Lanphier High School - Lan Hi Yearbook (Springfield, IL)

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they had to report to the principal as tardy. Classes opened precisely on time with the open- ing exercises and closed at the end of the day, and not one minute earlier. Instructors were also required to attend all institutes held by the board of education. DISCIPLINE Discipline could be administered in the form of private admonitions, appeals to conscience, monthly reports, public reproof, detention at re- cess, suspension in the case of more serious offenses, and as a final resort in some instances, the use of the rod. Strict order was required at all times, and under no circumstances was a pupil or faculty member permitted to chew tobacco. Any person carrying deadly weapons was suspended from school and had to report to the board of education. Absence from class on examination day caused the seat to be forfeited. EXAMINATIONS At the beginning of the public school system, public examinations were held at the last of the school ear and for high school pupils, at the close of, the fall term. This practice was con- tinued until about 1862. VVritten examinations, held first monthly and later weekly, were intro- duced into the public school system at the fall term of 1862. just before the Christmas vaca- THE FIRST CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL WAS HELD BUILDING --'- IWW., , .... . 2 , ,c . .ii 8 tion and again at the close of the school year, the candidates for admission to the high school were examined. This entrance examination con- sisted of 100 questions of which 60'Z: of the questions had to be answered correctly. In the directions for taking one of these entrance exam- inations in 1870 is this advice: Never be afraid of a big-looking question, it may be like a cloud, large, but easy to go through, but a small ques- tion may be like a rock, solid, and hard to deal with. An example of the questions asked follows: Name ten principal towns in Illinois, five rivers in Illinois, including any that form its boundaries, if you wish, and say in what direction you would travel from Chicago to Quincy, from Quincy to Decatur, from Decatur to Cairo. Give an outline of a voyage, by water only, from St. Louis to Nantucket, name all the water on which you travel, the most important places you pass, island, groups of islands, and any other noticeable things. Give an account of the taking of Stoney Point. How did the French assist our nation in the Revolutionary XVar? Name some French officers, and say whether they were military or naval, and what they did. After paying out one- third and one-fourth of my money, I have S10 left, how much had I at first? CTO be solved mentally. D Albert Brown gave a note dated june 6, 1860, for 5516, at 10 per cent interest. June 6, 1861, he paid on it fS67.60, Dec. 6, 1862, he paid S317.50, how much was due at the Iinal settlement, August 14, 1864? A wall 30 ft. long, 24 ft. high and 1 ft. thick is built of bricks, which cost S72 when bricks are S5 a thou- sand, what is the cost of bricks for a wall 128 ft. long, 37 ft. 6 in. high, and 16 inches thick when bricks are S6 a thousand? Perform the calculation by com- pound proportion. IN THIS RENTED

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fort made to correct it. In 1858 there were 2800 boys and girls be- tween the ages of 6 and 21 years of age and only 1328 attending schools altogether. Attendance percentage was figured according to those en- rolled, but very little is said of those who did not enter school at all. By an absence of eight half days or four days in four successive weeks, a scholar had to forfeit his seat, and special permis- sion from the superin- tendent had to be ob- tained before the student could re-enter. A pupil was considered absent if he did not attend school at least one-half of the regular school session of the half day. In 1860 the average daily attend- ance in the high school was 59. Various factors contributed to bring the daily attendance up to par. XVritten excuses, monthly reports both to parents and to the office of superintendent, and daily distribution of graded cards among the primary classes aided in bringing about this re- sult. The report of Superintendent Cutcheon, 1859-60, stressed these facts. During the 1862-1863 year, the percentage of absence had greatly decreased due to the strict enforcement of the attendance regulations. The teachers were directed to notify the par- ent or guardian when a pupil was absent because the teachers were supposed to know where their pupils were at all times. In May, 1870, 182 were enrolled in high School with 114 in attend- ance, averaging a little less than 63W:. This year enrolled in the public high schools are 3255 pupils with an average of 95.476 in at- tendance. STUDENT REGULATIONS l'he requirements and regulations of students so many decades ago were not altogether differ- ent from those required today. Children had to be five years of age in order to be admitted to the schools, and they had to register in the dis- trict or ward in which they lived. If they lived out of town, but attended school in Springfield, special tuition was required. A certificate of ad- mission had to be obtained by the parents or guardians from the superintendent before a child could enter school. School supplies, such as THE TRAPP SCHOOL, ONE OF THE FIRST PUBLICLY-OWNED BUILDINGS books, slates, etc., were provided by the pupils themselves. WVhen the bell rang, if the pupils were not in their seats, they were counted tardy. In case of absence, a Written excuse from the parent or guardian was required. The pupil could not leave school without special permission from the teacher. FACULTY REGULATIONS The principal was to open the school building twenty-five minutes before school session began and was to see that the pupils conducted them- selves fittingly on the way to and from the school. When a student willfull and persistently vio- lated any of the rules ofy the school board, the principal had the power to suspend the student. The principal also had exclusive control of the school-house clock and the ringing of the bell, and he was instructed to. keep his clock in time with the town clock. Teachers had to conform to regulations as rigidly as the students. Some of the revised rules from the report of 1860-61 by Francis Springer started a pattern partly followed until this day. Teachers were to devote exclusively their time during the school hours to school work. They were also to supervise their pupils during recess. The teachers were required to open their rooms ten minutes before school and to stay in the room, permitting no disorder. If the teachers failed to keep this rule and were late to school,

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SCHOOL REGULA- TIONS School sessions in the ' early 1860's were much like our elementary time sessions of today. The morning classes would begin at 9:00 and con- tinue until 12:00. From November first until Ap- ril first, ,the afternoon sessions began at 1:00 and ended at 4:00. From April until the end of school, the afternoon began at 1:30 and last- ed for three hours. An hour and a half after school started in the morning and afternoon the children were al- lowed a fifteen minute recess. The primary, sec- ondary, and intermedi- ate departments could be dismissed five min- utes before the high school students were, and the elementary school system follows much this same pattern today. The school year, beginning on the first Monday in September and closing on the last Friday in june, was divided into three terms. Vacations of various length were allowed: one week at Christmas, another in the spring, a day at Thanks- giving and at any other nationally declared holi- day. A day of visiting other schools was per- mitted each teacher so that he might obtain new ideas and methods. LIBRARIES Until about 1861-62, the public schools, in- cluding the high school, had no libraries. The teachers had been required to keep some refer- ence material on their desks. During 1862 some 400 volumes had been collected into a library. The students took much interest in this project and helped to form the library and classify and catalogue the books. One hundred dollars was a propriated the next year to the high school library for the purchasing of more ,aw-4, THE FIRST PUBLIC CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL books. By 1865, in all Ward Schools except the First, libraries had been formed and were used and appreciated. Lectures and public de- bates were suggested as a means of obtaining money with which to buy new library books. We can buy tools with which to get an edu- cation, but we cannot buy education itself. That is something we have to want first and then make an effort to get. The eople who settled in Spring- field, as the need fear education became more clear, realized this fact and strived to establish education opportunities for themselves. Let us admire, respect, and appreciate OUR HERITAGE for it is rich in history, adventure in the various fields of study, experimentation, and progress. Borrowing the theme from Illinois Education Association convention held recently, The Past is Prologue, --it is the future with which we are concerned! It is evident that the citizens of Springfield will meet the challenges of today to provide education for the future, as the past generation has so ably provided for the present. R