The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-02-09
SCHOOL DEDICATION.
DEFINING SCHOOL IS FORMALLY
OPENED TO THE PUBLIC.
ARTHUR D. WHEELER SPEAKS
Talks in Delightful, Reminiscent Manner
of the Life and work of the Man for
Whom the New Building Was
Named-Other Speakers.

1
exercises with which the new Deming
school was formally turned over to the
public were the most interesting edu-
cational event in the past five years of
the city's history.
The building, which is situated at
the corner of Pleasant and Dayton
streets, is the most beautiful and best
| equipped of any of the smaller build
ngs in the city, and the Board of
Education can we'll feel proud of the
work that they have done in erecting
| for KenOsha such beautiful, modern
temple Of learning. 1t is built of brick
and contains six large, cOmmOdiOus
rooms for school purposes, two large
basement play rooms and an attic.
| The corridors and halls are all fitted
with hard wood floors and the entire
building is beautifully finished in oak
and Georgia pine. The heating system
as well as the plumbing is the finest
that has been placed in any KenOsha
school, and the entire arrangement has
been so carefully made that it can be
called a model building. In it's con-
structiOn the Board expended over
$4,000.
The dedication on Friday afternoon
was the first public ceremony of the
nature ever held in a Kenosha school
building, and the great success of the
venture shows that the people are
deeply interested in the education Of
their children and in the work of the
School Board tending to .uplift the
moral and intellectual status of the
community.
The exercises of the dedication were
held in the commodiOus corridor on the
second floor and every available seat
was occupied.
The ceremonies were in charge of
President Jackson and opened by a
song, The Vesper Hymn" sung by a
double quartette of High school pupils,
consisting of Misses Ward, Fuller,
Rowbottom, Barrett, and Messrs. Abel,
Hansen, GOodenOw and Rahr.
After the music by the quartstte,
President Jackson made few remarks
in which he said that the Board had
adopted a beautiful custom in naming
it's buildings after such men as Charles
Durkee, Michael Frank and Father
Deming. In closing he introduced
Arthur Dana Wheeler, of Chicago, who
delivered the principal address of the
afternoon.
Mr.. Wheeler's address was not a
lecture or an grafton, but converse
| ton delightfully."- reminiscent Of the
early days of Kenosha's history, and
treated mostly of the life and character
of Father Reuben DemiDg, after whom
the new building had been named.
Father Deming indeed proved an in
teresting character for discussion, for in
him the speaker found true type of
the early settlers who changed this
country from a prairie to place of
cities and place of beautiful homes for
an intellectual body of citizens.
Father Deming said his grandson,
came of ancient lineage. When the
pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1920
the Deming family was represented
and their name played no small part in
the early development of New England
: and an even greater part in the deVel-
Opment of the great west Father
Reuben Deming was born in Danville,
Vt. and early in life was merchant,
but the welfare of the people being
| 10 hi ind no loft tho
marts and business houses and became
an itinerant minister of MethOdism.
In 1886, having married the grand.
daughter of the famous Israel Putnam,
he decided to move to the great west.
In this decision he was seconded by his
wife, who was one of the three Dana
girls, the other two having been mar
ried to Charles and Harvey Durkee,
and both had settled at old Southport.
The remainder of the lecture was
almost entirely drawn from papers left
by his illustriOus grandfather. He re
told again the struggles of the early
pioneers. The long voyage to Chicago
and from thence to Southport, the
dangers OF lake Navigation ana tne loss
of all their personal effects, and the
story retold in the words of sainted
Father Deming gathered new interest
and added new romance.
When Father Deming reached his
destination he took up his residence in
the home of Charles Durkee, who was
then represent ting his district in the
| territorial Legislature. The following
morning he strolled about the little
village and was met by old Austin Kel-
loCg, who said Well, Bubb, you're
here, we're going to have meetin' at
your house next Sunday" This meet
ing was the beginning Of religious
services in Kenosha, and from then
until bis death Father Deming was the
spiritual leader of Southport,
Tn tho maDusorintS left nv Fatbar