History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio, Part 14

Author: Williams Brothers
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 443

USA > Ohio > Lake County > History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio > Part 14
USA > Ohio > Geauga County > History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio > Part 14

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The articles of association declare the object proposed by this institution to be " to promote thorough and complete female education," and for that purpose " the system of instruction, the principles of government, and the general plan of man- agement shall be substantially after the model of the Mount Holyoke Seminary, at South Hadley, in Massachusetts." This plan of education can be best stated in the words of Mary Lyon, the noble founder of the parent institution :

1. Buildings for the accommodation of the school and of boarders, together with furniture for the outfit to be furnished by voluntary contributions, and placed, free from incumbrance, in the hands of trustees, who should be men of enlarged views and of Christian benevolence.

2. Teachers to be secured possessing so much of a missionary spirit that they will labor faithfully and cheerfully, receiving only a moderate salary compared with what they could command in other situations.

3. Style of living neat, but very plain and simple.

4. Domestic work of the family to be performed by the members of the school.

5. All pupils to room and board within the walls of the seminary.

6. Board and tuition to be placed at cost, or as low as may be, and still cover the common expenses of the family, instruction, etc.

7. The whole plan to be conducted on the principles of our missionary opera- tions; no surplus income to go to the teachers, to the domestic superintendent, or to any other person ; but all to be cast into the treasury for the still further reduction of the expenses the ensuing year.

It was not intended by the founders of Lake Erie Seminary that the school should be local in its character. Rev. Roswell Hawks was appointed an agent to present its claims and solicit subscriptions through northern Ohio. Contribu- tions came mainly from Lake County. Father .Hawks, as he was familiarly called, with gentlemen from Painesville specially interested, Judges Reuben

. By Miss Mary A. Evans.

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HISTORY OF GEAUGA AND LAKE COUNTIES, OHIO.

Hitchcock and Aaron Wilcox, and Charles A. Avery, Esq., labored with untiring zeal in providing means and superintending the erection of the building.

Miss Lydia A. Sessions and Miss Mary Bronson, graduates of Mount Holyoke Seminary, and teachers in chat institution, were elected principal and associate principal. Miss Bronson spent several months in Painesville, prior to the open- ing of the school, in preparing those who were candidates for entrance.

The principal and associate principal, with seven assistant teachers, most of them graduates of Mount Holyoke Seminary, took possession of the building and opened the school in September, 1859, with one hundred and twenty-seven pupils, all boarders. During the next five years the number of pupils increased till it reached one hundred and fifty, and the institution grew in favor with the friends of education. A spirit of enthusiasm and devotion possessed the early trustees and teachers, who firmly believed in the principles on which the seminary was founded. Special mention should be made of the teachers, who, at a sacrifice of much greater pecuniary reward, wrought early and late to mould the institu- tion after the pattern of Mount Holyoke Seminary. Most of these teachers were connected with the seminary till 1867. Miss Sessions, the principal, resigned in 1866, and married Rev. W. W. Woodworth, then of Painesville. Miss Anna C. Edwards was elected principal in 1866, and resigned in 1868. Miss Mary Evans was called from Mount Holyoke Seminary to take the place, and is principal of the institution at present. Miss Luette P. Bentley was elected associate principal in January, 1878. Of the early teachers, Miss L. T. Prescott still remains, having been connected with the school for nearly twenty years, with the exception of an absence of nearly a year in Europe.

The resident teachers, at present eleven in number, have always been ladies, but gentlemen have been associated with them, especially in later years, in giving instructions by courses of lectures. Among the present lecturers are the profes- sors of chemistry and physics of Western Reserve College, with Prof. N. P. Sey- mour, LL.D., for thirty years professor of Greek in the same college. Dr. Sey- mour lectures upon the plays of Shakspeare, and to the older classes upon the literatures of Greece, Rome, Germany, and Italy. Hon. Thomas W. Harvey, formerly State commissioner of public schools in Ohio, lectures upon physical geography and political science. Courses of lectures upon history are also given. It is intended to increase all these opportunities, and thus give to the school the benefit of the best culture of our colleges.

Since 1870 the terms of admission to the seminary have been made more strict, and the course of study has been enlarged. The former preparatory classes, which were a burden upon the teaching force, and a hindrance to the intellectual progress of the school, have been dropped. The standard of scholarship has thus been raised. Geography, grammar, and arithmetic to percentage are required on entrance. Examinations are thorough. Three weeks are allowed for review if, upon examination, there is found to be a deficiency in any of these studies. Candidates failing after this opportunity are obliged to prepare elsewhere.

The regular course of study occupies four years. It is more extended and lib- eral than the courses of high schools and academies, and second only to those of the most advanced eastern colleges for women. Candidates for admission to the junior class are examined, in addition to the studies previously mentioned, in grammatical analysis, physical geography, history of the United States, and higher arithmetic. The course at present is as follows :

Junior Year .- Latin Reader and Grammar, Introductory Latin Prose Com- position, Algebra (Loomis), Physiology (Dalton), Outlines of History, English Composition, Bible (Genesis, Exodus, the Gospels), elocution, gymnastics, drawing, vocal music (in classes).

Junior Middle Year .- Sallust, Introductory Latin Prose Composition, Geom- etry (Loomis), Natural Philosophy (Atkinson's Ganot), Botany (Gray), History of Greece and Rome, Rhetoric, English Composition, Bible (Joshua, Judges, monarchy till the death of Solomon, Acts), elocution, gymnastics, drawing, vocal music (in classes).

Senior Middle Year .- Virgil, Trigonometry (Loomis), Chemistry (Miller), Astronomy (Peabody), Geology (Dana), Modern History, English Literature (Shaw-Backus), English Composition, Bible (monarchy from the revolt to the captivity and restoration, Epistle to the Hebrews), elocution, gymnastics, vocal music in classes, drawing (optional).

Senior Year .- Cicero, Latin Prose Composition, Mental Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Evidences of Christianity, Butler's Analogy, History of Literature (Botta), History of Art, English Composition, Bible (the prophetical books, Epistle to the Romans), elocution, gymnastics, vocal music in classes, drawing (optional).

Special and post-graduate courses in Latin, French, or German, in the natural sciences, in higher mathematics, and in history and literature are provided for those who are in advance of their class, and for those who wish to pursue their studies beyond a regular course.

Competent instruction in vocal and instrumental music is provided. Those attending to these studies are expected to give them such time and attention as they demand, and therefore require a longer time to complete the course.

The course of study thus proposed is solid rather than showy. Considerable advancement in study and some maturity of character are needful in order to pursue it to advantage. Candidates are not admitted until they are sixteen years of age. The age at graduation has averaged twenty, and should be twenty-one or twenty-two.

While the seminary gives thorough instruction in the languages, mathematics, the natural sciences, and the metaphysical studies of the senior year, special men- tion should be made of the opportunities offered in the study of anatomy and physiology, and of the courses in English composition, history, and literature. The seminaryowns a collection of physiological apparatus, valued at eight hun- dred dollars, including a dissectible manikin and magnified models of different organs of the body. The classes are taught by a teacher of long experience, who has also had special preparation in a medical college. Practical hygienic lectures are frequently delivered to the whole school. The course in English composition extends through four years, beginning with the principles of analysis and con- struction, and extending to the critical study of English authors. There is con- tinuous and systematic exercise in writing, one day of each week being devoted to composition and literary exercises. Twelve weeks of the senior middle year are devoted to the study of English literature, with daily readings of masterpieces, and twelve weeks of the senior year to a similar critical study of general literature, both ancient and modern.

The course in history embraces an outline of universal history in the first year of the course followed ; in the remaining years, by a more philosophical study of the advancement of human civilization.

The amount of intellectual labor required is about six hours a day ; that is, two recitations of forty-five minutes each, and four hours and a half spent in study. As a rule, only two studies are pursued at a time. One may have, be- sides, lessons two or three times a week in elocution, penmanship, vocal music, or drawing. All practice gymnastics twice a week, during a portion of the year.

The following paragraphs, which relate to the family life of the seminary, are quoted from the " Historical Sketch of Mount Holyoke Seminary," prepared in 1876. The plans and purposes of the two institutions are the same, the only variation being that which is made necessary by a different location and a differ- ence in the size of the schools :

" Much besides mere intellectual furnishing and drill has always been aimed at by this institution. It would be a very incomplete education which should leave out of sight those habits of self-control, system, punctuality, and general efficiency which are so indispensable to a woman. In the conditions of the large house- hold there was not a little to favor the cultivation of these traits, and Miss Lyon knew how to turn it to the best account. Among so many there was need for each to refrain from whatever might disturb or hinder others. There was occa- sion for careful planning and prompt performing, in order to accomplish one's daily duties. Moreover, each perceived that she was but one of a great family, and that something pertaining to its comfort devolved upon her, for which she soon learned to hold herself responsible day by day. For it has ever been a family as really as a school ; a family whose inmates study together, a school whose pupils and teachers reside together, mingling constantly in the familiar and affectionate intercourse of a well-ordered Christian home.

" It is generally known that the ordinary daily housework of the family is per- formed by the young ladies, superintended by the teachers and matrons .* But so many erroneous ideas have prevailed in regard to the matter, that it seems neces- sary to repeat explanations often given before.

" Each young lady spends about one hour a day in domestic work. This work is superintended by the teachers, and the whole system partakes of the freedom and good order of family life. The young ladies are excused from their work whenever their health requires it, the place being supplied from a reserve corps. Once in each term an entire change is made, that there may be an even distribu- tion of the different kinds of work. Various considerations led to the adoption of the domestic system, but as years have passed on benefits not fully foreseen have been found to result. Certain effects are discovered in the discipline of character which could hardly be otherwise secured. One sees the domestic affairs of a family of one hundred smoothly and successfully carried on day after day and year after year without servants; she can hardly fail to receive such an impression of what system, co-operation, and punctual activity can effect as would not readily be gained in any other way. Moreover, since she has something to do for every one else, and every one does something for her, she naturally falls into a habit of considering the

*One man-servant is constantly employed for the heavier tasks. It may also be mentioned that the use of steam for heating and culinary purposes greatly diminishes labor.

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HISTORY OF GEAUGA AND LAKE COUNTIES, OHIO.

general good. And in the course of time she is likely to discover that to be min- istered unto is not always pleasanter than to minister. Were economy the only object, the system might have been dropped on account of the perplexities it some- times occasions in arranging classes. But the seminary could ill afford to dispense with an agency so valuable in training its pupils to bear their part among the workers of the world.

" RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES.

" The religious influence of the institution, though unsectarian, has always been positive and strong. A regular and comprehensive course of Bible study is pur- sued during the four years, and attendance at church is required at least once upon the Sabbath. Pupils observe that while they are not asked what denomina- tion they or their friends prefer, it is regarded as a question of the utmost conse- quence whether their lives shall be devoted to self or consecrated to Christ. They are constantly reminded that since they are enjoying privileges provided by Chris- tian benevolence, they are under peculiar obligations to strive to bless others in their turn. They hear much of the various benevolent enterprises of the day, and learn to look forward to an active and useful life. Fully three-fourths of the whole number of students have taught more or less after finishing their studies, and many have engaged in missionary work either in foreign lands or at home."

The number of pupils in the seminary, all boarders, according to the Mount Holyoke plan, has varied during the nineteen years of its existence. The average number each year has been one hundred and eight. Most of these pupils have come from northern and eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, though twenty- six States of the Union have been represented in the school. The advance in the requirements for admission to the seminary has tended somewhat to a decrease in the size of the school. Other causes have contributed to the same result, as, the improvement in the high schools of our own cities and larger towns, the opening of college doors to women, the greater facilities for going east to complete a course of study, and, of late, the wide-spread business depression. The number of graduates in nineteen years has been one hundred and seventy-one. Many of these have filled important places in our public schools and in other educational institutions.

The terms for board and tuition have always been kept as low as possible. For the first few years the pupils paid only ninety dollars for the forty weeks, fuel and lights, however, being additional from 1863. The terms were gradually raised, but barely enough to meet the increased cost of living. In 1873 the building was heated by steam, and the additional expense of fuel and lights was included in the regular yearly charge, which was one hundred and sixty-five dollars. At present (1878) board and tuition, heating of rooms, lights, lectures, instruction in French and German, and use of library books and reading-room periodicals are covered by the payment of one hundred and seventy dollars for the thirty-nine weeks of the school year. It will be observed that the terms have been, from the first, just about what one would have paid for board only, in an ordinary country village, at the given period. Money-making has never been one of the objects contemplated by this institution, though its ordinary current expenses have gener- ally been kept just within its income. Its teachers, chosen almost always from its own graduates, have been so warmly attached to the seminary, and so deeply in sympathy with its benevolent aims, that they have preferred its service to the more lucrative positions open to them elsewhere.

The history of the seminary would be incomplete without mention of the bene- factions by means of which it has been enabled to accomplish its good work. The institution has no endowment and no permanent fund. Its yearly income, as has been stated, has barely covered its current expenses. The purchase of the grounds and erection of the original building encumbered it with a heavy debt, which was not entirely removed till 1877. The contributions at the founding of the school, and, in later years, for improvements in the building and the erection of the new wing, for the boring of two wells upon the grounds, with the hope of obtaining a supply of natural gas, and for the gradual canceling of the debt and its accumu- lations, have amounted to nearly one hundred thousand dollars. Most of this amount has been subscribed by citizens of Painesville and Lake County. The sums have varied from that of nearly forty thousand dollars, given at different times and for various purposes by one member of the board of trustees, to the smaller but not less willing offering of fifty or five dollars. Within the last few years citizens of Cleveland have responded liberally to special appeals for aid in the erection of the new wing, for additions to the library, and other objects. The need of a fund for the assistance of young ladies, who could not otherwise obtain an education, has long been felt. This has been partly met by yearly donations amounting in nine years to nearly ten thousand dollars, most of which has been given by Hon. Reuben Hitchcock, the member of the board of trustees already alluded to. A bequest of five hundred dollars from Mrs. Woolley, of Painesville, was the beginning of the fund for physiological apparatus. Gifts of books, photo-

graphs, casts, and other helps in art study have been received. Graduates and former pupils have given generously whenever a call has been made for aid in purchasing apparatus or in adding some comfort to their old home. The senior classes of later years have left behind them some substantial token of their affec- tion for Alma Mater.

The principle of benevolence and of devotion to the cause of Christian educa- tion has characterized the transaction of the business of the seminary. The offices of secretary and treasurer have been filled by gentlemen, residents of Paines- ville, who have kept the accounts of the institution, and have attended to its interests without salary.' For nine years the services of a steward have been dis- pensed with, the purchases for the provisioning of the large family having been made by the treasurer without expense to the seminary. The manifold details of the household economy have been wisely administered for nineteen years by one of the teachers, and the expense of a matron's salary thus saved.

The seminary has separated itself somewhat from the town in which it is located, by adhering to its policy of admitting no day-scholars. This has been done for the sake of carrying on its educational work with less interruption, and on account of its domestic system, which admits of no privileged class, exempt from the common duties and responsibilities of the one family. It is therefore deserving of special mention that the relations of the school with the town have been uniformly pleasant. The abundant hospitality extended to the teachers and to many of the students, the frequent expressions of interest in the prosperity of the school, with numberless neighborly acts of kindness, have given encouragement and moral sup- port in the routine of seminary life. It is believed that there is an increase in the mutual good will of citizens and members of the school, and that there is a growing interest in the success of the institution, not only in Painesville, but throughout the county and the surrounding region.

The history of Lake Erie Seminary is thus written to its twentieth year. Its record is one not to be ashamed of. With the continuance of earnest efforts on the part of its trustees and teachers, with the help of friends of education, and the support of the citizens of this and adjacent counties, and, above all, with the bless- ing of God day and night upon it, there is every reason to expect that its future will be better than its past.

THE WESTERN RESERVE TEACHERS' SEMINARY,

located at Kirtland, was one of the most important educational factors in this section of country, and for quite a number of years afforded superior oppor- tunities of instruction to the young men and women of Lake and Geauga Counties, and of the country adjacent. It originated in the conviction, in the minds of a number of intelligent, far-seeing men, that some means should be provided for the better education of the youth, and especially that there was need of an insti- tution for the careful preparation of the young of both sexes as teachers in the common schools. The credit of originating the project should be given to the Rev. Nelson Slater. He set on foot the movement which culminated in the establishment of the school, and for some time labored diligently in the cause, lecturing, writing for the papers, and using his personal influence in various ways to create a favorable public sentiment.

The westward hegira of the Mormons from Kirtland decided the question of location. Their temple and many dwellings were left vacant, and steps were immediately taken to utilize the opportunity that the departure of the " Latter- Day Saints" afforded.

In July, 1838, Rev. Mr. Slater obtained from the trustees a five-year lease of the second and third stories of the Mormon temple, and the school was opened in the September following. Rev. Nelson Slater was principal, and had as assistants John M. Coe and Miss Harriet Buss, preceptress. Valuable aid was given the institution at this time and in later years by the Rev. Truman Coe, then pastor of the Kirtland Presbyterian church, who not ouly helped by wise counsel, but gave several fine series of lectures on philosophical and scientific subjects.

February 26, 1839, a charter was obtained from the Ohio Legislature, in which were named as corporate trustees Rev. Truman Coe, Christopher G. Crary, Azariah Lyman, Nelson Slater, N. P. Goodell, John W. Howden, Sylvester N. Hoyt, Timothy Rockwell, Ansel R. Clark, and Phineas Nichols. Some of these declined serving ; others resigned from time to time till but few of the charter members remained in the board. On the 19th of March following, the six trustees first named met and organized the board by electing Rev. Truman Coe president ; Rev. N. Slater, secretary ; Timothy D. Martindale, treasurer; Rev. T. Coe, C. G. Crary, and N. P. Goodell, committee to prepare by-laws. These were presented and adopted the next meeting (March 20, 1839). At an ad- journed meeting, held March 27, 1839, the trustees decided to place the institu- tion under their own control. They appointed Revs. Coe and Slater and T. D. Martindale executive committee. During the spring and summer term (1839), Asa D. Lord and John S. Dixon were employed as teachers. August 27, 1839,

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HISTORY OF GEAUGA AND LAKE COUNTIES, OHIO.

Rev. N. Slater resigned his position and dissolved his connection with the semi- nary, and Asa D. Lord was elected superintendent and secretary. During his superintendency there were associated with him as teachers, for different periods, John Nichols, M. F. Cowdery, M. D. Leggett, Asaha Nichols, and Misses Lu- cretia Smith, Emeline Peck, Harriet Wells, E. W. Russell, and Maria Doolittle. During his administration it was his constant aim to make the school what its name implied, a teachers' seminary, and it became a power in the community that was felt and acknowledged. He held this position until February 12, 1847, when he tendered his resignation to accept an invitation to organize and superintend the public schools in Columbus. On the resignation of Dr. Lord, Dr. John Nichols was chosen his successor to the superintendency, very probably from the fact that having been the associate and co-worker of Dr. Lord he was considered the best person to assume the responsibility and continue the plans so well laid out. There was no essential change in the character of the school nor in its con- dition. It continued under Dr. Nichols to be a great power for good, and exerted a valuable influence upon the community and the country round about. Associated at different times with Dr. Nichols were Messrs. Horace Benton, Alfred Holbrook, Charles Morse, and Charles C. Merrill; Mrs. Mary E. Nichols, Misses Mary Makepeace, Eliza O. Merrill, Sophronia Osborn, Jane H. Warren, and Samantha Webster. Dr. Nichols resigned in November, 1853, as the work had become too onerous, from the great amount of labor necessary to maintain the usefulness of the seminary.

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History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio, Part 14

Author: Williams Brothers Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Number of Pages: 443

Author: Williams Brothers
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 443