The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-07-09
QUAKER SCHOOL
IN THE COURTS
FOURTEEN HUNDRED ACRES OF
IOWA LAND AT STAKE.
PENN COLLEGE INTERESTED.
The Attempt to Abolish Whites Free
Manual Training School at
Houghton Leads to a
Legal Fight.


the district court of this county. II
will be matter of interest to know
that such a charitable corporation ex-
lists In Iowa, owning as it does l,144
acres of the best land in the county,
having a value of over $150,000. In
1850 wealthy Quaker by the name OF
Josiah White, who was one of the pion-
GERS in the anthracite and iron indus
tries, died in Philadelphia, having
amassed great wealth through his
connection with the Lehigh Coal and
Navigation company and the Lehigh
Crane Iron company.
White was devout Quaker and his
will, which was introduced in evi.
dence, is quaint document, which
recites the tcstator's desire ito begin
and perpetuate manual labor school,
or two Schools in the free states OF
the west for poor children-white, col
ored and Indian-as many as the an.
nual products of the land | propose TO
buy will support, such as have not the
means to procure schooling, board
anu tloIlilbS lol lutllSClNtos. TIC lul
Their states his design and intent not
being so much literary education as
spiritual one, such as a religious
Friend, Quaker, protesting the faith
and doctrine of George Fox, Robert
Barclay and William Penn would feel
in their religious duty to give their
children had they opportunity to do
So"
The whole document is deeply rev.
erent and prays that his requests may
be the instrument throughout the ages
of adding many SOULS to Christ S
kingdom.
In accordance with Mr. Whites
plan, 1,444 acres of land were procur-
en- in Cedar township in this county,
the same being near Houghton on the
Northwestern road, and similar tract
was purchased near Wabash Ind, II
being Mr.. Whites desire that these
schools should be planned after one in
operation at West Town, Pa, and the
operation of the schools was to be un,
der direction OF three trustees to be
appointed by the yearly meeting OF
the Quakers nearest TO said schools.
The school at Wabash, Ind. is in op.
Grafton as a reform school and is used
by the home finding society OF tina:
states as a place of refuge. Indiana
not being provided with our system
of caring for its waits and poor chill
dren, pays 25 cents per day for the
support of the 176 children which 1t
sends there.
The Pennsylvania school, which was
used as model, was fortunate enough
to receive endowments to the amount
Of $350,000 and is prospecting finely.
The Iowa school has passed through
many storm periods. 1t was some
years before buildings suitable for
school purposes were erected on the
farm, and upon completion of the
building it was used as a reform school
by the authorities of this state until
our own school was arranged for;
after which it was leased to Benjamin
Miles, who has since become we'll
known as a penalogist through his
connection with our Iowa penal insti
buttons, and was used by him as a
school for the education of certain
Indian children, for whose care and
education he had contracted with the
United States government, this being
before the day of the present Indian
school, and being the forerunner OF
the present system of Indian educa
ton. During Miles occupancy the
school building burned and the Indian
children were transferred to other
quarters.
AS soon as the income of the farm
would permit the school building was
restored and poor children of both
sexes were taken in and educated in
the common school branches as well
as in the manual labor of farming and
housekeeping. This method was con
tinued until 1908 or 1904, at which
time the farm was well stocked and
was supporting about twenty-five chill,
dren, when the yearly meeting OF
Friends saw fit to depose the trustees
who had previously been in control
and elected a new board, which was
not satisfied with the quality of chill.
dren procurable, nor with their control
and education, and the new board got
rid of the children as rapidly as posi-
BILE, and instead of operating the farm
as a school rented the land and now
proposes to and is devoting the pro-
ceeds of the farm to the maintenance
and education of such persons as they
deem worthy in various academies
and colleges connected with and oper.
ated more or less remotely under the
direction of the Quakers.
The plaintiffs in the case on trial
claim that this method is not in ac-
cordance with the provisions of the
will and allege that it is a perversion
of the trust funds from the purpose in
tended by Mr.. White, and ask that the
trustees now in charge be removed
and others be appointed who will car
ry out the provisions of the we'll.
The trustees claim that the provis-
ions of the will are impractical in the
light OF present advancement and that