Ohio Northern University - Northern Yearbook (Ada, OH)

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Dr. L. G. Herbert Dr. A. S. Watkins Hon. Frank E. Willis N. W. Tobias Prof. B. S. Young

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SKETCH OF O.N. U. HISTORY DR. H. S. LEHR T HE decision to found a modern institution of learning was made by the founder in March, 1860 . He had just returned from teaching and was to re-enter college at Alliance. There was a forced sale of town lots. He believed there was an opportunity to make money. He devoted an entire day to meditation on the course of life he ought to pursue, whether to enter on a life of business or found a school entirely different from the then existing academies, seminaries, and colleges. ' Then there were no state universities as they now exist. Schools of higher learning were conducted but 36 weeks a year. Then West Union College had no literature in her curriculum. The founder well remembers a morning chapel lecture advising the students not to read the sinful trash written by Dickens, Scott, and like imps of Hell. It was all the work of the devil. It appeared to the founder that it was the aim of the colleges to prepare preachers to warn people to fear an angry God and avoid the fires of an eternal Hell and to manage the affairs of this world as best they could. He doubted their theology and believed that there should be schools of law, pharmacy, commerce, medicine, and engineering, and that they should continue the entire year, being so conducted that students could enter at any time and be accommodated. He had been successful in drawing many pay pupils to his village schools and in 1855 had already begun to write recommendations for his lady pupils to procure schools to teach. When but nineteen years old he was solicited to start an academy in Wayne County, later in Ashland County, and still later by fellow students in Uniontown, Pa. At the close of the civil war he engaged to teach in a small town near Springfield, Mo., but through the persuasion of his father he gave up his plan to start his cherished school in that state. He then taught another term in Stark County. During the winter of ’65 and ' 66, he carefully studied the educational situati on of Ohio and Indiana. Eastern Ohio was well supplied with academies, seminaries, and colleges, but in Northwestern Ohio there were but two colleges and one academy. There was a college at North- wood, Logan County, and an academy at Milan, Seneca County. The academy at Republic in Seneca County was closed during the war. There were no col¬ leges or academies in Northeastern Indiana. The founder of the O. N. U. had been successful thus far in his teaching and had unbounded faith in a school for the common people, that would con¬ tinue all year, and in which they could prepare for almost any calling in life, at the most moderate expense. He offered his services at a number of towns in Northwestern Ohio and Northeastern Indiana, and explained his plan of establishing a great university, promising to have an annual attendance of 5.000 students in twenty-five years. He met with poor encouragement nearly every¬ where. He finally visited Ada, then called Johnstown. Of the then three direc- 9

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tors, two, S. M. Johnstown and William League, were impressed with his scheme. He asked to be employed to teach the public school whenever there were funds, to be permitted to admit tuition students, and during vacations of the public school to have the use of the school house, free of rent, for select school. He asked three dollars a day for the first year. They had never paid but two dollars a day. It was finally agreed that he should receive $2.75 a day the first three months and, if he gave good satisfaction, then $3.00 a clay the second term. H e was told the house was too old and cold to have school during the six winter months, that they would have six months during the summer and, if he would repair the old frame building, he might have the use of it free of rent. There was but one room in the building; so he would have to do all the teaching. He began teaching April 9, 1866. His experience in getting to Ken¬ ton for examination would be interesting were there space in the Annual to tell it. The enrollment of the winter term of the select school was 56, the tuition for 8 o days, $ 6 . 00 . The select term closed on Friday; the public school term began Monday; and this work continued for five years, till the fall of 1871. The spring term of 1868, the Geometry class recited at 5 A. M. for one hour; the class in logic, from 7 to 8 o ' clock P. M.; and a class in Latin from 8 to 9 P. M. Dr. R. L. Souder, still in Ada, was a member of the classes in Geometry, Logic, and Latin. The other school hours were from 8 A. M. to 5 P. M. This was a term of public school and the teacher received no extra pay for the additional five hours work. The enrollment the last term of the select school was 119 , really 120 , but one student entered for only one week. The name was now changed from select school to Northwestern Ohio Nor¬ mal School. The first term began August 14 th, 1871. There were six teachers to be employed but only four: H. S. Lehr, B. F. Niesz, J. G. Park, J. H. Wil¬ liams, M. D., had contracted when the catalogue was published. Theodore Presser had charge of the college of Music. No one was employed to teach fine arts; so Prof. Niesz, in addition to some other branches, taught penman¬ ship and bookkeeping. It required four years to complete the course prescribed but there was no place for literature. It contained Science of Government and Parliamentary Law,—not found in the old college catalogues. The course in¬ cluded surveying. During the years of the select school there was only one Literary Society, organized in 1866. On Friday night, August 18, 1871, were organized the Franklin and Philomathean Literary Societies. The first year of the Normal School the president of the Normal was also Superintendent of the Ada public schools and taught seven hours a day. The winter term, that year, the Virgil class consisting of but one member recited from 4 to 5 A. M. That member, Mrs. Mary Hickernell, now resides in Ada. She averaged 70 lines a lesson. The Chemistry class contained but three mem¬ bers and recited from 7 to 8 P. M. The members were J. M. Reil, Melville De Lisle, and Mollie Schoonover, now Mrs. Hickernell. The second year of the Normal there was added to the course English Literature. In the third cata- 11