Pelham Continuation School - Pelham Pnyx (Fenwick, Ontario Canada)

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THE PELHAM PNYX 39 The man responsible for the setting up of the system which prevails even today as free schools, was Egerton Ryerson. He was named in 1844 as the man who was to find a way of providing better common schools. After spending some time abroad, he picked out the best features of the school systems of New York, Massachusetts and Prussia and combined them in a plan for Ontario. Owing to opposition the system was not written into the laws of Ontario until 1850. From that time on Ryerson was a very busy man. In the organization of higher education in Ontario, john Strachan took a leading part. High or Grammar Schools were established by the govern- ment before the common schools. Where were some of these schools? John Strachan's private school at Cornwall was one of the first best known schools in Ontario, lt later became the Eastern District School. Kingston was the seat of the Midland District school. Another great school was situated at York. lt was the Home Dis- trict School. There were District schools at Cobourg, at Niagara, at Vit- toria, at Brockville, at Hamilton and Windsor. Grantham Academy became later the St. Catharines Collegiate. There was a Grammar School of some distinction at Fonthill. Ryerson retired from oliice in 1876. Since that time the Department of Education has been in charge of a responsible member of the government, the Minister of Education. Ryerson died in 1881, having seen the desire of his eyes-an equal chance of education for every boy and girl in the province. What do we, the pupils of 1940, owe to the early schools, schoolmasters and trustees? The pioneers gave us a free land where we can think and express ourselves. They gave us the traditions of the past, a high respect for Canada and the Empire. They gave us our excellent school system which they them- selves did not have. They didn't have the books, and line buildings and well qualified teachers that we now have. But they learned to be good citizens in their day just as we are trying to be good citizens today and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Al. OLD SQUARE LOG SCHOOLHOUSE ON SCUGOG ISLAND From F. C. Weir's Scugog and its Environsu -Courtesy Ontario Publishing Co., Ltd.

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38 THE PELI-IAM PNYX Strangely enough, everybody heard her in spite of the noise, and began a mad dash to see who would get there first. I think that to omit the following events would be of better taste, and I will close by quoting some of Judge Robin's remarks at the feast. As long as these aeroplanes are not as good fliers as we are, why worry, they are cer- tainly not giving us any competition. This speech was followed by unanimous cheers from young and old alike as they dispersed to their nests. EARLY SCHOOLS OF ONTARIO Ev Bob Brooks, GRADE ix WHO XVERE the founders of these 'Early Schools? Little do we realize as we sit in our comfortable school-room that one hundred years ago child- ren had to walk many miles to get to school. They would kiss their parents good-bye and wander off, not returning home till evening. After the War of Independence, many people from Pennsylvania and New York State wanted to remain loyal to the British crown. Little did they realize the hardships ahead. They left money, beautiful homes, and wander- ed off, with a few belongings to a new country. Many settled in Ontario, along the St. Lawrence River and the Maritime Provinces. These loyalists were not the only new people in our land. There were many from Ireland, Scotland and Wales and they wanted some schooling for their children. For schoolmasters many men from the Napoleonic Vylars came over. They were very cruel and for every little thing they would whip the children. The parents didn't like these men, but many of our famous Canadian men were educated in these schools. At first there were only the private schools attended by the richer child- ren. There were all sizes and it was very noisy. The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church wanted to help the people receive education, so many attended these Church Schools. While in the villages, private schools were established, sometimes by a crippled soldier unable to do the heavy work of chopping, sometimes by a widow or spinster needing the shilling a week for each pupil, sometimes and very often, in the remote farmsteads, especially if the parents were not serious-minded, the children had little chance of being other than illiterate little savages. In 1804 five magistrates of the County of Glengarry, together with John Bethune, a Presbyterian minister, and five of the elders of his congregation, sent a petition to parliament urging that the government should establish common schools. This petition was denied by a majority of two, but the popular demand became so great that soon after the War of 1817. was ended, it became too strong to resist. In IS16 the government approved the principle and provided f6ooo to be paid as grants in aid of primary schools. By this law the residents of any community might build a school if there were twenty children of school age in the neighbourhood, and might elect three trustees with power to engage a teacher and manage the business of the school. The first schools were made of logs hewn on two sides. The cracks were chinked and filled with plaster. There were few text books and every child had a slate and pencil. Paper was very scarce. The common school system as first set up was not a success, either in point of architecture or management, so that ways and means were sought for improvement.

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