USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Memoirs of the Miami valley > Part 14
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His first grant of land for his endowment, was made on the 1st of November, 1826, to Samuel Lewis and Osmond Cogswell, per- petual trustees. The site of the building was a subsequent dona- tion by the same gentleman. It was first chartered as the Wood- ward free grammar school. This title was afterwards changed into that of the Woodward high school, and with the alteration of the name, there was also a change in the character of the institution. The course of study was raised in consequence of the establishment of common schools. These latter, while they supplied the place, filled by the former under its organization, as originally contem- plated, seemed to call for an institution of a higher grade.
As a high school, its course of study has been gradually ex- tended till it embraces every subject usually taught in our colleges, besides the modern languages and bookkeeping as parts of a mer- cantile education. In the winter of 1835-6, the trustees applied to the legislature for collegiate powers, which were accordingly granted under the title of the Woodward college of Cincinnati.
Despite certain hindrances due to the inadequacy of the funds provided, disputes as to text books, and uncertainties as to the relations between principal and teachers and teachers and patrons, and frequent changes in the rules, these schools made steady prog- ress.
Outside of Cincinnati the immediate beneficial effects of this law, while discernible, were less marked. In many instances the tax levy was inadequate to the maintenance of wholly free schools and had to be supplemented by subscriptions or fees on the part of those who were able to pay. Thus the amount apportioned the Dayton school district in 1829 was but $133. Four years later it had increased to $1,865. Even as late as 1841 we find, due to the inadequancy of the levy to meet the expenses, the board of managers authorized the charging of a fee of fifty cents per quarter to all who were able to pay.
Provision of Better Text Books. We find also that the Ohio valley played an important part in the movement for a system of text books adapted to the needs of the schools. During the entire period little attention had been given to a system of texts. The
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student used the text that he was able to provide. The New Eng- land Primer, Webster's Elements of Useful Knowledge, Webster's American Selections, The Columbian Orator, Murray's English Grammar, The American Preceptor, Dilworth's Speller, Webster's Easy Standard of Pronunciation, Pike's Arithmetic, and The Fed- eral Calculator were then used. Sometimes, however, the pupil would bring a copy of the Bible or other devotional book that the family possessed to serve as a text book in reading.
One of the most distinct contributions to the cause of better text books was that made by Prof. McGuffey of Miami university. Dr. A. D. Hepburn, son-in-law of Prof. McGuffey, recently gave an interesting account of the McGuffey reader which we cannot do better than quote:
The McGuffey readers and spellers were written and compiled in Oxford, and were first published by Smith brothers of Cincinnati, about the year 1836. Eminent educators affirm that these books, which gave their author more than national reputation, elevated the standard of school publications, and did more to improve the methods of elementary education than any books ever published.
Many people thought it strange that a man who taught the advanced courses of which Dr. McGuffey made a specialty, should have either time or inclination to compile a series of books, includ- ing primers, readers and spellers; but those who knew the man un- derstood his motives. First of all, there was a demand for such a series, and then Dr. McGuffey was a great lover of children. Hav- ing himself struggled for an elementary education, he sought to make smoother the road for future generations.
It was while a member of Miami's faculty that Dr. McGuffey organized a reading class among the children of Oxford, making a note of the kind of pieces that interested them, and watching their pronunciation of words. He was possessed of an inherent fond- ness for, and understanding of children, and being himself a man of refined literary tastes, his aim was to cultivate in others a de- sire for good literature. Some of the pieces contained in his readers he wrote; others he clipped. In the advanced readers were numer- ous extracts from anniversary addresses delivered by men of prominence at Miami university commencements.
The table on which the professor did most of his work in com- piling his text books now has a conspicuous place in the Miami Alumni library. It is of cherry wood, octagonal in form with a drawer in each of its faces, in which he kept the clippings from which he compiled his books. The table is so made that it re- volves thus enabling him to readily reach any paper or book which he might desire. The table was long the property of Dr. Hepburn, but on his retiring from active service he gave it to the university.
Publication of School Books. Another contribution of the valley in this same direction was in the development of publishing houses for the production of text books. The publishing of news- papers had begun almost with the founding of the settlement. There were the Centinel of the Northwest territory 1793-96, Free- man's Journal 1796-1800, The Western Spy and Hamilton Gazette 1800-09. The Whig 1809-10, The Advertiser 1810-11, The Western
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Spy 1810, The Liberty Hall and Cincinnati Mercury 1801, Spirit of the West 1814-15, and The Cincinnati Gazette 1815. While there was this marked interest in newspaper publication, but twelve different books had issued from the Cincinnati printing presses, and these were of but moderate size. Paper for these as for newspaper work was at first obtained from Pennsylvania and later from Kentucky, but was now being supplied by mills lately established upon the Little Miami river. After 1815, the book publishing business so increased until we find the statement made in 1826 that the number of text books printed on Cincinnati presses during that year were as follows: 55,000 Spelling Books, 30,000 Primers, 3,000 American Preceptors, 3,000 Introduction to the Eng- lish Reader, 3,000 Kirkham's Grammar, 2,000 Murray's Grammar, 5,000 Table Arithmetics. By 1840, the business had so developed that we find the school book advertisements an item in the city di- rectory for that year. Thurman and Smith call attention to the fact that the Eclectic Series then consisted of McGuffey's Primer, _ Progressive Spelling Book, First, Second, Third and Fourth Readers, Ray's Eclectic Arithmetic, Ray's Little Arithmetic, Ray's Rules and Tables, Miss Beecher's Moral Instructor, Mansfield's Political Grammar, Smith's Productive Grammar, and Mason's Young Minstrel. The great popularity of this series is evidenced by the statement, "that 500,000 of the Eclectic School Books have been published within the short time they have been before the public," and that the publishers having removed to new buildings and en- larged their manufacturing plant "will make it their special aim to keep pace with the constantly increasing demand." Ephraim Mor- gan & Co. advertise Nos. 1, 2 and 3 of the New American Reader, the New American Primer, Talbott's Arithmetic, Kirkham's Gram- mar, Murray's Introduction to the English Reader, Hale's Premium History of the United States, the Elementary Spelling Book, and Walker's Dictionary. They exploit their series of readers as having been adopted by the board of trustees and visitors of the common schools of Cincinnati to be used in said schools, and introduced into a great number of schools in the western and southern states. George Conclin calls attention to Hall's Western Reader, Webster's Elementary Reader and Webster's Primary Reader. Ely and Strong note that they publish Emerson's New National Spelling Book, Emerson's First, Second, Third and Fourth Class Readers, Russell's Series of Histories, Introduction to Murray's English Reader, Mur- ray's English Reader, Ruter's Western Arithmetic, the New Eng- land Primer, the American Primer, the Small American Primer, and the Western Spelling Book. These books, they declare, are the best series of school books ever published in the west and unsur- passed by any issued east of the mountains. They are extensively used in our common schools-and the best teachers in the west give them preference over all others now in use.
A further evidence of the educational interest of the period was the various educational experiments that were tried out during the period.
Educational Experiments. Mention has already been made of the introduction of a modified form of the Lancastrian system into
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the schools of Cincinnati in 1815 and into those of Dayton in 1820. This system did not meet the expectations of its promoters. How- ever, that the people of this area were sufficiently open minded to attempt a scheme that promised educational betterment, is evidence of their interest in the subject.
In 1828, on the suggestion of Dr. John H. Craig, steps were taken to organize at Cincinnati, the Ohio Mechanics' institute. The next legislature granted a charter on February 20, 1829, to the asso- ciation, which had for its object the advancing of the best interests of the mechanics, manufacturers, and art designers by the more general diffusion of useful knowledge in those important classes of the community. Of this institution Atwater has the following to say :
During the three last years, three lectures in each week have been delivered in the lecture room of the institute. The library consists of about fifteen hundred volumes of well selected books, which have been presented to the institution by individuals. The members of the institute contribute, each, annually, three dollars. The society has an annual fair, for the exhibition of such articles as our mechanics and manufacturers may feel disposed to exhibit. The fair held in May, 1838, at the bazaar, was attended by all the intelli- gent citizens of Cincinnati. The articles exhibited did honor to the ingenuity and skill of those who produced them. We saw, and felt proud of the producers and their productions. This institution de- serves the patronage of the whole people and we hope will receive it. The classes in the institute are established by voluntary association of young men, who form their own by-laws and adopt a course of mutual instruction ; receiving aid from professional teachers, many of whom have been very zealous in promoting the objects of the institution. During the summer seasons, courses of lectures in natural philosophy are delivered in the institute to young ladies.
Another writes :
An institution of the cast and purpose of the institute deserves attention and support for many reasons, and one important one among these is the influence which it will exert in the cause of education, by diffusing a taste for manly and scientific knowledge, in opposition to that propagated by whining superficialism which adapts itself to the caprices and feelings of those who see no differ- ence between things useful and excellent, and those useless and contemptible.
The institute, despite many difficulties that arose, has continued to contribute to this end and is today in a flourishing state.
In 1833 a manual labor institution was founded in Dayton and placed under the supervision of Prof. Milo G. Williams. This scheme of education had been successfully operated in Europe and shortly before this had begun to attract the attention of educators in this country, some of the best of whom regarded the plan with favor. A number of experiments were made particularly in the west. These in general did not prove successful and the operation of such schools was for the most part discontinued as not being well adapted to our educational needs in this country. Such was the fate of the Dayton experiment, which was discontinued after two years of trial.
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A movement somewhat related to this was the establishment of the Farmers' college, which was attended with greater success, though in the end itself a failure.
In the Literary Register for 1829 there appeared an advertise- ment of Miami university. One of the features set forth therein was the Farmers' college, in which it was proposed to afford the young man who proposed to be a farmer or merchant, a course of instruction as well adapted to his needs as was the regular course to the needs of those entering upon a professional career. The financial limitations do not appear to have admitted of the execu- tion of this idea. Later, however, it found expression in an institu- tion with which Dr. Bishop was connected. In 1833, Freeman E. Cary founded the Pleasant Hill academy at a point about six miles north of Cincinnati. His school soon proved to be very popular and won a reputation as being the best academy in the west. He was fortunate in securing able instructors, among whom were Dr. Robert H. Bishop and Prof. John W. Scott, who had recently severed their connection with Miami university. As stated by its founder, the great and leading object had in view from the commencement of this institution has been ultimately to give an extensive and thorough course of scientific instruction.
In 1846, he and his associates chartered the Farmers' college of Hamilton county and the same year the cornerstone of the new college edifice was laid with addresses by Profs. Bishop and Scott. Both of these speakers laid emphasis on the dignity of labor and the importance of a more general distribution of education in order to raise up another and better, because a more educated and intelligent kind of agriculturists, mechanics, and business men, than the present or any other generation.
It was the fundamental idea of the prime mover of this enter- prise, President Cary, that every man had a special right to that kind of education which would be of greatest value to him in the prosecution of useful industry. For a time the operations of this school were attended with great prosperity, but during the Civil war it entered upon a decline from which it has never been able to recover. Today the buildings and grounds are the property of the Ohio Military institute.
One of the characteristic developments of this period was the founding of the Western Literary Institute and College of Profes- sional Teachers, which had for its object the introduction of certain improvements in the methods of instruction. Correspondence was opened by the members with all similar associations and with such individuals of either sex as evinced an interest in or desire to en- courage so important an undertaking. A contemporary thus de- scribes the founding and purposes of this organization :
A few years ago the teachers of Cincinnati organized a society for mutual improvements. Its first anniversary was celebrated on the 20th of June, 1831, at which time the Rev. R. H. Bishop, D. D., president of the Miami university, delivered an excellent address on the importance of demanding and encouraging faithful and well qualified teachers. This association, however, not extending beyond the boundaries of the city, was necessarily restricted in its opera-
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tions, and its benevolent designs even there were almost entirely paralyzed by jealousies, local prejudices and conflicting interests. Under these discouragements some of its founders were for aban- doning the objects altogether, believing it could never be rendered productive of any valuable results. But Mr. Albert Pickett, sr., a veteran in the profession of teaching, unwilling to abandon his object, devised a plan which would not only sustain the sinking cause but greatly augment its usefulness and respectability.
He very wisely concluded that if a literary institution were formed which should be composed of all the instructors of youth and other friends of education in the west, who should annually meet in convention, all the members would be apt to unite in the promotion of the great object in view, while all local schemes and selfish policy would be rendered powerless or be forgotten. This idea he communicated to some of his friends, and as it received their hearty approval, circulars of invitation were immediately sent, as far as information could be obtained, to all engaged in teaching, whether in colleges, academies or schools, to meet in Cincinnati on Wednes- day, October 3, 1832, at which time a respectable number convened. A resolution was passed for the establishment of the present college. A constitution was prepared and unanimously adopted.
Thus commenced the western college of professional teachers, the most popular and useful literary institution in the western coun- try, if not in the Union, and which has already accomplished won- ders in the advancement of the cause of general education in the west.
Should this institution continue to flourish, the advantages to be derived from it will at some future day be great. It brings together the presidents and professors of our colleges and universi- ties and the teachers of academies and primary schools. They form a mutual acquaintance and learn to respect each other's character, merit and usefulness. And the time will come when there will exist between them a mutual dependence which will be productive of mutual benefits. The colleges and universities will then furnish effi- cient teachers for the schools and academies, and they in return, when efficiently taught, will furnish a great number of pupils for the colleges and universities. In consequence of our young men being early initiated and established in regular habits of study and in the love of useful knowledge, where there is now one pupil who wishes for the advantages of a collegiate education, there will then be many.
In the development of educational periodicals within the state, the Miami valley appears to have assumed the lead. The earliest publication of this class was the Literary Register, edited by the professors of Miami university. Twenty-six numbers were issued running from June 2nd to December 8th, 1828, when the publica- tion was taken over by C. A. Ward and W. W. Bishop who pro- posed to continue the paper along the same general lines.
In July, 1831, the Academic Pioneer was issued at Cincinnati containing the proceedings and addresses of the Western Academic institute and board of education at its meeting held June 20th of that year. A second number appeared in December, 1832, contain-
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ing the proceedings of the meeting held that year. In January, 1837, the Universal Educator made its appearance at Cincinnati. How long it continued does not appear.
The Western Academician and Journal of Education and Science edited by John W. Pickettt, A. M., made its appearance at Cincinnati in March, 1837. It was made the organ of the college of Professional Teachers. The enterprise lived but a year but that was long enough for it to publish a number of valuable articles, many of which were written by men from the Miami valley area. In May, 1837, the Ohio Common School Director was issued at Co- lumbus, being edited by Samuel Lewis, a Miami valley man, who had just been made state superintendent of schools. As she pio- neered in the field of educational literature, so has she maintained an important position throughout the later years.
The College of Liberal Arts of Miami University. During the period we are now considering, Miami university rose to the rank of a university and assumed an important place among the educa- tional institutions of the west. In 1824 the central portion of the present main building was so nearly completed and the income from the college township now amounting to $4,503.071/2, it was deter- mined to raise the institution, which had existed as a select school 1812-18, and as a grammar school 1818-24, to the rank of a college. To shape the policies of the young institution, Prof. Bishop of Transylvania university was chosen. For eighteen years he had served with distinction in that institution and had been considered as the logical man for its presidency in 1818. It was his fortune to serve at Transylvania when that was one of the leading universities of the country.
Coming to Miami university at the beginning of the school in November, 1824, Dr. Bishop was inaugurated as president of the institution.
One of President Bishop's associates in launching this educa- tional venture was William Sparrow, of Charleston, Miss., who had studied at Trinity college, Dublin, and Columbia university, and who, later was professor at Kenyon for sixteen years, and at the Episco- pal Theological seminary at Alexandria from 1841 to 1874. The other was John E. Annan, a graduate of Dickinson college, who, after three years of service as professor of mathematics and science, resigned to complete his theological studies at Princeton seminary. On the resignation of Prof. Sparrow in 1825, his place was taken by William H. McGuffey of text book fame.
President Bishop's administration of seventeen years, though not without imperfections, was on the whole judicious, beneficent, and successful. The college township had been transformed into a thriving farming community, yielding an annual income to the university of about $5,500, the largest permanent income of any college in America. The unpretentious schoolhouse first'erected on the campus had given place to four permanent brick structures, three of which still render excellent service. The select school had evolved into a real college with a faculty of six full professors, sev- eral of whom were men of national reputation, and a student body
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of one hundred and sixty-four young men drawn from ten different states. From her walls had gone forth three hundred and two grad- uates, of whom one hundred and eleven entered the ministry and ninety-three studied law. Forty sought to further the cause of edu- cation, either as principals of academies or as professors in col- leges, seven rising to the position of college presidents. Twenty- three served in their state legislature, five sat in the gubernatorial chair, thirteen were elected to seats in congress, and five rose to a distinguished rank in the army. Five were sent by the church as missionaries to heathen lands, while four were sent by our gov- ernment on missions to foreign countries. With such a product, is it surprising that Miami university was speedily recognized as en- titled to a place in the front rank of the educational institutions of our country ? Even a Cincinnati writer, while lamenting the failure of local efforts to establish a successful college, could say of her, "It is gratifying that our citizens who have sons to educate, can avail themselves of the advantages of Miami university, which is located in the vicinity of our city."
Rise of Church Colleges. While the state university was thus progressing largely under Presbyterian control, other denominations whose needs were not served thereby were taking steps to found individualistic institutions.
Until after 1830 the Roman Catholics comprised a small and uninfluential minority of the population of the Miami valley. A survey of the churches established in this area prior to 1815 does not disclose a single one of that faith. This statement also applies to the Jews and Episcopalians. However, about 1820, churches of the Catholic faith began to be established and in 1831 Bishop Fenwich undertook the establishment of a literary institute, which took the name of The Athenaeum. From 1831 to 1840 the school was under the care of the diocesan clergy. Though their efforts were attended with much success the growing needs of the work led Bishop Parcell to commit it to the care of the Jesuit order. Under the administration of this body the institution has been characterized by a steady growth until the old quarters were found to be inade- quate and a new location was secured in Avondale where it now operates under much more favorable conditions. The ability and reputation of the Jesuits in the field of education has given to this school a distinguished place among the educational institutions of southwestern Ohio.
Among the other institutions of higher education in the Miami valley, St. Joseph's college at Cincinnati, founded in 1871 by mem- bers of the congregation of the Holy Cross, and St. Mary's at Day- ton established under the direction of the Society of Mary, occupy a distinctive position.
In 1844 the first steps toward the establishment of an institu- tion that would have as its distinctive purpose the education of colored youth was taken by the African Methodist Episcopal church. At that time a committee was appointed to select a site for a sem- inary of learning. The institution known as Union seminary was located twelve miles west of Columbus and combined manual labor with literary instruction.
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