COATESVILLE SCHOOLS
In early days the town's school was like the one mentioned in "The Hoosier School Master." These early school terms were poor because there were big, bad and sometimes brutal boys who took delight in running a teacher out as soon as possible. Wash Stewart once related the following tale: A teacher had been driven out early in the fall and the school official brought in a slim, wiry man with a keen eye to take his place. The first morning he rang the hand bell, locked the door and laid down his rules. It took but a few minutes for the largest bully in the room to break the rule. He and the new teacher had some words and the teacher was invited to meet him halfway. When they met there were two tremendous licks struck. The teacher's fist connected with the bully's nose and the bully hit the floor partially paralyzed. He had to be helped to his feet and have his face washed for as Wash said, "He was as bloody as a butcher."
No other pupil crossed the teacher's path during the remainder of the term and Coatesville had a good school.
One of the early teachers was John Phillips, another was John Wishard, John Figg, a dread to bad boys, Alvin Woodard, a keen Quaker with a ready smile, Elza Greenlee, a roly-poly man who could make grammar as plain as day to the dullest pupil and who knew countless stories about famous historical characters. In the lower grades some of the teachers were Josie Hadley, and later her sister Ella Gambold. Others were Ossie Overman, Lela Hancock, Awnza Dunnigan and Belva Hockett.
Ed. Woods of Hadley came to town at a time when the school had reverted to little learning and too much boisterous conduct. Ed. was quite hefty and as a patron expressed it, "Ed. tied knots in their tails."
Bill Westerfield was a short, heavy man with a keen sense of humor and a lot of business about him. He put up with no foolishness; however he was kind to all who wanted good treatment. One of his pupils described him in this way: "He's a mighty good 'rithmeticker." And Bill was just that.
In the early schools of 1892 and on to 1900 one of the early helps toward learning was the old slate and slate pencil. Any school parent could by a single slate or a double one at almost any country store. The single slate allowed the pupil to put problems or whatever the work might be on two sides, whereas the double slate had four sides for numbers and writing. This was the more sophisticated slate.
Girls, as a rule, who used slates had a wet rag or a sponge tied by a length of string to the desk and this was used to erase any writings from their slates, however, the boys considered this as "sissy" and when any work on their slates was no longer needed they spit on the slate and then used their hand or preferably a coat sleeve to obliterate all work. When spring of the year came and the school was ready to dismiss in March, most coat sleeves had absorbed so much saliva and so much rubbing that they had a shiny glaze that resembled a skating pond.
In these good old days children of school age had no shots given them by the doctor for colds, measles, croup or for any child disease. To ward off these childhood sicknesses a father purchased a quantity of asafetida at the drug store and Mother made a neat little sack to hold it and the sack was then tied around Johnny's neck. Now and then he chewed a bit on the sack to get the taste as well as the smell of the drug and this was his protection against whatever disease might be carried into the school.
Water for the pupils was from a well in the school yard and a handy tin cup on the pump or the water was carried from a spring and the bucket placed in the rear of the schoolroom. Pupils took turns drinking the water and passing the tin cup or dipper about.
Children in these early Coatesville schools while handicapped by lack of maps, library books, proper sanitation, uneven heat in the school rooms and never a doctor or nurse to examine for diphtheria, scarlet fever, or tuberculosis, youngsters grew up somehow and had bully good times. They played antey-over, town ball, stink base, drive the old sow, shiny, black man and when deep snows came they played fox and goose, whip cracker and snowballed one another. Games were often rough but children enjoyed them. They often went on bob sled rides and many had a horse and sleigh at home often the children came and went in this easy running vehicle.
Spelling matches were held sometimes at night where old and young all took part. Now and then through winter months neighbors had taffy pullings. Maple syrup was dirt cheap and it was poured into a kettle and cooked until it began to thicken. It was then poured into dishes and each and every person present started pulling this taffy. It would often "sugar" and was about as good candy as one could ever find.
For school lunches the youngsters had sausage or souse sandwiches, quite often ham or shoulder, eggs, and friend pies made of dried peaches or apples.
There was never much show of money among the school boys, even in the seventh and eighth grades. Occasionally a lad who trapped and sold fur would now and then display some change. Boys often made some money in the fall cutting corn at ten cents a shock, cut 12 hills quare and then in the spring when the shock corn was to be husked the boys might make several dimes. Money was hard to come by for both men and boy.
Most school boys wore long pants and in early days more copper-toed boots. The girls wore heavy knitted hose they called "stockings" and their dresses were around their ankles. They often came with "fascinators" over the carefully plaited hair.
In small schools like Coatesville had in the days of 50-60 years ago there were cliques among both boys and girls as there is today. Girls from the better homes were the chums of girls who moved in that had fathers and mothers with superior clothes, homes furniture and more money. This was equally true for boys.
What, one might ask, were the interests of boys growing up in 1900 or before? They were often dazzled by the express train or freight passing through town or switching for stock cars or wheat and corn loaded cars at the grist mill. They often talked about being a fireman, a brakeman, conductor or section hand and many took up this work if fathers were so employed. Now and then a boy wanted to operate a huxter wagon that was pulled by two horses and the wagon had shelves loaded with store merchandise. Beneath the wagon were coops for hauling turkeys and chickens. One who drove such a wagon would go about the country-side selling goods and hauling home eggs, poultry, and butter and at certain times of the year meat, both fresh and smoked. This job gave a young man a fine chance to get acquainted with young women all about the country. Clerking in the town grocery or meat market gave one an equal change of meeting the fair sex. Clerks often wore fancy silk sleeve holders.
Not very many hoped to prepare themselves for teaching. This meant going to school for several weeks, tied down to books at study tables and then having to pass difficult examinations for a license. (Please note that Joe Davidson was a teacher.) After a license was acquired there came another difficulty. If the boy or girl came from a Democrat family he often found it a tough job to secure a school from a Republican trustee and the same for the other way round.
Girls in the good old days were not expected to carry their education very far and many a parent and grandparent said when quizzed as to whether Jane would go to Normal school, "No, she's not going. There's no use spending a lot of good money on a girl when she intends to marry someday."
Many lads hoped to take over the farm at a time when father got too old for the hard work and this was generally around 50 to 55.
Some girls from poorer homes had to work in other homes as "hired girls". Here they could earn their board and keep and make from a dollar to two dollars a week. An eighth grade girl who was willing to run errands, tend a baby, help with the washing and ironing, do the sweeping and numerous other chores could earn about fifty cents a weeks. Pay for labor was low in those far away days.
SCHOOL BOOKS AND EXAMINATIONS
Some of the early books used were Ray's Arithmetic. A very difficult one was known as Ray’s 3rd. part. A later text was one by White and about 1903 was a text by Cook & Cropsey. This Arithmetic had long problems in interest and partial payments, stocks, bonds and brokerage, circular measure, square and cube root, and proportion.
The readers used were at one time the Winston. The stories and poems were quite interesting to most children. A grammar text used around 1900 was a little book written by Mary Hyde.
Other texts in use were geography’s by Frye, a physiology and spelling. In the rural schools few pupils did any work toward improving their writing.
Spelling matches were held every now and then on Friday afternoons and these helped to fix in a pupil's mind, words that otherwise would never have been learned.
The teachers who taught had to pass a written examination given usually in a County seat court room or in a large school assembly. The teacher could start on the last Saturday of January, February, March, April, May and June and as a rule no more tests until the next year. A teacher was allowed to start teaching on a six month's license but was later changed to a year’s license.
Grades for a year's license meant making an average of 80 and not falling below 75 in any subject. Everyone writing had to answer some six out of ten questions asked and must write on Science of Education.
A 24 month's license required grades of 90, not falling below 80 in any subject and a 36 month's license required a teacher to average 95, not falling below 85.
Most teachers who hoped for better schools and better pay worked diligently for the highest grade of license graded at the State Dept. of Education rather than graded at the County seat by the Co. Supt. One gave a license to teach anywhere within the State, the last named to teach within the County where the examination was taken and graded.
© Copyright Town of Coatesville, Indiana. All rights reserved.
Facebook
You Tube
Contact Webmaster
C O A T E S V I L L E
Questions about Coatesville:
Contact Town Hall at 4994 Milton Street
Coatesville, IN 46121 765-386-7205
