Bureau County, Illinois - Chapter 8: Educational, 1906

Chapter 8: Educational

The different phases of educational thoughts extend far back into the centuries, in fact no one dares to assume to know the origin of scholastic instruction. In the early centuries of the Christian era, Egypt had a system of schools, but they were for the enlightenment of the priesthood, so nearly every nation and people have had some sort of educational training. This training, however, was not for the masses, but for the nobility and the clergy. In early times the schools of philosophy were held in groves and sheltered places. Plato taught in the Academus near Athens. From this grove came the modern word academy. The policy as well as the theory of the ancient world was education for the few and ignorance for the many. This condition followed down the ages with but little change until the reformation in the sixteenth century, which was soon followed by the new philosophy of Bacon, which reached out into the liearts and minds of the common people and they began to think for themselves in regard to the great problems of life : but the evolution was slow ; the centuries of toil and servitude of the masses had so dwarfed their intellects and aspirations that they were slow in realizing that the right to progress and development in the race of life belonged to every class. Yet slowly and steadily it came; one shackle after another fell from the manacled public, until at last we stand, in this country at least, endowed with certain inalienable rights that belong to all the people. And this has been brought about by education, not wholly technical, but in a broader and higher sense do we use the word.

The mind is properly educated when it is able to look upon every side of a debatable question, and after hearing all the facts, to decide for the right, whether it affects one personally or otherwise. Selfishness has always stood in the way of progress, but fortunately for us, the ordinance of 1883 contained the following language: "Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and means of education shall forever be encouraged." The act of Congress which enabled Illinois to prepare for statehood, provided that section sixteen in every township should be "for the use of schools."' The act further provided that five per cent of the net proceeds from the sale of land by Congress should be divided by devoting twofifths thereof to the making of roads and the balance for the encouragement of education. Onesixth of this balance was to be used for a university. Also an entire township, to be designated by the President, together with one already reserved for the purpose, was to be appropriated for the use of a seminary. These provisions were accepted by Illinois and became the basis of our school and universitv sysleni. To place this a little clearer, the' act set aside two full townsbins of land for seminary purposes and one thirty-sixth part of all the remaining publie land in the state and three per cent of the net proceeds of the remainder to support common schools and to promote the cause of education in the new commonwealth. The sixteenth section of each township gave to the state for school purposes nearly 1,000,- 000 acres of land, and to Bureau county over 16,-

000 acres. In disposing of this land tlie state first authorized the courts to appoint three commissioners or trustees for the school lands of each township where the inhabitants of such township numbered twenty white per.^ons. By giving twenty days" notice these trustees had power to lease these lands to the highest bidder foi' any term not exceeding ten years, the rents to be paid by improvements or by giving a share of the products raised. The lands were badly managed and many of the renters barely made a living and had no surplus to turn over to the state, and many of the timber sections had much of the best timber stolen, so that from all of this generous donation the state was receiving comparatively nothing. Every phase of school work was languishing in despair. The people were poor, with no market for their produce and had no way of getting money beyond the actual necessities of life, and as a natural consequence the children were growing up without any common school advantages.

In the midst of all this depression, Joseph Duncan, a state senator from Morgan county, introduced a bill in the legislature of 182.5 for the support of public schools by taxation. His preamble to the hill showed that he liad a broad and comprehensive mind. He said : '"To enjoy our rights and liberties w^e must understand them ; their security and protection ought to be the iirst object

01 a free people, and it is a well established fact that no nation has ever continued long in the enjoyment of civil and political freedom which was not both virtuous and enlightened; and believing that the advancement of literature always has l)een and ever will be the means of developing more fully the rights of man; that the mind of every citizen in a republic is the common property of society, and constitutes the basis of its strength and happiness, it is therefore considered the peculiar duty of a free government like ours to encourage and extend the improvements and cultivation of the intellectual energies of the whole." This law gave a new impetus to the educational forces of the whole state, whereupon it was settled. This law also covered nearly all of the essential points of our present school law, but notwithstanding this there was a most bitter opposition to it. The settlers seemed to think that taxation was robbery; many of the people, and in fact most of them on the frontier, had an eye single to getting a home, a luxury which liut few of them had ever enjoyed ; so, when the Duncan law came in force and taxes were levied to support a free school system, they were not able to look ahead and build for the future, but the necessities of the present were constantly before them in thought and reality. To the average citizen at that time, surrounded as he was by primitive groves and endless prairies, where at night, instead of the rumble of the street cars and the whistle of the locomotive and the sound of the church bell calling people to the place of worship, he heard the howl of the distant wolf, the screech of the night bird, and the war whoop of the red men. Under these circumstances it is not so strange that education and culture should have been regarded as secondary matters. This law of 1825 provided that townships should be divided into school districts and each district was to elect three trustees corresponding to our present board of directors, one clerk, one treasurer, one assessor, and one collector. The trustees were to have full control and management of school matters within their respective districts, the hiring of teachers, fixing their salaries, and providing a suitable place for pupils devolved upon them. They were required to make an annual report to the county commissioners' court of the number of children over five and under twenty-one years in their townships. Teachers were required to schedule their pupils about the same as now. The law provided that all common schools should be maintained by a direct public tax. These taxes were to be paid either in money or produce, so when a district was short in cash, the teacher was to take the products of the farm at cash value.

In 1S2T two years after the Duncan law was enacted, the legislature amended it which in effect was about the same as a repeal for an order to tax any one for school purposes, their consent liad to be obtained in writing. In 1829 the legislature authorized the selling of school lands tor the purpose of loaning the proceeds to the state to meet current expenses. This act also provided for the sale, as soon as congress should assent, of section If! in each township. This proved to be an unfortunate act in legislation, for it resulted in the selling of a large part of the land set aside by congress for educational purposes, at a very low price and the income from that source is very small, whereas if .this land had been held until prices of real estate had become well advanced it would have been a source of great income to our schools. From 1829 or for a period of years the outlook for the children of the state was anything but tlattering from an educational standpoint, yet we had within our borders some strong men, who were working with all their strength to create a sentiment for the support of our common schools. In 1848 a new constitution was ratified by the people and under its enlarged powers school prospects began to look more encouraging. The law of 1849 made the secretary ex-ollicio superintendent of schools. This lead up to the law of 1854, when the office of state superintendent wds establi.sbed, also a .system of free schools, that is, the constitution went so far as to say that the general assembly might provide for such a system, but constitution of 1870 rent in twain the curtain of uncertainty and said that the general assembly shall provide a system of free schools, whereby every child, rich or poor, black or white, may receive a common school education. From this time on Illinois has made rapid strides in all lines of scholastic work, and today stands in the fore front of educational progress. The organization of districts in Bureau was quite irregular as far as territory was concerned, as the district was formed in early times to accommodate the scattered settlements without any regard to the unsettled country adjoining. The ideal way to district a township is to have each district contain four sections in a district with the school house in the center; that will give nine school houses in a township, each two miles apart.

Bureau county school statistics tor 1906 are as follows: One hundred and ninety-four districts and two hundred and one school buildings, of which thirty-two are graded and one hundred and sixty-nine ungraded. The thirty-two graded schools have one hundred and thirty-one rooms. The enrollment in graded is five thousand ninetyone, in ungraded three thousand nine hundred and sixty-two. The number of pupils of school age; Boys, six thousand one hundred fifty-two; girls, five thousand nine hundred sixty-eight ; totaltwelve thousand one hundred and twenty. Number of male teachers, fifty ; of female, two hundred and eighty-four. Number where high school branches are taught, ten; number of schools having library, one hundred and ninety ; number of volumes, eleven thousand five hundred and ninetynine.

District tax levy, $141,988 ; value of school property, $421,000; income on county fund, $2,391.61; state funds and fines, $13,694.87; total raised for school purposes for the year ending June 30, 1906, $1.57,074.48, making $12.9.5 per capita for those of school age and $17.34 per capita for those in attendance. The graded schools in the county are as follows: La Moille employs a principal and five teachers; Ohio, a principal and two teachers; Kasbeer, two teachers; Walnut, a principal and five teachers; New Bedford, two teachers; Manlius, two teachers; Dover, two teachers; Maiden, two teachers; Arlington, a jirincipal and two teachers ; Ladd, a principal and six teachers ; Seatonville, a principal and three teachers; Dalzell, two teachers ; Spring Valley, a superintendent and the city has four buildings, of which the Lincoln building has ten teachers, the Grant has five, the Logan four, the location two, twenty-two in all ; Marquette, a principal and two teachers ; Depuc. a principal and two assistants; Hollowayville. two teachers : Princeton township high school, a principal and nine teachers; Princeton Union schools have a superintendent and a supervisor of music, and three buildinss, of which the Lincoln building lias six teachers, the Douglas six, and the Logan; Wyanet has a principal, supervisor of music and hve teachers; Sliellield, a jirincipal and eight teachers; Budd, a jirincipal, director of music and five teachers; Mineral, a principal and two teachers; Neponset, a principal and three teachers; Providence, two teachers; Tiskilwa, a principal and five teachers ; Bureau, a principal and two teachers. The graded school l)uildings of the county are as a rule commodious and well kept. Tiskilwa, Neponset, La Moille, Bureau, Depue and one in Spring Valley and three in Princeton are of brick. The Tiskilwa school house was built in 1867, at a cost of nearly forty thousand dollars; is an imposing structure and is located in a beautiful natural grove, and at the time it was built was probably the finest in the state for a town of that size. The citizens have always taken great interest in their schools. It is said by those who ought to know that the old schoolhouse in Tiskilwa was the first brick school house in the county. The first principal w'as the late Alanson Benson.

La Moille is another town that has a very fine school building. These two, the Lincoln and high school building in Princeton, are the most costly school houses in the county, the other towns have some very credital)le school jiroperty, however. The first school in Dover after the erection of the school building was taught by Mrs. Abigail Nichols, and probably the teacher who has had the longest service in any one place is Miss Emma Harford of Dover. Maiden had, a few years ago, the services for two years of F. G. Blair, who has recently been nominated for superintendent of public instruction of Illinois. Buda had J. N. Wilkinson as principal for several years. Mr. Wilkinson was afterwards president of the State Normal school, at Emporia, Kansas. Sheffield has the most artistically kept school grounds in the county. The yard is simply beautiful and well worthy of imitation. The first school in Neponset was taught by Julia A. Biglow in a house belonging to William Bryan. The first school house in the village of Neponset was built in 1858, in 1870 it burned down and the present l>uilding was erected. Wyanet first occupied her present school building in 1867; Leslie Greenwood was the first principal. The schools of Bureau county are passing through the same experiences as in all the counties and communities. The enrollment in the country is growing less and the town enrollment is on the increase. In Bureau county in 1884 there were enrolled 7,749, of this number 4,951 were attending country schools and 2,798 were attending Etraded schools. The school report of the present year shows that out of 9,053 enrolled that 3.962 are enrolled in the country and 5,091 are enrolled in the graded schools. This shows that in 1884, with a total enrollment of 7,759 there were 1,019 more pupils enrolled in the countrv than in 1906 with a total enrollment of 9,051 ; in other words, in 1884 a little over 68 per cent of the pupils were in the country schools and 36 per cent plus were in the graded schools. The present year of 1906, twenty-two years later, only 4^ per cent attend the country schools, and over 5T per cent attend the town schools. This only makes plain the fact that as countries grow older the people centralize more and more. This county has always had prestige abroad from an educational standpoint. This is largely due to the fact that the early settlers of this county were thoroughly imbued with the thought that education and enlightenment were necessary for the progress of tlie people and the maintenance of good citizenship. Dr. 1!. B. Hayes of Chicago, who spent several weeks in Princeton in the '70s, said to the writer more than twenty years ago that he had been in many cities and towns both east and west, but in no other place of its size liad he ever seen so much liish class literature come through the mails as at Princeton. The first public school in Princeton was taught in the basement of the Ilampshire Colony church, in the winter of 1836-37. A. B. Church' taught the first private school in his own dwelling. In 1851 James Smith taught a private school. He is kindly remembered to-day Ijy his old pupils, many of whom have passed the allotted age of man. In 18ol the South Union si-hool was built. F. W. Ferris was the first principal. The schools until 1872 were under the direction of three directors. The first board was elected in 1857. Arvis Chapman, J. V. Thompson and Jolm Eiale constituted tlic first board. L'p to 1868 the two schools w^erc under tlic direction of a principal at each building and were entirely separate and independent of each other. Among the princijials we find the names of J. H. Blodgett, George W. Dickinson, E. P. Burlintiame. 'S\. E. Hyan, Z. S. Hills, Charles Robinson, Albert Ethridge, D. L. Hurd and Job A. Parker. In 1868 the two schools were placed under one management and a Jlr. Maltby, a brother-in-law of Prof. H. L. Boltwood, was elected as superintendent ; he remained one year when C. P. Snow was elected to the [ilace and roinainetl until 1901, a period of thirty-two years. Mr. Snow will long be remembered for his gentlemanly bearing and scholarly ways. He was followed by M. G. Clark, who remained five years. During Mr. Clark's term of service manual training was intrndiiced into the Princeton schools and has |)roved a great success. The present superintendent is Jlr. E. G. Bridgham.

TJie pre.sent school board is as follows: C. H. Delano, president; A. C. Best, clerk; Mrs. G. B. Harrington, Mrs. .\. L. Davis, Harrv Roherts, Cliarlos .'Viidcrson, Palmer Anderson. Harry Roberts, Mrs. Harrington ami Mrs. Davis are the educational committee.

Princeton High School

Time, institutions and communities have their opoclis of history, sometimes for good, then again for evil. But probably the greatest epoch for good that ever occurred in the history of Princeton was the high school epoch. The high school of Princeton opened its doors to the public in September, 1867. with II. L. Boltwood as principal. This was the first township high school in the state and was organized under a special charter. Previous to this there had been a feeling of unrest among the friends of education, as they realized that the young people were not receiving the kind of instruction that the times demanded nor the kind that Princeton ought to give them. After discussing the subject pro and con, the matter finally crystallized into the high school movement, which practically began on March 1, 1866, when an editorial appeared in the Bureau County Re- ]niblican advocating a high scliool in Princeton. The next week a letter appeared in the same paper from J. H. Bryant commending the editor, -Mr. John W. Bailey, for the stand lie had taken and giving his hearty indorsement to the enterprise. Three weeks later the general plan for the establishment and support of the proposed high school was formulated and given to the public. This document gave seven reasons why Princeton should organize a high school and was signed liy F. W. Waller, George Crossley and Matthew Trimlilc, school trustees.

Following this a public notice was given that a meeting would be held at the court house on Saturday, April 12, 1866, at 2 p. m., to exchange views upon the question involved in the proposed erection of the high school in the township. This notice was sii,nied bv F. Baseom, J. T. Tliompson, J. H. Bryant, J. V. Thompson, W. C. Stacy, J. Critziiian and S. G. Paddock, committee.

The meeting of April 21, 1866, was well attended and the sentiment in favor of the high school seemed almost unanimous. At tlie annual town meeting S. G Paddock offered the following preamble and resolutions, which were immediately adopted :

Whereas, Hon. Newton Bateman, superintendent of public instruction, has decided that the trustees of each tow-nship have power to consolidate the districts of the township for high school purposes ; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the legal voters of this township are in favor of the establishment of a high school in the township of Princeton, at as early a day as the same may be obtained ; and that it is the sense of this town meeting that the trustees of the schools of this township be instructed to take immediate steps to establish such high school, and to devise and carry out the appropriate legal measures necessary for such purpose.

Resolved, That a committee of seven be appointed for the {lurpose of obtaining an act of the legislature of this state, to render effectual the objects expressed in the above resolution.

Allen School, La Moille

In accordance with the requirements of the last resolution a committee of seven were chosen by the meeting to carry out the purpose expressed in the same. The following named gentlemen were selected: Eev. F. Baseom, J. T. Thompson, J. Chritzman. S. G. Paddock, \V. C. Stacy. J. H. Bryant and J. Y. Thompson.

At an election on April 23, 1866, called by the treasurer of the school fund of Princeton township, it was voted to form the township into one district for the purpose of erecting and sustaining a high school in said township, and John H. Bryant, Flavel Baseom and Jacob Chritzman were elected directors of the said district. After the proper preliminaries in regard to raising money and deciding in regard to the size and architecture of the new building, and the location of the same the legislature passed an act on February 5, 1867, which placed all of the land in Princeton township, in the county of Bureau and in the state of Illinois, with such territory as may hereafter be added to it in one high school district and appointed the first board of education, consisting of John H. Bryant, Flavel Baseom, Jacob Chritzman, Matthew Trimble and George 0. Ide.

The building and fixtures when completed cost about sixty thousand dollars. In 1894 the building was remodeled and enlarged and is now thoroughly modern and up-to-date in apparatus and belongings. It has three well-equipped laboratories and a catalogued library of over two thousand five hundred volumes. Commercial and domestic science departments have been added to the course within the last few 3-ears, so that it stands to-day in every respect a model institution of learning. The aim of this school is to develop character, scholarshi]! and ability. This school from the first took high rank among the educational institutions of the state. Mr. Boltwood, its first principal, was a man of rare atainments; he was scholarly, energetic and pushing. He had high ideals and strove to bring his pupils up to his standard. The men who have followed him have as a rule been strong in their chosen profession and at no time we believe has the school been better managed or better conducted than now.

The influence that has emanated from this school bas to a greater or less degree permeated the school work of the entire county. Among the men who were most active in establishing this high school and whose names appear upon the records as committees and managers of the enterprise, we would mention John H. Brvant, Flavel Baseom, Georffc 0. Ide, S. G. Paddock, Matthew Trimble, J. V. Thompson, J. T. Thompson, W. C. Stacy, Jacob Chritzman, F. W. Waller and Dr. George Crossley. All these with the exception of S. G. Paddock now sleep in the "city of the dead," but the result of their labors lives on, and here we repeat what has before been written in this volume: have been liigh-minded, progressive and competent men. The teachers liave been carefully selected. Some of the members of the board had a long term of service. S. 6. Paddock was a member for twenty-one years, from 1870 to 1891 ; Judge E. M. Skinner, from 1886 to 1903; Dr. C. A. Palmer, from 1891 to 1900; J. H. Bryant, 1867 to 1881; E. E. Virden, 1875 to 1887.

The commercial department teaches bookkeeping, shorthand, typewriting, English, commercial law, commercial geography, and penmanship, arithmetic and civics.

The grounds cannot be excelled in the state. The yard contains acres and is beautifully decorated with stately elms and maples, giving am]ile room for all kinds of athletic sports. The faculty consists of a principal and nine teachers. The whole number of graduates of this school since its beginning is seven hundred and twenty-nine.

Principals Of Princeton High School Boards Of Education Of Princeton High School

1886-1887 - William Miles, president; Stephen G. Paddock, secretary; Edward E. Virden, K. M. Skinner, LL. B., Richard Edwards, LL. D., who resigned in January and was succeeded by Meade C. Williams, D. D.

1899-1900 - Dr. C. A. Palmer, president; R. M. Skinner, clerk; Mary S. Horton (resigned October, 1899), Lester R. Bryant, Cairo A. Trimble. Rachel M. Hamlin (appointed October, 1899).