The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-01-08

alled subscription schools.
Mr. Wilmore speaks about having
taught public school in the year
1928, and others also teaching public
schools the same year. In that year I
attended portion Of two months
public school taught by James Kelly,
in the district now known as the Port
land district. I think there were no
other public schools after that year,
for some ten years or more.
Congress set apart for educational
purposes Section 16 in each township,
and on the 26th Of February, 1924,
the Ohio Legislature passed an act en-
titled ''an act to incorporate the origi-
nal surveyed townships Section s
Of that act is as follows:
"That the trustees are hereby au-
thorized as soon as they think it nee
essary; to lay off their townships into
convenient districts, ,and the same to al
ter or change from time to time as the
interest Of the citizens may require, fer
the purpose Of establishing schools
therein; and each school thus estab-
lished in townships, shall be entitled
to receive an equitable dividend Of the
profits arising from their reserved Sec
tion according to the number of schol-
ars, and in proportion to the time they
have been taught, or gone to school,
whether such scholars have gone to
school within or without said town
ship; and to enable them to make an
equal distribution, they shall require
certificate from their respective
teachers, stating the time each scholar
has been by him taught, together with
such other evidence as they shall think
necessary to enable him to ascertain
the time that each scholar has been
taught, during the period for which
such dividend or distribution shall be
made"
Parts Of some Of these sections had
been sold, and there was perhaps
where the money was acquired to pay
for these schools.
Sixty years ago, when man desired
to keep school, he would draw up an
article of agreement, in which he
woul bind himself to teach a school
for three months, and he would obli-
gate himself to teach the scholars to
spell, read, write and cipher as far as
the Single Rule Of Three. He agreed
to keep good order in school, &c., and
not to take more than 30 scholars.
The parents signed the number Of
scholars each intended to send to
school, and agreed to pay two dollars
per scholar, in trade. Sometimes a
man would sign two scholars, and
make up the time with five or six.
When the weather was not too bad,
the smaller children would attend
school, and the larger boys, and young
men, would remain at home, getting
in frewood, feeding stock, clearing up
ground, &C.; when the weather was
very bad that was reversed; the young
men would go to school, and the
smaller boys would continue their
studies at home.
The description of one day Of school
will be sufficient for the entire quar-
ter. The parents, on Saturdays, would
cut and haul firewood for the school,
and the master would have a roaring
fire on Monday morning, and when
the scholars would arrive they could
warm and dry their feet before the
great fire. Most Of the scholars had
to go from one to two miles to school.
There was quite a variety Of books,
but this did not matter much, as there
were rarely more than 20 scholars in
attendance at any one time. and class
| ification was not necessity. The
scholars would say three lessons in
the forenoon, and three in the after
noon The scholars were kept in the
primer first, and then in the spelling
book, until they were good spoilers,
and then put to reading, No attempt
was made at writing until the scholar
was a pretty good reader. Ciphering
being the highest branch, was not
commenced until the scholar could
write plain, legible hand. English
Grammar was unknown The words
pronounced the same, but spelled diff
ferently. and having different mean
ings, such us air (the atmospheric.
Heir Zone who inheritsl, &c., were col
lected together, and were called Gram
mar. Geography was unknown. Peo-
pie all believed in witches and ghosts,
but none believed that the earth
moved. Rev. John Jasper is not the
man who discovered that 1.-THE sun do
move" Everybody in jackson coun-
ty knew that sixty years ago.
Now let me go on with the order Of
one day in school, The master did
not have watch, and he had to guess
at the time, but he never missed it
far. ABOUT half-past eleven he would
say ''get your spelling lessons" Then
all who We're to stand up and spell
would, in a loud voice, spell the words
in the spelling lesson, with great ra-
pidity, for about ten minutes, when
the master would take one of the
books from scholar, and say, ''get
your places" Then the big class
would be arranged in a straight line,
taking the place where each had stood
when numbered at the last spelling.
The master would give out the words
plainly, and each scholar had one trial.
When the spelling lesson had been
gone through in this way, the scholars
numbered, commencing at the head,