The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-03-16

Fl. W. Rood, Patriotic Inspector Of
the Wisconsin Division of the Grand
Army of the Republic who recently
made a visit to Kenosha has contribut-
ed to the Madison Democrat a very in
teresting article on the schools of Ken
osha. In his article he says:
It was with no little pleasure last
week that [ spent day and a half in
the schools Of the bright city Of Ken
osha. Kenosha was at first plain Pike
Creek, so / was told, and then South
port. when it was, in 1850, incorpor-
ated as city it was re-christened
Kenosha. 1t was in its earlier days
a yankee town, but now it has a pretty
thoroughly mixed population. The
great shops there have brought work
men from many countries across the
sea. In some of the schools nearly
all the children are of foreign born
parentage, and many of the little folks
themselves came from abroad. 1t is
the business of the teachers there, as
in so many of our villages and cities,
not only to teach reading, writing and
ciphering, but to Americanize the
complex elements that come to them
for training; and they are doing it,
conscientiouslY and efficiently. In
some Of the buildings the first thing to
attract attention, after the pupils and
teachers, is our fag-not one flag but
several of them And then there are
pictures of Washington and Lincoln.
1t seems to be the plan Of most of
the teachers to keep the beautiful en-
blem of our country ever in view, and
to use our national colors in various
forms of ornamentation; and then to
make the faces of our greatest two
Americans just as familiar as our flag.
Moreover, in most schools the simple
stories of the lives of those. good men
are coming to be as familiar as their
faces. 1t is matter of no little con-
sequence that Washington and Lin
coin are thus being held up as ideals
for our little citizens, both native born
and foreign.
Kenosha has, for school superin-
tendent, Mrs. Mary D. Bradford, who
has for many years been one Of the
leading educators of Wisconsin. Her
husband was fifth in descent from
Governor William Bradford of Ply
mouth colony, and she cherishes the
family traditions. She has the stars
and stripes in her blood, and in her
work she considers thai the making of
an American is important business.
While in Kenosha [ was fortunate
enough to be the guest of Comrade
Frank Fl. Lyman and family. Comrade
Lyman is the patriotic instructor Of
his post, and he undertakes to do
something about it. His father came to
Kenosha, or Southport, when Frank
was a child-while Wisconsin was vet
territory; and he has lived there
ever since. He has seen the place grow
from small village to be one of the
most thriving cities in the state. He
knows well the traditions of the place.
He pointed out to me the spot where
young Louis 2. Harvey, later governor
of our state, was teacher in little log
school house; where the earlier church
es were built, and told incidents about
some Of the preachers of those days;
he told me many things about notable
men who helped build up Kenosha and
Wisconsin, Michael Frank territorial
legislator and father of free schools in
our state; Charles Durkee, member of
the territorial legislature, congressman
and United States senator; Reuben H.
Deming, territorial legislator n
friend of free schools; Robert Graham
and John G. McMynn, state superi1-
tendents Joseph V. Quarles, member of
assembly and state senate, United
States senator and federal Judge: z.
G, Simmons, manufactures and philan-
thropist, and others He took me to
the cemetery and pointed out the final
resting place of some of these men.
There stands the first soldiers monu-
ment ever erected in Wisconsin. It is
dedicated to the memory of Captain
Augustus Quarles, commander of the
only company from Wisconsin in the
Mexican war. 1t says, Erected by
tho territory of Wisconsin, the citi.
zens of Southport and his relatives. y
1t looks as if it might have been, put
/ up only last week. Captain Quarles
was killed in the battle Of Churubusco
on the 21st day of August, 1S47. Com
rade Lyman took me, too, to the first
soldiers monument erected by our late
honorary comrade z. G. Simmons. He
put that up some years ago. Later
he caused to be placed near the city
library, which he also erected, another
soldiers monument at cost of several
thousand dollars
Mr. Frank hora +ba +itlo of oo1.l