Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-10-18

IL was one OF the most pleasant character |
ot any place that | visited in my travels
in the West or any other section Of country. |
- .-s----
OUR CALIFORNIA LETTER.
DEAR JoURNAL:-According to promise |
| will write you of school affairs. The |
school system of California is similar to |
that of Iowa. We have here County |
Superintendent of Schools, who examines
teachers and issues all orders on the public |
school fund. The townships here are
numbered and the school districts are
named. The farms being very large, the
school districts are necessarily large, and |
a great many OF the children attend school
Oh horseback. Each district elects three
trustees whose duty it is to build school
houses and furnish the same to assess and
collect district school taxes, and to employ
teachers and certify to the County Super
inendent for their pay. School houses
here are much better furnished than in
Ohio. The following is the furnishing OF
my room A library worth about 5000,
consisting of many useful books, among
which are the American Cyclopcdia in l6
volumes, Native Races of America, Web
ster's Unabridged Dictionary, and great
many other instructive books. The house
is furnished with patent folding seats and
desks. The trustees furnish ioolscap by
the ream, slate pencils, lead pencils, pens
and crayons by the box, while upon the
walls OF the room are Guyot's wall maps,
Spencerian penmanship charts, and Green
laws music charts - in fact, everything
necessary for school is furnished by the
trustees. The schools are in excellent con-
dition, and the pupils attend very regular
ly. The examinations are very thorough,
but fair and impartial. The State Board
of Education furnishes TO the Superin-
tendent a list for examination in June and
November of each year. The examina
tions in all the counties are held on the
same days, i. e. on Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday of the last week in June and
November. The questions throughout the
State are from the same list on the same
days. The examinations consist of 900
questions, 575 Of which answered correctly
entities the holder to Sd grade certificate
| (if it be female over 18 years OF age); 700
correct answers secure Il second grade, and
$50 secures first grade certificate. The
examination on Wednesday is general
questions, orthography, written grammar
and arithmetic; on Thursday, geography,
reading, theory and practice, word analy
ais, mental arithmetic, oral grammar, his
tory, composition and penmanship; Friday,
algebra, PHILOSOPHY, Constitution OF the
[. S. and California, school law, drawing
and music. The MSS. are all sent to the
State Board and filed for reference in case
of appeal. So you see there can be no par
tiality. The questions are OF general
nature canvassing thoroughly the primary
principals. Teachers wages range from
S75 TO Sl00 per month for county schools.
The general practice is, to have but one
school term of from 6 To months in Il
year.
In answer to "Local" will give prices of
things in general. The reader must bear
in mind that we live near the great COM
mercial center of Caifornis, and that
goods in the mountains and back districts
will be much higher priced than here. All
general merchandise, except heavy articles
and articles OF bulk, are cheaper than in
Wood county. YOu will see, upon reflec
ton, that cotton and wooden goods, fancy
articles, etc, can be brought TO Marysville
via Cape Horn from New York or Liver
pool in full cargOes for less cost of trans
purtatiOn than from the same places to
where reshipments in smaller lots becomes
necessary. MAJ ysville ships supplies for
all northern and eastern California. BY this
you can realize the cost of articles by their
probable bulk or weight compared with
the first cost. Staple aud fancy dry goods,
clothing, boots and shoes, and all light
groceries are about FIVE per cent. cheaper
here than in OHIO. Nails, glass, wooden
ware, and some other such articles are
perhaps 100 per cent. higher. Sugar, col-
lee aud tobacco are probably 20 per cent.
above your rates while rice, tea and all
, Asiatic goods are much cheaper than with
you, All articles Of California manufac-
ture carry the price of labor, as do also
fruits and vegetables, eggs and butter ;
breadstuffs are about the same hs East.
Twill quote few which differ most widely:
Eggs 35c per dozen, butter SOC per pound,
cheese 35c and ham zoe per pound, pota-
toes from Sl25 to $3.50 per hundred
weight at different times. Vegetables,
fresh from the river bottoms at all times,
cost family a snug sum in the aggregate.
J. II. Simon and lady arrived here from
Bloomdale, o., on the 18th ult. j. H.,
after resting n short time, opened school
on tho Both ult. and his prospects are fiat
tering. The weather, though much cooler
than last month, causes j. Ii. to open his
est and heave u sigh.
We had a nice shower on the 28th ult,,
and in the mountains there has been quite
a snow fall. Lassen's and Downieville
Peaks are covered with snow.
Farmers are just beginning to SOW their
wheat, which is sOwn broadcast by an in
genIous machine fastened on wagon and
which receives its power from a chain-belt
attachment TO the inside of one of the
wagon wheels, sowing from II hopper and
spout nbont 80 feet wide while the wagon
crosses the field Farmers use mammoth
wood harrOws about ii feet wide, which
they attach to rude sulky drawn by from
four to six horses. | was strikingly re-
minded of the phrase, "Like toad under
a harrow" while looking on aud counting
the drivers chances should his team be-
come unnlnnageable.
recently met BlOomdale merchant on
the streets Of Marysyille. Suppose he was
after a new stock of goods.
"Mina,' come over get mustang"
and play California school-ma'am. "Alf."
Won can drive Lovely Charlie" and "Sweet
William" across 1t wouldn't be much OF
u journey, nohOw.
Again, by and by,
S. ii. RAUB.
YUMA CITY, Oct. 5, 1873.
When a Hartford woman Matted her