The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-06-03
AS Mr.. SEERLEY saw IT
Thirteen Years Of Life In the Early
Days of 0skaloosa.

! delivered by Pres. Homer III, Seer
F.! ley, of Cedar Falls, Iowa at the o
| II. S. Alumni Banquet, Oskaloosa
Iowa, May 26, 1850
Forty-two years ago next Septem
Der came to Oskalo0sa on the De-
Moines Valley railroad, leaving tn,
train at Oskaloosa station. 1t still re
quired two and one-half-mile ride OF
the four-hourse omnibus of thu
BashaW Livery to get me to the Hote
81. James, where a Mr.. ShackletoI
was proprietor. The Oskaloosa o.
that day was quite different from the
Oskaloosa OF the present, yet even al
that time there was spirit of enter
prise and of love for the town and Its
interests that was highly commenda
Bile and that impressed the young
teacher as promising great results in
the near future. At that time the
only railroad within the city limits
was the Iowa Central, that ran from
Ottumwa to Marshalltown, two local
trains day. This railroad was the
pride OF the people because the old
controversy with the Des Moines Val.
ley railroad, which resulted in placing
the station two and one-half miles
away, still ranked in the feelings and
made cooperation impossible. The
enterprise of Oskaloosa was shown In
the activity of the coal mines, in the
building OF new gas plant, and the
extension of the light to the streets,
In the erection of new high school
building at an expense of $4,000, In
the appreciation shown Oskaloosa col
lege, In the founding of Penn college
and the constructing OF the west wing
OF its main building, in the having
the Yearly Meeting House Of the So
ciety of Friends, in the community,
and In the plans for many improve.
ments that were to materialize In the
years to come. The hopes of these
early days for progress and for devel-
opment depended more upon faith
than upon performance, yet they were
the promise of good things to come
that kept up courage, inspired the
people to make greater efforts and
enabled them to believe with all their
hearts in the future Of their city.
The public school buildings of that
time were known as the New High
school, the Normal school, and the
Gospel Ridge school. These were
sufficient In capacity to meet all the
demands and there was room to spare.
The building of the new high school
had made debt that exceeded any
previous undertaking of the people,
and 1t was supposed at the time that
this building would give, proper care
to the educational interests for many
years to come and that posterity
would be under lasting obligations for
many decades. The glory of this &C.
complishment, the magnificence Of
this provision for education, the edu-
cational spirit of the people OF the
city placed Oskaloosa ahead of any Of
Its neighboring competitors. The
teachers whose regulations were not
able at that day were Mrs. Mott, Miss
Alice Gruwell, Mrs. Davenport, Supt
Jerry Everett, Kate Wright, and Lou
j. Hawkins. Graded schools were but
a few years old and there was no
agreed plan by which such a system
should be organized. Superintendent
Lytle, in 1872, had graded the primary
schools, whereby only pupils of the
first grade, second grade, etc, were
together in the same room. High
schools were in their infancy and
their courses of study were still I'M
settled, while graduation from such a
school was not a common policy. Su-
perintendent Dytle had brought about
a plan whereby a standard had been
adopted, limit to the proposed
course was made and the first class,
consisting of Minnie Needham, Emma
Fletcher, Name Loring, Ida Street,
ETC., became the graduates for the
year 1873. This commencement was
the chief topic of public interest and
much was told me of the talent, the
scholarship, the capability and the
character OF these young women who
the high school by their at
tainr1ents and by their womanliness.
There was no graduating class In
1874, as there were not sufficient
pupils of grade to organize a class,
the school board regarding graduation
to be business proposition as well
as an opportunity, but since that time
the annual commencement has been
a prominent occasion, and popular in
terest has been exalted. In 1874 the
Junior class gave literary program
in the First Methodist church, the
success attending it being so accept
able and notable that the audience
was greatly pleased and the import
ance and standing of the high school
as popular and accepted institution
was an established fact In public SEN
timens and appreciation.
My first meeting with the high
school teachers and pupils occurred at
the opening morning of the school
year. Being so youthful in appear
ance and making my coming a little
earlier than the doors were opened
for the reception of pupils, ] became
cognizant of the fact that the older
girls in the school yard had classified
me as a new pupil and were betray-
ing an unusual interest in trying to
find cut my name and residence.
When school was called, they were
equally surprised to see me take a
seat on the platform with Superinten-
dent Lyle and Principal Ketner and
thus vanished the first good estimate
of those whom l soon learned to re-
spec. and esteem for their industry,
their high ideals and their efficiency
In my desk books l had written my
name, the cabalistic letters O. III. s.,
and the date. This o. H. s. mono
gram was not comprehended or inter
pretei by anyone and the mystery
deepened when declined to give any
explanation to repeated inquiry.