Jacksonville High School - Crimson J Yearbook (Jacksonville, IL)

Page 30 text:

Colonial Classes N COLONIAL DAYS there were no high schools. In almost all colonies there were academies to take the place of high schools for the children whose parents could afford to send them there. For those children who were unable to attend these academies and who made up a large majority of the children of school age, there were no ad- vantages beyond the popular schools in New England, the Southern States not even having these. r In Virginia, the only form of schools were the old field schools, which were pay-schools with few students. X In all types of schools many subjects now con- sidered essential to education were not taught at all. Among these subjects geography and history were perhaps the most important. It is interesting to notice how the people ob- tained what little knowledge they had in these subjects. The sailors returning from trips to foreign lands were the missionaries of practically all geographical learning. And, of course, the more highly educated colonists read much history for the sake of political instruction. Speaking of reading, we observe that even that had no help from the inadequate schools. A School Reader such as we have today was not known until almost the beginning of the nineteenth century. This can be explained by the fact that the gen- eral belief was that grammar consisted almost entirely of a knowledge of Latin. As a result of this no English grammar was taught. When finally an English grammar was published, it was not an English grammar at all, but simply a series of conjugations of English verbs such as are used in Latin. Crude as these methods may seem to us, yet those rude schoolhouses and inadequate means of giving even a general education were the starting points of many of the greatest men the world has ever known. Elizabeth Walker '29,

Page 29 text:

Qaie W .-0 CRE N ELNORE STOLDT, A. B. Ever Sedate General Science, Botany LOUISE STRUCK, A. B. Lovely Schoolmistress English MARGARET WATSON, A. B. Meritorious Worker English, Community Civics FRANCES WHIPP, B. S. Faultlessly Wise Commercial Arithmetic Commercial Geography Ancient History LILLIAN HAVENHILL, A. B Lots of Help Librarian ELLA HERRMANN Earnest, Helpful Art LENA M. HOPPER Lets Music Harmonize Music GERTRUDE MANCHESTER Genial Manager Office Secretary . .. Ti New ' . :db tylyfvf- - 1 i929 23

Page 31 text:

Cflamaw