The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, March 20, 1885
Rothsville References –Our schools closed this week.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, March 27, 1885
Miscellaneous Matter -The Warwick township school board met at the Warwick house last Saturday and cashed off teachers for the last month of the term. All the schools are now closed and the youngsters generally are happy.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, April 3, 1885
Brunnerville Brieflets –Miss Celinda Heiser, of Lexington, will start a pay school here, commencing next Monday. We trust she will be well patronized, as she is a first-class teacher, and has good prospects before her.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, April 24, 1885
LONGER SCHOOL TERMS –The custom of holding pay or summer school in the country school houses after the regular winter session closes is a good one and should be still further extended. It is a conspicuous and a rather discouraging fact that most of the education acquired during the winter term is forgotten during the prolonged idleness which the children are allowed to indulge in throughout the summer. The importance of this fact and the necessity for removing it are readily apparent and parents are becoming to question their judgment in keeping their children so long from their books. In none of these summer schools is there a rigorous course of study pursued. The teachers and the parents as well know that this would not be judicious. A choice selection of easy and appropriate studies is what the children are required to follow, and it is generally the practice of the teachers to allow ample time for the necessary pastime of the scholars. To parents especially the summer school should commend itself. It makes a wise provision for their children in the way of acquiring knowledge by easy stages, while there is always a chance for them to retain a good measure of the learning gained during the winter months.
The smaller children especially should be sent to the summer schools. The winter session is not long enough, and the enforced summer idleness is not conducive to even an easy training of the mind. Again, in sending small children to these schools an opportunity is given them to acquire sufficient mental development to enable them to compete with their older companions in the harder studies of winter. This fact, in this connection, is quite important. An acquaintance with and experience in the methods of the school house are fortunate possessions to the youngster just entering the, to him, mysterious portals of the school. If he can gain this experience among those nearer his own age and with whom he most associates he is favorably equipped to compete in the winter schools.
We have intimated above that the winter school terms are too short, and this is becoming generally more apparent. The usual length of the sessions, as in Warwick, is about six months, which is too short a time. That this assertion is true may be proved by the fact that in several districts they now have a seven months’ term. It could easily be made eight. The children should be sent as much as possible to school. Of course, at the same time paying due attention to the absolute necessity of plenty of rest and play. Indeed, it would be a very good plan to have the winter term last nine months, and then, if thought proper, give the children the remaining three months of the year to themselves. The winter school term should be longer than they are at present, at least.
Lititz Record, Friday Morning, April 24, 1885
Miss Celinda Heiser’s Brunnerville school had thirty-four pupils.
Lititz Record, Friday Morning, May 1, 1885
Points for Teachers –Prof. M.J. Brecht, Superintendent of the public schools, announces the time and places of holding the general examinations for 1885 as follows:
- East Cocalico township and Adamstown Borough, May 15, Reamstown
- West Cocalico township, May 16, Schoeneck
- West Earl township, May 18, Earlville
- Rapho township, May 20, Sporting Hill
- West Hempfield township, May 22, Mountville
- Upper Leacock township, May 23, Bareville
- Mount Joy borough and Mount Joy township, May 27, Mount Joy
- Manheim borough and Penn township, May 28, Manheim
- Manheim township, June 9, Neffsville
- Earl township, June 10, New Holland
- Ephrata township, June 11, Ephrata
- Clay township, June 12, Clay
- Warwick township and Lititz, June 22, Lititz
- Elizabeth township, June 23, Brickerville
The examination will begin at 9 o’clock in the morning. Besides the usual instructions to applicants the following special items occur in the notice to teachers:
Physiology and Hygiene with special reference to the effects of stimulants and narcotics upon the human system shall be introduced this year, and studied as a regular branch by all pupils, in all departments of the public schools of the state.
Branch Institutes, under the supervision of the County Superintendent, will be held the coming season at Manheim, Ephrata. Mount Joy, New Providence, and probably Maytown, and a few other points. The Thirty-fourth Annual Session of the County Teachers’ Institute, will be convened in Lancaster, on November 9, 1885.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, June 26, 1885
Teachers’ Examination – County Superintendent J.M. Brecht held his annual examination at this place on Monday. Nine Applicants entered the class, one failing. They were given the following work:
THEORY
- Define memory, observation and perception.
- State to what extent you would use illustrations.
- Define object lessons and state three ends you would have in view in teaching object lessons.
- Give five ways of testing a pupil’s knowledge of a subject.
ARITHMETIC
- For what sum must a note be drawn at three months that the proceeds when discounted at 7 per cent shall be $981.91⅔?
- If 10 horses in 50 days consume 5 tons of hay, how long will 8 2/5 tons, last 6 horses, 20 cows and 30 sheep, supposing each cow to eat one-half as much as a horse and each sheep one-third as much as a cow?
- I sent A $12,750 with which to buy wheat @ 1.25 per bushel; after deducting his commission of 2 per cent on money paid out, how many bushels did he buy?
- How many balls 1½ ft. in diameter are equal in volume to a cubical box 4 ft. in the clear?
- I wish to insure a property worth $5000 so as to include valuation and premium in case of loss, rate of insurance 1½ per cent. What is the face of policy?
GEOGRAPHY
- Draw State of New Hampshire, state 2 rivers, 3 cities, 2 lakes, industries, grazing, woolen goods, farming.
- Definition of bay, mountain system, channel, longitude, ecliptic, axis, civilization.
- Make a zigzag journey from Mt. McGregor to Mt. Orizable, pass through 5 cities each having over 100,000 inhabitants buying turpentine, gunpowder, cheese, petroleum, salt and quinine, at places produced.
- Name 4 rivers, 4 cities, 4 capes, 4 mountain, chains, 4 plateaus, 4 natural products, 4 cultivated products, 4 manufactures, 4 kinds wood, 4 species of animals, 4 kinds of soil, 4 kinds fish, 4 kinds birds of South America.
The class was also tried in grammar and orthography, but space prevents us from mentioning in full.
Teachers Appointed – The board of directors of Warwick township met at the Warwick House on Monday afternoon and appointed the following teachers for the next term:
- Rome – Cyrus Gibble
- Warwick – H.N. Biemesderfer
- Martin’s – Samuel H. Ranck
- Fairview – S. Celinda Heiser
- Lexington – J.H. Enck
- Union – J.J. Nable
- Brunnerville – J. Lincoln Hertz
- Lookout – J.H. Huber Upper
- Rothsville – J.F. Ruth
- Lower Rothsville – J.H. Levenight
- Pleasant View – A.N. Stauter
- Millport – A.H. Breneman
- Sunnyside – J.J. Biemesderfer
- Buch’s – H.R.
Gibble Salaries paid from $30 to 42, and $45 for permanent certificates.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, August 28, 1885
Items from Rothsville –The lower school house is getting a new coat of paint.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, September 11, 1885
Items from Rothsville – Our public schools will open on Monday with the appearance of a good attendance.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, September 25, 1885
Items from Rothsville – Our schools, which opened on Monday, are already crowded, with many more to come.
Brunnerville Brieflets – Our village school opened on Monday with forty-four scholars enrolled and J.L. Hertz as teacher. As suggested in the RECORD a year ago, this school should be graded by all means, as by the time all the scholars are on hand, one teacher will have too much to do justice to his pupils. Let the board of directors take the matter into consideration.
Lititz Record, Friday Morning, December 4, 1885
EDUCATIONAL –Warwick Wants a New School House – An interesting meeting of the Warwick township School board was held at the “Warwick House,” last Saturday afternoon. After the usual routine of business was gone through with, and the teachers had received their pay, Captain John Bricker presented a petition, signed by forty-seven heads of families, praying for the erection of a new school house to be erected in town. The Captain presented the case in an earnest and forcible manner, showing that the house was needed, on account of the large number of pupils who now attend the school, and are compelled to travel a long distance through snow, mud and stormy weather. He said if the house was in the village of Warwick, only about five or six children would have to travel from the country in, while now some forty have to go from the village out.
This is an injustice done the many, to accommodate the few. At present many of the smaller children do not obtain more than three or four months schooling during the term, on account of the distance and bad weather.
The Warwick people claim that as the Brunnerville and Pine Hill schools are very large there could easily be another district located, relieving these schools and the Warwick school then be located in the center of the population, a measure granted to all the other schools in the township and which they also have a right to demand.
If a house was erected in town, the town patrons would, in addition to the regular term, support a summer session of two or three months, thus giving to their children a double advantage over what they have now.
The signers of the petition represent about 79 children, and the tax paid by those who want the new house amounts, to $343.06. The average tax paid to support the schools in Warwick township is $334. So that those who desire the new house pay more than the average tax to a house. The average number of taxables to a school in the township is 62, while the actual taxables to the new house is 74. (Paragraph is as written in newspaper.)
The average amount necessary to support a school in the township is $270. They pay $343.06 each year and our children only get about one-third the term.
Mr. Bricker’s remarks were well received, and from the conversation which followed, the cordial consent of the School Board to take the matter under consideration, we are led to believe it will not be a very great while before the new school house will be built.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, December 11, 1885
A parent of two children of the Rome school took the children out of school because he was opposed to the new study of physiology imposed upon them.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, December 25, 1885
Brunnerville Brieflets –Mr. L. Hertz with his entire school paid a visit to Mr. Whitson’s school at Lexington. They proceeded there on foot.
The Lititz Record, Friday Morning, December 25, 1885
Rothsville Remnants –The roof on the lower Rothsville School house, which is a patent metallic one, is defective, and will be replaced with shingles. In the first place the metallic cost nearly twice as much as a wooden one and must now be tour {as spelled in article] off and shingled at an expense to the taxpayers.