The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-24
Especial to the Palladium

HAGERSTOWN, Ind, Aug. 70. =
Pictures of log cabin school houses,
with split puncheon floors, huge fire
places and creased paper windows,
backless benches made of split logs,
on which the pupils sat, book in hand,
and STUDIED" at the tops of their
voices, with a refractory pupil, wear
ing huge leather spectacles with small
holes cut in them, stationed on the
platform and watching for infraction
of the rules by some other luckless
culprit with whom he could then ex-
change places, are presented in the
history of the early school system of
Jefferson township. recalled by the
recent dedication of a new consoll-
dated high school building.
The history was compiled by L. s.
Bowman in 1900 and brought up to
date by r. r. Teetor in 1922. 1t was
read at the new high school dedication
held last week, and the local newspa-
per has arranged to print it IN full
in an early issue for the convenience
of those interested.
Beech Rods Equipment
Beech or hickory rods were a part
of the regular equipment of every
school, says the history. Pioneers
were ardent advocates of the Biblical
doctrine of spare the rod and spoil
the child" more forcefully expressed
by them in the words, mo lickin', no
larnin',".
| Other methods of punishment also
were used, of which the most plctur
/ esnue was that mentioned above, oil
arming a culprit with leather specta
Giles with small holes in them and set
/ ting him to watch for another rule
( breaker who would be the next wearel
/ of the spectacles. In one OF the
country schools, also, a hole beneath
a loose floor puncheon, provided
handy Imprisonment place, with ne
danger of escape and in absolute dark
ness when the puncheon was replaced
! Books Handed Down.
Text books were furnished by eaci
family. and handed down from olde
to Younger members. There was NJ
Standardization, each pupil studied HI
subject from whatever text on tina
study he happened to have. Their
were not even any classes in the frs
schools. the teacher hearing reclta
tons by the first pupils to arrive, an
continuing steadily through the da
and until late in the afternoon, 10
these were subscription schools an
each parent insisted on his money
worth.
The first schools, organized betwee
1926 and 1880, were formed by teacf
ers Invariably men, women were II
capable of physically enforcing disc
pline) who canvassed the communlt
for pupils for three months tern
Tuition fees were collected by tn
teacher personally and no patron
complained of paying for educatln
anothers children. A longer term wa
unusual because teaching was only
part time occupation for some settle
who farmed the rest of the year. How
ever. two teachers would sometime
arrange for successive terms.
Courses Limited
The course of study was limited
consisting at first only of the "Thre
RS" and spelling. Arithmetic wa
the most important study, but in tn
fractions were considered unimpor
ant, and most pupils did not progress
: beyond the Rule of Three" Gramma
: was added about 1880, geography
, little later and history in 1910.
In addition to instruction, the teac
: er had always to act as janltor, OF
: of his most important tasks bein
+ sharpening of the quill pens used