The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1878-01-12
business relations would bring them in fire.

regularly organized school was at Maucl
Chunk, in 1872, in Lighthouse owned by
the Lehlgh Coal Mine Company. 1t was
subscription school, and only the common
English branches were taught. Each pupi
paid astipulated price per quarter for tuition
In 1850, an English colony settled in East
Penn, some of whose descendants are still
living in the district, says the relator, "witll
their Treiudices against the Germans ntensi-
fed" But being too few in number, and
too poor to maintain school of their own
choice, and refusing to give aid to German
or mixed schools they were entirely without
schools until 1917, when they succeeded in
establishing an entirely English school, A
good substantial stone-house was built near
what is now called Pcnnsville, and three
months term of English school taught by
Lawrence Enge, who was the first teacher in
this place. lie was succeeded by the follow
| ing up to 1850: James Campbell, Andrew
CrOnican, James Wood, Godfrey Zulick,
Abraham Low, Calvin Bertolette, and Oliver
| Musselman. in 1920, n board of school
trustees was elected at a town meeting held
at Summit Hill. 1t consisted ofthrce mem
| or bers, whose duty twas to provide schools,
rather school-houscs, for the accommodation
of those who wished to send their children
to school, and pay the stipulated tuition fees,
which were fixed by the teacher. The
following is a certificate given by the teach
er to a pupil: "Thi5 is to certify that the
Bearer Hannah Andreas is head of her class
by her good Attention to her Book and here
by has gained the good will of her Tutor,
Andrew Cronican the 30th of January,
1921"
After several Intellectual attempts at Sum-
init Hill to raise money by voluntary sub
scription to build a school-house the Lehgh
Company then came to their relief, built a
house on their own ground, and gave it to
the board of trustees to hold in trust for
school purposes. 1t was furnished with very
plain furniture, long board benches and
desks, ii rough board table for the teacher,
and an old stove-blackboards were not in
use at that time. George Adams was en-
gagged to teach the school. The branches
taught were reading, writing, and arithme-
tic. In lS25,a school was opened i'll Mahon-
ing, on the old Gnaden Huetten ground, the
house was log building, one story high
divided into two rooms, one of which was
used for school and the other for church
purposes. The furniture consisted of slab
benches and rough loard desks, with a table
of the same material for the teacher. This
school was kept open during the winter
season for many years, and many boys
attended this school, who are now among
the prominent business men of the coun-
ty. The property was owned by the
citizens Of the place and held in trust for
them by Il board Of trustees. A school was
started at Nesquehoning in 1850, on the
same plan as the one mentioned above at
Summit Hill. The branches taught were
spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic.
The programme of exercises for each day
were rs follows; four reading lessons, two
spelling lessons, and the remaining of the
time was devoted to writing and doing the
sums in arithmetic. The textbooks used
We're Comley's Primer and, Spelling Book,
Murray's Introduction and English Reader.
The Bible was also used as Il textbook.
Writing was all done with quill pens, which
We're all prepared by the teacher This was
quite task, especially fhe chanced to have
dull knife and large number of pens tu
mend. On visiting Il school, it was not an
unusual thing to hear a half dozen urchins
call out, "Mastcr, will you mend my pen?"
The Masters reply depended very much up
on the humor he was in at the time, whether
it would be pleasant yes, or surly grut, II
got no time"
In these early days of Carbon county's
schools, the masters did not, as a general
thing, have very strong conscientious scruplcs
against corporal punishment. In convelsa-
tion with an old gentleman whose schoolboy
days happened 10 be about that time, he
remarked to me, 'when | went TO school,
there was plenty oCwhipping, little studying,
and less teaching"
From 1925 to 1885 schools were establish
ed in different section of the county on
pretty much the same plan. When il was
thought necessary to start a school in a
nelghborhood, a town meeting was called
for by the citizens, and three or five persons
selected for trustees, who held their offices
during good behavior, under a sort of civil /
service reform principal. As there were no
salaries or fees connected with the Office, |
politicians never iutcricred. The duty of |
these trustees was 10 raise money by voluu- |
tary subscription or contribution, select and |
purchase sites. superintend the erection of |
school-houses, and hold them in trust for |
school uses. As it was difficult m1,ter 10 |
raise large amount of money in this way |
for such purposes, lthe burden generally had |
to be borne by few persons,l the strictest |
economy had to Ge exercised, and sites selec- |
ted where they could be had for the least |
money, without considering the convenience |
or adaptability of them for their intended |
uses, Consequently they We're mostly poor
ly chosen and out-oi-thC-way places, hard |
by public highway or upon some waste
EI'tllh lldt tpulu not De USED Tor farming, I
and made no suitable playground. The
trustees did not hire the teachers. All a
person had to do who wished to become a
teacher was to get permission from the trus-
tees To use the house, and write sub
scripion heading, if he was able to do it: if |
not, he could easily find SOME squire who
would do it for him according to form. This
being done, he had only to fix his rate of
tuition, which was from one dollar and ftly
cents 10 two dollars and fifty cents perquarter,
three months or sevcnty-two daysD and
secure the names Of sufficient number of
children. OF course, the larger the number
the better it paid butasa financial venture,
the risks were not 50 great as some might
imagine. In those days teachers needed but
little, as they generally boarded round.
There were no high board bills to be met
at the end Of the month. If there CHANGED
10 be tavern or grocery store within reasou-
able distance they We're kept of course, bv
good-natured fellows, who would trust To self
to the master his drinks on "tck" for
month, or even for a quarter, knowing that
the first money collected would be used in
wplng out the Cd score, SO that his credit
should remain unimpaired when he wished
To start anew. The children of poor parents,
who w,re unable topiy tu ton for their chill
dren when sent TO school, which was very