Montgomery County sentinel., 1955-09-29

General Assembly in 1923, the
public school system as we know
it today didn't take hold in Mont
gOmery County until the latter
part of the nineteenth century.
Before then, private schools of
the academy" type were the pre-
dominant sources of education in
the county. These academies, of
which Rockville and Brookeville
were the two most noted, played
an important part in the develop
ment of our educational system.
AS the trustees of these schools
came to realize the Importance of
public education they did much to
foster the growth of the newer
system in both county and state.
The first private school in the
county was started by Presby-
terian clergyman from Philadel-
phia, DR.. James Hunt. He found
ed private seminary for men at
"TuSculum" near Bethesda some
time around the close of the
Revolution.
DR.. Hunt was evidently a
genius in his field and a number
his students became prominent
in colonial affairs, as for eX-
ample, William Writ, Maryland's
Attorney General, who prose
cuted Aaron Burr.
Rockville's Academy began in
1905 when the State empowered
seven citizens of Rockville to
raise $2,500 by lottery to be used
for the purchase of lot and the
construction of school house as
well as to buy fire engine.
The academy'S charter, in Jan.
6, 1910, empowered seven trus-
tees to "hold real estate UP to the
annual value of $4,000, appoint
professors, teachers and assist
ants for the instruction of stu
dents and scholars in the ver-
nacular and learned languages
and such branches of education
as they shall think fit and
proper"
1t was a secondary school in
rank, between elementary
school and college. The cleo
ton of the board of trustees
was on self perpetuating
basis, and the board is still in
existence today. The Rockville
kcademy building is on Wash
ington and jefferson Streets
and houses the Rockville Pub
lie Library and the Rockville
Nursery School.
BY act of the Assembly in 1911,
the State provided $500 annually,
with the provision that for each
S100, tuition and books would be
provided for at least one poor
child. This State donation was
drawn every year until 1916.
In 1914, the curriculum includ-
ed surveying, navigation, geogra-
ply and English grammar as
we'll as the OF her common
branches of knowledge taught
then.
AS the academy grew, classical
students were given Latin and
the program for the English stu
dents contained first, reading,
writing and arithmetic; second,
grammar and geography; and
third, mathematics such as geo
metry, trigonemtry, algebra,
fluxions, surveying, guaging, dial
ling, navigation, gunnery, projec-
tions of the sphere, mechanics,
Nynamics, pneumatics, etc.
Much later, both the academies
at Rockville and Brookeville be-
came involved in the county's
problem of soil depletion and in
terested in the attempts to
remedy it by the use of agri'
cultural chemistry.
The Brookeville Academy, in
corporated in 1915, followed
along similar lines. It's Board of
Trustees is still in existence also
although all of its property was
turned over to the Board of Edu-
cation. The original stone build
ing, used until 1868 still stands
in the village.
The rules for this academy in
structed the teacher to examine
the pupils at the quarterly meet
ings of the board, each pupil kept
a copy book for the inspection
of the trustees; the school week
was 51a days, each day lasting
from eight until five. Tuition
was charged pupils by the quar-
ter year up to ten dollars. AL
though girls were admitted. there
AVas segregation of the sexes in
Nhe classroomS.
Insight on corporal punish
ment can be found in one of the
articles: Gas it is believed that
the minds of children may be in.
juriously affected by being spec.
tators or subjects of frequent
acts Of corporal punishment, it is
the judgment of the trustees that
it ought to be resorted to in
school with great caution, and
onIv used in case of great OBJ.