Clinton County, Ohio - Chapter 9: Education, 1915

Chapter 9: Education

The history of rural education in Ohio has never been written, but it did not differ materially in the first half century of the state's development from that of .other states in the Middle West. Like her sister state to the west, Ohio was content with what was called the subscription school until after the adoption of the Constitution of 1852. The first schools in the state were found in the Connecticut Reserve along Lake Erie and were introduced by the thrifty Yankees from the Nutmeg state. Only the more densely populated and progressive communities were blessed with any kind of schools at all during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The schoo] houses were invariably rude log structures, devoid of any comforts, and the teacher was usually equipped as meagerly as the room in which he held forth. Teachers were very scarce and often the teacher was some farmer in the'community who practically offered to "keep school" for two or three months during the winter season. That these early schools were appreciated is shown by the fact that there were often from sixty to a hundred pupils enrolled under one teacher. The man who could handle such a number of children and teach them anything at all must have been a person of unusual physical courage, if not of mental ability. With the aid supplied by the neighboring hickory groves, this pioneer teacher succeeded in keeping at least a semblance of discipline, and in some mysterious manner he handled his juvenile army and actually taught them the rudiments of "readin'. 'ritin' and 'rithmetic."

Until 1852 only four branches were required to be taught in Ohio schools, reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling. Male teachers were required to take examination in reading, writing and arithmetic, but not in spelling; on the other hand, the female teachers, for some reason which the reader is left to imagine, were allowed to substitute spelling for arithmetic if they so desired. Evidence of proficiency in the above subjects was sufficient for applicants to secure certificates entitling them to teach from six to eighteen months. It is said that on more than one occasion the examiners were unable to read the papers of their applicants and granted them their certificates according to the amount of paper consumed in the examination. Be this as it may, there were many excellent teachers and the great majority of them were masters of the four subjects which they taught.

After the adoption of the Constitution of 1852 there was a decided improvement in the schools of the state. Grammar and geography were added to the curriculum and, as may be imagined, there were many protests against the innovation. A few years later some courageous men in the state succeeded in getting the study of history introduced into the course of study. but the bravest act was that of the men who introduced physiology into the public schools. This latter subject aroused violent opposition on the part of many people. an opposition which can be compared to that which the study of eugenics has stirred within the past few years. Additions to the curriculum have been made from time to time until now common school teachers are required to pass an examination in ten subjects. The latest subject to be added is that of agriculfure, and could our good forefathers step into a modern school room in this county and see the boys and girls testing seed corn or determining the fertility of the soil. they would no doubt think that the teacher was a fit candidate for an insane asylum. What the pioneer of the twenties and thirties might think of teaching piano music in the public schools would be an interesting thing for a vivid imagination, but such instructon is actually given in the school rooms of Clinton county today.

Between 1870 and 1880 improvement in the rural schools was directed along five main lines: the building of more schoo! houses, the addition of teaching aids in the school rooms (maps, books, etc.), raising the educational requirements of teachers, the payment of' higher salaries to teachers and compulsory 'attendance on the part of the pupils. Between 1885 and 1890 the rural school reached its greatest efficiency and enjoyed its highest splendor of sentimental glory. No orator thought his speech complete without a reference to the little red school house, and there are not lacking today spellbinders who appeal for votes on the ground that they are still in favor of this same little red school house.

But the day of the rural school of a dozen or two pupils has gone from this state forever - the red school house of our forefathers has seen its day. By 1890 the exodus from the rural districts to the urban centers had begun to assume large proportions. Between 1890 and 1910 some rural districts in Ohio lost thirty-three per cent. of their population. Many a rural school in the state which boasted of an enrollment of fifty or sixty in the middle of the last century dwindled down to a paltry dozen or even less by 1900. Hundreds of rural schools have been abandoned within the past ten years and hundreds more are doomed. So it came to pass that the rural schools and the system of rural education generally became a burden to the people, not only from a financial standpoint, but also because of their inefficiency. Farmers are now demanding that their children have as good educational advantages as those provided for the children of the city. So insistent has become this demand that townships all over Ohio are abandoning their rural one-room buildings and erecting one large centralized building to accommodate all the children of the township.

Clinton county, within the past ten years, has taken the first steps toward consolidation and centralization and the success which has attended the efforts of the school ofticials thus far in. their efforts points to a new era in rural education in the county. The present condition of the schools of the county is discussed in detail farther on in this chapter. In the history of the respective townships of the county mention is made of the first school in each, together with the early teachers. The future of rural education is brighter than ever before; never have the people been so wide awake to the value of good schools; never has there been as much interest in practical education as at the present time. The boy of the future will not only be able to manipulate the "three R's" with greater efficiency, but he will also leave the school room with a knowledge of many other things which will make of him a better and more useful citizen of the commonwealth. 'The girl of the future will know more about cooking, dressmaking and the domestic arts at the time she leaves the school room than her grandmother did when she died. The times have changed; the world 'is demanding things today that our fore fathers hever dreamed of, and it is the glory of the American people that they are adjusting themselves to these new conditions. In 2015 Clinton county will look back on 1915. even as we of today are harking back to 1815 and wondering that it took us so long to realize what kind of training we should give our children. May we as citizens of 1915 leave nothing undone to make our schools the agency whereby our children may bave the best training which modern thought can evolve. If we do not, we are derelict in our duty; if we do, we can be assured that our children's children will arise and bless our names.

Present School System

The state Constitution of 1912 made some very radical changes in the Ohio school system, which, with subsequent statutory legislation, has practically revolutionized things in the educational 'affairs of the state. It is not possible in this article to do more than give a brief survey of the schools as they are now managed. The office of county superintendent was created and given certain well-defined powers and duties. Provision was made for district superintendents in each county, who were to relieve the county superintendent of the cares of supervising all the schools in the county. There can be no question that the present school code is a distinct step in advance and, with competent officials, the schools should become a more efficient factor in the life of the state.

The county superintendent is elected' by the county board of education of five members, the members of the said board being selected by the'presidents of the twenty-three school boards of the county. The county superintendent has supervision of all the schools in the county, except those of Wilmington, the Wilmington special school district being a unit of-itself. J. L. Cadwallader, the present county superintendent, was the first man e1 cted to the office and began his duties on August 1, 1914. He is a man 'of more than thirty years' experience in educational work, having taught in Clinton, Warren and. Highland counties, most of his labors being in Clinton county. Being the first man to hold the office, he has, in a manner, had to biaze the trail. Clinton county has won special recognition from the state department for the way in which it has installed the new system and many encomiums have been passed upon the educational work which has been accomplished in the county within the past year.

It is interesting to note that the United States bureau of education sent J. L. McBrien, their special school extension agent, to Clinton county in June, 1915, to make an investigation of the consolidated school districts of New Vienna and Wayne township. This investigation was embodied in a report which will be issued'in the next annual report of the bureau of education.

Under the original districting there were six district superintendents, but in June, 1915, the county board redistricted the county to meet the conditions of the Winans law, making three districts. In addition to these three school districts, there are two other groups of schools, one composed of five first-grade high schools and the other of three schools, employing a total of ten teachers under the general supervision of the county superintendent. In order to set forth the new system, the following tables have been prepared in the office of the county superintendent. The figures and facts for teachers and buildings are for 1915-16; the mill tax is the one levied for 1915.

Of these five units, Sabina has a first-grade and Reesville a third-grade high school. The other schools in the first district are all rural schools. The district superintendent has thirty-three teachers under his charge and devotes all of his time to supervision of their respective schools. He receives a yearly salary of eighteen hundred dollars.

In this district there are two first-grade high schools, Liberty township and Mt. Pleasant special. Adams has a third-grade high school. The district. superintendent receives eighteen hundred dollars for supervising the thirty-two teachers under his

Midland and Jefferson townships each has a third-grade high school. The district > superintendent receives sixteen hundred and fifty dollars yearly salary. Group of First Grade High Schools.

This group of five first-grade high. schools is under the direction of County Superintendent Cadwallader, while the person in charge of each school is designated as a superintendent. None of these schools receives state aid for supervision purposes. The New Vienna and Wayne township schools are united for supervision purposes for the year 1915-16 under H. E. Cromer. New Vienna is a consolidated school,-and Wayne township is known as a centralized school. The New Vienna village school district comprises New Vienna village, a large part of Green and a small part of Clark townships in Clinton county, aS well as parts of Union, Penn and Fairfield townships in Highland county, which joins Clinton on the south and east.

These three schools come under no special classification as a group. Farmers Station is the only so~alled standardized school in the county. To be a standardized school requires a minimum library of fifty volumes, a minimum amount of agrieultural apparatus to the value of fifteen dollars and a teacher with a three-years certificate. When these qualifications are complied with, the school receives an annual appropriation from the state of twenty-five dollars. 'The county superintendent has supervision of the ten teachers of these three schools. A. F. Roush and M. F. Andrew, principals of Cuba and Clarksville, respectively, receive seven hundred and twenty dollars for the school year and John H. Simkins, the teacher at Farmers Station, gets a salary of sixty-five dollars a month.

The county superintendent receives a salary of twenty-one hundred, with office expenses of three hundred dollars. The three district superintendents who must have at least thirty teachers under their supervision, receive salaries ranging from sixteen hundred and fifty to eighteen hundred dollars a year. High school teachers receive from seventy-five to one hundred dollars a month and the village superintendents range from six to twelve hundred per year. Teachers in the rural schools receive salaries varying from forty-five to sixty dollars a month. Hach school district in the county receives state aid to the amount of thirty dollars. There are now (1915) one hundred and fifty-six 'teachers outside of the Wilmington schools, and twenty-seven in the latter, making a total for the county of one hundred and eighty-three. All of the schools in the county have at least an eight-months term and some of them have nine months. What is known as the Smith mill tax has tended to shorten the school term in the county.

Normal School

Recent legislation provided for at least one normal school in each of the eighty-eight counties of Ohio. and Clinton county established its first normal in the fall of 1914 at New Vienna. This school for the training of teachers is in charge of the county superintendent, who is obligated by law to teach not less than one hundred nor more than two hundred 'hours per year of nine months. During the first year Superintendent Cadwallader taught one hundred and twenty-five and a half hours. He is responsible for the teaching of school methods, management and law. The course covers only one year and those finish- 'ing this in a satisfactory manner are granted a year's certificate to teach in the county. The high school teacher at New Vienna teaches agriculture and the music teacher of the Same school has charge of the music in the normal. The Clinton county normal has now been in operation but one year, yet it has already demonstrated its worth to the county. , :

The county teachers' association is recognized by the new school code but it is not mandatory that they be held in every county. In Clinton county it has been the custom to hold quarterly meetings of all the teachers under the direction of the county superintendent. During 1914-15 only two such meetings were held. Both of these were well attended and it was the consensus of opinion of the leading teachers that they had their place. in the educational affairs of the county. The teachers of Wilmington are included in 'the association. 'The president during the past year was Frank P. Sayrs, and the secretary was Etta Weer. The forenoon of the meeting was devoted to round table discussions covering a wide variety of subjects of general interest: to the teachers. The afternoon session was in charge of foreign speakers, who discussed some phase of teaching. The county superintendent, by virtue of his position, fs the head of the association and directs the round-table discussion. The meetings in the past have been held at various places in the county, among them being Wilmington, Blanchester and Sabina.

The history of the Clinton county schools would not be complete without making mention of the Wayne township and the New Vienna centralized schools. J. J. Richeson, now dean of the normal school of Ohio University, organized and perfected the present school system of Wayne township. 'This school has. attracted wide attention and has been visited by educators from.all parts of Ohio as well as many other states.

John F. Fulton organized the New Vienna school. Among the noted educators of the county who have been the head of the New Vienna schools are E. P. West, superintendent for fourteen years, and J. L. Cadwallader, who was principal for six years and superintendent for a similar length of time. Mr. Cadwallader left the New Vienna schools to become county superintendent in the fall of 1914.

The success which attended the centralization of the Wayne township and New . Vienna schools has induced other townships in the county to follow their example. Chester, Adams and the east half of Liberty townships have voted to consolidate the schools of their respective townships and the first two already have the system in successful operation. :

The history of Wilmington College dates from 1870, when the Friends secured control of Franklin College, which had been started in Wilmington five years previously. In order to trace the history of Wilmington College from its inception down to the present time it is. necessary to tell something of its predecessor - Franklin College. For some years prior to 1865 there had been an institution of learning located at Athens, Ohio, which was known as Franklin College, but, owing to the fact that the State University was in the same city, it was impossible for the institution to grow in a manner satisfactory -to those interested in it. Accordingly, in the fall of 1865, three brothers - Thomas D., James H. and H. Carson Garvin - came to Wilmington with the idea of securing a location for the college in this city. They met with hearty encouragement from the citizens and had no difficulty in making arrangements for the use of the old county building at the southeast corner of Main and South streets. They assured the citizens of Wilmington that they would permanently locate Franklin College in the town if twenty thousand dollars could be raised to purchase suitable grounds and erect a building. So sanguine were the promoters of the project that it would carry that they proceeded to transfer the college from Athens to Wilmington, and in the fall of 1865 the first term,of Franklin College was opened in the building above mentioned. -

A committee of local citizens was appointed. to solicit subscriptions and a campaign for money was inaugurated, which resulted in eighteen thousand dollars being raised by January 6, 1866. .On that date a meeting was held in the court house, which was presided over by Thomas D. Garvin, the president of Franklin College. Upon his reporting that it was necessary to raise two thousand dollars more before the board of directors of the college could take any definite action, a committee was at once appointed to raise the needed amount. Twelve hundred dollars was subscribed at this meeting and six women of the Christian church agreed to guarantee an additional five hundred 'dollars if they could have the exclusive refreshment privileges at the coming fair. This was, of course, readily granted. This left only three hundred dollars to raise and twenty-five persons present at the meeting agreed to stand responsible for this sum. All subscriptions were conditional upon the full amount being raised.

'Franklin College was now an assured thing for Wilmington. "The trustees of the college and a committee of local citizens at once began to look for a suitable location and within a short time decided upon the site of the old fair grounds in the eastern part of the village. This tract of seventeen and a quarter acres was later increased by sixteen acres purchased from TC. Morris. A few years later part of the campus was sold, so that at the present time it contains only fifteen acres.

An architect from Cincinnati was engaged to provide the plans ha a building and the contract called for the completion, of, the lower story by Christmas, 1866. However, as it always happens, the contractor was unable to get even that much of the building ready for occupancy by the specified time.. The corner stone was laid on July 4, 1866, but it was not until September 22, 1868, that the building was formally opened for the reception of students. On that occasion the dedicatory address was delivered by Rey. J. W. Hall, president of Miami. University. While the building was under construction the classes were held in the county building for two years and in the Christian church for one. year.

But Franklin College lived only a very short time. At the time the building was dedicated it was not much more than half completed. It was only inclosed, the floor laid and the ceilings and walls of the lower story rough-coated. There were no stairways to the second and third stories. It seems that many people had subscribed money when their enthusiasm exceeded' their financial resources - at least, the trustees of the college were unable to collect the necessary funds for the completion of the building, with the result that on August 11, 1870, it was sold to satisfy a judgment in favor of the creditors, Thus Franklin College closed its history as an educational institution and Wilmington College opens its career.

The building and grounds were purchased by the Society of Friends for twenty thousand dollars and they had no difficulty in securing the. necessary funds to complete it. They at once changed its name to Wilmington College and by the first of April, 1871, it. was ready for the reception of students., On April 11, Barnabus C., Hobbs, a distinguished Friend and superintendent of public instruction of Indiana, delivered the dedicatory address. A careful canvass was made by the board of trustees for a suitable man to head the institution and the choice finally fel - upon. Louis A. Estes, of Westfield, Indiana.

Ton Collie

identified with Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana.. While teaching in Barlham College he met and married Huldah C. Hoag, one of his fellow teachers in the same school. When. President Estes and his wife came to Wilmington in 1871 they were both advanced in years. They brought with them their two sons, Ludovic and Rowland, both of whom taught in the college. Two nieces of Mrs. Estes, Hmma Clark and Anna Hoag, the former a teacher, were with the Esteses during most of their, short time in Wilmington.. The Hstes did good, substantial work and laid a solid foundation for the future. But within three years President Estes became convinced that the burden was more than a man of his years could successfully handle and he resigned and returned to his home in Westfield, Indiana.

In the summer of. 1875 the board of trustees selected Benjamin Trueblood, who had just graduated from.Earlham College, as president. While in Earlham he had met and wooed a Clinton county girl, Sarah Terrell, and the attachment thus formed brought him to Wilmington during summer yacations. Shortly after the young couple were married, in 1874, the trustees formally offered him the presidency of Wilmington College and he

-and his young wife entered into their duties with the spirit of self-sacrifice which was needed at the time.. For five years they, gave their strength, labor and means to the upbuilding of the college and tidec it over one of the greatest crises which it has ever had to face. So successful was President Trueblood in his administration that he was called to the head of the more rapidly-growing college of Penn in Oskaloosa, Iowa. For twentyfive years he served as president of the American Peace Society.

In 1879 Wilmington College was forced for the third time to seek a president. After a careful examination of various candidates, the trustees finally decided to call David W. Dennis, a graduate of and a teacher in Harlham College. The wife of President Dennis, Mattie C., was a gifted teacher, and to their new work they brought a boundless amount of vim and energy, as well as fine teaching ability. But the college was able to retain them only two years. President Dennis and his wife felt that they were not through with their preparation for their life work and resigned to continue their studies. A few years later Mr. Dennis was permanently located at Marlham as a valued member of its faculty. '

The fourth president of the college WAS James B. Uiithank, who had come to Wilmington College as an instructor in 1874, when Benjamin Trueblood assumed the presidency. President Unthank was a graduate of Harlham College and at the time of his elevation to the head of the college, in 1881, he had been a successful teacher in the institution for seven years. He understood its needs better than any of his predecessors and was therefore able to administer its affairs in an efficient manner. For twenty-two years President Unthank remained at the head of the college and during this long period the institution enjoyed a steady growth. A high grade of instruction was maintained and the hundreds of students who came under his supervision have cause to feel grateful for his kindly manner and 'wise instruction. In 1908 it became apparent that a younger man was essential to the future welfare of the college and no one realized this more than Président Unthank. He fully realized that the college had reached another crisis and that another leader should take charge of affairs. He resigned with '"a heart throbbing with love for the sacred associations" of the college he had learned to love so well and moved back to the home of his boyhood at Webster, Indiana.

It was indeed true that the college had reached a crisis In 1903 and the trustees deliberated long and carefully before they finally chose the next president, Albert J. Brown, who, at the time, was pastor of the First Friends church of Indianapolis, Indiana. Born in Union county, Indiana, a student for three years in Indiana University and a graduate of Leland Stanford, Jr., University, President Brown came to Wilmington College in the summer of 1908 with a better training than any of his predecessors. As he took a prospective view of the situation, his broad outlook took in the possibilities which only bold strokes from a new hand could hope to reach. He knew how to appeal anew to those who felt that they had already done their best, and, so in union of forces, 'he carried out in a large measure the vision which appeared to him when he first came to the college. .

The ten years (1903-13) of President Brown's administration were productive of great things for Wilmington College. It was apparent from the beginning that the larger task of this administration was to be a financial one. College Hall, the main building, was soon reroofed and redecorated. The gymnasium was enlarged and equipped with modern toilets and baths and a new heating system; seven thousand square feet of cement walks were laid, the athletic field was graded and put in shape for football, baseball and tennis, a substantial grandstand was added; Twin Ash hall was purchased, and, finally, a fine science building was erected, at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. '

In 1904 the board of trustees was urged to enter the field for a twenty-five thousand dollar endowment fund, but the raising of this modest sum was considered too great an undertaking. Instead, the board authorized a campaign for the raising of ten thousand dollars, but before the subscriptions were closed twenty-five thousand dollars had actually been raised. Six years later, in 1910, the greatest effort in the history of the college was undertaken. In just one hundred days the sum of forty-eight thousand five hundred dollars was subscribed. It should be mentioned that of the total of five hundred and ten donors to this fund many were not members of the Friends church.

At this point it- seems pertinent to tabulate the endowment funds of Wilmington College. The foMowing report is taken from the last minutes of the Wilmington yearly meeting:

In January, 1913, President Brown notified the board of trustees that they should look for a new president. Already an investor and an executive officer in the Farquhar Furnace Company, he retired after the commencement, in June, to become actively identified with this company.

Late in the summer of 1913, Samuel H. Hodgin was chosen president for a period of three years. He was born near Greensboro, Guilford county, North Carolina, and educated at Guilford College and Harvard University. President Hodgin gave Wilmington College an- excellent scholastic and business administration. During his short administration of three years (1912-15), two very important objectives, long in view, were accomplished. One was the admission of the graduates of the college to the graduate school of Ohio State University without condition; the other was the transfer of the management of the institution from Fairfield, Center and Miami quarterly meetings to Wilmington yearly meeting. The old charter granted by Clinton county under a statute of 1854 was replaced in 1914 by a state charter giving the college all collegiate privileges. This old charter provided for a board of eighteen managers and a board of nine trustees. The trustees held the title to the property and provided for the upkeep of the buildings. The managers transaeted all other business of the college. Under the new charter of 1914 there is one board of nine trustees.

Still another distinct feature of the administration of President Hodgin was the establishment of the departments of education and domestic science. Under a recent law, the state helps to maintain these two departments.

At the close of the school year of 1915 President Hodgin resigned and returned to his native state to enter the business field. In June, 1915, J. Edwin Jay, of Virginia, was employed as acting president until president-elect Edgar Lewellen could take charge. Mr. Lewellen has been superintendent of the North Vernon, Indiana, schools for a number of years and could not secure his release from his contract then to enter upon the duties of president in 1915. He will take charge of the college in 1916. Acting-president Jay is a graduate of Earlham College and Yale University and is in every way well equipped for the duties of the office which he has been selected to fill for the year 1915-16.

The main college building on the campus is the one erected in 1866-71 and which, with various improvements, is still in use. Besides class rooms, it contains the library, museum, book store and a large auditorium on the third floor. The next building erected on the campus was the observatory, which was made possible through the personal efforts of Alfred Brown, who raised the funds for its erection. It was completed in 1885 and equipped with a thirteen-inch telescope which was built by Prof. Levi T. Edwards and Reynold Janny and Milton Farquhar, two of his students. The third building was South Hall, a dormitory for boys, which was built during President Trueblood's administration with money raised by donations. The gymnasium, erected in 1895, was the next building on the campus. It was built in 1895 with funds raised largely by the students of the college. Bailey Hall, the last building added, was erected in 1906 at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. It contains the administrative offices and the class rooms and laboratories for chemistry, physics and biology. It was named in honor of A. I. Bailey, the donor and one of the most loyal supporters of the college. Twin Ash Hall, the dormitory for girls, was not the property of the college until the fall of 1904, when it was purchased with funds raised by subscription. However, this same building had been used as a dormitory since 1875, being rented from private owners up to the time of its purchase in 1904. There is one other building on the campus, but it is not strictly one of the college was completed in 1896 at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars. auditorium will seat two thousand and is used not only for the yearly meeting, but also

The Library

The library of the college, comfortably housed on the second floor of the main building, contains more than five thousand yolumes. Among them are many valuable works of reference, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, Greek, Latin, French and German lexicons, together with many of the current standard periodicals of the day in social, political and economic science. Students desiring to do work in Quaker history find especial advantages by reason of the many excellént volumes on that subject. Through the kindness of friends of the institution many additional yolumes are added each year. Miss Ellen wre is the librarian. .

Museum

- 'The museum is on the second floor and occupies a large, well-lighted room. It contains several thousand classified fossils of the silurian, devonian, carboniferous and tertiary eras; a complete stratigraphical collection of rock; a large number of typical mineral specimens; specimens of volcanic origin; a number of species of shells, principally marine; many species of coral; more than a thousand archeological specimens; a human skeleton; a mounted skeleton of a horse and skeletons of several small animals; a number of birds, and a great variety of miscellaneous specimens. In the spring of 1902 the size and educational value of the cabinet was greatly increased by the additien of the extensive and valuable collection of fossils, minerals and archeological specimens made by Dr. Charles Welch. Many of the specimens thus acquired are of great interest and value, being rare and typical. For this addition to its educational facilities, the college is indebted to the generosity of Mrs. Olive L. Welch.

In 19038 J. Lindley Spicer, of Cincinnati, donated a large collection of specimens of great educational value. These include relics from Palestine, minerals, bone implements, bones from prehistoric mounds and a large number of arrow heads, spear heads, axes and hammers taken from Indian graves. Much use is made of the museum in the teaching of geology, mineralogy and zoology, and the student finds therein ample materials for practical study and illustration.

The Schools Of Wilmington

The schools of Wilmington throughout its early history were such as characterized other pioneer settlements of Ohio. They came through the initiative of individuals with some education and a bent for teaching.

Isaac Garretson who is credited with being the first teacher in the community, taught a subscription school about 1810 or 1812, in a log school house built by Joseph Doan at the corner of Sugartree and Spring streets. Between this date and 1840 similar schools were taught by Arnold Truesdall, William Milliken, A. T. Sewell, William Crumley, Beebe Treusdal], J. N. Reynolds and others. Early in this period a small building was erected for school purposes in the northeast part of town, and about 1839 or 1840 a more pretentious structure, referred to in future minutes as the Seminary, was built on the southeast corner of Locust and Mulberry streets, the present site of the Friends church. The building constructed for school purposes prior to 1840 stood at the southwest corner of Main and Spring streets,, and is used at present as a residence,

On April 1, 1858, the schools were organized as district No. 1, Union township, with Beebe Treusdall, R. B. Harlan and D. C. Hinman as directors and George E. Hibben as clerk. From this time on the progress of education in the village was more rapid. Many leading citizens served as directors. Roger B. Mory, George E. Hibben, Amos Hockett and A. C. Diboll served as clerks down to 1870. Among the names of teachers we find Joseph O. Felton, Jesse Everett, Louisa and Rachel McGregor, Elizabeth Quinn,

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J. B. Dunn, Elizabeth Wickersham, Virginia. Hogan, Clarissa Pidgeon, Lizzie Frazer, Helen Van Doren, M. J. Vangegrift, James Cleaver, J. Carter Moon, Sarah J. Porter, Abby and Joshua Nickerson, the Whitcombs, B. F. Raleigh, N. W. and Rachel Vandervort and Calvin W. Pritchard. In the autumn of 1853 Oliver W. and William Penn Nixon, the latter afterward editor and owner of the Chicago Inter-Ocean, taught a subscription school in the two upper rooms of the seminary, which they rented for three dollars a month. During this period teachers' wages ran from twenty-five to forty dollars a month and the usual term of employment was three months. Text books were few and crude, and the school report of 1854-shows one book in the library in good condition, but the number was increased to one hundred and thirty-seven in 1857.

The growth of educational sentiment is clearly shown by the movement in 1868 and 1869 that resulted in the construction of the Union school building on a beautiful fiveacre plot in the northwestern part of the town. The board of education at the time consisted of Jacob Beard, Charles N. Osborn and A. C. Diboll, and the building planned by William Cleveland as architect, was one of which any community at that time would justly have felt proud. It contained ten large school rooms and an assembly hall above a four-room basement and cost thirty-five thousand dollars. It was dedicated on January 18, 1870. John Hancock, a name illustrious in Uhio education and at that time superintendent of the Cincinnati schools, gave the address of the occasion and Calvin W. Pritchard was superintendent during the first term in the new building.

Immediately following, the schools were organized under the "Akron law,' with C. M. Bosworth, William Greer, W. B. Telfair, L. D. Reed, Madison Bells and W. P. Wolf constituting the board of directors. This board was fortunate in securing as superintendent, Prof. W. H. Cole, a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, and a man of character, culture and great executive ability, who was elected for three months and began his work on April 5, 1870. He organized and administered the schools most successfully and his four years of service brought a new epoch in education, not only in Wilmington, but throughout the county as well. His work was continued and amplified by Superintendent John H. Grove, who served for four years with decided suceess. Professor Grove was succeeded for two years by H. C. Garvin, a man of distinguished scholarship. Superintendent Edward Merrick, whose long term of seventeen years speaks unmistakably of his merit and success, followed Mr. Garvin. Prof. W. C. Sayrs, principal of the high school, was promoted to the superintendency in 1897. He was a gentleman of excellent scholarship and high ideals and served acceptably for seven years. He was succeeded in 1904 by Superintendent E. P. West, who has served for eleven years and has been reappointed for another term of three years.

The following persons have filled the position of principal of the high school since its formal organization in 1870: John H. Grove, J. W. Sleppy, 8. H. Fisk, Edward Merrick, O. W. Martin, Reynold Janney, J. W. Simon, E. B. Stiles, N. E. Chatterton, W. C. Sayrs, J. H. Painter, J. H. Haworth, J. B. Wright, F. D. Blair and Charles C. Martin.

The past dozen years or more have been years of unusual activity and growth in the educational affairs of Wilmington. Probably 'no other town in the state, of its population, has more ample material accommodations. Its four buildings are in excellent condition. The Union, or main, building has been modernized in all its appointments. The Midland building, built in 1884 for colored pupils, has been provided with water, electricity and modern heating apparatus. The Smith Place building, built in 1893 and enlarged to twice its original size in 1906, is a fine example of an up-to-date school plant. The growth of the high school to more than two hundred made a separate building necessary for its accommodation, which was provided in 1911, at a cost of about eight thousand dollars for building and grounds. In addition to recitation rooms, study rooms and laboratory, it contains an auditorium, with stage and dressing rooms; a gymnasium, with dressing rooms and shower baths; a library and rooms for manual training and domestic science, and the grounds are ample for an athletic field. It is enough to say that, for capacity, comfort, safety and sanitation, the school buildings of Wilmington meet every requirement of Ohio's stringent code. :

The following items are interesting as illustrating the growth of the schools: The first corps of teachers named by Superintendent Cole in 1871 consisted of the following: J. H. Grove, BE. Jennie Ginn, Jennie Cornell, Lizzie M. Early, Marvin C. Hadley and Anna Cropsey, with a Mr. Pratt in charge of the colored schools. The corps of teachers for 1914-15 consisted of the following: High school, C. C. Martin, J. Oscar Villars, O. J. Peeling, Clara Peelle, Ruby R. Fisher and Caroline Farquhar. Grades: Frank P. Sage, principal of the Main building; Charles A. Ward, principal of the Smith Place building; Squire Buster, principal of thes Midland building (colored); Anna Hinshaw, Dora G. Smith, Hanna Haley, Laura Sutherland, May Williams, Luie Clevenger, Mary B. Madden, Jennie Ethel Brown, Claire Hague, Marietta Weer, Willamette Carroll, Carrie Ent, Florence Austin, Lola M. Street, Ivy Edwards and Glenna Emmons, with Hazel West as supervisor of music and drawing. The monthly school reports for May, 1870, and May, 1915, contain, among others, the following items:

The first colored teacher in Wilmington, as far as any record shows, was Charles Hurd, who was employed in 1858 to teach the colored youth of the town and township at one dollar per day for sixty-five days. Mr. Hurd seems to have been very successful, as he taught for many years at increasing wages, his last term being in 1867. Other men who have done excellent service as principals of the colored schools are G. W. Mitchell, G. W. Guy, Solomon Day, A. R. Guy, C. A. Napper, J. W. Stewart and the present principal, Squire Buster, who has been re-elected for his thirteenth year of service. It is interesting to note that the enrollment in the colored schools in 1870 was seventy-three, the same as in 1915, although in the latter year there were about twenty colored pupils in the white schools.

The first graduating class of the Wilmington high school was that of 1873, consisting of ten members, as follow: C. A. Bosworth, Ella Moore, Olive Linton, Eva M. Wolf, O. S. Martin, Augusta Thevy, A. E. Clevenger, Eppie McMillan, W. F. Grantham and D. C. Osborn. The largest class to graduate was that of 1914, containing forty-six members. The total number of graduates is six hundred thirteen, two hundred sixtyeight boys and three hundred forty-five girls, many of whom have achieved distinction in scholarship, business and professions.

To go into the detail of the inside workings of the schools, its policies, courses of study and activities in general, is precluded by the space available for this article and by consideration of the interest and patience of the reader. Suffice it to say, that there exist no illusions among teachers or pupils as toe the methods or conditions by which are grown the "fruits of the mind." There is no "tempering of the wind to the shorn lamb" to such an extent that the lamb may only frisk and frolic and grow no wool. Teachers and pupils live a life together which is expected to reveal and give to the pupil a true sense of that larger life that awaits him and some measure of knowledge and will and power for the solution of its problems.

The high schoo] has held the rank of "first grade" since 1903; it was "recognized" by the Ohio State University in 1906, and fully accredited in 1908. It was put on the accredited list of the North Central College Association of the United States in 1913 and on the list accredited by Pennsylvania University in 1915. These facts are probably the most satisfactory evidence of the quality and character of the Wilmington public schools and the attitude of the people, the devotion of its teachers and the merit of its management.