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Page 62 EARLY SCHOOLS
The curriculum of these early schools was very limited
and usually confined to the three R's. The pupil in arithmetic did
not go much beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division. The pupil who could solve problems in fractions was
considered brilliant, and one who could work all the problems in the
arithmetic was very highly educated.
If you were to ask a modern pupil what was meant by
"The Rule of Three", or "Tare and Tret", he would stare at you and
wonder if you were mentally balanced, but these terms were familiar
at the time.
Arithmetic was divided into two classes, written and
mental. The mental exercises were very elaborate, and commenced with
simple addition, running through the four principles of arithmetic,
and then took up fractions and problems of great length, which the
pupil, standing in his place in the class, was compelled to solve
without the aid of pencil or blackboard.
As an example of the problems that were to be solved by
the process of mental arithmetic, we give the following;
"If the head of a fish is ten inches long, and the tail
is as long as the head plus one-half the body and the body is as
long as the head and tail both; Required, the length of the fish."
"A person has two silver cups and only one cover for
both. The first cup weighs twelve ounces. If the first cup be
covered, it will weigh twice as much as the second, but if the
second cup be covered, it will weigh three times as much as the
first; Required, the weight of the second cup and cover."
The early school term was only three months;
finally increased to four, and then to five months, where it
remained for many years. If any one wanted additional education, he
was compelled to earn money enough to take him to some of the
academies scattered, through the state, and he might finally land in
college. Of course, if the young man went to college, he then would
become a minister lawyer or doctor. Girls as a rule did not go
beyond the common schools.
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