People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 27-25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1896 — Page 7

NEW YEAR'S 1896

ing up Zion's Hill,” and many others were first taught us within these walls The songs, the Sunday school, the Christmas entertainments; ;he festivals, the harvest homes, the choir practices, the installations, have so engraven themselves that the lapse of years will not eradicate them. “Ail hail to the old church; all hail to its bell and pulpit; and the fact that itis supplanted by a grander edifice does not detract one whit from our honor and reverence for the old building. It is but one way which God has provided that His cause goes marching on tha* we should pull down our old church and build a grander, larger one. “The church began to build in 1886 and is now on a fair footing, spiritually and financially. There is to some extent a feeling of buoyancy within us at the thought' of the new church building.

'There is a reason for this. All religion all science, all vvis dom of history, and all noble present energies are centered upon the future, ’not upon the past. Piety, patriotism, and progress are not so much concerned about the ‘Prom whence" as with the ‘Whereunto’ of the world and the people theieof." “Nature -repeats, and progress is a perpetual pioneer. Onward and upward are her imperative commands, a.,d have been from the day when man turned the barred gates of E len, until he shall come again re-deemed-and rejoicing through the wide open gates of the Eternal City. “We welcome the new church with open arms; we will be proud of it, its modern seats, pulpit, windows, towers, conveniences. and magnificent pipe organ, (for we doubt not we will have one). We will be proud to show it to our friends as the offspring of the present generat ion, and it will prove a blessing to the town and county.”

AGRICULTURAL VIEW.

Jasper county, in the northwest part of Indiana, lies second from the Illinois state line It has an era of 550 square miles, but two Counties in the . state, Allen and LaPort have greater extent of territory. The soil in the north and "north-eastern part is a rich san dy loam interspersed with sand hills aqd low prairie marshes. The south and south-western part has a gently rolling surface of fertile black clay prairie soil. The timbered land of the northern part are somewhat sandy and the growth is mainly oak. The timber in the central part is principally white eak, burr

oak and hickory, the soil upon which it grows is a mixture of clay and gravel, well adapted to the raising of wheat. The timber

belt in Jasper county is rot very ; exlensive. It is but a question of a few years when timber will only be seen here in protected! groves. Bui few natural streams trav j erse the county; the Iroquois, Pinkainink, Carpenter and Cur-1 tis creeks. Nature having done so little for the greater part of this coun / ly in the way of drainage, and railroad lines having so long failed to strike it, for years, it made little progress while many of its neighbors rapidly improved and consequently grew oid. With the final coming of railroads and an improved system of drainage, Jasper county for 10 years, has far ex< el led any other agricultural county of the state in its growth and general improvements. Iu the production of corn a.pd oats our county of late years has been excelled by few, the day is not far off when we fully expect to lead in the raising of these two cereals. Our soil is admirably adapted to the growing of hay and potatoes: the largest hay shipping points in Indiana are situated within the borders of our county. Grain being the mother of stock, many are the loads of fine horses, and fat cattle and hogs that are shipped from the numerous stations and side tracks located upon the new roads that are beginning to cross the couuty. Oursjspurly an agricultural county, having no minerals, stone or timber worth working. Our wealth is in our soil. Nature has laid here, in Jaspler county, the foundation for as beautiful, healthful and productive farm homes as can be found any where in all the wide world. Our county is new and until recently, much of it unknown—

THE PEOPLE’S PILOT. RENSSELAER, IND.. THURSDAY, JAN. 2, 1896.

unknown because much of our lands were lying idle, too wet to used and thought to be too worthless to be drained. But with the coming of the dredge ditching machine new and fertile fields soon began to spring up from out the moss and the mire, wh >re frogs for centuries had attended sieging schools, where mosquitoes for ages had held moonlight picnics and gallinippers undisturbed had sailed their boats and sung their vesper hymns, there now stretches the wide corn fields, there now we see miles of upturned sod mellowing in the winter frosts, waiting for the coming spring when the good husbandman will sow seed that will yield an hundred told.

By actual experience the real nature and capabilities of our muck soil have been learned and we find that not only the common crops we have been growing on our higher and dryer lands will abundantly on this newly reclaimed soii but other valuable crops will flour-

John W. King and eight-year old son, Fred A., of Rensselaer expert blue rock shots and sportsmen. See sketch on another page.

St. Joseph's Indian Normal School and Workshop; located one mile south-west of Rensselaer, near St. Joseph’s Catholic College; founded in 1888; under the supervision of Father Prank, (Rev. Frank J. Schalk:) a training school for Indian boys. The patroness of this inst itution is Miss Kate Drexel, (now Mother Catherine,) a of Philadelphia-. See descriptive article elsewhere.

ish, thus giving us a variety ol products that can not fail to greatly add to the wealth and population .of the county. Our • mce dispised marshes have really been to us a reserved fund; they are now fast becoming the beauty, the pride and the wealth of the county. While ther'e has been great complaint of hard times, the last few years, in all parts of the country and buisness has been almost at a standstill, yet with us there has been unparalleled growth and activity. We ha vet budded gravel roads, opened up new farms, founded new towns, and for two years a steady stream of newcomers have been pouring within our roomy borders. Where e're we look we see signs of progress and prosperity, especially is this true of the uortl era half of the county, there we see .the wind mill supplanting the an cient sweep, the log cabin giving place to tlie spa-ions and j elegent frame and the unsigh ly | ha.v shed duplicated by the tall red barn. More new houses and barns have been built in Jasper county the last three years than were ever built here in any six years before, .and all I done when implements were' at | a stand still in other places. With four railroads now cross ing the county and more in prospect, with hundreds of acres of rich new lands yearly being reclaimed, with the purest, coldest water that ever slaked human thirst, with a climate free from excessive heat and unbearable cold, with epidemics, pestilence, storms and crop failures as yet uuknown, with the center of the county only 73 miles from one of the greatest' cities of the earth—with, all these unexampled advantages fully known and appreciated by our people, it surely hath not yet appeared what Jasper county shall be.

EDUCATIONAL.

SCHOOLS OF RENSSELAER. The Pilot is indebted to Miss Grace Vanatta for the following able and interesting review of the public schools of the town of Rensselaer. So complete is this article that the editor finds

Shop (and home to the left) of Isaac A. Glazebrook. blacksmith, horse shoe r, wagoi - mak-‘r. machinist, local reprcsenNative ( f Milwaukee raowi rs and harvest ii g machines, situated on Front street* on the banks of the Iroquois. See por trait and sketch elsewhei e.

little to atjd to the subject. As mentioned by Miss Yanatta, a buildirur is already lining considered, so 'treat has been the increase in population since the last excel lent structure was erected, and there is every ‘ reason to believe that the town | will grow even faster in the 1 fut ure. I j “One of the most important factors in the development of society is the public j school. Indiana enjoys the distinetion of 1 having one of the last school systems in the United States, partly due, no doubt, to the fact that she is a portion of What was originally the “Northwest Territory" for which special legislation of the general government was enacted in 1785. which ail an excellent foundation for the school system of the states which later evolved from that territory. “The pioneers of Jasper county were not behind the general sentiment of the state, in regard to educational matters, and long before the State could aid tlu-m they had begun the solution of this gre; t problem for themselves. They built 1< g school houses-and maintained subscription schools. Neighborhoods worked t.o- ---; gcflicr and put up the cabin, and the pa j trons paid the expense of the-teacher's ' salary in proportion to the number of | pupils sent from a family, j “In 1841 (1. W. Spitlcr taught the lirst school in Rensselaer, in the second story of a log cabin which stood where (J. W. I : Goff's restaurant now stands. The next

school was taught in a lug house v.kich stood irumediately south of C‘h; s. I)Newels residence, by an old man named Blakey. The next school was held in a one story log building and stood on the old race bank, where J. 11. Vanatta's store, now stands. The youthful pioneers next “got their learnin” in the lower story I of the old log court house which stcod } about where Mr. Seib now lives, east of the court house sijuare.

“A man by the name of Rowley taught one winter and was forced to resign his position on account of cruel and inhuman treatment of his pupils. Many schools were; held in the present court house. Perhaps the most notable teacher here was the first woman teacher, Miss Sarah ■Sexton-, a sister of the great woman preacher, Miss Lydia Sexton, who recently died in Kansas. Mr. William Strickler was perhaps the most highly educated and cultured man who taught in our village in the early days. School was hold one winter in a log house directly west of Joseph F. Riffs livery stable. One winter the seekers for knowledge went to school at “Peck town” there being no school at Rensselaer. “Peck town" was a thriving young village which for some TimeTthreatened to out strip Rensselaer, It was situated on the Indian trail leading down the river, just east of Peacock sspring where Peck and Bingham owned a largejmd, flourishing grist mill. “The'.high water washed away the milldam, the mill went to decay and now “PeckjTown” is a memory of The past. The punishments meted out to disobed ient scholars of that day were ludicrous, painful and varied. The pupil was compelled to stand on his left foot and right fore finger, or if a boy. to sit between two pretty girls. If a girl; to sit between two, homely boys. Sometimes in summer time one wkis suspended in the chimney allowing the feet to rest on the hearth stone, and occasionally turning hipa around, as if curing meat. When all other remedies failed the switch was used unsparingly and with ferocious intent. “The branches taught consisted mainly of the 3 R’s “Readin” “Rritin” and * Rithoietic.”

Til teacher was able generally to advai e > the ] upils to the single rule of three in Arithmetie.and to conjugate tho : verb “io love" in grammar, and the pupils eould.often give a better physical exemplification of this, than intellectual. In ISA! Air. S. ,P. Thompson took charge of j-ho schools of the town. There wav thm three teachers. School was I held in a building which stood on the corner of Van Rensselaer and Washington streets where Ellis A Murray's store now stands. The first t-cliool house in the town was built in 18(53. on the corner of Front ami County road and consisted of three rooms. This was afterwards enlarged to live rooms. When Mr. Thompson cn- ■ fared the schools he found that in the j eyes of his pupils education consisted of ! “Spcllin" and "Cipluu'ing." "Each pupil : had been in tin* habit of following his | own ".bent. If one liked "ciphering,'' he j began at the beginning and "ciphered ! through" and the same with regard to I “spellin," 1 1 is pupils numbered about 110. lS(id Mr. Thompson was superin- . tendent who was followed by Mr. G. W. | Fitzgerald. I "In 18(57 F. A. Robinson took charge of ] the schools as superintendent. I. M. Stackhouse being | resident of the board of trustee. The duration of his term was five months. W. 11. Martin. Miss Ella Spangle, Miss Lydia Dwiggins were his assistants. “Mr. Stephen Yeomen next swayed the J scepter, probably a hickory one, for a

period of six months. Mr. (1. W. Smith followed in 1809.

“In 1870 Mr. l\ W. Poole was the superintendent. two of his assistants who will be well n m •mbered were Miss Mattie, Parkinson, and Miss Kit’ Reeve. From 1871 l >1875 .Captain ,J. A. Burnham superintended the schools, which then hud five depart in nts. From 1875 to 1883 the KUperintcndency clu igtd hands each year, being in charge of Messrs. (”». Adame, C'has. A. Edmunc's, ( J. W, Allen. W. Re M. Hooper and <J. P. Mitchell. The first students who were graduated, were a (’kiss of eleven in 1880. “During 1883 and 1881 Mr. P. 11. Kirs eh was superintendent. Our first brick building wan erected during his service, a building of eight moms. The high school also rcccivcuHts commission while under the superintendency of Mr. Kirsch. Ours Was the Pith high school in the state to r< ccivo a commission, which is remarkable, considering that the population of the town was then but 1000 in. habitants. “From 1885 to9o superintendent F. W. Reubelt had charge of the temple of learning. “In 1891 Mr. Howard L. Wilson controlled the schools. In 1892 our brick school building was erected, which is an eight roomed edifice with modern conveniences, as well as being a handsome building. “From 1892 to 1895 Mr. E. W. Bohannon occupied the position of superintendent. “We* are just beginning a promising year’s work under Mr. W. H. Sanders with a corps of fourteen teachers, to assist him. The enrollment is now over 500 pupils, and if the increase continue as it has been, (that is 10 per cent per annum since 1882,) it will render necessary another large building in the near future. The high school alumni now number 103 most of whom are making a success in the struggle called “Life,” which success is largely due to training received in thi3 institution. “The citizens of Rensselaer may justly be proud of their schools, apd should give them their support and encouragement 1 )!t>i said that the increase in the pop Baiba and prosperity of our town since 1880 is owing to the improved edilcatbiil 1 1 ilities.

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