The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-05-17
Our Public Schools ..

j. w. Miller, DR.. o. D. Doane, Lev
Walker Patton, S. c. Barrett, G.. w
Grubbs, w. L. Worthington, J.
Brown, Chas. Davidson, Nap. Davis
Price and NJ. w. Smith.
There were no grades. no examina
tions, no ''passing,' no graduation il
the early schools. The modern system
was worked out slowly, and sometimes
painfully. But shall we say that the
pioneer schools were not efficient be
cause they lacked all the modern machin
cry? BY no means. All work must be
Judged from it's results The boys and
girls of the sos, who attended these
schools, are the active men and women
of today, and many of them are most
successful. Indeed, the very crudeness
of the time enforced many lessons of
sturdy independence. Mistakes were
made then as mistakes are made now,
but we find more to commend than to
criticize. The pioneer school lost much
by making arithmetic the test of a
child's ability. 1t was mistake of the
time and not limited to The Dalles.
"YOur grades and methods serve you
well,' says a successful teacher of our
early schools, ''but we older teachers do
not regret our lack of the present sys-
tenn; but could we have given more
time to language our work would have
been stronger"
1t was impossible to grade the school
ly when there were but few
teachers, and as late as 1880 there were
but five teachers employed. Instead of
the written examination of the present
time, the teacher promoted the pupil
when he thought best. No pupil asked,
'Did you pass?' 1t was instead, "Can
YOU do these sums?' We are told that
the first examinations were used in the
schools in the early '70's, and from that
time they were employed as best suited
the teachers. The plan now used of
examinations in every grade
has been followed since Chas. Davidson
took charge of schools in Sept 1884
Closing exercises at the end of term
were not common in the '6O's. The fol-
lowing is in part the account of school
exercise of 1870. "The exercises in
Miss Anna Pentland's department of
.he Public School last Friday afternoon,
fnI
nent. The speakers were prompt in
heir recitations, and the declaiming
vas very good considering the age of the
cholars. Two papers were read, COM
,osed of original contributions by some
# the pupils, one entitled "The Bud
" Miss Clara Humason, and one 'The
Atom" The essays were very good
onsidering the age of the puplls''-
s-MOuntaineer.) Literary exer-
ises in the schools must have had the
pproval of the public, if we are to
ldge from their frequency in later
mes.
In 1884 year of high school work
as added to the schools, and the first
class received their diplo-
las in June, 1885. Glasses completed I
le same studies, in SO and 'S7: but as
le course was extended in 'S7, there \
as no class the next year. In 1889
We girls completed this longer course
he high school department was not =
during the succeeding five
ears, as it was thought impracticable Z
maintain the high school, when the
'asco Independent Academy offered E
uch the same as well as more extend
line of work. When the property 7
the Academy passed into the hands
the school district the public high a
hool was revived, and the folio wing
urse was adopted by the school board .
1894. For the ninth grade, algebra,
etoric, civil government, physiology,
lysical geography ,and English classics; 8
r the tenth, higher arithmetic, book -
eping, physics, and English classics; e,
: the eleventh, geometry, English lit W
ature, general history, geology, po- T
ical economy, and a review in the n,
mmon branches. A class of nine
mpleted the course of study in 81, the