Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-01-08

tion of being the first scholar en-
rolled in our district.
"The following winter it was de-
cided to build a schoolhouse 12xl2
with two windows, 9x13 each sash.
No provision was made for any
door but it was supposed that the
door was to 60 in as a natural re-
suit. May %, 1873, it was resolved
to build a schoolhouse 16x2O, with
six windows. The site was changed
from where this building now
stands to the southwest corner of
the southwest quarter Of section %,
but for some reason or other the
schoolhouse was built on the north
east corner Of the northeast quarter
of section q. Bonds to the amount
of $275 were voted to defray expen-
ses of building. The seats made
from the 1888 lumber were used
until 1875, when seats and desks for
SIS and apparatus for sos were
bought.
Ion March q, 1880, a special
meeting was held to decide whether
to divide the district or enlarge the
schoolhouse. The motion to divide
was defeated by Is to 81. A mo-
ton to build an addition 16x16 to
south end of schoolhouse was adopt
ed. At a special meeting held
April 80. 1880, it was decided to
buy one acre in the southwest corn
er of section % from N. o. Nelson
at SIS, and the present site was
fixed. Feb. 6, 1886, it was decided
to build a new schoolhouse 24x30,
with an entry 1Ox16, the old school,
house to be torn down and the ma
terial used in building the new one.
The building was erected that year,
and is the building just vacated.
In the summer of 1907 two special
school meetings were held, with the
result Of the building we now oc-
cupy. These are the cold and dead
facts of the past, but they were liv-
ing issues when acted and, COM
pared with the times they were ac-.
ted, they were of as much import
ance as the erection of our present
schoolhouse.
''Our first settlers in the district,
with one or two exceptions, were
all from Norway and Sweden, unac-
quainted with the customs and lam
guage CT this country, and quite
number had been aided in their pas
sage over by more fortunate friends
or relatives. They settled here
with a determination to make a
home, for themselves and their chill
dren, and their first public concern
was to see that their children were
educated in the language and insti-
tutions of this country; and consid-
ering the scanty means at their dis
posal, the sacrifices they made by
far exceeded those we have now
made.
''Our teachers were probably not
as we'll educated then as now, but
what they lacked in education they
more than made up for in zeal and
devotion to a cause and work with
unfavorable conditions. They la
bored under great difficulties. The
children were all unacquainted with
the language. The Scandinavian
languages were used in our school
up to the time when | took charge
OF it. The common complaint of
the parents when l went to school
here was that the English language
was not used; the same complaint
existed when began teaching. Il
began teaching with the determine
tion that the English language
should be used. This was certainly
a strong demand from a teacher
who did not know the English lam
guage himself, but it was not many
years until the complaint was the
other way. Why, our children use
nothing but English, even in our
parochial school, where we try to
teach Swedish. l mention this as
an evidence Of what children will
do if you give them chance.
Nowadays you hear that our
children must be given an educa-
ticn so as to enable them to hold
their own in the strong competition
that exists in all avenues of trade
as we'll as in professional life.
That is about to say, prepare them
for the scramble for the almighty