Seventy-five years of public education in Nemaha, County, Nebraska

66 Pages·02.725 MB·English

by  Stiers, Kenneth

SEVENTY-FIVE. YEARS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN NEMAHA
COUNTY, NEBRASKA
by
Kenneth Stiers
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFIIMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS
in the
GRADUATE SCHOOL
of the
UNIVERSITY OF OMAHA
1950
UMI Number: EP73829
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. THE PROBLEM 1
Purpose of the Study 1
Del imih t at io ns 1
Need for the Study 2
Sources of Data 3
1
'
II. BACKGROUNDS OF EDUCATION IN NEMAHA COUNTY, NEBRASKA 5
III. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF POPULATION TRENDS IN NEMAHA
COUNTY, NEBRASKA ' . 12
IV. LOCAL SUPPORT OF THE SCHOOLS OF NEMAHA COUNTY,
NEBRASKA , 20
V. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RURAL SCHOOLS OF NEMAHA COUNTY 31
VI. THE CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS kh
VII. SCHOOL DISTRICT REORGANIZATION 50
VIII.CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS %
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
I. The First Census of the Nebraska Territory Taken in the
Year 1851* 13
II. Population of Nebraska From the Year 1855 to 1950 ll*
III. Population of Nemaha County by Precincts During the Years
1870, 1880, 1920, 1930, 191*0 15
IV. Census of Nemaha County From i860 to 19i*0 17
V. Rural School Enrollment of Nemaha County From 1893 to 19l*9 18
VI. The Per Capita Expenditure For Education in Seven Mid­
western States For the Years 1870 to 1913 20
VII. Expenditure Per Rural School in Nemaha County -^rom 1912
to 19l*9 22
VIII.Expenditure Per City and Village School in Nemaha County
from 1912 to 191*9 21*
IX. Total Expenditure For Supplies and Textbooks Per Year in
The Rural Schools of Nemaha County From 1895 to 191*5 25
X. The length of the School Term in Days in Six Mid-western
State From 1870 to 1913 35
XI. Textbooks of a Rural School in Nemaha County in 1876 39
XII. Number of Students Purusing a Normal Training Course in
the Normal Schools of Seven Mid-western States in 1896 1*6
1
CHAPTER I
The Problem
Purpose of the study
This study has been undertaken for the purpose of providing a body of
data upon which an adequate program of rural education can be founded. It,
therefore, dedicates itself to the task of providing the basis for a public-
relations program designed to re-kindle in the minds of lay people a sincere
and genuine interest in public education in Nemaha County, Nebraska# Cert­
ain minor problems presented themselves# First, the problem of determining
trends -which, when woven together into a composite whole, have made signific­
ant contributions to the general program of education in the county. Second,
to trace these trends through the certified records which are on file in the
different offices in order to build up the body of data needed. The study
attempts to define the present status of the school in a manner which will
be understandable and meaningful to the layman#
Delimitations
The study has been limited to an examination of the elementary school
with emphasis upon the one-room rural school in Nemaha County. Two reasons
exist for this limitation: 1. The rural elementary school has been under
vigorous attack during recent years. 2. It was felt that the secondary
school constitutes the basis for a similar study in itself#
Two reasonably well defined philosophies are brought into sharp focus
almost daily# One view holds that the rural school is inadequate to meet
the challenge of modern society and the other believes that the rural school
is good enough as it is today. Since these two philosophies outline the
thinking of a great majority of rural people, it seemed necessary to confine
the study to the rural school.
2
Need for the study
At the close of the nineteenth century, the eastern states were beginning
to view their public school systems quite critically . As the pioneer moved
westward in search of a place to build his home, he brought with him an
earnest zeal for a decent educational opportunity for his children. Because
of the many hardships, problems and difficulties which had to be faced, the
pioneer did not provide an adequate system of school records; each school
if
seemed to exist as a tiny empire within itse lf and the variance in procedures
was determined by the people themselves. Each school was different in many
respects. Information pertinent to the general problem of rural education
has been scattered throughout the records in such a manner as to make it
valueless to the layman. It may be concluded with reasonable certainty that
many of the concepts influencing rural education in Nemaha County, Nebraska
are based upon inadequate and incomplete information.
If the assumption is accepted that a knowledge of what has been done in
the past is essential to the development of future plans, a thorough study
of the schools needed to be made. During the past three quarters of a cent-
i
ury the schools of Nemaha County have made notable contributions to society.
An understanding of the schools of the past should assist in re-capturing
their worthwhile elements and characteristics for the schools of the future.
Sources of data
The chief source of data for the study was the official records which
are on file in the office of county superintendent of Nemaha County. Consid­
erable examination of sim ilar records in neighboring counties was made in
order to evaluate the stab ility of these records. The biennial reports of
the state superintendent of public instruction to the governor of the State
3
of Nebraska have been very useful in the preparation of the report.
Six generations of the writer1s people have lived in Nemaha County.
Throughout the years, the story of education in the county has been a source
of constant interest and enthusiasm to him. As a result of this curiosity,
some of the detail for the study has been obtained from personal interviews.
In almost every instance, accounts obtained through these personal inter­
views have been validated by the different records.
The History Of The State of Nebraska, published in 1882 by the Western
Historical Company of Chicago, Illinois, has been an invaluable source of
general and statistical data. The book is massive consisting of several
thousand pages and, although specific editorship is not.clearly shown, it
is believed that various individuals associated with the University of Nebr-
1
aska assisted with the editing of the work. Researchers visited the differ­
ent communities to gather the information upon which the literature of the
book is based. A very considerable portion of the-book is purely document­
ary in nature.
A History of Nemaha County written by John W. Dundas has been used exten­
sively. This work is based upon newspaper accounts of the various happenings
within the county dating back to the earliest period of the county1 s history.
The book is written, primarily, from the standpoint of a small-town publisher
and is colored somewhat by what seemed to be personal interpretation; however,
the factual detail stands up very well.
The Commissioner’s Reports are the,official reports of the Commissioner of
Education in the executive branch of the federal government. These reports
have served as a stabilizing force in evaluating local data.
1. Statement verified by letter frcm Librarian, University of Nebraska.
4
The data contained in the Commissioner’s Reports have not been used exten­
sively for the reason that these data, although accurate, were sometimes
incomplete as to detail*
D efinition
The rural school is defined as a school located in the open country and
serving only the local community* The unit is the small local d istrict
consisting, generally, of four sections of land*
CHAPTER II
Backgrounds of Education in Nemaha .County, Nebraska
"The first thought of a large m ajority of those who came to the
Territory was not one looking to permanency of residence or the
ultim ate prosperity within the lim its of the new West. It was the
purpose of nearly a ll to find sudden wealth that they might return
to the Bast and spend the remainder of their lives. And under such
burdening weight began the existence of a region, in its social
character and civilized progression, -which has proven its powers to
be greater than the accumulated force of adverse circumstances.*’
1
The above quotation was taken from an address delivered by A. S. Paddock
before the Board of Agriculture during the Nebraska State Fair in the year
1878. Apparently, the dominating force behind the earliest settlement was
to gain wealth quickly and return to a more settled country where living
would be less hazardous and burdenscme compared with the rigors of the
West. Only a few white men had traversed the upper reaches of the Missouri
River prior to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Those who had gone before
were hunters and trappers interested only in the taking of a harvest of furs*
Doubtless the vivid and glowing accounts which the men of the Lewis and Clark
party carried back with them had contributed greatly to the beginning of
the first great movement of people into Nebraska. Unrest throughout the
country as a result of the growing intensity of the slavery question caused
many to turn th eir faces westward.
The hardy and reckless came firs t. Their enthusiasm for civic and social
development was measured only in terms of the extent which such activity
would increase th eir personal gain. Seme historians consider the Panic of
1857 as the end of the era of speculation and the beginning of a new period
of westward extension.
The first attempt to create a territo ry west of the Missouri River was
1. A. S. Paddock was an early social and civic leader and an authority on
A griculture.
6
1
made in the year 1851.^ Due to the seriousness of the slavery question at
this time, the Congress failed to consider the possibility of a new
territory# In 1853, a b ill was drawn in the House of Representatives desig­
ned to create the ”Territory of the P latte”. The b ill included nearly all
the territo ry which is now Nebraska, Representatives from the southern states
were most vigorous in th eir opposition to the b ill because they fe lt that
the new territo ry would be free so il. The forces which were opposed to the
b ill prevailed and it was tabled. The thirty-second session of Congress con­
vened on December 5, 1853, with a large democratic m ajority in both houses.
Considerable pressure was being brought to bear upon the legislators by those
who were clamoring for the right to locate in the new land. These people
fe lt that they could not risk the hazards of the country until they could
be p artially protected by te rrito ria l law. By this time, the Indians of
the plains were beginning to awaken-to the significance of so many white
men in th eir country. The b ill creating the Nebraska Territory finally
passed and was signed by President Pierce on May 30, 1854.
Educational matters received early attention. At the first session of
the te rrito ria l legislature Simpson University of Omaha, Nebraska University
at Fontenelle and the Nebraska City Collegiate and Preparatory Institute
were founded and incorporated. In 1822, the first school in Nebraska was
2
opened at Fort Atkinson in territo ry which later became a part of the state.
In a tiny log school house, Sergeant Mumford directed his school for the Ind­
ian children in a study of the Three R* s . The era which followed this humble
beginning seemed to have been a steady progression of effort on the part
of various religious orders to bring education to the Indians and the few
1* History of the State of Nebraska Western H istorical Company, Chicago, 1882
page 101
2, Hughes, Hayden D. Beginnings of Formal Education in Nebraska Master*s Thesis,
University of Nebraska, 1934, page 8