Walnut Hills High School located at the corner of Burdett and Ash- land avenues was completed in 1895 at a cost of over $120,000. 'The lot 200 feet square cost $24,000. This is regarded as the best equipped school in the city. It contains 16 recitation rooms, an assembly hall, gymnasium, chemical and physical laboratory besides an office and li- brary. The school was dedicated October 11, 1895. The principal of this school is J. Remsen Bishop, a graduate of Harvard in the class of 1882, and subsequently a teacher at St. Paul's and principal of the Princeton Preparatory School. From 1888 to 1895 he was an instructor in Hughes High School.

SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS.

The teaching of music was introduced into the public schools in 1844. The first teacher was William F. Colburn who acted as superintendent until 1848 when he was succeeded by Charles Aiken, a graduate of Dartmouth. Mr. Aiken served until 1879 when he gave way to G. F. Junkerman. Walter H. Aiken. a son of the sec- ond superintendent, was elected to this position in 1900. A bust of Charles Aiken executed by Preston Powers, the gift of the teachers, stands in a niche south of the Springer Monument in Springer Music Hall vestibule.

The first teacher of penmanship in the public schools was James Bowers who was employed in 1841. This was the first special department organized in the schools. It was abandoned in 1850 but was reestablished in 1854 under the charge of Miss L. S. Barrett Her marriage to Gen. R. D. Massey in 1860 resulted in the abo- lition of the office In 1870 E. A. Burnett was appointed and in 1874 Charles W. Bell for the colored schools. The exhibits of pemnanship made by the public schools at Vienna in 1872

and at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition attracted great attention. The department was abolished in 1887 and again revived in 1892 at which time Howard Champlin was placed in charge. The vertical system was adopted in 1880 under A. H. Steadman. This system was abandoned in 1901 for what is known as the natural slant.

The teaching of drawing was introduced into the schools in 1862. In 1868 Arthur Forbriger was appointed superintendent and two years later three other teachers were added, one of whom was II. HI. Fick. , Elaborate exhibits of the work of the schools in this direction were sent both to Vienna and Philadelphia. At the death of Mr. Forbriger in 1878, Mr. Fick succeeded him. In 1884 Mr. Fick resigned and was succeeded by Miss Christine G. Sullivan. W. H. Vogel is now in charge of the department. An exhibit of drawing by pupils of the school was sent to the New Orleans Exposition in 1885 and attracted such attention that at the request of the French commissioner of education it was presented to the Paris Pedagogical Museum. At the Cincin- nati Centennial of 1888 over 3,000 mounted drawings were exhibited by the schools and a still larger display was made in 1893 at the Chicago World's Fair and also at. Atlanta in 1805.

A feature which has been a part of the Cin- cinnati school system since 1840 is that of the public night schools and the night high schools, the first one of which was opened in 1856.

In 1857 attention was first given to physical culture in the public schools and in 1860 gym- nastics was made a part of the school curricu- lum. In 1890 as a result of the efforts of Fran- cis B. James the high schools were provided with gymnasiums. During the latter year the Turners offered their three teachers of gym- nastics for the purpose of acquainting the schools with the merits of systematic exercise which offer was accepted. In accordance with the law passed in 1892 a department of physical culture was organized and placed in charge of Carl Ziegler in September, 1892.

In 1868 the Cincinnati Nommal School was established. The purpose of this was the prep- aration of young women' for teaching. A Ger- man course was introduced in the department in 1871. The school was suspended in 1900.

In the old Goodhue residence on West Sixth street is located the Sign School for the Deaf organized in 1875 and the Oral School for the Deaf organized in :886.

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Domestic science has been taught in Wood- ward and Hughes high schools since 1892.

According to the: 74th annual report, for the school year ending August 31, 1903, the number of children in the city between the ages of six and 21, is 122,510, of whom 5,203 are colored. Of these, 27,518 males and 24,365 females at- tend the public schools, 10,170 males and 10,224 females attend the church schools, 2,871 males and 3,209 females attend private schools while 23,432 males and 20,711 females do not attend school. The number of teachers employed is 956. The various public schools included in this list are the First, Fifth, Sixth, roth, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 28tl and 30th districts, Avondale, Salmon P. Chase, Clifton, Columbian, Frederick Douglass, Robert Fulton, Garfield, Nathan Guilford, Ilar- rison, Highland, Joseph H. Hoffman, Horace Mann, Hyde Park, Jackson, Kirby Road, Lin- coln, Linwood, Mckinley, Morgan, North Fair- mount, George W. Oyler, Riverside, Sher- man, Vine Street, Warsaw, Webster, Westwood, Whittier, Windsor, the First, Third and Fourth intermediates, Deaf-Mute (Sign and Oral) and three high schools.

The president of the Board of Education for the year 1903-04 is Jolin G. O'Connell and the vice-president, S. B. Marvin. The members of the board, from the First to the 24th ward re- spectively, are Mr. O'Connell, Jolm Schwaab, George W. Harper, William Degischer, Joseph 11. Toelke. H. W. Albers, Jobn Grimm, Jr., S. B. Marvin, Charles G. Smith, George Friedlein, Charles A. Gehrlein, Anton Berger, L. J. Daun- er, William J. Klein, J. M. Robinson, George J. Schlichte, John Gigos, E. G. Betty, John H. Mac- ready, John B. Peaslee, August Meltzer, Jacob E. Cormany, Ira D. Washburn and Fred Eg- gers. From this body Messrs. Schwaab, Dauner, ()'Connell, Cormany, Klein, Harper and Albers are delegates to the Union Board of Cincinnati High Schools. The delegates from the Wood- ward Fund are A. H. Bode, John B. Peaslec, Robert W. Stewart, Jacob Shroder and Otto J. Renner and from the Hughes Fund, R. D. Bar- ney and Charles H. Stephens Mr. O'Connell is president and Judge Shroder, vice-president of this board.

The schools of Cincinnati have been fortu- nate in the literature of the subiect. In addition to the regular reports of the Board of Education and the elaborate chapter in Ford's history as well as the still more valuable one written by W. 11. Venable for Nelson's "Hamilton County,"

there are works on the schools of Cincinnati by Joli P. Foote, Isaac M. Martin and John B. Shotwell to all of which acknowledgment is made for assistance in the preparation of this work.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS ..

Cincinnati has always been fortunate in its many excellent private schools Wesleyan Col- lege, Chickering's, the schools of Miss Elizabeth HI. Appleton, Eugene F. Bliss and A. J. Rickoff have already been mentioned. The Collegiate School of Mr. Bliss, the successor of the Brooks' Classical School, has been since carried on by Rev. J. Babin. Other well known schools no longer in operation were Miss Nourse's and Miss Armstrong's schools for girls. The most popu- far private school for boys and probably the most successful now in operation in the city is the Franklin School of Joseph E White and Gerrit S. Sykes started in 1881. This school was first held in a private house on McMillan street and afterwards in a building on the church prop- erty on McMillan street just west of Gil- bert avenue. In 1887 the school acquired its property on the west side of May street just north of Oak and erected a building es- pecially adapted for school purposes. Six years later an addition was made for gymnasium, chemical laboratory, etc., and during the sum- mer of 1903 another large addition was made, constituting the building one of the most con- veniently arranged for school purposes in the country. During its 23 years of existence, it has sent large numbers of graduates to Harvard, Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, Columbia, Williams and other col- leges.

Another prominent school exclusively for girls and young women is the Bartholomew-Clifton School situated at Evanswood, Clifton. This school is the result of the consolidation in 1900 of the old Bartholomew English and Classical School for Girls, which established in 1875 at the corner of Fourth and John streets and after- wards removed to Third and Lawrence was a leading school of the city for 25 years, and the school of Miss E. Antoinette Ely. Dr. George K. Bartholomew is the regent. Miss Ely, prin- cipal and Miss Mary F. Smith, associate prin- cipal at the head of a large corps of teachers. The 11. Thane Miller School for Girls was found- ed as the Mont Anburn Young Ladies' Insti- tute in 1856 and for many years occupied the building now used as Christ Hospital. In 1807 the school was moved from Mount Auburn to

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Lenox place, Avondale, and its name was changed to honor one of its founders, a long-time presi- dent who died in 1895 after a life of great use- fulness. Miss Butler's School for Girls on Oak street on Walnut Hills embraces primary, inter- mediate and collegiate departments and occupies a building specially designed and built for it. The Collegiate School for Girls is under the charge of the Misses Mary Doherty and Maria C. Col- lins. Other schools include the Educational In- stitute on the Lane Seminary grounds, the schools of the Misses Lupton, Neff and Max- well, Sattler, Madam Fredin, Mrs. Mann and Mrs. Entrup.

SECTARIAN SCHOOLS.

There are over 60 Catholic parochial schools and a number of colleges of this denomination for the education of priests and for entrance in the various religious orders. Prominent among these are St. Xavier College which, started in 1831, has been for many years a leading educa- tional institution of the city; St. Joseph's Col- lege, Mount St. Mary's Seminary, the academies of the Sacred Heart, Sisters of Mercy, Ursu- lines of Brown County, Mount St. Vincent and Notre Dame. Lane Seminary ( Presbyterian), whose history has been given at length, is still a leading institution for the education of "pious young men for the gospel ministry."

OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.

There are four business colleges : Bartlett Com- mercial College, Nelson Business College, Traub's Cincinnati Business College and Watters' Bus- iness College and a number of schools of short- hand including that of Miss Littleford and the Cincinnati School of Phonography of Miss A. R. Campbell.

In addition to the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, which is affiliated with the University of Cincinnati, is the Cincinnati College of Dental Surgery. The Pulte Medical College, the Miami Medical College and the Eclectic Medical Insti- tute of Cincinnati have been referred to in car- lier portions of this work. In addition there is the Lanra Memorial Woman's Medical College and a number of sanitariums and medical insti- lutes.

The Cincinnati College of Pharmacy dates from 1850 and has always been a strong influ- ence in the keeping up the standard of pharma- ceutical knowledge. It is the oldest pharmacy college west of the Alleghanies. Since 1902 it has been a department of the Ohio University at Athens.

The College of Music and several conservator- ies, including that of Miss Baur established in 1867 and now occupying the magnificent Shil- lito residence on Mount Auburn, and the schools of B. W. Foley, E. W. Glover, Oscar Ehrgott, and Sterling and Roberts, and the Art Academy supply the instruction in the fields of music and art. As in every large city, private schools of music, art, business, stenography and expres- sion are innumerable.

THE TECHNICAL SCHOOL

Of Cincinnati was incorporated in 1886 as a result of the agitation of the Order of Cincin- natits and its representative, Col. W. L. Robin- son, who was the first president of its board.' In 1888 Melville E. Ingalls succeeded Colonel Rob- inson and remained at the head of the school until its union with the University. Rooms were secured in the Music Hall and George R. Carothers was chosen superintendent. The school opened in November, 1886. A year later at a dinner given by the Commercial Club to Matthew Addy, the sum of $30,000 was sub- scribed by those present ( the largest subscrip- tion being $10,000 by Charles Schiff ) with which after the close of the Industrial Exposition of 1888 the entire second and third floors of the north wing of the Music Hall were fitted up for the school. This school moved into these qnar- ters in February, 1880, and remained there until June, 1901. Dr. I. R. Klemm was its principal for the year 1888-80. He was succeeded in June, 1889, by James B. Stanwood. who became the director with Dr. E. R. Booth as principal. Dr. Booth in 1809 was succeeded by T. L. Feeney. Mr. Stanwood and Mr. Feeney served until the school was transferred to the University in 1901. In the latter year the school came under the con- trol of the University of Cincinnati and was moved to its new quarters at Burnet Woods. where it became a constituent part of the Col- lege of Engineering.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI.

In the year 1806 a school association was formed in Cincinnati which was incorporated in 1807. The endowments, in the language of Dr. Drake, were not exactly correspondent to its elevated title consisting only of moderate contri- butions. An application was made to the Legis- lature for permission to raise money by lottery which was granted. The lottery was a greater failure than most lotteries ; although many tick- ets were sold, no drawing was ever had and, per-

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haps as a matter of retribution, the building erected for university purposes was blown down by the tornado of Sunday, May 28, 1809, and thus perished the first University. The struggles of the College have been described at length in the earlier chapters of this work and need not be recounted here.

What John Harvard is to the university at Cambridge and Elihu Yale to that at New Haven, Charles McMicken is or should be to the University of Cincinnati. To the first two for their generous donations on behalf of edu- cation, posterity has paid full tribute by fixing their names to the institutions founded by them. Charles McMicken, however, gave far more to the city of his residence and made possible a uni- versity in a community where all others had failed in such an undertaking. By far greater claim of right his name should remain attached to the gift but the same spirit that rejects the names of pioneers and those who made the city great in selecting the names of streets was dis- played in this instance and MeMicken Univer- sity, a distinctive name doing honor both to the founder and the city of its location, was aban- doned for the higher sounding appellation of the University of Cincinnati.

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Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 66

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