History of Dakota Territory, volume III, Part 116

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1146

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The president of the board of regents stated in 1892 that the common schools generally had adopted the course of study prepared by the committee of the State Teachers' Association. In the city and village schools throughout the state there was found a wide diversity of methods and courses. Each independent district had devised its own curriculum. As the university and other higher educational institutions were compelled to rely chiefly on the city and village schools for their students, the president recommended that the courses of study in all such schools should be made to conform to or harmonize with the courses at the state uni- versity. With this object in view the educators of the state had recently met and prepared uniform courses for the high schools so adapted that students graduat- ing therefrom could at once secure admission to the freshman class of the uni- versity. In order to establish a suitable stepping stone from the high schools to the university, the preparatory department of the university was instituted. All the advanced schools in the state at this time had preparatory departments, owing to the fact that there was no unison in studies or courses by which pupils of the

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lower schools could enter the higher institutions. These preparatory departments were needed as a part of the general unit system for the colleges and universities which gave courses wholly independent of the requirements of the common schools. It was different with the university, which simply was designed to be the culmination of the education furnished in the common and the high schools.

The faculty of the University of South Dakota in September, 1891, consisted of the following persons, nearly all of whom were newly chosen: Pres. William A. Scott, professor of history and political economy; Lewis A. Akeley, profes- sor of physics and chemistry ; J. S. Frazee, professor of mathematics and astron- omy ; C. P. Lommen, professor of biology, zoology and botany; S. G. Updyke, professor of Latin language and literature; F. I. Merchant, professor of Latin language and literature; O. E. Hagen, professor of modern languages; George M. Smith, professor of Greek language and literature; Miss M. McCalla, lady principal. The chair of geology and mineralogy was yet to be filled. The institu- tion was divided into four departments, collegiate, sub-freshman, commercial and music. The collegiate department was subdivided into classical, philosophical, scientific and literary.

The board of regents in 1892 investigated affairs at the Agricultural College. A memorial of the Brookings people arraigned President McLouth and the old board of regents for irregular conduct. The committee of the Legislature made a thorough investigation and reported on January 31. The trouble in the Agri- cultural College had been brewing for two years and an insurrection similar to the one at the State University a year or two before had occurred there. It was charged that President McLouth had gone into politics for Governor Mellette, of Watertown, and that he had discharged able and satisfactory professors and put in their places political heelers or friends ; also that he had covertly pulled wires in order to elect his own friends to the board of regents. It was charged that he had secured the dismissal of Professor Kerr to make room for a Mr. Martin, one of his friends. Lieutenant Frost had been dismissed and Ed. Hewitt had been appointed in his place. In this investigation, while no serious crookedness could be shown, it was proved that there had existed in the faculty and among the trustees, regents, students and citizens for several years a continuous pulling and hauling largely through personal, private and local motives; that there had been a total absence of any genuine effort to unite in action for the benefit of the college. Many small irregularities and personal intrigues and ambitions were exposed by the legislative committee. During the investigation there was unearthed a small scheme which had been partially developed to remove the Agricultural College from Brookings to a tract of land between Miller and St. Lawrence.

In 1893 the state superintendents recommended to the Legislature that, inas- much as the interest charges had been reduced, the school fund lying idle in the treasury should be loaned to individuals on much more liberal terms. He asked that the state be permitted to borrow school funds at 5 per cent. Thus far the restrictions on the fund had been iron-clad, but now the superintendent argued that more liberal methods would work to the advantage of both schools and the state. As it now was the state was often compelled to borrow of individuals or banks at a far higher rate of interest than the school money could be loaned for under the new law. In order to keep the school money engaged and earning

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interest, he recommended that this step be taken. He further recommended that graduates of South Dakota schools be given first grade certificates only upon receiving diplomas from normal schools, and that such diplomas be exchanged for the first grade certificates without examination only after three years of service of the teacher. He also asked that country children who were graduates of rural schools be given free high school privileges. He stated at the same time that he asked this because the children of rural schools were entitled to the same high school privileges as city pupils, but did not have such at the present time although the school fund warranted such privileges.

"The common schools still suffer from lack of uniformity in our school system, which is a compromise between the township and the district plans. The state or public schools can never assume first rank without the entire abolition of the district plan, which is but one step toward the public school system that furnishes the facilities for the more intelligent communities to have excellent schools and permits those who prefer to raise their children in ignorance to do so. The former class of people would not need any public school system, as their first effort in life is to provide for the education of their children. It is to compel the fulfillment of this duty by parents who fail to recognize its importnace that the public school system has been created. The larger the unit of primary organiza- tion, thus combining in taxable districts parents with radical, progressive ideals with those who are ignorant and conservative, the better will be the results. The school township should never be less than the voting precinct. Every attempt to foster and keep alive a single independent district organization will but result in the denser ignorance of the backward communities, the very ones intended to be reached by the law.

"With the foundation already laid for the most munificent school fund of any state in the Union, or any people in the world, South Dakota cannot afford, in her legislation upon this subject, to be controlled by selfishness and bigotry. The failure to secure benefits for the rural schools in every degree equal to those in the more densely populated communities, is the acknowledged weakness of the public school system. The modern plan of public conveyance of the children in sparsely settled districts which has been adopted with satisfactory results in some eastern states, is commended to your careful consideration as it would seem to be especially feasible in this rigorous climate and in our sparsely settled country. The law passed by the last Legislature to secure uniformity of text books and escape the annoying and burdensome exactions of the school book trust, has but poorly accomplished its object, although it has not been without good results. Nothing short of school books furnished by the state will meet the demands upon this subject."-Governor Mellette, 1893.

In April, 1893, ninety students of the Agricultural College came out in an article in the local newspaper and endeavored to explain their views of the trouble at that institution. When they left school the previous fall several of the pro- fessors had been dismissed, and when school opened in the spring the students did not know whether they should return or not. However, they had nearly all come back, and soon afterward Professors Dawson and Foster were dismissed. At this time about one-half the whole faculty was discharged. The proceedings, whatever the cause, roused every student in the institution. They ascribed much of the troubles to quibbles over personal matters. After his dismissal, Professor

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Foster was elected president of the Montana Agricultural College. It was claimed by the students that incompetents were appointed to professorships, and that good men were dismissed. The students declared that President McLouth was the chief cause of all the trouble. They thus took the position that the Senate Committee had made a great blunder in upholding him and in dismissing Pro- fessors Foster, Frost and others. About this time nearly all the students of the Agricultural College were in open rebellion against the regents, trustees and new and remaining members of the faculty.

At this date J. W. Shannon was president of the Board of Regents of Educa- tion. Concerning the trouble at the Agricultural College he said that seven students guilty of some misdemeanor had been dismissed by President McLouth and that this fact or circumstance had caused the turmoil. A demand for the resignation or dismissal of President McLouth was made, but Mr. Shannon and Governor Sheldon told him to continue his work. The enrollment at the Agricul- tural College was about one hundred and twenty, and by reason of the various troubles about thirty left the institution, but did not expect to remain away permanently, believing that they would be reinstated when the turmoil was over. Mr. Shannon asserted in his report that President McLouth was doing well and building up a strong institution and that he was clearing out and patching up a lot of obstacles which had hampered the institution for some time.

In early times Dr. D. K. Pearson, a philanthropist of Chicago, gave Yankton College $50,000 providing the institution would raise $100,000, or would donate $25,000 if the institution would raise $75,000. In other words, he offered to give $1 for every $3 raised from other sources. By June, 1893, the institution had succeeded in raising $75,000 and thus was given $25,000 by Doctor Pearson.

In July, 1893, Commissioner Roth reported to Governor Sheldon that the county commissioners generally throughout the state did not comply with the law concerning the loaning of school funds. Regardless of the law they loaned much larger amounts to certain men than the law permitted. He noted that this was the practice quite generally throughout the state.

On October 15, 1893, the main building of the State University at Vermillion was destroyed by fire. There was no insurance, and the total loss amounted to about one hundred thousand dollars. The fire fighting apparatus was inadequate, and although great effort was made the building and considerable of the contents were destroyed. This was a serious loss, but the people of Vermillion and Clay County overcame the difficulty. No sooner was the old building burned down than immediate steps to build another to take its place were taken. The work on the new structure was commenced in the spring of 1894. The County of Clay donated $30,000 to the new structure, and the city of Vermillion raised from $12,000 to $13,000 for the same object. Late in October, 1894, the institution needed only about five thousand dollars more for its completion. During the progress of the fire, when it was seen that the building was doomed, students and others united in carrying out the apparatus as far as possible-books, furniture, geological specimens, etc. About one third of the library was saved. All public documents were destroyed. The building was three stories high, 72 by 105 feet, and had two wings each 46 by 62 feet. Several departments lost all their appar- atus, but in a few nearly everything was saved. The origin of the fire was unknown. On the 17th the recitations were resumed in other university buildings.

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Late in December, 1893, the State Educational Association assembled in annual session at Parker. At this time Professor Young of the State University was president. He delivered an elaborate address on the subject "American School System." He said there was a great deal of administrative functions in the American system. There was too much politics and too great a lack of centraliza- tion of power. The requirements as to the qualifications of teachers were too narrow and insignificant. He believed it would be better to abolish county certificates and enforce compulsory education.

A law passed by the Legislature of 1893 made attendance at public schools throughout the state compulsory. It was made the duty of the presidents of all boards of education and the chairmen of all school boards to be on guard for violations of the law, to file complaints and to arrest school children who haunted public places, had no occupation and were playing truant. Every officer whose duty it was to enforce the law and failed to do so was subjected to a fine of from ten to twenty dollars for each offense. The law required that all children from eight to fourteen years should attend school at least twelve weeks each year, either at private or public school.

In April, 1893, school lands were sold all over the state, particularly east of the Missouri River, by Commissioner Ruth and his assistants through the county superintendents. At Tyndall he sold 3,700 acres for $56,000, or about $15 per acre. The highest sale was for $22.50 per acre. All of this was unimproved land. At Canton 2,800 acres were sold for an average of about $12 per acre. The highest price received was $29.50 per acre. At Sioux Falls 1,800 acres were sold at an average of $13 per acre, the highest price being $27 per acre. All of this land was sold to farmers and not to speculators. At this time Commis- sioner Ruth offered 100,000 acres for sale. The school fund on April 7, 1893, amounted in round numbers to $1,400,000. Nearly all was invested and drawing 6 per cent interest. Commissioner Ruth planned to sell during 1893 a total of about 150,000 acres. Even at this rate of sale he called attention to the fact that it would require twenty years to sell the 3,000,000 approximate acres of school land in the state.

"The public school lands belonging to the state at the commencement of this administration amount to 2,823,320 acres, of which 101,879.56 acres have been sold and contracted at an average price per acre of $13.64, amounting to $1,389,- 637.19, leaving 2,721,440.44 acres which, at an average price of $10 per acre, the minimum price at which under the law of Congress and the state constitution they can be sold, will realize $27,214,404.40; and this amount added to the sum already realized as above stated, fixes the minimum permanent school fund to result from the sale of lands at the enormous sum of $28,604,041.59, yielding upon 6 per cent securities, $1,716,242.49. The income from present sales and leases enabled the commissioner of school lands to disburse 52 cents for each school child for the year 1891 and for the year 1892 the apportionment will be 86 cents to each child."-Governor Mellette, 1893.

In January, 1894, Prof. George M. Smith delivered an address on "German Life and Schools" before the Yankton County Teachers' Association. A short time previously he had spent a year or more in Germany studying educational methods, and was prepared to illustrate what had been accomplished by Germany for the cause of the common schools. He corrected many false impressions con-

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cerning German customs and habits. He said that there existed in this country a wrong impression concerning German drinking customs, that it was a rarety to find any German who ever drank anything stronger than beer, and that he never drank beer or other liquor in excess. He said that the German was warmly at- tached to his country, and that the relations on the farms were pleasanter and better than in America. Filial obedience of boys and girls there was better than in America. There education had a definite point of view, especially the educa- tion of girls for motherhood and the boys for labor. The schools were models of excellence and the teachers were licensed by the government-were really government officers and had to be specially educated and fitted for their duties. In America anyone was good enough and perhaps knew enough to teach school. In Germany there was expert supervision over all schools by men trained for that specific duty. No person there had a political pull, and therefore there were no changes due to extraneous causes in the management of schools. "Once a teacher, always a teacher," was the rule in Germany, and held good until the teacher was unfitted by old age. School there was compulsory, the teacher being authorized and required by law to enforce the compulsory provisions. This lecture was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by the teachers present. At this time Professor Smith was doing extensive institute work in the southeastern part of the state. He continued at this work for many years and probably in all conducted not less than eighty institutes.

The Intercollegiate Oratorical Contest of South Dakota was held in May, 1894. Richard Locke of the Baptist College, Sioux Falls, won first prize. The contestants were from Yankton College, Mitchell College, Agricultural College, State University, Redfield College and Sioux Falls Baptist College. Mr. Locke was older than the other contestants and was already a preacher and an experi- enced public speaker and had been for several years. Later on he was charged with plagiarism from Dr. Josiah Strong's book. Mr. Locke's theme was "The Preservative Element in American Society." An investigation was ordered and many similarities were shown between Locke's production and passages in Doctor Strong's book. The institution winning the first prize was entitled to a chalcedony słab.

At the Tenth Annual Commencement Services of the Madison Normal School, held in June, 1894, a larger class than usual was graduated. General Beadle was still president of the school, which at this time numbered 209 pupils in the normal course proper and ninety in the model school. At this date the school was in flourishing condition. There had graduated from this institution in the last four years a total of forty four pupils representing about thirty two counties of South Dakota. In 1892-3 the school enrolled a total of 262 pupils from thirty South Dakota counties.

At the November election of 1894, eleven women in South Dakota were chosen county superintendents. Throughout southeastern South Dakota during the nineties, teachers' institutes continued to be one of the strongest and most con- spicuous features of the educational movement. Every county had its institute and in addition there were district institutes as well as state institutes. They usually lasted about two weeks and teachers were required to attend.

The schools of the state suffered much from the general financial depression which swept South Dakota in 1894. One of the principal drawbacks was still

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the lack of unity of purpose resulting in part from the absence of a central authority vested in a state governing body. It was suggested that a board com- posed of the governor, the attorney-general and the superintendent of public instruction, would be advisable as a state governing body, and that they should be given authority over other boards composed entirely of professional teachers or educational specialists. The state body, it was thought, should create a supervisory body with power to unite and co-ordinate all the educational institu- tions of the state. It was suggested that such state board should have power to appoint for each state educational institution a local trustee to inspect monthly the expenditures, to appoint and remove members of faculties, to establish courses of study in the public schools, to provide for the examination of pupils desiring promotion, to designate accredited high schools, to regulate the issuance of teachers' certificates and of all diplomas to graduates, etc.

The reports from the colleges and special training schools late in 1894 showed all to be in a fairly satisfactory condition. The most noticeable advance in the schools was the improved grade of instruction that had been placed in the vil- lage and rural schools. The only important study lacking was that of agricul- ture. Only a few years before a college or normal school graduate was rarely seen in the schools of the smaller villages and towns. In the rural schools, particularly, three-fourths of the teachers lived in the immediate vicinity of the schools and usually had the merest rudiments of a common school education. By 1904 normal graduates were found teaching in nearly all villages and towns and in a few of the better rural districts.

During the period from 1890 to 1894 inclusive, the State Educational Asso- ciation of the Black Hills region, of the southeast South Dakota region and the northern South Dakota region were active and did a great deal to advance the general interests of the schools. The reading circles were likewise well advanced and made to do a vast amount of good. There were teachers' reading circles and pupils' reading circles and the work of each was specific and excellent.

The law of 1891 entitled "An act to establish county uniformity of school text-books and supply the same at cost," was acted upon by every organized county of the state. Under its provisions the county boards of education by 1894, had wrought many changes in the school books used by the pupils of the state. In all the town and village schools and in many of the rural schools definite and fixed courses of study were in operation. Particularly was the high school course well defined and improved. But the rural schools were not supplied with what they needed. In many localities throughout the state where pupils lived at inconvenient distances from the schoolhouses, they were already transported to and from school at district expense. The normal institutes did much to stimulate interest among the teachers. Almost every county conducted such instructive courses, but the school law was still sadly deficient in many important particulars. The superintendent of public instruction made many important recommendations to the Legislature of 1895. His aim was to secure uniformity of instruction and books, and to make the schools from the lowest to the highest a steady move- ment forward and upward. He apparently did not consider what the rural children needed and wanted.

The State Educational Association met at Huron late in December, 1894. There were present about three hundred and fifty teachers, professors, superin- Vol. III-53

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tendents, and others. They passed resolutions to make the State Reading Circle funds available for the use of the Reading Circle; to recognize the excellent work of the Reading Circle by accepting its diplomas in lieu of the usual requirements of candidates for first grade county certificates or state certificates in either literature or didactics; to favor a law that would foster a more complete integra- tion of the whole state educational system as a means of returning value to the state for all it cost; to deprecate the spirit of lawlessness that trampled upon the state prohibitory law; to admit that the duty of the schools was to make good citizens; and to endorse the National University that had recently been estab- lished at Washington. General Beadle gave notice that he would offer an amend- ment to the association's constitution, severing the Educational Council from the State Educational Association. This step was favored by the association. Presi- dent Shannon, of the Board of Regents, addressed the association at length on the work, duties and accomplishments of the board. General Beadle gave a practical example of the flag drill which he had inaugurated in the Madison Normal School. Numerous papers of great interest and importance were read by various educators from different parts of the state. The burden of all was the improvement necessary to be made in the rural schools by uniting them in a general system for the accomplishment of higher education. Thus the associa- tion had not yet grasped the wants of the rural districts, and continued to "rail- road" rural pupils along the tunnel to higher education. J. W. Watson was elected president of the County Superintendent Department; Edward Dukes, president of the High School and College Department ; Mrs. Mary Cowen, presi- dent of the Common School Department; and Kate Taubman, president of the association, for the coming year.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume III, Part 116

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1146

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1146