Cass County, Indiana - Chapter 11: Schools and Education, 1913

The Ordinance of 1787 declares that ** religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to the government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged/' Thus the United States government in its organic law encouraged and fostered education among its people, and Congress, when it carved the state of Indiana out of the Northwest' territory set aside (me section of land (usually the sixteenth) in every Congressional township for school purposes and this land or the proceeds thereof was given over to three trustees who were elected by the township to manage this fund and up to 1859 each township had three trustees, but in that year the law was changed and since that day we have only one township trustee, but this congressional school fund is still kept intact and separate from other school funds, as the United States supreme court has decided that each township has the exclusive right to, and control over this fund. The aggregate congressional township fund in Indiana amounted, in 1910, to $2,476,297.44. Besides this, Congress gave to the state two entire townships for the use of the State Seminary,- also certain unsalable swamp and saline lands and in 1836 distributed to the states the surplus revenues then in the United States treasury, of which Indiana's share was $860,254, of this $573,502.96 went into the permanent school fund.

The state by its constitution and subsequent acts of the legislature has provided a permanent endowment fund, the various sources of which are as follows: congressional township fund, saline fund, county seminary fund, delinquent tiix fund, bank tax fund, sinking fund, surplus revenue fund, swamp land fund, contingent fund, Michigan road fund, seminary fund.

As previously stated the congressional township fund is handled separately but all the other funds are bunched together and are known as the Common School Fund.

These funds are gradually increasing year by year and in 1910 the total endowment school fund of the state amounted to $11,208,343.54. The total enumeration for that year was 754,972, giving to each child of school age in the state, $14.84.

"Whilst the United States government thus early laid broad and deep < foundations for the education of its people and the state pursued the same policy, and nearly every governor in his message to the legislature has referred to the subject, yet it required many years to develop our present grand and efficient system of free schools, where the poorest child or orphan can acquire a liberal education, yea, not only may, but is compelled to attend school a certain period. Indeed, education has been the leading topic agitating the public mind of the Hoosier state and we will notice some of the steps and processes in its gradual evolution from the round log school house up to the modern high school, from the district schooilmaster who taught only the three R's, ** Reading," **Riting" and **Rithmetic," up to the modem professor of science, philosophy and beUes lettres of today. But few, if any of Cass county's pioneers possessed a higher education. They could read, write and figure a little, and this was all that was of any practical utility in early days. The business of the pioneer was making a home in the impenetrable forest and all else was subordinate to this object. Yet he was not unmindful of educational and spiritual training of his children and early began to arrange for schools but let it be remembered the pioneers were dropped down so to speak in the midst of dense forests, with no roads or means of communication with the outside world, hence their first schoolhouses were built entirely of wood and dirt and were of the crudest form.. They were small structures made of round logs or poles covered with clap-boards, weighted down with poles, puncheon floors, door of same material, pinned - together by wooden pins and hung on wooden hinges and fastened with a wooden latch. Nearly the whole of one end of the house was cut out for a fireplace and chimney which were constructed of nigger heads, sticks and mud. Into this fireplace the big boys would roll logs for the fire. A window was made on one side, by cutting out one log and pasting oiled paper over the opening or the district might have the luxury of some 8x10 inch window glass, which would be fastened to the log above and below by sticks and mud or wooden pins. Under this window would be placed the writing desk made of puncheon, smoothed down with ax and later when saw mills were started a slab would be used.

On each side and in front of the fireplace in triangular form would be placed benches for the pupils to sit upon, and while your face would bum, your back would freeze. These benches were made of split timbers smoothed down with an ax and resting on four wooden pins. The benches had no backs nor desks and were all the same height. This afforded the little fellows an opportunity of taking physical exercise while studying their lessons, they swinging their feet almost perpetually, and with as much precision as a regiment of soldiers keep step when on dress parade. There was another bench of similar kind under the writing desk, where the pupils would take turns at writing with a pen made of a goose quill and using poke-berry juice for ink.

This is no fancy picture for many of Cass county's first schoolhouses were of this pattern. There were no conveniences or aids to study ; no blackboard, wall maps or charts, in fact, for some years in most of the pioneer country schools, geography was not on the curriculum, only spelling and the three R's as they were usually termed, '* Reading," **Riting," '*Rithmetic." Text books were scarce and usually one book would answer for several pupils in the same family. There were no grades, and no text books for different years. The first year student in arithmetic . would use the same text book as the twelfth year. A pupil must leam to spell well, before attempting to read. The testament was the only reader in the primitive schools of Cass county. There was no uniformity in books, every school had its own, and no two schools used the same books; in fact, different text books were used by the different scholars in the same school and it made no difference to teacher or pupil, for there were no classes, the teacher hearing and instructing each pupil in his school separately, beginning with the first pupil that^eame in the morning and keeping busy until night with only an intermission at the noon hour. The patrons requiring the teacher to put in full time as does a daily laborer. For many years, even after the days of stoves, the big boys were required to saw or chop the wood and the teacher to come early and build the fire in the mornings. The pioneer teacher was usually exacting and a strict disciplinarian and went on the principle **no lickin*' **no larnin'* and did not spare the rod on the slightest provocation. The playtime at noon was looked forward to by the scholars as a season of great enjoyment. The sports usually indulged in were ** bull-pen," ** town-ball, " ''cat,'* **fox and hounds."

From these primitive schools there has been a gradual development. The law required three trustees to be elected to manage the school lands and the funds arising therefrom. Again three trustees to manage the civil affairs of the township with a clerk and treasurer, the former to receive seventy-five cents per day of actual service. There were conflicts and disagreements between the members of the board ; there was but little or no public money ; each district had authority higher than the trustees and built schoolhouses where and when they chose, and employed and discharged teachers at their will. There was no uniformity, no standard, no system until after the adoption of the new constitution in 1852. The free school system of Indiana first became practically operative the first Monday in April, 1853, when the township trustees for school purposes were elected, throughout the county and state.

The new law gave them the management of school affairs of the townships, but only as directors and subject to the action of the voters; in other words the ** referendum. " Although there was much confusion and conflict of authority between the board of trustees themselves and also between the trustees and the people, yet system and order began to appear, greatly aided by W. C. Larrabee, the first superintendent of public instruction, under the new law of 1855-6, townships began to be arranged into districts more systematically, schoolhouses erected and better teachers employed. It was not, however, until the law of 1859 abolished the board of three township trustees and placed the township affairs in the hands of one trustee that complete order in school matters was perfected. It required, however, some years and numerous amendments to the law and it was not until 1877 that the township trustees assumed full and entire jcontrol over the schools of the township. Prior to that the patrons of the districts met in school meetings and selected their teacher and many estrangements and enemies were made by the rival candidates for pedagogic honors.

In the early history of our schools no license was required, any one could teach and the majority of teachers were employed during the winter because they had nothing else to do. ' Improved laws giving the superintendent of public instruction supervision over the public schools and insuring uniformity throughout the state ; the county superintendent having the same |)ower over the county schools; normal schools for training of teachers and teachers institutes have all had their influence in bringing our schools out of the round pole cabin with its crude methods, and placing them on the highest plane of any schools in Christendom.

Prior to 1859 there was very little public funds and the schools were quite generally maintained by private subscriptions and in the country the teacher boarded around among the scholars. The term was seldor longer than sixty days and never beyond three months.

Marvelous changes have taken place in our schools since 1865 ; when, even at that late day there were 1,128 log schoolhouses in the state while in 1910, the last report, there were only three in the entire state and today we have not one log schoolhouse in Cass county, but we have seventy-five brick and thirty-seven frame or a total of 112 modem schoolhouses in our county, valued at $558,800. Total number of teachers employed in the county, 225. Total amoipit expended last year for school purposes, $220,366.10.

The county now has a complete i^stem of graded schools in all the townships under the general supervision of the county superintendent; there being eight grades in the common schools and four in the high school, requiring one year's work to pass' through each grade, eight years in the common school and four in the high school.

The following table shows the number of pupils in each grade for the year 1910 as reported by the superintendent of public instructions, fdao the total enumeration for that year:

Enumeration in Cass county for the year 1910: In the townships, 4,396; in the towns, 571; in Logansport, 4,853; total in Cass county, 9,820.

Our township schools have been making rapid advancement and doing higher grade work within the last few years, and nine of the out townships have established high schools, to-wit: Adams, Bethlehem, Boone, Clinton, Deer Creek, Harrison, Jackson, Miami and Tipton townships, leaving only four townships without a high school and these being contiguous to Logansport are easily accommodated in the city school or elsewhere; so that every district in Cass county is now supplied with the advantages of the high school, with all the modem conveniences and equipments that was possessed by our colleges eighty years ago, when our pioneer forbears were fighting Indians and chiseling out a hole in the forest in which to erect the first primitive temple of learning in Cass county.

The total current expenses for all the high schools in Cass county in 1910 was $21,345.90, or an average of $28.57 for each pupil enrolled. In the non-commissioned high schools the average per pupil was $48.16.

Average length of schools in the district, 141 days; average length of schools in the towns, 167 days; average length of schools in Logansport, 180 days.

Cass county paid to its teachers during the year 1910, $716.60 for every day of school taught, an amount equal to the annual allowance for the. county in pioneer days.

the children hauled ta the larger central building where they can have advantages of all the grades and aisually more eflScient teachers, and, where it is claimed a greater interest on the part of the pupil will be excited and maintained, than in the small school. Seven different townships in the county have thus abandoned one or more district schools and consolidated them with the larger central school. The total number of district schoolhouses abandoned to date in the county is sixteen and as many wagons are employed to haul the pupils of those districts into the central school, at an average daily cost for each team and driver of $2.50. These seven trustees in as many townships, all give favorable reports as to the working of the system, both as to eflSciency and economy and the consolidation of schools is likely to be continued and extended.

The world seems to be progressing and in nothing has ft made more progress than in its schools and they are still clamoring for more practical teaching of practical subjects, and today agriculture is taught in 670 schools in Indiana; domestic science in 70, and manual training in 178, and the past year a teacher of manual training has been added, to our Logansport schools and the probability is that ere long all these practical industrial branches will be placed in the curriculum of our public schools. Live and practical subjects seem to dominate the public mind, the conservation of our resources and the best methods of reclaiming and restoring the waste, unproductive and exhausted lands and the forests that have been so ruthlessly destroyed should be restored and agriculture made more attractive. To this end one day in each year has become recognized as Arbor day when our schools usually celebrate it with the planting of trees and appropriate ceremonies.

The first suggestion of the annual planting of trees by children is attributed to Hon. B. G. Northrop, secretary of the Connecticut board of education, in 1865. In 1876 he offered prizes to the children to stimulate tree planting. The setting aside a day for the annual planting of trees by the state originated with Hon. J. Sterling Morton, secretary of agriculture who induced the governor of Nebraska to issue a proclamation appointing a day for tree planting throughout the state. In 1872 Arbor day was made a legal holiday. It is now calculated that 800,000,000 Arbor day trees have been set out in Nebraska alone.

Minnesota's first" Arbor day was observed in 1876 and Kansas followed Nebraska's example in 1878. Iowa, Illinois and Michigan passed Arbor day laws in 1881, and Ohio in 1882 and since then Arbor day has been encouraged and recognized by more than forty states.

The first Arbor day in Indiana was held in April, 1884, but the day was not generally observed until October 30, 1896, and since then has been observed regularly on the last Friday in October. (State report, 1900, p. 156.)

"With abundant public funds provided by the state, with our present perfected system of graded schools conveniently located in every township, with instruction in industrial and useful arts and a corps of educated and experienced teachers, guided and directed by coimty and city superintendents who devote their entire time and energies to educational matters, Cass county may well be proud of her public schools which are excelled by none in the state or nation.

The first school teacher in Cass county was John McKinney, who taught in the Old Seminary, northeast comer of Fourth and Market streets in the spring of 1829.

Prior to 1870 there was no county superintendent, but in that year the office was established. There was, however, an examiner part of the time to examine teachers, but the duties were not specifically laid down and the office was mere perfunctory.

This institution was an outgrowth on the part of the Indiana State Convention of Universalists to establish within the limits of the state an institution of higher learning, which, while it was in no sense sectarian, yet was to be under the supervision and control of that body. The school was named after Joshua Smithson, of Vevay, Indiana, who bequeathed a portion of his estate in trust for the building and maintaining an institution of higher education than the public schools afforded. The state convention was looking around for a location when Mrs. Elizabeth Pollard, widow of Philip Pollard, of Logansport, proposed a donation of $20,000 on condition that the grade of the institution should be a college or university and that it should be located in Logansport'. This proposition was accepted and Mrs. Pollard deeded to the State Universalist Convention of Indiana ten acres of ground, embracing a beautiful site on the hill at the north end of Sycamore street, overlooking the entire city of Logansport. This ground was then estimated to be worth $10,000. Plans were at once adopted for the erection of a commodious four-story brick building; the contract let and the corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies on May 9, 1871. The buildings were completed during the following summer and fall at an outlay of $80,000, and on January 2, 1872, Smithson College was opened for the reception of students, with bright prospects. The course of instruction was excellent and the president and faculty fully equal to the task imposed upon them. For a time the prospects were auspicious and success seemed to be assured. The matriculates were never numerous and a few years of hard work taught the managers that a great educational institution cannot be built up without large endowment funds, and there are only room for a limited number of such at best, and they saw the futility of their enterprise and in the spring of 1878 Smithson College closed its doors never to open again under that title.

After standing idle for some years, the American Normal College leased the old Smithson College buildings in January, 1883, and opened the school under the management of Prof. J. Fraise Richards, as principal, and a corps of teachers. The attendance was quite large. The following year Prof. Walter Saylor became principal; J. E. Garrett, professor of languages ; W. S. Harshman, of mathematics ; A. H. Beals, of sciences; Mary E. Jackman, of belles-lettres; C. B. Miner, commercial department; Mrs. Mattie Saylor, music; Florence Borradaile, fine arts; Ida Washburn, common branches; Elizabeth Branson, phonography and typewriting.

At the close of the college year, 1885, Professor Kircher succeeded to the principalship with the same corps of teachers, with the addition of B. B. Bigler, the latter became a Presbyterian minister and occupied the pulpit of the First Presbyterian church in 1909.

The school was conducted with varied success until August, 1888, when through disagreements of its managers, small patronage and financif^l embarrassments the school was compelled to. close its doors. In the meantime the buildings and ground fell into the hands of an eastern insurance company to whom it had been originally mortgaged by the Smithson College management.

During the year 1895, Prof. Geo. W. Michaels, a native of Harrison township, Cass county, but who had been a professor in an Ohio college, purchased of the insurance company the old Smithson College buildings and grounds on the north side, repaired and improved them and in the fall of that year opened the same for the admission of students of which there was a goodly number and successfully conducted the school until October 6, 1896, when the buildings were completely destroyed by fire and were never rebuilt but the property converted into private residences and Professor Michaels opened a business college at 310-121/^ Broadway, for a time, when he sold out and his school was merged with HaU 's Business College and Mr. Michaels moved West.

This institution was established in Logansport in 1867 by E. A. Hall, who came from Ashtabula, Ohio. At first it commenced in a small way in a building on the comer of Market and Third streets in the fall of 1867. The school soon increased in numbers and in 1873 larger quarters were secured on Fourth street and a few years later the institution located in the third story on the northwest corner of Pearl and Market streets, where it remained until about 1892 when the school was again removed to the third story in the Keystone building, northwest comer of Sixth and Broadway. About this time Mr. Hall retired and C. F. Moore and others assumed control of its management. About 1902 Hall's

Business College and Michael's National Pen and Art Hall were merged into the Logansport Commercial high school with rooms over 321-25 Fourth street and in June, 1902, was purchased by what is now known as The Indiana Business College which is an incorporated institution that has branched out since its opening in Logansport ten years ago, until it is now operating commercial schools in a large number of cities in the state.

Logansport has thus had a first class business college for nearly fifty years. Hall's Commercial School was knawn all over northern Indiana and its infiuence extended to surrounding states and its successors with the present Indiana Business College has sustained the reputation of the older institution and the graduates of Logansport 's business colleges are numbered by the thousand and are holding lucrative and responsible positions all over our state and many in distimit states. The courses of study include all the common school branches with practical business, shorthand, telegraphy, civil service, salesmanship courses; in fact, everything that is necessary to qualiftr a person to fill any position in the business world. AU the newest and latest counting machines, stenotypes and typewriters are found in the equipment of Logansport 's business college. At this time about seventy day and twenty night students are in attendance.

In 1884 the St. Jacob's Lutheran congregation purchased a lot on the northwest comer of Sixth and Market streets and erected a commodious brick school building at an expenditure of over $15,000. Prior to this the congregation maintained a parochial school in the old church on Railroad street. The first teacher employed in this school was Bruno Barthers.

For many years this church has maintained a school for boys. In 1885 the present handsome brick school building was erected, superseding an old frame building. It is a two story structure and suflSciently large to accommodate the pupils of St. Vincent de Paul church, where competent teachers instruct them in all the common branches as well as the Christian doctrines of the Catholic church.

St. Bridget's Catholic church was erected in 1875 on the comer of Wheatland and Wilkinson streets. This is a two story brick structure, and the first story is used for school purposes together with an assembly hall built later on the same grounds. Here the children of this congregation are instructed in the lower grades of school work.

This school was opened soon after the organization of the church in 1869 and now has one of the largest and finest school buildings of its kind in the county, which is located on the northwest comer of Second and Market streets where the large and increasing number of children of this congregation are taught all the common branches and the doctrines of their church. They have recently added a commercial department. The present new school building was erected in 1892. Total enrollment, 275.

This school is finely located on the southeast comer of Ninth and Broadway and is in charge of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. This is the oldest parochial school in the county, having been established about fifty years ago.

Here are taught all the common studies and also the higher academic branches. According to the reports for 1910 there were 690 students being instructed in the five parochial schools of Cass county.

Rev. J. C. Irvin, under the guidance of the Presbyterian church, opened an academy for higher learning in the building still standing on the northeast corner of 7th and Market streets about 1865 and the year following, Rev. Hughes became the principal of the school and a year or two later Rev. James Matthews took charge and ran a very successful institution of higher education which was well patronized for some years.

Mr. Matthews was a scholarly man and surrounded himself with a corps of most excellent teachers among whom was Prof. John M. Coulter, now of Chicago University, and his mother. But from various causes the academy closed its doors about 1873. This institution was at first started under the name of Logansport Female College and often was referred to under this appellation.