SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1010. THE FORT WAYNE SENTINEL 19. Allen County District Schools and Some Pioneer Teachers in Them Log Cabin School House Erected in 1839 is Standing Practically Intact - Some Living. Pioneer Residents, of Allen County Who Went. to School in Structure. | Traveling through the county of Allen one comes to a schoolhouse every other mile. They dot the country roads, east and west and north and Ing evidence that our people are alive south. about two mites apart, convine+. to the importance of education and have placed in the hands of our youth: the facilities for. obtaining It. the county, outside of the city of Fort • Wayne, 163. schoolhouses. One hundred and fifty -six of these are one-room buildings, the others being high and graded schools, containing two or more rooms. All are brick but eleven. Cedar Creek. Jackson and Pleasant townships ench have one frame building, Perry, three and Maumee three. Monroeville has a frame high and graded school building of six rooms. There is one stone school building in the county. This is in Latownship, having been built fayette, two years ago. A The old tog schoolhouse, back to which go the memories of some of our living pioneers, is a thing of the past. The rude structures with their greased paper windows and backless benches have place to, the -more modern buildings." And with the advance made in this particular have come many of the conven. nees of the present day. Allen county's country schoolhouses are among the best in the state. Our School. Teachers. There are employed In this county, in the -two school corporations outside of the city of Fort Wayne, '182 teachers. Of these seventy women, -three the lat- are | men and ninety-nine ter almost without exception being unmarried. The wages of teachers depends upon the grade at which they pass examination and experience, They put in from seven to nine months teaching. in' the, schioot year earned and by them probably, during the this average time lg $500. The young beginner will get from $300 to $320. The wages will grade from this on up to $725 a year. This is the highest, paid to. any district school teacher in the county. It 19 claimed by many. that our teachers are', not getting what they ought to receive. And there is much good reesion in the contention. Few o- cupations require as necessary qualifications a higher education. The time has passed when simply knowing how to read, write or cipher fits one to be a school teacher. Now they must know something " very great dealand must pass a rigid examination. not in these elementaries in only the higher branches and the science of teaching. The standard of education and comin other respects as the neopetency, qualifications of teachers has been raised wonderfully in these latter years and there are few without special training for it who can pass the examination. Men and women then with the required education for teachers ought to be 1 •And especially should this be the case it the people of. the county desire to. keep competent and experienced teachers in the profession. restraining them from entering what are now more profitable occupations. and salaries along other lines Wages have increased teachers', and yet wages, during even the with last | ten- -years the increased cost of living, have- not advanced more than 20 per cent. Teaching only five days a week and. longest, nine months in 'the for the it is argued that teachers ought year, •to receive more than the average dally wages. of $2.25 or $2.50 -they now re+ ceive. Some: Old Teachers. The oldest teacher in the county, that is, in the number of years in active service, is Luther Pratt, been who 16 now teaching in Washington He Is 62 years old and has township. teaching for thirty-nine years. He been has a nine months school and spends his vacations working on his small farm at Wallen. Mr. Pratt has four daughtera who, like. himself, are tenchers. They are Miss Millie, who has a school in Washtownship and who has been Inston teaching for. twenty-twe years: the Misses Carrie and Fanny, teaching in Jefferson township, and Miss Elsie, and they are, all excellent teachers. Miss Margaret Roller, who has a school in Maumee, township, has had years' experience as a teacher in this county, L. A. school Lenhart has taught for twenty-six years, much of the time In Madison: John. Ruhl. of Pleasant, twenty-six Wilkie; of Wayne, twentyyears; five years; Miss Anna McMakin, -two years; W. P. Morrison, Miss Mary E. twenty-two years: Whalen, twenty-one years; S. J. Brutwenty sone years, and Miss Ada baker. Durnell, twenty years. Miss Durnell for part of. the time in the city taught schools in Fort Wayne. -three of the present teach- of the county have taught district ers schools tor between ten 'and twenty not Including those already years. The teachers of five, six, mentioned. seven. eight and nine' years expertin this county are numerous. ence At the examinations the teachers are required to give in their, ages and it is frequently amusing to scan the figures given by some of the ladies, particularly the elderly ones. It Is no uncomthing for them to knock off five mon and ten years. They dislike most awabove the 32 mark and fully to, get when they are in forty and fifty zones they prevaricate most, outlandtshhly. There are employed in the city schools of Fort Wayne about 165 teachers. Adding these to the 182. district teachers gives Allen county 347 teachers actively employed. The amount of, wages' paid our district teachers each year aggregates $71,104, The amount paid annually for equipment of these schools, fuel, etc., is $67.925. making a total repaira, of $129,029. This, not counting the superintendent's salary, which is $1,400 a and some other expenses, the year,, cost of our district schools. Luther C. Pratt. The oldest district school' teacher in the county now engaged in the active work is, as above mentioned, Luther A Story of the Development of the District Schools of Early Days to Splendid Schools of Today-Qualifica- tions Then as Compared With Requirements Today. Oldest Retired and Active Teachers Some of the Teachers : Who Have County District School for Twenty A PIONEER SCHOOL HOUSE OF ALLEN COUNTY, BUILT IN 1839 AND STILL STANDING. The group of persons. shown in. the picture as children attended school in this ancient and primitive structure of early days, Upper Row, (Left to -John Sunderland, R. Ashley Griswold, Luther C. Pratt, Joseph Sunderland, Joseph D. Griswold, August Racine, Samuel Karriger. Lower Row- Mrs. John Schuler, Mrs. Rebecca Ervin, Mrs. David Petit, Mrs. Christian F. Hostman, Frederick Racine, Celia Racine, Mrs. Sophia Boeshet, Mrs. John Cook. Mrs. Ann E. Maring, Ida Racine. returning to their farm lite in Wash- Ington township, It was in this city. that he first beSAN attending school, going to the school on Lafayette street, of which Mr. MeJunkin was teacher at the time, He afterward went to the Petit school in his own township. Adam Jeffries being the teacher during his first year. there. Andrew Moore taught the school previous. to that time and. among the other old teachere of the school that 'he recalls are Henry Scarlett and Thomas McKee. A sister of Mr. Griswold. Mrs. Anna Marring, now living in Aboite township, was one of the early teachers of this school. The first school taught by Mr. Griswold was in 1851. It being what was known as the Valentine school in' Eel 'River township, he having equipped himself for: the teacher's profession, by a course taken at the Fort Wayne college. After that he taught, various schoolsthroughout, the county and In Whitley, teaching also for a few years in Missouri.. The last school he taught was in 1871. Since that time hie has given his entire attention to his farm duties. Mr. Griswold, in the' log cabin group, standing third from the left inthe upper row, has changed but very little in personal appearance since the pieture was taken about four yea're AgO. Will Give Up Teaching. One of the ablest old teachers of the county la Li A. Lenhart, of Madison township, who has been engaged in the twenty-six years, almost all at the 'time in this county, and for twenty years in the schools of, his own township, where he began hi: 1884.: For two of these twenty-six years he taught in Porto Rico and one in Missouri. It was in the years. 1903 and 1904 that be was in Porto Rico, having been sent there by the government to teach the natives English. On his re- I C. Pratt. He began teaching in 1870 , fu the district schools of Washington township and has taught. continuously since, having been for eleven years the principal of the Wallen schools. He is now the teacher of school No. 3 in Washington townsHip, which is near to his home. He came to this county when he was A lad fire years of age with his parenta, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Pratt. from Akron, Ohio. This was In 1852. They settled in Washington township and there the son attended his first scheel In the old log school house, a picture of which is shown in this artiole. There he learned his A' b e's: His vacation time was spent working on the form, assisting his father, He devoted a himself. assiduously. to his studies and leaving the country school in 1867, he attended the Wayne M. E. college for three years then took. charge of a school as teacher in own township. Afterwards he took a two years' coursp in the teachers training department of the Normal college a't Valparaiso, his vacations being spent in teaching. He is one of the 'best known and most efficient -teachers in the county: During his career of 39 years as a district school teacher Mr. Pratt has seen wonderful changes in the schools, the school system. the work and methods of teaching, and' the teacher's profession--changes of remarkable advancement. When speaking of these and his old school days, seated in: the corridor of. our court house, he said to. The Sentinel reporter: "The sohools of the days when I was scholar and began teaching. and the methods of work, the teaching. and the studies. of the present day are 89 different 88 the old court house that» once stood here' 1s different from this present magnificent building, I do not think I could ex.preas the comparison in any better way," A picture of Mr. Pratt is shown in the log cabin group, the third in the upper row from the left hand side. The Old Log Schoolhouse. This schoolhouse. in which, during the fifties, Pratt, acquired the fundamental principles of his 'education was one of the ploneer type, the old log schoolhouse. written so much about in poetry and prose, and few. of which are now standing anywhere in Indiana. It was bullt in 1839, the second, schoolhouse erected in Washington township, and was known 08 the Petit school from the fact that it stood on land that was originally a corner of the Davil Petit farm. It was, over a mile and a half couthwest of Wallen. Something like four years ago, the township: having erected a new buildIng, abandoned this old one and it was purchased by Stephen Moore, 8 farmer living not far away, and removed by him to his farm. It is yet standing there, being used by him as ..A sort of work shop. Just previous to its removal some of the old scholars and teachers of the school, desiring to preserve tangible remembrance of this old log schoolhouse, had a photograph of it taken, with a reunion group picture of these present. It is shown in the accompanying cut. All the persons shown in it attended school in this old log building. Those in the group are: John Sunderland. 'R. Ashley Griswold, Luther C. Joseph Sunderland. Joseph D. Griswold, August Racine, Samuel. Karriger; Mrs. John Schuler, Mrs. Rebeeca Ervin, Mrs. David. Petit, Mrs. ChrisHostman, Fred L. Racine. Cecelia Racine. Mrs. Sophia Boschet, Mra. John Cook, Mrs. Anna Maring and Ida Racine. To the left of the building, standing across the road. is- seen- an indistinct view of: the old Jacob Racine farm house, the boyhood home. of one of the group. Fred L. Racine, the well known pioneer horse collar manuracturer of Bloomingdale, who as a' lad attended this Petit school. His. first teacher was R. Ashley Griswold. This WAS in. 1852: A. Pioneer Teacher, Mr. Griswold, who taught this school at that time, is one ef. the surviving pioneer district school teachers of the county, retired now from the profesgion and living his farm about a mile west of Wallen, is years of age and, with twenty years of continuous country school teaching as his record of usefulness in that respect. Mr. Griswold came to this county with his parents in :1836. They resided hir Washington township and anoved to: Fort Wayne. where they, resided for six years, afterwards In Missouri and then resumed the turn he spent year teaching: school work in this county. At present 1 he has charge of school No: 2, in Madison: township. Mr. Lenhart graduate: of- the Adrian college At Adrian, Mich., the degree of B. A. having been conferred on him by that institution, and also of the Indiana State, normal at Terre Haute. Among the teachers, of Allen n county he is. one of the best equipped. This year closes career of Mr. as a school teacher.. He gives it up. to devote his attention to farming in which he has been engaged for years. having owned a farm of 120 acres in his own township and spending his vacations and time. at home in It# management. This farm he has recently sold and in the spring he will move to Michigan, where he has purchased farm ""There isn't enough money in teaching," he said to the reporter. in. talking about' teacher's pay. "They are required now to have educational abilities of the highest grade and yet. the moat efficient of district school teacher9 do not get more than $3,50 a. day-five days in a week and not more than nine months in a year. It is not enough, not what men, in other professions, requiring less educational qualifications, are' recelving." Teacher: for Thirty Years. The oldest district, school teacher in Fort Wayne, that is, one who in yet actively engaged In 4t. .8. J. Brubaker, who resides at 3222. Piqua 'avenue in the south limits of the city, whore he owns a pleasant home. He has been a' teacher thirty -years, for about balf of the time in this coun-' ty. He la: now teacher of school No. 7 In Wayne township, having taught there for the last seven years. Mr. Brubaker beghn teaching in Huntington " county, In n school five miles east of Huntington. Then he I taught in Fayette county, O., and In Whitley, and Wells counties of this. In latter county, he: taught for four. years. Then he moved to Fort Wayne, where he followed the becupation of a commercial traveler, and a store for a few years, and then resumed teaching. It was in 1891: that he came to Fort Wayne, and In 1895 when he again, beteaching. His Brat school this county was in Lafayette township. He is splendidly equipped for the vocation and da regarded as one of the best of Although not a graduate, he: has a thorough education. in all, the branches taught, having taken a speclal four years' course at the Valpar-1 diso college. He keeps. up' with the times in educational work. And it linight be remarked here that when the school year closes Mr. Brubaker is not an Idler. Ho always Ands something remunerative to do, clerking, assisting in county' official, work, or anything his. hands can fled to do. Has Had Long Experience. The superintendent of the county schools, Prof. H. G. Felger, has had a long experience in' teaching and edu-: cational work. He began it in his early young manhood with the Intention of following It as A lite profession. A graduate of the country schools. and having taken courses at the at Valparaiso and the state normal at Terre Haute, he was splendidly equipped for the vocation. He followed with marked success for years. and at the time of his election as. county superintendent seven years ago WAR the principal of the graded schools at. Arcola. His duties as superintendent are responsible and laborious. He is one of the buslest of our county officials. Not 4 one of them. has, more work to. do and none hold a more responsible posttion.. He ha's the superintending control of all the schools ;and teachers and. the scholars, 5,000 In number attending, in the county outside of the city of. Fort Wayne. His duties are GROUP OF VETERAN TEACHERS IN ALLEN COUNTY SCHOOLS. R. ASHLEY GRISWOLD, LUTHER C. PRATT, L. A. LENHART, 6. J. BRUBAKER, Oldest Retired Allen County Distélet Oldest District Bohoo1 in Al- One of the Oldest Teachers in Allen A Veteran District Teacher Still in Bohool Teacher, ten County. County Schools, Allen County Schools, of Allen County and Taught in the Allen Years 01 More. Arcola- Principal. J. K. McFarland, and one teacher. Wayne Township- -Miss Eliza Bell, principal, and one teacher. Poe -Principal, Harley Sommers, and one. teacher. Hoagland- Principal, James Stephenson. and one teacher. Shirley City--Principal, Glen Henderson, and one teacher. St. Joe- -Principal, Irwin Tonkel, and one teacher. County Board of Education. The affairs of the dietrict schools of the county are in the hands of the county board of education. This, with the county, superintendent and W. I. Work, the truant officer. is composed of the township trustees, as follows: Herman Fenker, Adams township Charles Dafley, Cedar Creek. H. G. McDuffle, Eel River. Louls J. Roy, Jackson. Frank E. Lomont, Jefferson, Jacob M. Crabbe. Lafayette, John Solon, Lake, A. J. Shatter. Madison. Homer Brown, Marion. August Breneke, Maumee. William Bruick. Milan. E. M. Johnston, Monroe. Charles P. Poy, Perry. Wesley. Swank, Pleasant. Michael Costello, St. Joseph, Chas. Croughenour, Scipio. H. B. Roller. Springtield. Edgar M. Meyers, Washington Henry •E. Branning, Wayne. Schools Now the Best. No state, in the union has better schools than Indiana, and no county in the state has better schools then Al• len. They are splendidly equipped in the way, of buildings, teachers, and management: in every: detail. We have a splendid school system. Time was, however, when it was not so, when the state and did not thus. look after our - sohools, and this time 1 within the memory of some of our oldest, people. The only schools in the early history of the county were select schools ate subscriptions citizens. The where the teachers, were paid. by prive lution, of the school system was slow for awhile, but in the latter years it has advanced wonderfully. It is the free school, open to all, rich and DOOR alike. No child in Allen county or 'in Indiana now can. say. when be has grown to manhood, as many of our fathers have said: AT did not have the opportunity of attending school when I was young." ENID LID. HEAD OF ALLEN COUNTY SCHOOLS to visit each of the schools, traveling in doing so the largest county in the state, 650 square miles, looking after the interests of each, conducting town-1 ship Institutes, grading the examination papers of both city. and district teachers and also those of the 500 graduates each year, attending to his large. volume of correspondence, and the making, of reports, with his office business and many other details. And yet for this the county superIntendent receives only. $1,400 a year, one of the poorest paid: among our county offices--an office that requires higher standard of education than any -of them. one that the occupant must fit himself for. by years of teaching at a salary that is below that paid In other callings of equal Importance and responsibility. And, out of: this salary he must pay for horse and buggy that takes him over the county durIng his' school visitations and all his expenses while making these trips. Is $1,400 a salary for Allen, the largest and one of the best counties in the state,' to. pay Its county superintendent? Prof. Felger has made a splendid. county superintendent, efficient in all. his duties, and with the beat interests of the schools heart. During his seven years Incumbency he has made improvement in school work, has looked, carefully after: teachers and scholars, and has proven popular with all the friends, of our schools. His term as county superintendent will not expire until June of 1911. He is the present secretary of the Indiana County Superintendents' association. Teaching: as a Profession. There are in Allen county quite n large number of professional teach• erm. those who follow the occupation AR a life calling. Some of them have been mentioned above. The names I many might be given. It is the men more than the women who make. teaching their life. work, and yet many of them are tempted by more alluring prospects to enter other fields, In very many Instances teaching is only taken up as a stepping stone to some other, business or condition in life. The young man follows it to get enough money to carry him through. college and into some profession. The young lady takes it tip and continues It until her charms or personal, worth I has secured her a husband. Both use 8.8 only a make-shift. It is only the old maid, the who acknowledges herself. as such, that te the real. genuine school marm, and the one one who, as a rule, probably make the beat teachers. If the pay was better very many of those, men and women, who enter the teacher's vocation would remain in it. As A life calling. It would be better if it were 50. High and Graded Schools. The two high schools of the county under. the supervision of Supt. Felger are at Monroeville and Harlan, each of which a four years' course of studies and graduates its scholars. There six teachers at each, including the/ principals, O. O. Fuller at Monroeville, and Fred L. Smith Harlan, The other graded schools in the county are as follows: Leo -Principal, M. H. Henry and three teachers. Milan Center--Principal, Samuel Spindler, and two teachers. New Haven -Principal, William Lee, and three teachers. Huntertown- Principal, M. G. Kimes, and one teacher. PROF. HENRY G. FELGER, Superintendent of Public Schools the County. One of the shortest speeches recorded In forensic annals is that of Taunton afterward a Judge. Charles Phillips, an Irish orator, 'had made a flowery, speech in an "assault case. Taunton, who was for the defendant. said in reply: "My friend's eloquent complaint amounts in plain English to this that his client has received a good, sound horsewhipping: and my detense is as short--that he richly deserved It." POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS For County Auditor, Editor Sentinel: Please announce that I will be a candidate for the democratic nomination for auditor of Allen county, subject to the will of the voters, at the nominating primary. CALVIN H. BROWN. Editor Daily Sentinel: Please announce to' the democratio voters of Allen county that I desire their support for the nomination for county auditor at the democratic nominating primaries. WILL JOHNSON. For County Clerk. Editor Sentinel: Kindly announce that I am a candidate for the democratic nomination for county clerk. subject to the wishes of the demo* cratic voters at their primary.. WILLIAL 3. GERDING. Editor Sentinel: for the democratic nomination for county Please announce that fam a candidate clerk. subject to the will of the democratic voters at their primary. JOHN C. BELOT. Free Trip to Fort Wayne Refund R. R. fare and treat at price others charge to consult. 'Best argument for killing a horse is that he has rheumatism. Many men are rheumatic, yet brag of good health.. Don't believe that you hear,- Another won't spend cent of his, wealth though he has piles and is deaf one ear. See testimonials of Shaffer. Howard and Hunschen In Journal 5. Gazette Dr. January 15, 16 and page Kowenstrot, 820 Harrison street.