Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/348

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

was J. H ay Brown, now chief justice of the Supreme Court o f Pennsylvania* a young man then just out o f coll<^c* who spent a vcr>* pleasant and enjoyable |>criod in the educa­ tional work of this institution. n U -E SCH OOLS

In 1830 Che first steps were taken in what is now Montour county to secure a wider and better system o f general education. The school laws then in force were very objectionable and defective, and complaints were being expressed on all sides. Institutions o f learn­ ing displayed activity in a sporadic way* but these efforts soon were followed by perio<]$ o f inactivity and kinguor. These were some of the causes which brought about the passage of the free school laws. In 1834 a meeting w as held at the court­ house, attended by the county commissioners. Nicholas Gouger, Andrew Ikeler and John Yeager* and school commissioners from six townships. A t this meeting a vote wa.s taken on the question o f establishing free schools and taxing the people for that purpose* but only two of the delegates, jo lm Patton o f M a­ honing and William Carnahan o f Derry, voted fo r the measure. The friends o f free schools continued to agitate the question, but accomplishcil nothing definite until the year 1836. On M ay 2d o f that year another commission­ ers* meeting was held, with the following re­ su lt: F o r free schools— Frederick Frick, M ahoning: William Date. L ib e rty; Jam es Johnston, D e rry; Samuel Oakes, Limestone; and Andrew Ikeler and Iddings Barkley, county commissioners. Against the f rcc school proposition only one vote was cast* that o f John Veager. one of the county commis­ sioners. A motion to levy a lax equal to three fourths of the countv tax. fo r the benefit of the schools, prcvailecf. the Mahoning delegate voting to levy an equal tax. On M ay 3 1st o f Schools Anlhony ................... ........... H Cooper ..................... Danville ................... ........... 9 Derry ....................... .......... 6 Pine C r o v e .............. D b eriy ..................... LimcMone ................ Mahnninf ................ .......... 5 Mavl>err* ................. Valley ..................... .......... 6 Vash in snonville. . . . W csi Hemlock. . . . . 57

the same year the action of the commissioners and delegates w as approved at a meeting of the taxable inliabitants of the township of M a­ honing. held at the home o f T h on u s Clark in Danville. T he early school records arc lost or de­ stroyed. but from the best information obtain­ able it is believed that the (own.ships o f Derry, Liberty, Mahoning and Limestone acc<^cd the law at the same time, with a view o f re­ ceiving the help of the Stale. A fte r this the schoob depended mainly upon men o f little experience and education, and the laws them­ selves were but imperfectly understood by the officials, thus preventing the success of the movement and arousing much opposition and adverse comment, which was not allayed until the enactment of the law o f 1854, creating a new school officer and giving the directors ad­ ditional power to enforce the law. In 1837 the State appropriation to the county amouiued to $ 6 ^ .16 * distributed as follow s: Derry township* 350 taxables, re­ ceived $220.58; I.iberiy township, 268 taxa­ bles. $ 17 3 .5 0 : Limestone township* 12 1 ta x ­ ables, $7 8 .32; Mahoning township, 341 taxablcs. ^ 20 .76 * Samuel Bond, Jam es McMahan and Jam es Pcrr>* were members of the school >>oar<l o f Liberty district; and Ellis Hughes, Benjamin McMahan, Jo h n Patton, McDonald Campbell and Frederick Frick, o f Mahoning township. In 1872 the report of the schools of Mon­ tour county was as follow s: Xum lK t of .schools* 2 8 : male scholars, i ,093; female scholars,
 * average attendance. 588: male

teachers, 6; female teachers, 2 t; average sal­ aries. male, $73.33, female, $33 -3 8; school buildings, 6; value, $45,000; school tax, $ 19 .576.96; total revenue, $27,918.26; exjiciLses, $2 3.7 9 14 7 ^, A s a matter o f com jurison the rci>ort of the sui)crintendcnl o f schools in 1880 is given below.

Male Pupils 123 49 722 MS 147 107 118 33 tat 23 52
 * S

Female Pupils 103

1/»2S

t.049

93 12 134 93 106 24 107 >5

Avcra^ Attendance

Cost P e r M onth Each

159

$).o6

tfiA 142 10 17S

76 •W toi

28 S6

toi 88

2 .13 1

81

102 X| -72

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