USA > Ohio > Darke County > History of Darke County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 17
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Despite these untoward outward conditions our early schools educated some grand and stalwart men who, in after life, looked back to their early school days with the longing so touchingly expressed by the poet :
"Gimme back the dear old days-the pathway through the dells,
To the schoolhouse in the blossoms-the sound of far-off bells Tinklin' 'crost the meadows ; the song of the bird an' brook, The old-time dictionary an' the blue-back spellin' book. Gone like a dream forever! A city hides the place, Where stood the old log schoolhouse, an' no familiar face Is smilin' there in welcome beneath a morning sky-
There's a bridge across the river, an' we've crossed an' said good-bye!"
Going now to the county seat we find that one of the earliest schools in this hamlet was conducted in a log building on the east side of Elm street between Third and Fourth streets (site of old Catholic church). This building also served as a room for the grand jury and once for the sitting o fthe court. Green- ville township was divided into school districts in 1827 and Greenville district chose John Beers, David Briggs and Linus Bascom as school directors in conformity to Guilford's law, recently enacted. As these men were not on friendly terms with each other they refused to co-operate and did nothing in the interest of education. In 1828 a new board was elected and proceeded to dismantle the old building and remove the logs to lot No. 3 on Fourth street (near the present site of the M. E. parsonage) which site had been deeded to the school district by William Wiley in payment of a fine for assault and battery.
An altercation between Abraham Schibner and Isaac Schid- eler prevented the erection of a building on this lot at this time. About 1839 or 1840 a brick schoolhouse was erected on lot No. 3, which was afterwards remodeled and used as a resi- dence by Judge Sater and is still in a good state of preserva- tion. Another two story brick school house was erected about the same time on the rear of lot 13, on the east side of Walnut street between Third and Fourth streets. After years of service
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this building was used as a blacksmith shop and finally torn down about 1900. The building of two such ordinary school buildings instead of one good structure in a village like Greenville was in 1840, showed a lack of judgment which in- terfered with the proper development of the school system for several years.
"In 1851 the first effort was made to grade the Greenville school by Ebenezer Bishop, who was employed at $400.00 a year to take general charge of the school. This effort was only partially successful and the schools were afterwards or- ganized in four grades, and for a number of years were suc- cessfully conducted by A. T. Bodle, L. S. B. Otwell, F. Matchett and G. H. Martz, all efficient teachers. Mr. Mays, of Troy, Ohio, was afterwards employed as superintendent, the school was graded and has been conducted as a graded school in charge of a superintenent to date."
The erection of a three-story brick school house on a newly purchased lot south of Fourth street between Central avenue and Sycamore street and the organization of a high school in 1868 properly marks the end of the old regime and the be- ginning of the modern era of education which will be noted more fully at another place.
Before the Civil war, private schools were taught, some- times by educated women, which provided opportunity for those who desired to take advanced studies, not pursued in the public schools. These were generally attended by children of the prominent families and were quite successful as shown by the number of pupils who in later life became leaders in the community.
George Calderwood in the "Darke County Boy," published in the Courier, June 18, 1910, gives a vivid picture of his school days a few years before the war. The article seems to have been inspired by the prospective coming of Judge Alex. T. Bodle to Greenville after long years of absence, to address the Pioneer Association. As noted above Mr. Bodle was a teacher in the Greenville schools during the fifties and had won the affection of his scholars. Calderwood's article reads in part as follows :
"Of course we will have 'Alex' open school, call the roll, send Ed Waring and Volney Jenks for a bucket of water, have the classes recite, and then close with the spelling class, in which every pupil has to 'toe the mark.' The best speller will soon go 'up head,' and then go to the foot again, then work
Greenville, Ohio.
High School Building
OLD WEST SCHOOL BUILDING, GREENVILLE, OHIO
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up head again. When he or she does so three times the prize shall be a 'Reward of Merit.' printed in blue ink on a card three by five inches. I'll bet Helen Gilbert-Peyton gets the card, if she's present.
When the class in arithmetic is called for quick action in Stoddard's Mental, 'Alex' will take up the book and read :
"If a wolf can eat a sheep in seven-eighth of an hour, and a bear can eat it in three-fourths of an hour, how long will it take both of them to eat it, after the bear has been eating one-half an hour?"
I'll bet a peach against a plum that Celia Lavender-Helm will solve it quicker than Jim Ries.
Then the class in Bullion's grammar will be called to parse this sentence:
"John Smith is now here in this city."
Everybody will write it down, and Belle McGinnis will parse it correctly. But Jim Wharry will say : "It isn't right!" He will parse it differently, and yet will do it correctly, from his standpoint. But what is his standpoint? He reads his slip of paper, and it reads word for word as given out, but has blended two words together, to-wit :
"John Smith is nowhere in this city."
The joke is on Jim ; and then Taylor Dorman will be called forward from the second class to read a poem on "Nine Parts of Speech." Of course he will be barefooted ; his pants will be rolled up to his knees ; a round-about button at the bottom and open at the top: his hair combed down in front of his ears and curled on top. With his right hand behind his back, book in his left hand. he will read in a piping voice :
Three little words you often see Are articles-a or an and thee.
A noun's a name of anything. As school or garden, hoop or swing.
Adjectives tell the kind of noun- As great, small, pretty, white or brown.
Instead of nouns the pronouns stand- - Her head, his face, your arm, my hand.
Verbs tell of something to be done-
To eat, count, sing, cough, jump or run.
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How things are done the adverbs tell, As slowly, quickly, ill or well.
Conjunctions join the words together, As men and women, wind or weather.
The preposition stands before A noun, as of or through the door.
The interjection shows surprise. As-Ah, how pretty ! Oh, how wise !
The whole are called nine parts of speech, Which reading, writing, speaking teach.
Then Mollie LaMotte-Martin will be expected to come for- ward, dressed in checkered gingham, her hair combed back and plaited and tied with a blue ribbon, and read the soul- inspiring poem that has thrilled admiring millions of school children all over the United States.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are- Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is set, And the grass with dew is wet, Then you show your little light By twinkling, twinkling all the night.
Then school will close by all the pupils singing :
Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, Columbus-on Scioto river ! Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis-on White river. Illinois, Springfield, Illinois, Springfield-on Sangamon river. Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg-on Sus- quehanna river.
And so on through all the states in the union.
You see that kind of geography has some class to it. I think that any child that goes to school knows what an isthmus,
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island, inlet, bay, river, creek or cape is as well as it knows the streets of the town it lives in.
Of course it will add to the pleasure of the occasion by play- ing "Ring around the rosy." "Come Philander, let us be a marching ;" "Green gravel, green gravel, the grass is so green ;" "How oats, peas, beans and barley grow, neither you nor I. nor anybody know ;" etc.
Of course it wouldn't be "school" at all unless we sang those songs the same as we did in our childhood days. What is the use of being young again unless we act young?
Another thing I move you, Mr. President, and that is to have "Alex" whip Al Gilbert, Chester Fletcher and Volney Jenks. I never saw such naughty boys in my life as they were. Lick 'em, and lick 'em good. teacher! They were so devilish that they often tempted me, but I was too nice a boy to ever get a licking-more than once or twice a day.
And another thing, teacher, if you'll let me carry a bucket of water for the pupils, I will promise not to put any salt in it- that is, very much more than I used to. I just bet we'll have a good time. Won't you come, Mr. Bodle, and hold school for us just one more day ? We'll all be awfully nice : none of us'll shoot paper wads across the room, nor make faces at you be- hind your back, nor write "love missives" to the girls. We've forgotten all about such things. In fact, we never bother our heads about "love." No, indeed !. We just let it bother us, and that's all it ever does to any one. It just bothers them and they never bother about it at all."
The following extract from a letter written by the same writer to James W. Martin, secretary of the committee ap- pointed to invite Mr. Calderwood to the annual meeting of the Darke County Pioneer Association, September 5, 1909, are not inappropriate here:
Oh, those school days! Think of the "classics" we had to recite to Alex. Bodle, Caroline Hinkle-God bless her mem- ory !- Rachel Collins, I. W. Legg, J. T. Martz, Em. Otwell, Bart Otwell, Bill Otwell, and other teachers from 1856 to 1860.
Those "classics" have been ringing in my ears for over half a century. (But say, Jim, right here is where I don't want you to tell any of the pupols how old I am, for I want them to think I am still a "school boy.")
(13)
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Now to the recitations :
Do you remember, Jim, that one Alvin Gilbert used to re- cite? It began with something like this:
"Mary had a little lamb."
Then Volney Jenks would follow with
"You'd scarce expect one of my age."
Then Taylor Dorman would step forward with the dignity of one of Sam Cable's watermelons, and boldly and auda- ciously look into the eyes of the pupils and say :
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star."
You remember how Harry Knox would stand pigeon-toed, and with his hands behind his back, and in a voice that sounded like an apple falling from one of the trees in Sam Pierce's public orchard, say :
"The boy stood on the burning deck."
I think Harry believed every word of that story, for he soon after went to sea in search of Cassabianca. The prelude to that story was beautiful-historically so; and history never lies unless I write it. The words read: "There was a little hoy, about thirteen years of age, whose name was Cassa- bianca."
There's exactly where you get your Cassabianca ; but how Mrs. Hemans discovered that he was thirteen years of age, history doesn't say, and I'll be "blowed" if I will ever say that I ever saw a boy thirteen years of age.
I would give a whole lot to see McGuffey's primer, McGuffey's first, second and third readers. Think of James Bland letting that little bird out of the cage ; of George Rolfe drowning that cat in the well : of Albert Ross and Dash. and the wagon that Dash was hitched up to (I always wanted to steal that wagon) : of Richard and Robert, the lazy boys, who laid in bed until the clock struck ten ; of the three brothers- one went to heaven, one went to hell, and the third one got a job and went to work: of the farmer and his wheat field, and how he drove a mother quail and her little brood out of the field. Many of those stories will live with me to the end of my days.
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We sat on benches in those days.
There were two kinds-those with backs and those without. The big boys and girls got the former.
There were two great blessings afforded us. One was to pass the water, and the other to carry in the wood. I always wanted to pass the water! Come to think of it, we carried the water, too. Sometimes from Turpen's, sometimes from Gilbert's, often from Cary's.
Ah, me, but didn't we have some games !
"Blackman," "bullsoup," and "tag."
We had slates, too; but I haven't see one for so long that I have forgotten whether they were square, oblong, or round.
And the spelling class-I can't forget that. How proud the boy or girl was who 'went head," and then down to the foot again, then up to the head again, and received a card called "Reward of Merit."
When you got five, they were exchanged for another five. Five of the others assured you of a prize-a little book.
No "promotion cards" in those days. It was left to the teacher to put you into another class, if desired.
Those were the days of curls for girls. A girl without a ctrl wasn't in style.
Bullion's grammar was the text book on correct speech, but I couldn't understand it, and I have let grammar alone ever since and confined my manner of speech to the vocabulary of my associates.
Another subject that puzzled me was algebra. I couldn't comprehend it then, and I know less of it now.
The best reader in my class was Belle McGinnis. The best mathematician was Jim Ries-next to him, Dave Girard.
In those days, the teacher wrote the text for the copy books, which consisted of two phrases :
"Many men of many minds ;
Many beasts of many kinds."
The other was :
"Tall oaks from little acorns grow."
However, about that time Peyton's copy books came out and the teachers were relieved ; but they had one task left- they used to walk around among the pupils and look over their shoulders to see if they were making any progress.
Very few boys had coats in those days ; most of them wore
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"rondabouts." Few ,if any, of the boys wore shoes; boots prevailed. The little boys had red leather tops to their boots, and the poor little "tad" without red tops to his boots always felt humiliated.
Ray's Mental Arithmetic was as far as I went in figures. I never learned how to calculate interest, as I forgot all the rules the next day. Now I am glad of it. No one will take my note, so what's the use in knowing anything about in- terest?
I must not forget Webster's Spelling Book! I never saw one that didn't have a blue cover. Up to 1858, it contained no definitions. Nothing but words, words, words. Then to pre- pare the public mind for the sale of Noah Webster's Dic- tionary, they put a few definitions in the speller, so as to stin- ulate the mind to buy the book. It was a great business stroke. Of course, there was the small school dictionary, but they wanted to sell the big one, and if they had embodied definitions to any great extent in the Speller, the sale of the big book would have been endangered. But as an educational proposition, the speller would have had far the advantage and the pupils of 1850-1860 would have been greatly benefitted.
*
But what I started in to say was that some of us Greenville folks-boys and girls-thought that we were "sum punkins" at spelling, and were eager to go into the country and "spell down" our country cousins. I don't know of a single instance where we won out. They knew as much about Webster's Spelling Book-and a little bit more-than we did.
.
METAL CROSS.
Probably of Jesuit Origin. Found in Washington Township.
CHAPTER X.
THE PLANTING OF THE CHURCH.
To the French Catholic missionaries probably belongs the honor of heralding the gospel among the Indian settlements of primitive Darke county. As before noted it is well known that they planted mission stations at strategic points in the wilderness between the great lakes and the Ohio. It is more than probable that they had stations at Loramie's store and Pickawillany, and at these places learned about the villages on the headwaters of Greenville creek and the upper Still- water. The finding of two double silver crosses of the style worn by members of the Jesuit order on the farm now belong- ing to Ira G. Blocker, in section 23, Washington township, lends color to this supposition. These crosses were about three inches in length and were plowed up by Mr. Philip L. Rogers near the site of a fine flowing spring-one about 1879 and the other about 1884. Numerous arrow points, stone hammers and Indian relics were found from time to time on a knoll located near by, indicating that a camp or village had formerly been located hhere. One cross is now in the Katzen- berger collection in the Public Museum. The other has been lost.
The next religious teachers that penetrated Darke county were probably the chaplains or preachers with the armies of St. Clair and Wayne. Fortunately, we have a printed ser- mon entitled "The Altar of Peace," being the substance of a discourse delivered in the council house, at Greenville, July 5, 1795, before the officers of the American army and Major General Wayne, commander-in-chief and Minister Plenipoten- tiary from the United States, to treat with the Indian tribes, northwest of the Ohio, by the Rev. Morgan, John Rhys (or Rhees) representing the Missionary Society of Philadelphia, an organization whose members "renounced" all sectarian names and adopted simply that of "Christian," and whose mis- sionaries were supposed to be "capable of practicing or teach- ing some useful art as well as a rational system of religion."
At this time many representatives of distant tribes were
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present at Greenville and preparations were being made for peace negotiations. Accordingly Rev. Rhees appropriately chose as his text Judges 6:24. "Then Gideon built an altar unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah Shalom; i. e., the Lord give peace." Among other things he said: "All the precepts of Jehovah center in one syllable-Love. The laws and the prophets, like the rays of the sun collected to a focus, here shine and burn. The man who loves God as the Supreme good, and his neighbor as himself, surmounts every obstruc- tion with ease, because he is borne above earth on the wings of love: the philanthropist is every person's neighbor, the white, the black and the red are alike to him ; he recognizes in each a brother, a child of the same common parent, an heir of immortality, and a fellow traveler to eternity. He knows how to make allowance for the prejudices of nations and individ- uals; instead of declaiming and tyrannizing, he endeavors to lead (with the cords of love and the bands of men) all his fellowmen to think and judge for themselves what is right."
"In order to establish a durable peace some sacrifices must be made on both sides. The love of conquest and enlargement of territory should be sacrificed-every nation or tribe having an indefeasible right of soil, as well as a right to govern themselves in what manner they think proper, for which rea- son the United States purchased the right of soil from the In- dians. Self-interest and avarice, being the root of all evil, ought to be sacrificed as a burnt offering, for the good of man- kind. The desire of revenge should be immediately offered on the altar of forgiveness, although thy brother transgress against the seventy times seven in a day. Dissimulation and intrigue with every species of deceptive speculation and fraudulent practice ought to be sacrificed on the altars of strict honor and inflexible justice."
"Let us therefore, in the first place, follow the example of Gideon by erecting an altar, and offer the necessary sacrifices to obtain peace ; let us by acts of righteousness and deeds of mercy make that peace permanent ; let every probable means be made use of to enlighten the poor heathens, that they may quit their childish and cruel customs, and add to their love of liberty and hospitality, piety, industry, mechanical and lit- erary acquirements ; let us join them in the prayer that the 'Great Spirit' may enlighten their eyes and purify their hearts, give them a clear sky and smooth water, guard them
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against the bad birds, and remove the briars from their paths ; protect them from the dogs of war, which are ever exciting them to acts of barbarous cruelty, that they may never attend to their barking, but continue to keep the bloody hatchet in the ground and smoke the calumet of peace until its odors per- fume the air."
"Sweet peace! source of joy, parent of plenty, promoter of commerce and manufactures, nurse of arts and agricul- ture, Angelic Peace! Could I but set forth thy amiable qual- ities, who would but love thee? O, daughter of Heaven, first offspring of the God of Love hasten, to make thy residence with us on earth." Rev. Rhys is described as "The Welch Baptist hero of civil and religious liberty of the eighteenth century"-and from the tone of the above sermon we judge that the epithet is not inappropriate.
Christian.
After the settlement of the county it seems that the recently formed and rapidly growing sect then and long after known as "New Lights," but now known as Christians, furnished the first accredited preachers. This sect originated in Ken- tucky during the great religious revival of the first years of the nineteenth century, and naturally extended its influence and gained many early converts in the Miami valley.
The Kentucky revival, above mentioned, also caused the starting of the Cumberland Presbyterian and the Shaker de- nominations. Had it not been for this manifestation it seems probable that Presbyterianism in the Miami valley would now be as strong as it is in western Pennsylvania, from which locality so many of the early pioneers came. Of these sects the Christian has exerted the most power in the Miami valley : the Shaker is now practically extinct, and the Cumberland Presbyterian has united with the main body of Presbyterians.
David Purviance was one of the originators of the Chris- tian denomination. His son John settled in the Whitewater valley near Braffetsville with Elder Nathan Worley, an illit- erate but zealous worker from Montgomery county, and a number of like faith, where they established a community of kindred spirits.
To Judge John Purviance is given the credit of delivering the first sermon to a civil congregation within the bounds of Darke county. This event is said to have happened at the
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house of Judge Rush (Prophetstown) in 1811. Greenville early became the strategic center of the various competing denominations. Here many of the first churches were estab- lished and from this point proceeded to establish missions in various parts of the county and encourage their develop- ment. On October 15, 1833, it seems that Solomon Riffle and wife deeded to William Martin, John Swisher, Alexander Craig, David Potter and John N. Parcell, trustees in trust, lot No. 23, on the south side of Third street, between Broadway and Walnut street, where the Hunt house now stands, "for the use and benefit of the first Christian church that might be organized in the town of Greenville for the purpose of erecting thereon a meeting house." A low brick edifice with sidewalls about eight feet high and two front doors opening into separate iasles, and a floor on a level with the ground. was erected here about 1836. Services, no doubt, were held here with more or less regularity, until on January 3. 1841. the Christian church was properly organized by Elders Elijah Williamson, John B. Robertson, Hallet Barber and Elisha Ashley. On July 31, 1841 it voted to become a member of the Eastern Bluffton conference. The charter members, who signed the original declaration of principles were: Elijah Wil- liamson, Charlotty Williamson, James R. Brandon, Anna Brandon, Alexander Brandon, Thomas Brandon, Rhoda Bran- don, Lucretia Brandon, Mary Scribner and Ruhannah Shannon.
From the time of the organization the membership in- creased in seven months from ten to eighty-eight. The fol- lowing elders served as pastors up to August, 1841: J. B. Robertson, N. Barber, D. Purviance, L. Purviance, E. Ashley, I. Guston and E. W. Williamson; John Stevenson and John Van Meter were appointed deacons. August 18, 1846, Elder Williamson was chosen pastor for one year. In April, 1848, the enterprise of erecting a new meeting house was launched as the original structure was considered unsafe. In 1850 the church procured a quitclaim deed from Solomon Riffle and wife at a cost of $24.00, so as to authorize the trustees to sell the property. It seems that John Vanmeter proposed to pay them $105.00 for the lot and to donate a strip of ground front- ing on the west side of Walnut street, between Third and Fourth streets, for the site of a new church building. This ex- change was effected and a substantial brick structure thirty- six by fifty feet with two front doors and black walnut wood-
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