Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-08-22
one half the children attended
school, owing doubtless, to the lack
of houses within their reach.

one half the children attended
school, owing doubtless, to the lack
of houses within their reach.
Up to this year the old system Of
schools prevailed. There was no
particular provision for the exami-
nation of teachers. 1t was only pro-
vided that the school boards were
to be satisfied of their abilities and
morals. Their. pay was derived
from a rate bill, except so far as the
interest of the public funds distrib-
uted, sufficed.
The term ended, and then the la
bors of the teacher began. The in
terest on the public school fund was
apportioned as now, and divided
among the several districts, in pro-
portion to the children therein. This
money was used to pay teachers in
part. The remaining wages were
to be collected of those parents
sending their children to school, on
rate bill apportioned according to
the number of days attendance
This rate bill it was the duty Of the
District Clerk OF Secretary to col
lect; but the collection was mat
ter which involved time and
trouble, and was often impossible.
Some families had, perhaps, re-
moved from the district; others had
children to send to school, but no
money to pay tuition. The Clerk
had no great interest in the matter
OF collection, and no disposition to
hurry business; and the teacher had
often not only to make out the rate
bill, but to do the work of the Clerk
in collecting it, and spending the
summer fruitlessly in trying to get
pay for the winters services. If
Mrs. Bunce, and Mr.. Pierce, and
the Misses Butterfeld, and others
who taught previous to 1859, havn't
old school orders unpaid and value
less-unless as autographs or me-
mcntoes-it will be because they
have destroyed them.
The Constitution of this State,
called the new Constitution, adopt
ed in 1857, provided for State
Board of Education, consisting of
one member from each judicial Dis
trict, together with the Governor
and Lieutenant Governor. The
first election for this Board was in
October 1853, and the first session
in December of that year. 1t was a
distinct legislative body, with power
to legislate on school matters only.
And its first Legislation was the
adoption ofs our present system of
free common schools, modified only
in details at subsequent sessions of
the Board, and by the Legislature
since the abolition of the Board in
1868. The new law went into op-
Grafton in 1859, and in this county
was hailed with almost universal
satisfaction. The County Superin-
tendent of this county at that time,
was also elected member of the
State Board of Education, and dur
ing it's session had aided in the
adoption Of the new system, an
ticipatipg, however, much oppo-
sition to the radical change it made.
The unanimity with which the peo-
pie of the county approved its pro-
visions, was therefore especially
gratifying to him, and did honor to
their intelligence.
The report of the Superintendent
in 1859, shows total Of 1852 school
children in the county, and 1,745 at
tending school, decided increase
in the per centage of attendance
over the previous year; which is
explained by the fact that during
that year there were taught in the
county sixty-six schools, though the
number Of houses had only increas-
ed to thirty-one, being an addition
of four during the year. Thus it
appears that not only were schools
taught two terms in every district,
but in several of these, schools were
taught in other places than school
houses. Many of them were in pri-
vate dwelling houses, vacant or oc-
cupied. l remember one in New
ton was in an attic, I am not sure
whether the room was reached by a
ladder or by stairs. One in Mid
dlefield in wagon-house or shop,
vacated for that purpose, and fitted
up by Mr.. Albert Riseley. One in
Byron in a granary of John Tul-
locks. One in Buffalo in vacant
bed room; and one in Hazleton in
cellar kitchen at Isaac Sutficool's.
The standard of qualification was
not high. Not many teachers could
be found who had reached such a
standard. Many of them would
hardly pass such an examination as
is properly made now, suppose;
yet some were fully equal to the
present standard in education. And
for fidelity and zeal, few OF them
have been surpassed. The houses
were rough hewn, SO were the peo-
pie and pupils, and SO the teachers,
many of them; but they were fitted
for the time as few arc fitted now.
Robust health and capacity for en-
durance, were essential when teach
ers "boarded round" and boarding
places scarcely in sight Of each
other, even on the open prairie;
where no fences marked the course
OF the highway, and the beaten
track led anywhere but to the school
house, and bridges were the cx-
ception rather than the rule. Teach
crs then must be able to walk miles,
and to face storms, and they were.
The first certificate granted by the
County Superintendent was in 1858,
to Miss Mary E. Preblc; the fourth
and fifth to Kisses Emma and Eliza
Butterfeld Eighty-threc exami-
nations were made that year. Some
were refused certificates, and some
who procured certificates did not
teach. Among the teachers ex-
amined that year in addition to
those / have mentioned, I find the
names of Jed Lake, S. G. Pierce,
G. II. Jakway, Benjamin Knight,
Samuel Leslie, Miss Lucinda Pierce,
Miss A. L. Herrick, now Mrs. Poor,
Miss Rachel Freeman, now Mrs.
DR.. House, Miss Della A. Pease,