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CHAPTER VIII.
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EDUCATIONAL.
In the Territorial days of 1884 the first board of education of Lincoln county convened at Davenport Wednesday, August 13th. The members were C. R. Walters, Superintendent, C. H. Pryor and Jessie M. Harvey. The board organized by electing Mr. Pryor, chairman, and Jessie M. Harvey, secretary. The purpose of this meeting was to examine applicants for teachers' certificates. Only three were present; Miss Maude Brace, Miss Edna Benson and Mrs. M. A. Markham. Each of these candidates for pedagogic distinction having passed the examinations successfully was granted a third grade certificate.
At Sprague, February 11, 1885, was held the second meeting of the educational board. There were eight successful candidates for certificates, viz: First Grade — Marian H. Parker and Dell Turner; Second grade — Addie Turner, Sadie McGourin, J. W. Shearer, Lottie A. Bartlett, Maude Brace and Miss E. T. Benson. At the following meeting the same year, in August, there were nine successful candidates for certificates.
The first teachers' institute ever held in the county convened at Sprague August 4th to 11th, inclusive, 1885. Those present were: Carrie Vest, A. G. Maxey, Carlotta A. Bartlett, J. L. Medium, Mrs. Kate Devenish, Maude Brace, Edward Davis, George Jackson, Sr.. Dora Hinshaw, Lizzie Yarwood, L. S. Brooks, Minnie Keaton, Anna Hughes, William Yarwood, Rosa Hughes, J. L. Reasonet, M. H. Barker, J. W. Shearer, Miss I. L. Walters, C. R. Walters, A. G. Mitehum, C. H. Pryor, Dell Turner, Addie Turner, Sadie McGourin.
Since then these highly beneficent institutes have been held annually.
In 1883 the few who had cast their lot
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within that portion of Washington in which Davenport is located organized the first school district and built a frame building which, at that period, was considered quite pretentious. The board of school directors comprised O. B. Parks, J. D. Woodin and L. A. Kennedy. Mrs. Bond was clerk of the district. Mr. C. H. Pryor, who afterward became county superintendent of schools, was the first teacher in Davenport. With the construction of the Central Washington railroad, quickly followed by a voluminous increase of population, more school room to accommodate the children was found absolutely necessary. In 1890 the old school building was vacated and a new one containing four rooms was erected on the plateau south of the business portion of Davenport. But even this commodious building soon proved inadequate to accommodate the number of pupils seeking instruction; two additional spacious rooms were added. From this period the growth of the Davenport school district was rapid. The succeeding years culminated in 1891 in the erection of the handsome, modern two-story and basement brick building; the Davenport High School. It contains nine rooms, is heated by a furnace and provided with the latest improved system of sanitary drainage.
In 1898 Professor J. H. Perkins was principal of the Davenport schools. Aside from the eight grades of the common schools, a high school course was added, requiring four years for graduation. The first to graduate under this improved and augmented curriculum were Minnie M. Level, Bertha Johnson, Nettie Hale and Kate Rogers.
For the purpose of comparison with later data the school report of County Superintendent C. H. Pryor for 1887 is given:
Since the organization of Lincoln county the number of schools has increased from 25 to 55. It is true that most districts supplied but a short term of school, and comparing our schools' and pay with that of older counties, it seems, at first glance to be discouraging, but when we realize that the county is yet in its infancy and note the progress that it has made in the past three or four years, the prospect is' most encouraging. Few new counties contain as much.December 20, 1889, closed the first term of the Cortland Academy, at Sherman. It was considered very successful. There were in attendance 25 pupils. August 15, 1890, the Wilbur Register said:
The chief objection to the Big Bend is removed. A good education can now be received at home. At the Cortland Academy and Business College, near Sherman, there is the commercial course which prepares for business, the normal course for teaching, the classical course for college or practical life, also the course in the common branches which affords instruction in the elementary studies, for both children and adults. Rev. Arthur B. Cort is principal and E. M. Bogart, of Omaha, business college associate principal, assisted by Mrs. Cort and others.It was proposed to build a town to be called Cortland at this college. Forty acres were to be platted and placed on the market. The lots were to be sold to families on the following plan. Those paying $100 tuition to the academy and erecting a building at a cost of $150 were to be given a warranty deed for a lot. No saloons or immoral houses were to be allowed to operate with the the limits of the proposed college town. Of the Cortland Academy the following officers and trustees were elected: A. B. Cort, president; M. E. Hay, treasurer; John Thomison, secretary; J. P. Tamiesie and J. M. Parrish. In June, 1891, the Lincoln County Times said:
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Cortland is a place of which many have heard, and some have a vague idea as to what it is and where it is, but few understand what the real purpose and character of the place is. It is situated about eight or nine miles north of Wilbur, and at present consists of Cortland Academy, a number of lodging houses for pupils and a few residence buildings. It takes its name from Rev. Cort, a Presbyterian minister who located on the land some two or three years ago, and conceived the idea of laying the foundation of important future work by beginning in a small way to build up a school. He diligently set to work and built a large log structure in which he began teaching, first with only a few scholars who later increased in numbers. He succeeded in awakening great interest, not only among the pupils who attended, but among the people of the Big Bend in general who are interested in its success. Today he employs three assistant teachers, including his wife, and is now arranging to erect a large frame building which will be as well equipped for academic work as any academy in the state. Mr. Cort is enthusiastic in the work he has begun, and expects to see the time when Cortland will be an important place, known far and wide for its educational advantages.Despite this flattering endorsement and the conscientious work of Mr. and Mrs. Cort, the academy was not a financial success, and in 1892 it ceased to exist.
The long-heralded school for the Indian children of the Spokane and Colville reservations opened Monday, April 2, 1900, at old Fort Spokane, Miles postoffice, Lincoln county, with 135 pupils on the roll. The post buildings, or such as were fit for the purpose were turned over to the Department of Indian Affairs by the War Office soon after the abandonment of the place as a military post, following the Spanish war. This is perhaps one of the most interesting institutions in Lincoln county, or in this portion of the state. For school purposes the location is an ideal one; claimed by inspectors and other supervising officials to be about the finest that is occupied by any Indian school in the United States.
In February, 1903, Superintendent F. F. Avery published the following description of the school in the Lincoln County Times:
The Fort Spokane school though not strictly on an Indian reservation is classed as a reservation boarding school for the reason that it draws its pupils directly from rations, not from other schools, and is under general supervision of an Indian agency.November 27, 1903, the School Bulletin, an eight-page monthly educational journal, edited and published by Miss Alice Neal, County Superintendent of Public Instruction and devoted to the interests of Lincoln county, made its initial appearance. Following is the annual report of Miss Neal for the year 1903:
About 225 pupils were enrolled last year (1902). Each year those who are enrolled are gathered in as early as practicable in the fall and remain until the end of June, the months of July and August being a vacation period during which they are allowed to go home, and during which employees, also, alternate in taking leaves of absence, thirty days with pay being allowed for ten months' continuous service. As nearly as possible the school is made a comfortable and pleasant home for the pupils, and they are in every way reasonably provided for. In clothing each boy is allowed three suits and extra pair of pantaloons per year, one of the suits being a substantial and handsome uniform. Each girl is allowed one dress of all wool dress flannel, and four other dresses, none of them of less desirable material than an ordinary quality of gingham. For both boys and girls the allowance of shoes, underwear, etc., are also sufficienty liberal. Each pupil has a single bed properly furnished. Each has three or four clean towels per week; and in every possible way well being is provided tor and correct tastes and habits are cultivated. This is regarded as being, perhaps, the most important part of Indian education.
The pupils range in years from five to eighteen years. About one-half are full-blood Indians, many of whom entered school unable to speak a word of English. The remainder are of mixed blood. Both classes average fairly well in natural intelligence and both are
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more easily controlled than average white children. The primary and intermediate grades of an ordinary common school education are given, and the best text books and appliances are supplied and good teachers employed. But more stress is laid upon domestic and other industrial training than upon class work. Each pupil goes to school one-half of each class-day (from Monday until Friday, inclusive), and works one half of each day from Monday to Saturday inclusive. Only the little ones are omitted from this program, and for them a kindergarten is provided. The boys rotate through the carpenter shop, the bakery, the farmers' department and the industrial teachers' details, which latter include all kinds of miscellaneous chores. The girls rotate through every department of domestic work, the kitchen, the laundry, the sewing room and miscellaneous work. In the sewing room, for example, they are taught to cut and fit as well as to make their own clothing, and to do all kinds of repairing neatly and properly. The same general method is followed in each department. And, as a rule, the results are reasonably satisfactory. The girls who receive this training for a few years go out and make a good deal better homes than those who do not receive it. The boys as a rule do very much better than those who grow up in ignorance and without forming any habits of systematic industry. The force of employees is such as is necessary for a school organized on the lines indicated. There is a superintendent; a matron and two assistant matrons; a seamstress, a cook, a baker, a laundress, a farmer, a carpenter, an industrial teacher, four class-room teachers, and a few miscellaneous employees most of whom are assistants of those mentioned. All of these are expected to be, and required to be, not only workers, but instructors; and no position in an Indian school is easy to fill satisfactorily. Yet the service usually becomes attractive to those who remain long enough in it to become thoroughly accustomed to it, and the civil service commission usually has ample lists of eligibles from which to certify applicants for most classes of positions.
Visitors with any intelligent interest and with tact enough to realize that the pupils are simply human, and do not care to be looked upon and talked about as though they were wild animals, are always welcome. There is a story told of one visitor at an Indian school, who, with more curiosity than tact, stopped a little Indian boy with the inquiry: 'Say ! Are you civilized?' To which he very promptly and pertinently replied, 'Yes; are you?' And this story is quite illustrative, as well as properly vouched for.
There are graded schools at Sprague, Reardan, Davenport, Harrington, Wilbur, Almira, Creston, Peach, Edwall, Mohler, and Odessa. The Davenport school is a high school.From Monday, April 11th, to the 15th, inclusive, 1904, there was held at Davenport
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one of the most interesting and instructive teachers' institutes that ever assembled in the state. The program arranged by Miss Neal was one calculated to prove of great benefit to every teacher in the county. The exercises were attended by Professor A. E. Winship, of Boston, one of the most prominent educators in the United States, and throughout the week he delivered daily addresses which were listened to with profound attention.
Following is the complete roster of the school teachers of Lincoln county, January 1, 1904:
Alice Lang, Mrs. J. A. Rife, Nellie Langan, Eva Switzer, Frank Beck, of Mondovi; Chloe Wilcox, Belle Baldwin, P. T. Mellon, Elnora Strong, May Baldwin, W. H. Scott, of Edwall; Earl Yule, C. A. Hersey, T. A. Davies, Marva Frink, Louise Kirkpatrick, Gertrude Cosgrove, Ella Craig, Margaret Craig, E. McDonald, Robt. Simmons, Maggie Orlowski, Mrs. J. A. Gee, Katie Neilly, Edith Mills, Alice Bartlett, J. N. Moore, of Sprague; Brooks Livingston, W. H. Padley, Kate Wolford, Maude Clifford, Oma Hamilton, D. M. Smith, Anna L. Evans, Daisy Kenworthy, of Reardan; Lillian Mackey, George E. Craig, Sadie Hettman, Alice Brookings, W. D. Moffatt, Minnie Level, Josie O'Leary, Mrs. E. S. Graf, Grace Donnell, Bertha Johnson, Bertha L. Powell, Eloise Knowles, Carrie B. Weir, Kathryn Lentz, B. E. Mower, C. W. Jarvis, J. R. Williams, Bernice Jones, Jennie Heald, Ora Pershall, of Davenport; Blanche Switzer, Florence Samis, Andrew Brown, of Egypt; Stella Cheeley. Mrs. J. A. Hall, Ida L. Williams, F. E. Emmett, F. E. Stokes, Louise Peffley, Anna L. Cole, Mabel M. Moody. Harvey Jones, of Creston; Leonard Heaphy, LaDona Williams, Harry W. Davis, Alvan Clarendon, Bernetta Stookey, Bessie Roberts, Bessie M. Agnew, Pearl Owen, Delia E. Green, Ella Davies, E. C. Bierbaum, Mary Waltman, Abigail E. White, Emilie R. Mode, Addie Saxe, Ida Hankel, L W. Falkner, of Wilbur; Mrs. J. Childs, Grace Berner, of Rocklyn; Ora M. Seidell, Elfleda Graves, C. W. Crippen, Mary Dew, of Mohler; W. A. Cummings, Mrs. C. Mapes, of Tyler; Blanche Shane, Joseph Rung, Edgar Hopkins, Mrs. Hendryx, of Sherman; Frank Thomas, C. C. Hiker, Martha Samuels, Bessie Fox, Margaret Scott, Lillian Scott, Delia E. Wilson, James A. Braden, Mollie I. Swing, S. R. Wesp, Minnie Kerr, of Harrington; F. E. Hoskins, Effie L. Jackson, of Moscow; M. L. Cory, Edgar Allison, May Ryan, of Larene; W. J. Phipps, of Hesseltine; Nettie Williams, of Clark; Robert Pitzer, Charles Deets, Elsie I. Turley, Nellie Johnson, C. L. Goodyear, Rosa Sanford, of Almira; Maude Bennett, W. G. Hardy, of Govan; D. Dallas, Sarah Williams, of Peach; W. J. Beaghley, Marjorie Nichols, of Waukon; Irene Hennessy, of Lamona ; Nettie Lang, of Curby; Caroline Clements, Clara Weisgerber, Sara R. Howard, Grace Austin, Alice C. Dorman, Martha Kottke, Eura J. Snowhill, Ida E. Wilson, J. G. Wardin, Agnes J. Lambert, of Odessa; Dulce Wallace, of Griffith; Ida Grinn, of Knipp; E. H. Gipson, Estella V. Hinckley, of Downs; Segrid Lehn, of Manila.
St. Joseph's Academy is a convent and school instituted at Sprague in 1886 — at first on a limited scale — but is at present quite a prominent educational institution along religious lines. It is attended by scholars from all parts of the state, and even from outside the boundaries.
The object of the academy is to impart a thorough and refined Christian education to young ladies. Simplicity and solidity are combined in the methods of instruction. Care is taken to strengthen and develop the character by the triple culture of the mind, heart and body: and thus make of the students practical young women ami useful members of — an honor to themselves and a benefit to their fellow creatures. As regards religious instruction no distinction is made in the reception of pupils on account of their religious opinions,
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and no interference is made with the religious convictions of non-Catholics; but, for the maintenance of good order, all are required to conform to the regulations of the house.
The preparatory department aims at imparting a thorough English education. This object is obtained by careful instruction in Christian doctrine, reading, spelling, etymology, elements of rhetoric, arithmetic, civil government, geography, grammar, sacred history, composition, elements of algebra, United States history, physiology, national literature. A thorough knowledge of these branches are required for promotion to the academic department, and a certificate of proficiency is granted on completion of the grammar course. The academic department is commercial, literary and scientific. The first year is devoted to Christian doctrine, Bible and church history, higher arithmetic and algebra, general history, classical literature, rhetoric and composition, science, physics and botany and bookkeeping. The second year to Christian doctrine, geometry, astronomy, literary analysis, logic, rhetoric, and composition. The third year to church history, geometry, rhetoric, literature, criticisms, review common branches. Drawing and mental arithmetic are taught in all the grades.
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