Linn County, Missouri - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 12 of those read), 1912

Educational - The Civil War Depression - Peace Brings Advancement - Better Provisions for Schools - State Normals and Colleges - The Boy and Farm Life - New Methods of Rural Schools - Early Missouri School History - Origin of Public School System in 1839 - Law as Applied to Schools - Boards and Their Powers - Taxation - Length of Terms - School Funds and Appropriations - First Appropriation for Linn County - School Statistics of the County - Review of Some of the Town and City Schools - County Spelling Match at Laclede - "Jack" Rummell the Champion Speller - Wins Two Good Suits of Clothes - Ruth Benson Second.

The development of Education in Missouri is as gratifying as the high standard the state has reached in commerce and industry. Not that the extension has been steady and iminterrupted, because there were dark periods when it seemed no advancement whatever was being made. But these were obstacles which were surmounted by the determination of the people, and for every season of depression there was a corresponding era of growth that more than made up for the period of inactivity.

The Civil War decade was disheartening to the friends of education and material development. But an even greater issue was at stake, and patriotic men laid all else aside imtil the political controversy was settled. Hard upon the war came slanders on the state because of the depredations of certain rough riders who had evolved from guerrillas into bandits. Whatever these bold raiders did was enlarged upon by people of other states, and Missouri acquired an unenviable and imdeserved notoriety. It was because of this unfair reputation that the people determined to show to the world that they were in no sympathy with the outlaws, and that the best answer they could make to the slanders was by the encouragement of education.

enacted providing for adequate terms. Practical courses of study were introduced and ancient metliods discarded. Agricultural methods are being taught in many of the schools. Prizes are awarded to boys who will produce the finest specimens of corn. Boys and girls are taught the beauties of rural life and its great advantages over the congested city. Not only are such subjects stimulated among school children, but the whole population of the district is interested. With this increased interest progTcss followed as a matter of course.

There never was a time when so much enthusiasm was shown in the erection and maintenance of good school facilities. In the country districts the old log cabin has long since given place to the model rural school building, and in the towns are large and handsome brick structures with every modern convenience.

The agitation for good country highways is largely inspired by the earnest desire of patrons for their children to be able to reach school conveniently in any sort of weather.

"The boy who becomes imbued with the spirit 'of the country; whose eyes are opened to the possibilities of the farmer, and whose brain is trained to take advantage of these opportunities - that boy will never leave the farm for an uncertain existence in the city," writes Bex Beresford in The Prairie Farmer. "His training in agriculture and in the appreciation of things natural will increase many fold his value to himself, his neighbor and to society. ' '

That is the idea being carried out under the rural school system of Missouri today and the results have been gratifying. Boys and girls have been encouraged to show what they can do in the lines that are now being followed by the grown-ups. In many schools horticulture and landscape gardening are taught, and the children are given practical lessons in the adornment of their own school yards. They are shown how a rough, unsightly farm, cultivated in a hap-hazard way, may be so handled as to become an attractive feature of the landscape. The character of crops, their cultivation and the development of growths new to the section are matters of study and discussion in many of the high schools. In short, the student is taught to see with clearer vision the advantages of his surroundings. He learns that to the true husbandman farm life is not a never-ending round of toil and drudgery, but that it may be made beautiful and happy, and that the real farmer has it in his power to become one of the most independent of men.

The first school in the state was taught in the city of St. Louis by J. B. Tribeau, in 1774. This schoolroom was used about forty years, and it seems that during nearly all that time Mr. Tribeau was the teacher.

The first legislation concerning schools was enacted in 1808 by the "territorial legislature of Louisiana, June 21, when the legislature, sitting at New Orleans, passed an act incorporating St. Genevieve Academy. This was the first legally organized school in the territory which is now Missouri.

The principal provisions of the act were that the poor and Indian children should be taught free ; that theology should not be taught, and that elements of the French and English language should be taught at all times. No l5ro^^sions of any kind were made for raising money by taxation, the school having to depend on the donations and tuition for its support.

An Act of 1812, passed by the congress of the United States, which created Missouri into a special territory, said: "Schools and the means of education shall be encouraged and provided for fi'om the public lands of the United States within the territoiy, as Congress may direct." For eight years Missouri remained the separate territoiy under the direction of congress.

In 1820, when congress framed the act authorizing the formation of a constitution for Missouri, it was declared that "schools should be forever encouraged in the new state," and that "the legislature shall take steps to preserve from waste or damage all lands as have been or shall hereafter be granted for the use of schools." The act further provided that one or more schools should be established in each congressional township as soon as necessary, and that the children of the poor should be taught free.

The same act of congress which admitted Missouri into the Union also set apart every sixteenth section of land throughout the state, together with seventy-two sections of Saline lands, for school pui-poses. This made a grand total of 1,254,200 acres of land, which laid the basis for the formation of Missouri's school funds. The land had to be sold and the proceeds invested before any available income could be acquired for the use of schools.

During the period from 1820 to 18.33 there had been established about fifty schools, somewhat similar to those that were in operation in St. Louis, but no real system of free schools had yet made its appear- ance. The schools which had been established had to depend wholly upon private endowment and private support in the form of donations, fees and tuition, and consequently the development was very slow. It may be said that the Missouri school system really had its origin in the legislature enactment of 1839. At this time the common school fund, the county school fund and the township school fund were constituted, and permission was granted again for the part of the sixteenth section. Here was instituted the permanent school funds of Missouri. By this act the office of the state superintendent of common schools was created. The law provided that he should be chosen by joint ballot of the senate and house of representatives for a term of two years. The superintendent was required to distribute the state's moneys among the several counties of the state where public schools were maintained. The law required that this distribution be based upon the number of white children between the ages of 6 and 18 years.

The Civil War period was a dark one for the infant system of public schools. Apportionment of public money was suspended for practically the entire period, and nearly all of the public schools were closed in 1861. The school money was diverted from its proper use and in some instances lost. School buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. The office of state superintendent was once more suspended and the beginnings of a school system completely disorganized. In some localities thrifty farmers maintained schools for three or four months in the year by forming a sort of community and apportioning the expenses among themselves. In a few towns an effort was made to keep up the schools, but in a general way they were failures, so that private schools had to be established on a tuition or subscription basis.

With the termination of the war, however, and the general reorganization of the system, the schools of Missouri were re-established. Competent teachers were in demand and the system traveled onward and upward to its jjresent high standing of efficiency.

In his excellent work, entitled "Civil Government," Perry S. Rader has presented some of the present school laws applicable to rural communities in a clear, terse form. They will be found of interest to school boards and patrons, and are as follows :

Common School Districts - Wlienever there are twenty children between 6 and 20 years of age, in any locality not organized into a school district, the voters thereof are authorized to organize such a district, which may be irregular in shape and contain any number of children of school age above twentj^ If the imorganized territory con- tains less than twenty children, it may be added to any adjoining district. New districts may also be formed by dividing those already organized. But that cannot be done unless each of the districts affected, including the one to be formed, contains as many as twenty children of school age.

A rural school having six directors is classified as a consolidated school district. A district having six directors in which is a city of the fourth class or an incorporated village is classed as a town school. A district in which is a city of the first, second or third class is classified as a city school.

Annual Meeting - The law authorizes all the legal voters of a common school district to meet on the first Tuesday of April of each year, and (1) to elect by ballot one director for three years; (2) to determine the length of the school term for the next year in excess of eight months, and (3) the rate they will tax themselves in excess of 40 cents on the hundred dollars' valuation, if any, for maintaining the school ; and if the district has no school house, or desires a new one, to vote (4) for the erection of such a house, and to determine (5) on what amount they will further tax themselves for such purpose; (6) to decide on changes of the boundaries of the district, and (7) to vote (once in four years) for a county school superintendent; and to transact othei* business.

School Boards - The school board of a common school district consists of three directors, each of whom holds office for three years, one being elected each year. A director must be a citizen of the United States, a resident taxpayer, a qualified voter of the district, and must have paid a state and county tax within one year next preceding his election. A director of any school must possess these qualifications.

Powers of School Board - (1) The school board is required to make rules and reg-ulations for the government of the school. If it fails to do so, the teacher can make such rules or enforce those made for a previous teacher. (2) It is required to continue the school for eight months in each year, if a tax of 40 cents on the hundred dollars' valuation and the district's share of the other school funds will suffice to pay the expenses of such term ; if the funds in its hands will be sufficient for a longer term, it can continue the schools as many months as it may deem wise. (3) If the annual meeting has authorized the building of a school house it can issue and sell bonds of the district to obtain money for such building, and may direct a levy upon the property of the district to pay these bonds. (4) It is required to employ legally qualified teachers. The contract must be signed by the teacher and the president of the board and attested by the clerk. But no contract is binding unless the teacher holds a teacher's certificate, which must be in force for the full term for which the contract is made ; and no teacher can be discharged when once employed till such certificate is revoked by the county superintendent. And these are the powers of school boards in all districts.

Taxation and Length of School Term - It is the policy of the law to maintain a school for at least eight months each year in each school district, and whether or not there will be a longer term often depends on the voters themselves. The taxpayers in each district are by law compelled to submit to a tax of 40 cents on each hundred dollars of the assessed valuation of all property in the district, for employing teachers and paying the incidental expenses of the school, unless a less tax rate, together with the district's share of the various public school funds, will be sufficient to maintain a school for eight months. If a less rate, together with the district's share of the public funds, will yield enough to maintain an eight months' term, the board may make the tax rate any sum it pleases less than 40 cents. The board is bound to levy a rate of 40 cents if that sum is necessary to maintain an eight months' school. And the board can levy 40 cents, without consulting the taxpayers, even though that rate would provide for a nine or ten months' term. But it cannot exceed that rate unless a majority of the taxpayers authorize it to do so, and then it must fix the rate at such sum as they direct.

This rate of 40 cents applies to all districts in the state except in those in cities having one hundred thousand inhabitants or more, where the rate is 60 cents on the hundred dollars ' valuation instead of 40.

These are the rates that the boards may fix without consulting the taxpayers, but in all rural districts the rate may be increased to 65 cents on the hundred dollars' valuation by a majority of the taxpaying voters, and in all city or town districts to 100 cents. These are the tax rates for "school purposes," which mean the employment of teachers, paying janitors, buying fuel, and "incidental expenses." The money raised for school purposes can not be used for building a school house or for paying interest on a pennanent debt or for any other purpose.

Taxation for School Houses - Any school district may contract a debt for school houses, furniture or building sites. And the property within the district must be taxed to pay the debt. And in addition to the tax to pay that debt, the property within the district may be further

But no district can create a debt or authorize such a tax until twothirds of the qualified voters of the district voting at an election authorize it. The vote may be taken at an annual school meeting or a special election, but in either case two-thirds of the voters voting at an election must vote "for the loan" before it can be legally charged against the district. If that is done, then thereafter the school board must annually levy such a tax as will pay the interest as it accrues, and they must also levj' such a tax, not to exceed 40 cents on the hundred dollars' valuation, as will pay the debt itself within twenty years. But the debt of a district can at no time be increased if that then existing equals 5 per cent of the assessed valuation of all property within the district.

But after having created a debt equal to 5 per cent, the patrons of a school may yet want other school house room. Suppose after the district has voted a loan equal to 5 per cent and built a school house, the school house burns down without insurance ; its taxpayers, of course, must be taxed to pay that loan ; or suppose the voters do not wish their district to go in debt for a school house ; or suppose after authorizing a loan they find that it will not build quite so good a house as they need. In any such case, a fund for building purposes may be created when two-thirds of the qualified voters of the district vote for a tax for that purpose, which cannot exceed 65 cents in rural schools, and 100 cents in city or town schools, but this tax can be voted for only one year at a time, but may be voted each succeeding year. It can be levied for no year unless two-thirds of the voters authorize its levy for that year. But the tax to pay a loan, when once authorized, must be levied by the board each year until the entire debt is paid.

Thus we see the taxes for all school purposes may be less than 40 cents on the hundred dollars, and may by the majority of the taxpayers in a city or town school be raised to 100 cents for current ' ' school purposes," and by two-thirds of the voters be raised to 40 cents more to pay debts for building purposes, and in the same way may be yet raised to 100 cents more for bu^ildings.

The Public School Fund - There is a permanent endowment of the public schools of the entire state which is by the Constitution called the "Public School Fund." It amounts to more than $3,000,000 and only the annual income therefrom can be used for the support of the schools. It had its origin in an act of congress dated June 13, 1812, the passage of which was secured largely by Thomas F. Biddick, an honored citizen of Missouri, who rode on horseback all the way to Washington to persuade congressmen to support the measure. That act and other subsequent acts of congress gave to Missouri certain saline and swamp lands lying within her borders, to be sold and the proceeds to be turned into the state treasury, to be invested by the state and the income to be used for public schools. To this fund have also been added certain fines and forfeitures, and unclaimed escheats. Sometimes it occurs that persons without known or ascertainable heirs die without wills, leaving estates. The proceeds of such estates are turned into the state treasury, and if not claimed within twenty years are transferred to the public school fund.

Legislative Appropriations - The Constitution provides that at least one-fourth of the ordinary state revenues shall be appropriated for the use of public schools. Since 1887 the legislature has appropriated one-third of the revenues to this purpose. The entire amount annually turned over to the schools from these appropriations and from the interest on the state public school fund is about $1,500,000 and is equal to over $1.80 for every child of school age in the state. This money is apportioned to the various counties by the state superintendent of public schools according to the number of teachers and according to the nimiber of days all the children have attended school during the past year, and each county's share is by the county clerk divided up among the school districts of the county in the same proportion, and the money turned over to the county treasurer and by him paid out to teachers. By this means the state aids the whole state to have public schools, but especially counties of small taxable wealth. There are twenty-five counties in the state that get more money from this source for their schools than they pay into the state treasury for all purposes.

The first money appropriated to building a school house in Linn county was on May 3, 1858. For this purpose $106.59 was drawn from the general expenditure fund, set apart for that object, and the money given to Mr. Harper and others to use. Previous to this appropriation most of the school liouses in the county were made of logs, erected by the patrons. According to the sixty-fifth annual apportionment made by the state superintendent of public schools, July 31, 1911, Linn county had an enumeration of 7,030, and its apportionment of the school moneys was $12,750.44.

The following school statistics of Linn county are from the report of E. L. Joyce, county superintendent of public schools, the report being for the annual school year ending June 30, 1911 :

Number schools in county having less than four months, 0 ; having four and less than six months, 3 ; having six and less than eight months, 46 ; having eight months, 55 ; having more than eight months, 5.

Number of districts in county having libraries, 100; volumes in libraries, 11,720; value of libraries, $5,570; volumes added this year, 700 ; number of districts that complied with the library law this year, 50.

Number of teachers holding life state certificates, 5 ; limited state certificates, 2; normal diplomas, 13; normal certificates, 3; county certificates, 161.

Number of teachers employed in the county: White - Male, 41; female, 139; total, 180. Colored - Male, 2; female, 2; total, 4; grand total, 184.

Buildings: Number of school houses in county - White, 114; colored, 4 ; total, 118. Number of school rooms occupied in county - White, 177; colored, 4; total, 181.

The following sketches of some of the Linn county schools are taken from The Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition of The Linn County Neivs, D. B. Ormiston, editor and proprietor :

Meadville School : The beautiful little city of Meadville is one of the oldest towns in North Missouri - it being a prosperous little town even before the Burlington railroad was built. The Meadville public schools have thus had a long and honorable history.

From the early days of Squire Harvey and the one-room school until the present time, with its modern finely equipped building, and half dozen teachers, the school has done excellent work and sent many young men and women to lives of success and usefulness.

During the recent years great improvements have been made in the building and grounds. The entire school had been reseated with single desks, the walls have been x'edecorated - slate blackboards, everything modern and convenient. A broad granitoid walk was laid the entire distance of both sides of the beautiful wood grounds. Nearly three hundred and fifty fine new books have been added to the library, and some physical apparatus for scientific work.

One thing that has done much to keep the Meadville schools up to a high standard is the progressive policy of the school board. That policy has been that when they find a good teacher to keep him or her at any cost. The average salary paid in the Meadville schools is the highest of any school in the county. That the people in that vicinity appreciate this school is well attested by the large outside attendance. An additional half year's work has been added to the high school, making a full four year's course. The state university high school examiner has consented to accept the school grades in all work done.

Marceline School - The people of Marceline are justly proud of the Marceline public school system. A good school is always evidence of a good wholesome school spirit. This school spirit is almost a mania with the citizens of Marceline.

The board of education, owing to the youthfulness of the town, has always been handicapped for want of sufficient finance to properly care for the rapidly increasing enrollment in the schools.

Some years ago Marceline 's five hundred and twenty school cliildren were crowded into one ten-room building and were taught by twelve teachers, including the superintendent. The following spring the board of education seeing that another building was imperative, submitted a proposition to the people to bond the school district to the limit of the law for the purpose of erecting another building. The proposition was carried almost unanimously, and a splendid brick building was erected.

In order to provide teachers for this new building the people were asked to increase the tax levy to the limit, which they did with but two dissenting votes.

The school enumeration has continued to increase with unabating energy. The last enumeration gives the army of school children in Marceline a total of thirteen hundred thirty-six. To care for about nine hundred of these the board of education has employed twenty teachers this year. The board insists upon a high standard of qualification among its teachers. This is evidenced by the fact that of the twenty teachers now employed, thirteen have had Normal school training and five have had university training. They are all of the progressive, wide awake kind who seek to keep in touch with the best educators of the state. Half of our teachers spent their vacation in school this summer. Six were in Kirksville State Normal School, three in the Missouri University, and one in the University of Minnesota.

The growth of Marceline high school has been phenomenal. The school has a good reference library, a good working laboratory in physics and physical geography, and one hundred ten students were enrolled the first week of school this year.

The enthusiasm and energy of the student body and faculty is such that it inculcates in the minds of the students a desire for higher learning, and they leave our high school as graduates to go to college. Fortyfive per cent of the graduates of last year are in college this year.

Browning School - The Browning high school is located in the city of Browning, which is composed of 1,000 inhabitants. Browning is on the Chicago, Burlington & Kansas City Eailroad in the Locust valley on the boundary line between Linn and Sullivan counties.

The school, with good roller wall maps and a good reference library, has during the past maintained a three-year high school with two approved high school teachers. Below the high school there are four teachers for the elementary school, or eight grades.

This year we hope to add many new volumes to the library, so that the work in all the departments will be strengthened more than ever before.

Laclede School - The Laclede school has made, for several years past, a steady progress, until today it is one of the leading schools of Linn county. In 1901 a splendid new building was erected, and at the present time the school property is valued at $18,000. The board made many improvements on the school property the past summer and are planning for a number of others the coming year, among which are a new laboratory in the basement for agriculture, and perhaps chemistry, and new single seats for the assembly hall and room No. 1.

The course of study offered is equal to that of the leading schools of the state. Both music and drawing are taught in the grades, and it is hoped that a room may be fitted up in the near future for the teaching of manual training. The Laclede high school offers a complete threeyear course, and with three teachers devoting full time to high school work it is expected that the high school will be accredited for fifteen units by the university soon. The following courses are offered : The four-year Latin or classical courses ; a scientific course, which offers three units of science - agriculture, physics and physical geography - and two years of German; an English course, offering four years of history, and an elective course, which offers bookkeeping and business arithmetic, and five units selected from the other courses.

The school library, which is steadily growing, contains several hundred volumes of the best reference books in English, history and science. A new stereopticon was purchased recently and is now nicely installed with 500 slides in history, literature, and science. The school is supplied with the necessary teaching facilities in all departments, and with the expenditure of a few hundred dollars more for improvements will be one of the best equipped in this pai't of the state.

Athletics have been encouraged though not to excess, and at the present time the basket ball and foot ball teams are practicing daily. A fine school spirit exists among both pupils and patrons. The people of Laclede and community are proud of their school

Linneus School - This handsome building was constructed in the year 1902 at a total cost of $13,500.00, which includes the seating and heating apparatus. It is a much better structure than is usually seen in towns of the size of Linneus, as its plans were drawn with the view to economy, convenience and hj'giene, as well as to architectural symmetry. It is built of pressed brick, with slate roof, and it stands in a commanding position near the center of a four-acre tract at the eastern edge of the cit}'. On the school grounds grow several kinds of forest trees, and ample room is afforded for a commodious and pleasing playground for the pupils.

In the basement are the furnace rooms for the steam heating mechanism, toilet rooms, storage closets, etc. The first floor contains three recitation rooms and the chemical laboratory. On the second floor are four commodious recitation rooms. All the rooms are finely lighted by large windows, and the interior walls are finished in soft gray color which is restful to the eyes. Any room in the building may be entered without disturbing the occupants of any other room.

The chemical laboratory is fully equipped with apparatus and chemicals for doing the first year's work in elementary chemistry. In the library are over 400 carefully selected volumes. The books are classified and catalogued by the card index system, and a librarian has charge. The library is largely the result of the efforts of a lecture course committee which undertook the work about two years ago.

All the teachers in the high school, and part of them in the "grades" are graduates of a normal school or college. The others are teachers of long experience and recognized ability. We confidently believe that all the teachers in our public schools are fittingly prepared to do most excellent work.

A new course of study which consists of twelve grades has been adopted. Four years will be required to complete the work in the high school. It will consist of four years of history, four years of English, three years of mathematics and one of science, and four years of Latin. The "grade work" will consist of the same amount of work usually alloted to the first eight years of school work.

Following compose the faculty: E. J. Powell, superintendent; Anna R. Miller, EngHsh and history; Eolean Berger, Latin and mathematics ; Susie C. Ormiston, assistant Latin and music; Minnie Trippeer, seventh and eighth grades; May Belle D. Symons, fifth and sixth grades ; Susie V. Betson, third and fourth grades ; Martha E. Dryden, first and second grades.

Purdin School - In the midst of one of the most fertile spots of Linn county is situated the city of Purdin. It has all of the environment for a progressive town, and its people have taken the advantage of everj^ opportunity to make it the best town of its size in the state.

In the southern portion of the city, away from the noise of the business section, stands the public school building. It is surrounded by the large and well arranged baseball, football, basketball courts and other games are indulged in, much to the pleasure and the profit of students.

The purpose and aim of the school is to do the very best work in the course it undertakes. The course of the Purdin school is better than ever before. It affiliates with the large schools of the county and receives from them a credit for all the work done. The working library includes cyclopaedias and reference works, and supplementary work for every class in every grade.

The students of the upper grades, and those of the high school, have formed themselves into a literary society which meets semimonthly in the public school building. The teachers are honorary members and attend all meetings.

The graduating class of 1912 consists of a body of students, a number of whom came especially for the advanced work which is being offered. On the whole, a more enthusiastic body of students cannot be found in the county. Purdin people are justly proud of their public school.

An unusually interesting feature in connection with the public school work was a county spelling match, held at Laclede, April 26. This was a part of a plan, statewide in its scope, to find the best speller among the public school students of the state. While the fact that there was going to be a spelling campaign was duly announced by the state school authorities, yet the papers containing the rules and other necessary information concerning the contest did not reach County Superintendent E. L. Joyce until late in February. This cut the time of preparation very short. Other counties had been able to begin their township and district matches in December. However, Mr. Joyce immediately began on the big undertaking of finding Linn county's champion speller. Local matches were held at various places, and finally some thirty contestants appeared for the county match at Laclede. The contestants were pretty equally divided as between boys and girls. The spelling was confined to the adopted text book, the words being all written by the contestants. During the three hours of the match something like 1,000 words were given. The champion was "Jack" Rummell, a pupil in the first ward or Hickman school, Brookfield. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Bummell, and was only 14 at the time of the match. In winning the county and district match "Jack" received two good suits of clothes as prizes. His record was perfect in both matches.

Ruth Benson, aged fourteen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gus Benson, received the second prize at the county match, a handsome spring jacket. She is a student of the Warner district school.

Considering the extremely bad weather, the shortness of the notice and the immensity of the undertaking, Mr. Joyce expressed the opinion that the schools made an excellent showing. He says that the spelling campaign created enthusiasm in every town and district, and was very beneficial on the general school work. However, in order that a county spelling match may be had with more deliberateness, and under more favorable circumstances, he has in mind the holding of another one at a convenient season, possibly in the spring of 1913.

"I heartily approve of any plan designed to increase interest in spelling," said Mr. Joyce, "and I believe that spelling contests are always productive of increased interest in school work generally. Good spelling always goes with a good education."