The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-08-18

mage grove near Chesterville, Ohio.
Quite number of the former teach
ers and scholars were present and, fol
lowing a bounteous dinner, a fine pro-
gram was rendered as follows:
Song--Maureen and Marian Foote.
Travelogue-Horatio Markley.
Songs-Edna Fike, Ellen Acten, Mu-
nav Girls and Dora Richards.
Reading-Fern Markley.
A history of the Center school was
read by Miss Ella Talmage, former
teacher, which is as follows:
The history of Center school covers
q period of almost one hundred years,
commencing with the erection of a
school house in 1920 A. D., and the
gathering in of the children of the few
settlers in this locality.
Then trees stood thick on our new
well-cultivated fields, deers were still
to be found in the forests, wolves and
sometimes bears we're seen. Also an
occasional red man made his appear
anc0 at the SeLLlemenC.
That was before the days Of rail-
roads, telegraphy, monographs, kero-
sene lights, electric lights, telephones,
automobiles, etc.
The patient oxen served as beasts
Of burden and were also used in trav-
cling from place to place.
This was then the far west. But to
return to the house, 1t was builded Of
round logs and upholstered. A fire
place occupied the length of one end
and into 1t, In winter were thrown
huge sticks of wood which were furn-
ished by the patrons of the school.
Sometimes logs we're hauled in by a
farmer and chopped up at noon-time
by his sons who attended the school
How would the boys Of today enjoy
such exercises?
The seats consisted Of slabs of wood
with legs put in them. There were no
desks. no blackboards, no chalk, no
grammar and no geography. The Eng
lish reader, Noah Webster's spelling
book and an arithmetic called the Wes-
tern Calculator were the books used.
The house stood few rods east Of
where Josiah Ruggles now lives. The
first teacher that can be remembered
was L. d. Morier, who lived in log
house on the farm now owned by VIII
liam Shaffer.
The next teacher was Methodist
minister, Mr. Mcdonald, and the last
term in that house was taught by I'm
Gle VIM. Campbell, whom many of us
remember.
The following are the names of some
of the pupils enrolled that last year.
Henry Talmage, Sr., Phoebe Town
send, Lodema Lanning, Nelson Gordon,
Amanda DeCamp, The Fogles and the
Walkers. The number of pupils was
about twenty-five.
In those days the teachers boarded
round" week at place, or night at
place and in meditating on this
phase of school history we can not
with the poet say,
backward, turn backward, o, years
in your flight"
A teachers wages were for a lady
In the summer 150 to $500 per week
and board and for a man in winter IS
to SIS per month and board. They had
no public school system as now and
q teacher was paid by the patrons,
each paying according to the number
of pupils he sent, the price varying
with the enrolment.
The district was then much larger,
comprising what 1t now contains and
q part of Chester township. 1t extend
ed as far south as Mahonbern and east
to Monroe Emerson's.
The second house was built of logs
but they were hewed and 1t was coiled
inside. The seats were similar to those
In the first house. but some desks were
provided 1t also had a fireplace but
stove was used short time the last
year 1t was occupied.
1t was located In the field north OF
Josiah Ruggles house and was built in
1929 A. d. There was no outlay OF
money in erecting these two houses as
the people Of the neighborhood turned
out and helped to prepare the logs and
put up the structures.
AS the country was becoming more
) thickly settled, the attendance at
} school increased, being between thir
ty-hve and forty In these good old
. days the boys and girls wore home
made boots and shoes and clothes
2 made of cloth spun and woven at
/ home
, Some Of the early teachers were
70 Bruce Paccard Robert Hickman and
/ Phoebe Talmage
+, Only one pupil survives, our chair
r. man j. N. Talmage spent his frs
/, year in school there in 1896, He wal
, then six years of age That house wal
! used as a place of worship by tn,