In the early development of Madison County, a great variety of influences were felt in the way of general education. The settlements were, and for years continued to be, sparse. The people, as the pioneers of all new counties are, were poor and lacked the means of remunerating teachers. Their poverty compelled all who were able, to labor, and the work of the females was as important and toilsome as that of the men. Added to these, both teachers and books were scarce. This condition of things continued perhaps for more than a quarter of a century. Taking these facts into consideration, it is surprising that they had any schools whatever.
The interest awakened in literature and science immediately after the Revolution, followed the pioneers to their Western homes; but, to make their efforts productive of useful results, time became absolutely necessary. Just as soon as the settlements were prepared for the experiment, schools were opened; but at every step it was the acquisition of knowledge under difficulties. Everything connected with them was as simple and primitive as were their dwellings, food and clothing. Houses were built in the various neighborhoods as occasion made necessary, not by subscription in money, but by labor. On a given day, the neighbors assembled at some place previously agreed upon, and the work was done. Timber was abundant; they were skilled in the use of the ax, and, having cut logs of the required length out of it, the walls were raised. The roof was made of clapboards, kept in place by heavy poles reaching the length of the building. The door was of clapboards and creaked on wooden hinges, the latch of wood and raised by a string. The floor was "puncheon," or trees split in the middle, tolerably true, the edge and face being dressed with the ax. The crevices between the logs forming the walls were filled with "chinks," or split sticks of wood, and daubed with mud. The fire-place was equally rude, but of ample dimensions, built on the outside of the house, usually of stone, to the throat of the flue, and the remainder of the chimney of split sticks of wood, daubed with puddled clay within and without. Light was admitted through the door and by means of an opening made by cutting out one of the logs, reaching almost the entire width of the building. This opening was high enough from the floor to prevent the boys from looking out, and in winter was covered with paper saturated with grease to keep out the cold, as well as to admit the light.
In the rural districts, school "kept" only in winter. The furniture corresponded with the simplicity of the house. At a proper distance below the windows, auger holes were bored in a slanting direction in one of the logs, and in these strong wooden pins were driven, and on these a huge slab or puncheon was placed, which served as a writing-desk for the whole school. For seats, they used the puncheon, or, more commonly, the body of a smooth, straight tree, cut ten to twelve feet in length, and raised to a height of twelve to fifteen inches by means of pins securely inserted. It has been said that not infrequently the pins were of unequal length, and the bench predisposed to "wabble." Many of the pioneer "masters" were natives of Ireland, who had fled from the cruel oppression of the English Government, prior to and succeeding the struggle for Irish independence, in 1798, and here in this land of freedom were putting to good use that education obtained in their native isle. Thus did the oppression of England inure to the benefit of the young Republic; and the literary ability of Irishmen, like their military prowess in the Revolutionary war, do much toward founding and building up this great free and enlightened nation. Dr. Johnson's notion that most boys required learning to be thrashed into them was practically carried out in the pioneer schoolhouse. The pupils sat with their faces toward the wall, around the room, while the teacher occupied the middle space to superintend each pupil separately. In some rooms a separate bench was furnished for those too young to write Classes, when reciting, sat on a bench made for this purpose.
The books were as primitive as the surroundings. The New Testament was a common reading book; the "English Reader" was occasionally found, and sometimes the "Columbian Orator." No one book was common in all the families. The reading class recited paragraphs alternately, and the book in use was made common property, passing from hand to hand during recitation. It was not unusual for the teacher to assist a pupil in one of his "sums," discipline a refractory scholar, and hear the reading-class while the reading was going on. Deibold, Smiley and Pike's Arithmetic were commonly used, with the examples for practice almost exclusively in pounds, shillings and pence, and a marked absence of clear rules and definitions for the solving of the different divisions. Webster's "American Speller" was the ordinary spelling-book, which afterward made way for Webster's "Elementary Speller." This latter book maintained its popularity for half a century. The spelling class closed the labors of the day. All who could spell entered the "big class," and the rivalry was sharp as to who should rank first as good spellers. The class was numbered in the order in which they stood in line, and retained the number until a "miss" sent some one above them. Spelling-matches were frequent, and contributed largely to make good spellers. Grammar was not often taught, partly for the reason that books were hard to get, and partly because some of the teachers were not proficient in this branch of learning. When the science was taught, the text-book was the earlier and larger edition of Murray, which, by the close of the first quarter of the century, was largely superseded by "Kirkham," which though of little real merit, stimulated a taste for grammar. The boys and girls went to the same school, but sat on opposite benches. It occasionally happened that teachers were employed who had learned that an elephant may be led by a hair, or more probably were blessed with gentle natures, and won the hearts and life-long affection of their pupils by their pleasant and loving ways; but these were exceptions. The standard of excellence was often measured by the ability and swift readiness to thrash the scholars on any provocation. Disobedience and ignorance were equally causes for the use of the "hickory." "Like master, like boy." The characteristics of the one tended to develop a corresponding spirit in the other, and the cruelty of the one, with the absence, too frequently, of all just discrimination in the use of the rod, excited animosities which lasted through life. There were few boys of that day who did not cherish the purpose to "whale" the "master" on sight at some future day.
The schools were supported by subscription, the charge being from $1 to $3 per term of three months, during winter, to begin at 8 o'clock in the morning, with an hour to an hour and a half recess at noon, and close at 5 o'clock. One-half of Saturdays, or alternate Saturdays, made part of the term. Writing was taught to all the larger pupils, and the only pen used was the goose or turkey quill, made into a pen by the skillful hand of the teacher. Mending the pens was an essential part of the work. Copy-books were made of sheets of foolscap paper stitched together, and copies were "set" by the teacher during recess, which were commonly taken from the maxims in use from time immemorial. Sometimes the teacher was partly paid in produce or other commodities, which were the equivalent to him for money, while his support was often obtained by "boarding around." Money was scarce, and to make change it was usual to halve and quarter pieces of silver coin with an ax or heavy chisel.
The introduction of schools in one settlement was an incentive to their speedy adoption in all. The above description applies to all the earliest schoolhouses erected. The building of saw-mills and the opening-up of wagon roads brought about a better order of things, and plank, weather-boarding and glass took the place of clapboards, puncheon floors and log benches. For the history of the pioneer schools in the different localities of Madison County, the reader is referred to the history of London, and the several townships thereof, where the subject is fully written up from the recollections of the oldest living pioneers.