The Delta independent., 1904-01-22
THE SCHOOL HOUSE OF THE PAST.

THE SCHOOL HOUSE OF THE PAST.
"helio John. See the picture OF the
Delta school house which this mail
brought" said Sam Spencer with evident
pleasure and surprise as he galloped up
to his friend. John Mcfarland and
banded TO him one OF the souvenirs OF
the dedicatorial reception. john took
II ard then while they trotted home
ward. Sam told in reminiscent way Of
tb. school house as he had known il:
Il began going to school in Delta in
81. In the spring Of that year the
government decided to make an appro-
priation for school there. but before
the money was given there bad TO be d
term Of school and not less than ten
pupils.
So subscription school was opened
10 a little log cabin which stood on the
east side Of the big ditch or the road
which now leads from Eaton avenue to
Garnet mesG, The cabin belonged to
Governor Crawford, but Was given by
hin Tor a school building. The seats
aud aesks were very different from those
The children now have. The benches
were made from rough boards. with one
to sit on and two, little apart for the
back. Lumber was then eighty dollars
d thousan nd So solid backs could not be
afforded. Tables were used Tor desks.
~. ST. .S LII
one OF those cannon stoves which rest
tiat on the floor, therefore TO avoid
setting the building on fire the floor was
cut out and the stove placed on the
ground.
Mrs. Carr was the first teacher the
school ever had. The first month she
received forty dollars and fifty each for
the next two months. Having SO few
pupils she was able to drill each OF US
we'll. Every night before ve went hom-
We reci;ed the multiplication tables in
concert and as result ! have never Tor
gotten them. On Friday afternoons We
always bad reciIilatioEs aud readings al
they do NOV.
Que day a boy about fourteen years
OF age brought three dogs into the schooi
house with hun. They created almost
as great q seusatiou as "Mary's Little
Lamb"
Ny teacher tells the story on me. that
before came to school everyone had
told her that szs a bad boy and thai
she suuid have trouble With me. but
she came To me and said she did not
thtus ! was as bad as people represented
and asked II did not wish to iearn.
lunked up at her aud replied 'Isarher l
do want TO learn and ! Will.
Miss Puruy next had charge OF the
school. She taught in the same place
until unfortunately the little log cabin
caught on tre from the stove. Every
thing was burned and when the teacher
came TO town the morning after the fire
she fouad 90 school building. A los
cabin, formerly a hardware store, Which
Was at the bead OF Main street on the
lot adj ,ining Mr.. Kistle'r property. was
then secured Tor the school. This term
OF school was also paid by subscription.
but the mex, was public school.
Soon afterwards the school began TO
move from oae place TO another; first it
was held in large log bIilding which
stood below the present photograph
gallery. until last year, when 1t was torn
down; next it moved into 4 frame build
ing farther in town. which had been
used Tor the postot.ice.
\ meeting house for the First
Methodist church was being erected IN
the winter Of 1883 the school directors
made arrangements with the church
trustees TO have school in the church
providing that it should be finished by
the first OF the year. 1854. Accordingly
schoo! was conducted in the church
building until the school house was con-
pleted. This building was strangely
1t was weather boarded
up and down on the outside aud bricked
up inside with canvas over the bricks
After the mortar dried the bricks
cracked OF into large seciious wnen'
the Nluu oleN, as " oAicu dii.
Much pleased were the pupils when
their wauder,ngs' from one place 10
another were finally ended by their
being settled in new brick building.
rnere were two rooms down stairs and
one large unturnished room up stairs
Mr.. Condit had the upper grades and
Miss Wilson the lower ones. This
school house sutficed until 1898 when an
addition with two rooms aud two halls
down stairs aud hall and one large
room up stairs was built. This large
room had stage at the north end aud
was used for entertainments; here il
was that several classes graduated.
As the population increased the school
rooms became more and more crowded
and the large room was partitioned oil
making two rooms OF equal size. Later
the partition was moved so that there
wac one large room and a small labora-
tory. But now hear since the add.
tion OF 1908 has been completed the high
school has the whole room as originally
planned.
How twenty-five years has changed
things! Yet when you stop to think il
does not seem 30 strange. Tor where a
community is situated in u fertile valley
aud the high aim OF each one OF it's
citizens is not only his own prosperity.
but alec the prosperity OF his country
aud the advancement Of civilization. we
shall find fine school buildings"
EraEL BEAR.