The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-05-05
aP7RECIATIvE LETTER TOUCs5
ING POINTS OF INTEREST iN
THE LIFE AND WORK OF 4
WEST V!RGINlA;S BEST
KNOWN EDUCATOR.
OLD SCHOOL DAYS in MONCNSA
LA COUNTY ARE TOUCHED A
U7ON-PROF. WADE INTRO
DUCED THE USE OF
BLACKBOARD
IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS --"L&L
REL ROCK COLLEGE," is OE-
SCRlBED IN a TENDER
WAY AMONG THE REM.
iNiSCENCES.

written for the West vireinian by
Hon. John w. Mason.)
Fairmont, ". Va, ~
May 5, 1904.
In the death Of Prof. Alexander L.
Wade, whose funeral takes place at
NIorgantown today, West Virginia
loses an exemplary citizen, and an en-
thusiastic and progressive friend OF
popular education. He was born Feb
ruary /, 1892, and lived in Monongal1a
county since 1888 He possessed nl1ich
more than the average natural ability,
and was all his life an earnest stu
dent and became one of the most
scholarly men in the Stale. But he
devoted himself almos. exclusively Y
for many years to the improvement OF
the primary schools. He realized that
only a few people could have the adj
vantages of a college education, and
hence spent a lifetime endeavoring to
improve and make more efficient the
schools accessible to all.
Until he was about p years of age
he lived in the northwestern part ci
the county, near the Pennsylvania
line. and taught school n both States.
In the spring of 1857 ne bought a
small farm about three miles from
Smthtown, and moved his little fam
ily there. After corn planting time
he commenced a subscription school
in a small farm house near his ."cnIe,
known as the Jones school house. !
then lived in the village of Sn1ithtown
and attended his school in 1853 aHd
1859 I have before nle as l write
this, the article of agreement made be
tween him and his patrons under
which he taught in 1859. He was to
teach four and half months, for
which the patrons, whose names are
subscribed to the. paper, a;5reed to pay
him S3.75 for each pupil. He com
pletely revolutionized the system of
teachin in that community. His first
improvement was in the way or seats.
The furniture of the old school house
consisted of a chair for the "mast er,
few benches made CT slabs taken
from a neighboring saw~ulill, and a
few boards fastened by wooden pins.
along the walls for writing desks.
He put backs on these benches and
gave US the first seats with backs
eyer seen in a school room in the
comm unity, SO far as L know. Then
he painted black a portion ot the
sides Of the room to be used as black
boards These were the first black
boards used in that section. He ban
ished, as far as was practicable, the
old method of punishment. and placed
his pupils on their honor. ! have
never seen school under such per
feet control and Yet SO little Friction
Often when the weather was warm
and the atmosphere was oppressive
in the little room, he would move out
into the adjoining grove, anu such
was his control over his pupils that
he could govern them out in the grove
equally as well as in the school room
So pleasant was the school, that. short
ly after he took charge OF it, by com
mon consent, the name was changed
to Pleasant Valley School, by which
name it has since been itnown. Near
the school house were two large rocks
lying within twenty or thirty feet OF
each other; a large tree had fallen
across these rocks, its roofs stlll
clinging to the ground, kept the tree
alive. Quite commodious hall was
formed by the rocks, with the fallen
tree tops for a roof. Another boy
and myself converted this hall into a
study. We made seats Dy pilins up
rocks into the shape Of q sofa along
one side. The girls covered the floor
and this sofa with moss, and kept
our little room fragrant with wild.
flowers. We called it Laurel Rock
College, In this delightful little
College we spent many happy
hour with 4Pineos grammar, Green
leafs arithmetic and ComstoclS's phil:
Lr,snnhr and won darin g. hari eth era