The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-07-18

In an ordnance passed py CONGRESS
in 1885, for the survey and sale of the
western lands, 1t was provided that
section 16 OF every township should
be reserved from sale for the mainte-
nance of public schools within the
township When Ohio became state
the school lands reserved were grant
ed to the state. to be disposed OF by
the legislature. This land endowment
for education gave to Ohio 704,4SS
acres. In the provision granting the
lands to the state for educational pur-
poses only the income arising from the
proceeds OF land could be expended.
The fund itself must remain intact for
ever. These lands were leased and
rented for a number of years, but the
low appraisals of the lands and the
terms of payment were such that but
little was realized in the way of Great
ing a fund that would aid materially
in advancing the cause of education.
In 1925 the state legislature made pro-
vision for the sale of these lands. and
as fast as they were disposed OF the
proceeds were paid into the state treas
ury, and the state was pledged to pay
per cent interest thereon forever, the
interest to be annually distributed
among the various townships and dis
tricts for school purposes. Under this
provision nearly $4,000 acres have
been sold, the balance still being leased
or rented. and the total income real
lied from the state from these lands
for school purposes amounts to about
$245, 600 annually
For several years after the school
ordinance act of 1926 had been passed,
which also provided for the levyiDg of
uniform tax Of one-half mill on the
dollar for school purposes, in addition
to the local township and district
taxes, the schools were in part main
tained by private subscription and by
rate bills paid by those whose chill
dren attended the schools. This was
the case wherever the schools were
kept up for more than three or four
months of the year. AS matter of
natural consequence, we find that
where the great effort and labor Of life
was given to the work of opening up
their farms, providing for the wants of
their families, battling against the OBJ
stacles which surrounded them, there
was not that amount of attention given
to the education OF their children that
there would have been had their sur
roundings been of more favorable
character.
1t was not until near the year 1880
that the schools Of Pike began to be OF
some permanent good to the rural pop
ulation. It was in the year 1921 that
the first law was passed giving author
ity for the division Of the townships
into school districts, and for the cleo
tion of district school committees who
might erect school houses, ETC.. but 1t
was simply a permission, not a COM
pulsory law. and was not designed to
make free public schools" conse-
quently, but little attention was paid
to the law unless in sections where the
population had become numerous, and
in large towns.
The law of 1925, however, began to
stir up the people somewhat, and from
the old record of the township we
learn that by petition from the citi-
zens of the township to the trustees,
the township was divided into six sub
districts This was done about the 1st
of April, 1925 The township contains
80 sections of land. is five miles long
north and south and six miles east and
west In making this division a line
was decided upon across the township
from east to west through the middle
Of the center tier of sections dividing
the township into two equal parts and
divided north and south by the section
lines between the second and third tier
of sections from the east and west
sides of the township. Each sub-dis-
trict by this division contained four
full sections and two half sections.
After this division into districts there
was nothing further done in the way
of organizing the different districts into
effective schools until the year 1928.
The first school election held for the
purpose was in sub-district No. 2. on
the I'd day of February, 1928. At this
election John Richards. Jacob Miller
and Samuel Chestnutwood were elected
a board of directors, and Henry Becher
was elected treasurer.
ITO be continued