Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-01-24
EDUCA TIONAL.
HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE RISE AND
PROGRESS OF THE SCHOOLS OF CLEAR
FIELD COUNTY, PA.

NVh"tl iN"Nh''" '"'''N"'Nf y
A. II. Schryver, one OF the Oldest edl
Gators in the county =
LADIES AND GESrLEMEN;-By +,
quest of our worthy Superintendent
J. A. Gregory, appear before you n
this time, to give brief history of th
schools OF Clearfeld county during th
last half century. As am not cen
tcnarian, cannot, in this Centennia
year, go back one hundred years.
Fifly years ago ! came to this cour
ty with the intention of making teach
ing my profession. The county wa
new and sparscly settled. The schoo
houses, "like angels visits, few and ia
between" Only four school house
were in the county that were built 10
that purpose, and they were poor loi
cabins with but little light and poo
teachers. One was located IN Cui
wensville, one on the Gramplan HIS
one near Bloomington, and one nea
Amos Reeds. Children had to 90 wv
or three miles to school Books wer
lew Mebsters spoilers, the Iesla
ment' rilgrlms Progress, History o
ashingtoh or benjamin Franklin
qulli pens, ana ioolS'cap paper, constl
lnted the pupll outht ana II he ad
vanced 10 tne RUE OIL three, or traction
IN arithmetic, he was counted yer.
S;S,ar,' ni''ai,o aa,nnno,,, s0s -, ,"p"y
80 III, ,hnn''I', ~ III W .a""hn ,"I's y
Ia I a,.,i. o ia .,i o' III IL .''' 49, 81
aiI n' ,,.,;,n ~ 'n"No a'a "'.hu ,, q"', pc"S ~
~ bno"i "i's~a s.a,,. "nu ~ tnom enp'o'' ""'
daao,;,,;on u ~" - Wv nua eOb', honan ,.;, :,
,or ~ ,,,,'!; y, ., une .pu's .I e wiz ~ "
y. raosa % ,'ir uS d"S;, '"G 80: n.:s w. ~
,,ran,, 90 CO., c,o IN ,S" oa;,;n Sinse'a Z Z
~ ,";;L 9ev ,,'d 49, ;na;i" .nv nl 0es, uaao ''
nd a,;al. Su "S,.,,,',, ,."o "u ~ o"e, . I nI'
~ anri;'.,, n ~ ''';.' -" ."o ~, III" t ','u ~.
"'"uo" " 0su' " w
S y" '"o o"s'i e'N y, n",c i'Sn
"'huow on tne sou'h' ana 10y iei
"ut Oh the west Win one pane OF glas'
a'ohg ana sometimes an olled paper Y
"un''t hgnti ho'es oored ~ the iog'
ana pms IroVo IN on whieh 70 nall
'png ooard Tor writing table ant
s,aos win legs u. Tor seats ouch were
lne 'oemlharies oil learning where
many OF our present weni'hy ana GOOD
cluzehs received their primary educa
''oh'
Almostany superanuated cripple who
a. l..
was fit Tor nothing disappointed he
could make pen, write fair hand
read tolerably well, cypher TO the rule
of three, and tell what 40 lbs. Of beei
would amount to at 3 and cents pei
pound-wa good enough tor master
On Christmas and New Years day the
boys would get up an article about
like this; Master we want a treat
two pounds candy, two pounds rasins
three dozen ginger-cakes, two quarts
whisky, and two bushels of apples,
rlease sign your name. II the mas.
,er signed II, II was all right; Il not
u was a iree night or be barred out un'
vi aitcr New iears day was past
,o"u'Iines sd ',hI 'no 'eachI's l'kca .ne iu,
~ ns n1a! !;,h a' t,a, IoJ'u "'aA' WV ' senV''
s "noJ ,.,h;, uha "''n o'.sM,s.,aP' nP' or swell
.,,,,, .ne. "u,sn r',,y no' iol scl.ins 70 appro
la ,y a,i; 'u', s"a,o w VI n',iSe'. , in 1nYse
aa1s ua1 'pe.,"g was ,,. lne noooy OF pupns
""u ,a"a .s mus :, E G,se .r.al. .a 70 Tue young
,n'n oaa "' ;s. a'u.e .. 'na' ',,'c ,, 'vr oe,hg
90 Hoo. y no' pe''e,, speners 'han 'he
,na}olsy u Pupl's u tne present uayi
n sahor, IVs'u co. 'anA a,,, "',,oer onc " any
,rao,;on ssnov' ~ 'Mpv" M ~ was common
"..,.s iIs C.,I',, ~ WIZ, 'or I'm, 'ne young peo
T.. % " ous"e,sv,'e' , S,'s' I'yarne'u' bloom
'nso"' anu o'oarne'u Driagc' 10 meet
o%Vo sal'o :" wv .mo Wc1hs ~ amos i'eea
sunooi . n1uso nous. uhu nave goon Jolly
. .inc sPellng ana singing Inc dlc
ao"ary was useu ior u spellcr. reach,
.ug was hot ,hen a profession ana, OF
eourse' ~ ~ teacners were very deficient IN
many orancnes. as tho population
anu wealth Oh tne county increased
.ncre was . call Tor better houses and
better teachers,
Fifty years ago there was no school
house IN this place, tOld Town which
consisted Of about eight dwelling
houses and only six or eight dwellings
in CurweDsville. There was then only
one church building in the county,
near Thos. McClure's, two miles above
Curwcnsville, which time has oblitera.
ted and two stores, two or three no.
tells, three or four nour.mils, and sev.
cral saw-mlls. The Catholic church
in Clearfeld was built about fifty years
ago; the brick building called the
Academy, about forty.eight years ago
and about the same time the frs,
courthouse was finished, Robert Coz.
lins was the architect.
The first school | taught in this