Connecticut western news., 1921-06-30
EARLY DAYS IN
 THE TOWN SCHOOLS
Scre Facts Compiled by Miss Sarah J.
 Roraback

duce the racket. Children were ad- mitted to the school at the gee of three years. Boys at the age of B and 20 years attended the school dur ing the winter and all wore boots of an average weight of ponn's. It was the custom fer teachers to board around The reason Civen for this vas. "Tt is cheaper and it enables the teacher to become ac- quainted with the home life of his pupils" It was quite an event to have the teacher to board for 2 ] few days or weeks, and suitable : preparation must be made, so it was expected that he would send word
 few days in advance to announce : his coming. Often the wori came back ''wait a few days as we have , not killed our pigs yet" The tea cher was sure of plenty of fresh pork, sausage and feather bed Books in the public schools were few. The boys and girls were quite proficient in the three R's. Spelling from a spelling book was one of the daily exercises.
 There were no maps or globes and such a thing as g black board had not been thought of. Teachers wrote
 all copies and made and mended the pens which were of goose qrills. The old school house in this part of the
 town stood near the four corners near the track of the c. N. F. R. This
 building was erected about ninety
 years ago, upon the site of a little
 one room building used previous to
 this. Here black boards were used
 and colOred maps.
 The old school house bell that swung in the belfry for so many years was donated by the late William Adam, father of Miss g. w. Adam. The bell was bought in Hartford,I copy of the bill of sale being as follows:
 Hartford, 3rd June 1928. i 'Mr. William Adam "Bt. of Ward, Bartholomew & Brainard 1 "Bell, AZ lbs. O 2-3, IT, 62 1-2 S17
 62 1-2
 Reed. payment
 The above bell we warrant for l twelve months, with careful usage and in case it brakes in sd term of time with such usage we agree to cast 1t free from expense; or should l the Bell not please it may be ex- changed for new one at the rate we sell new ones if done within a E month or two-price of new one is b , 40c ID. .1x xk ! Ward, Bartholomew &. Brainard {; The bell did not 'brake" despite , the strenuous endeavors of the boys who after succeeded in standing it i on it's head and make it necessary for some one to climb into the belfry to [ adjust it.
 The bell is now at the home of Miss s. W. Adam. For further in formation we refer you to Mir. 5. A. Eddy who served the school so ac- | ceptably for several years.
 The old school house was qban- doned in 1877 for Q more commod;- GUS one on Granite AvenHe; this was two story four room building. The town voted to consolidate the school districts in 1897 and since Julv [. 1898 the management of the town schools has been in the hands nf a town Committee. One of the first problems with which the committee had to deal was the over crowded con- dition of the primary department in the school at Canaan where seventy pupils were registered with seats for fifty two and with proper breathing space for less.
 This seemed a favorable oppor1un- l, ity for step in advance along mod ern educational lines and a kinder i garten was opened in the town hall.
 A two story addition to the school 1 building was ready for use January 1900 and the kindergarten was un- der the same roof with the other school; after two years, by vote of the School Board the kindergarten was discontinued.
 In the spring of 1909 it became l. necessary to accommodate a greater number of pupils and two story addition at the north was made to the school building and ready for use in September. Again in 1915 more room appeared necessary and a two story addition at the East was added giving at present a ten room build ing.
 The town voted free text books 1906
 Barnes system of vertical penman- ship was adopted in 1898 The town paid for schools in 1900 $3,775.84 in 1915 $10,592.95. Number of pupils between the ages of 4-16 in 1901, 359 in 1910, ALA, 1914, 422.
 The grand list in 1913 was $1,385,- SIG with tax of 15 mills. Total 1913, $1,495,248 The population of the town in 1910 was 2,17L
 > Mr. F. o. Jones was the first school superintendent for the town. He served for one year, 19O3-19O4. In tha snrinp nf 1914 if wac untnd tn