sympathies of a kind public, well knowing that it must stand or fall on its own merits or demerits alone. "I have been solicited to collect in book form the fugitive pieces already published in the local papers, and I have done so without taking time to correct faults. Many of these pieces were written in early boyhood and published in the Canadian papers under the nom de plume 'Sylvicola.' So sweet is the impression left on my heart of their reception, that I have given as the title of my little book a name still dear to me. May these songs-faulty as they are-bring to your heart a tithe of the joy they have given mine. Viroqua, Wis., 1878." WILLIAM HAUGHTON. From "Sylvicola," we select the following as a fair average of the whole: 'TWAS ONLY A SHELL. 'Twas only a shell by the river-side— A tiny and delicate shell; But 'twas kissed by the lips of the tinted tide, But alas for the gem with the delicate dye, 'Twas only a flower by the streamlet's brim, But 'twas kissed by the dews when the day grew dim And the night wind sang it to sleep. "Twas only the heart of a lowly one- A heart that was tender and true, So little were left when its trust was gone, Yet sweet was the hope that it leaned upon, And strong was the love that it knew. But alas for its life! On a cruel day A shadow fell and it withered away: 'Twas a faithless love-'twas a trust betrayed, And the broken heart of a lowly maid. O red-lipped shell by the sanded cave! O trusting heart of a lowly one! Away and away from my dreams you've gone. JOHN BROWN. [WRITTEN IN 1860.] Wail for the hero gone, O slave! Wail for the hero gone! Like a rock which the tempest breaks upon Weep for the hero dead, Weep for the hero dead! Mourn for the hero lost, Mourn for the hero lost! By that awful line in the landmark crossed Wake for the bold heart hushed, Wake for the bold heart hushed, For the victim's blood that nobly gushed, The breathing balm, the soft perfume Of beauty bursting into bloom; The cloud of everchanging hue, Sweet Spring, in all her glory dressed— What hand but thine, O, thou Supreme! Thou comest in the rushing storm, Less glorious, but how fair, art thou, With carth's dear love, its life and light. William Clawater, of the town of Franklin, a member of the 6th Wisconsin in the Iron Brigade of the late war, has written (and is still writing,) some creditable poetry. The following is especially to be commended: MOUNT RENO. 'Tis morn, the night wind seems whispering rest, On the left stood a gray, hoary giant, Battle-scarred by the storms and by time; Beneath its dark shade, rock-girt and defiant, Up from each flank moved the line, That covered the mountain and rift. Dark the cloud that foreshadows the hail, The fierce storm that bursts with a roar, The rocks echo back on the gale. The iron line rush to the charge, Bragg, Fairchild, and Gibbon are breasting the shell, No braver line trusting in steel, Than surged up that valley of hell. Now, high above the roar of the guns, Piercing wave, 'tis the Southerners' yell Falling chill on the hearts of our sons, For it tells when the brave Reno fell. The dark, gray rocks are now crimsoned with blood, Darkens the mountain with Northern blue, Roll the Rebel gray like a fast-ebbing tide, Their darkened crime and their falser dream, Mingle earth and blood on the mountain's side. With the dark blue lines came the flashing steel, Planting stars and stripes on the crown, And the haughty chivalry backward reel, The stars and bars with the sun go down. Setting sun, 'twas thy last fading ray, That painted death's shade at the sever; Round its brow twines the laurel and bay, And Mount Reno is famous forever! CHAPTER XXVIII. THE SCHOOLS OF VERNON COUNTY. From the time of the earliest advent of the | be extended over the new territory so far as families of French traders into the region now compatible with the provisions of the act, subknown as Wisconsin, to the year 1818, when ject to alteration or repeal by the new governthat region became part of Michigan territory, ment created. Thus with the other statutes, education was mostly confined to private in- the school code of Michigan became the origstruction, or was sought by the children of the inal code of Wisconsin, and it was soon formwealthier in the distant cities of Quebec, Mon- ally adopted, with almost no change, by the treal and Detroit. The early Jesuit mission- first territorial Legislature, which met at Belaries, and—subsequently to 1816, when it came mont. Although modified in some of its prounder the military control of the United States visions almost every year, this imperfect code -representatives of various other religious de- continued in force until the adoption of the nominations sought to teach the Indian tribes State constitution in 1848. The first material of this section. In 1823 Rev. Eleazar Williams, changes in the code were made by the territowell known for his subsequent claim to be the rial Legislature at its second session, in 1837, by Dauphin of France, and who was in the employ the passage of a bill "to regulate the sale of of the Episcopal Missionary Society, started a school lands, and to provide for organizing, regschool of white and half-breed children on the ulating and perfecting common schools." west side of Fox river, opposite "Shanty-Town." A Catholic mission school for Indians was organized by an Italian priest near Green Bay, in 1830. A clause of the treaty with the Winnebago Indians, in 1832, bound the United States to maintain a school for their children near Prairie du Chien for a period of twenty-seven years. THE ORIGINAL SCHOOL CODE. From 1818 to 1836, Wisconsin formed a part of Michigan territory. In the year 1837 Michigan was admitted into the Union as a State and Wisconsin, embracing what is now Minnesota, Iowa, and a considerable region still further westward, was, by act of Congress approved April 20th of the year previous, established as a separate territory. The act provided that the existing laws of the territory of Michigan should It was provided in this act that as soon as twenty electors should reside in a surveyed township, they should elect a board of three commissioners, holding office three years, to lay off districts, to apply the proceeds of the leases of school lands to the payment of teachers' wages, and to call school meetings. It was also provided that each district should elect a board of three directors, holding office one year, to locate school houses, hire teachers for at least three months in the year, and levy taxes for the support of schools. It was further provided that a third board of five inspectors should be elected annually in each town to examine and license teachers and inspect the schools. Two years subsequently (1839) the law was revised and the family, instead of the electors, was made the basis of the town organization. Every town with not less than ten families, was made a school district and required to provide a competent teacher. More populous towns were divided into two or more districts. The office of town commissioner was abolished, its duties with certain others, being transferred to the inspectors. The rate-bill system of taxation, previously in existence, was repealed, and a tax on the whole county for building school houses and supporting schools, was provided for. One or two years later the office of town commissioners was restored, and the duties of the inspectors were assigned to the same. Other some what important amendments were made at the same time. In 1840, a memorial to Congress from the Legislature, represented that the people were anxious to establish a common school system, with suitable resources for its support. From lack of sufficient funds many of the schools were poorly organized. The rate-bill tax or private subscription was often necessary to suppliment the scanty results of county taxation. Until a State government should be organized, the fund accruing from the sale of school lands could not be available. Congress had made to Wisconsin, as to other new States, for educational purposes, a donation of lands. These lands embraced the sixteenth section in every township in the State, the 500,000 acres to which the State was entitled by the provisions of an act of Congress passed in 1841, and any grant of lands from the United States, the purposes of which were not specified. To obtain the benefits of this large fund was a leading object in forming the State constitution. AGITATION FOR FREE SCHOOLS. Shortly before the admission of the State the subject of free schools began to be quite widely discussed. In February, 1845, Col. M. Frank, of Kenosha, a member of the territorial Legislature, introduced a bill, which became a law, authorizing the legal voters of his own town to vote taxes on all the assessed property for the full support of its schools. A provision of the act required its submission to the people of the town before it could take effect. It met with strenuous opposition, but after many public meetings and lectures held in the interests of public enlightenment, the act was ratified by a small majority in the fall of 1845, and thus the first free school in the State was legally organized. Subsequently, in the Legislature, in the two constitutional conventions, and in educational assemblies, the question of a free school system for the new State soon to be organized provoked much interest and discussion. In the constitution framed by the convention of 1846, was provided the basis of a free school system similar to that in our present constitution. The question of establishing the office of State superintendent, more than any other feature of the proposed school system, elicited discussion in that body. The necessity of this office, and the advantages of free schools supported by taxation, were ably presented to the convention by Hon. Henry Barnard, of Connecticut, in an evening address. He afterward prepared, by request, a draft of a free school system, with a State superintendent at its head, which was accepted and subsequently embodied in the constitution and the school law. In the second constitutional convention, in 1848, the same questions again received careful attention, and the article on education previously prepared, was, after a few changes, brought into the shape in which we now find it. Immediately after the ratification by the people, of the constitution prepared by the second convention, three commissioners were appointed to revise the statutes. To one of these, Col. Frank, the needed revision of the school laws was assigned. The work was acceptably performed, and the new school code of 1849, largely the same as the present one, went into operation May 1st, of that year. THE SCHOOL SYSTEM UNDER THE STATE GOVERN MENT. In the State constitution was laid the broad foundation of our present school system. The four corner stones were: (1) The guaranteed freedom of the schools; (2) the school fund created; (3) the system of supervision; (4) a State University for higher instruction. The school fund has five distinct sources for its creation indicated in the constitution: (1) Proceeds from the sale of lands granted to the State by the United States for educational purposes; (2) all moneys accruing from forfeiture or escheat; (3) all fines collected in the several counties for breach of the penal laws; (4) all moneys paid for exemption from military duty; (5) five per cent. of the sale of government lands within the State. In addition to these constitutional sources of the school fund, another and sixth source was open from 1856 to 1870. By an act of the State Legislature in the former year, three-fourths of the net proceeds of the sales of the swamp and overflowed lands, granted to the State by Congress, Sept. 28, 1850, were added to the common school fund, the other fourth going into a fund for drainage, under certain circumstances; but if not paid over to any town for that purpose within two years, to become a part of the school fund. The following year one of these fourths was converted into the normal school fund, leaving onehalf for the common school fund. In 1858 an other fourth was given to the drainage fund, thus providing for the latter one half the income from the sales, and leaving for the school fund, until the year 1865, only the remaining one fourth. In the latter year this was transferred to the normal school fund, with the provision, however, that one-fourth of the income of this fund should be transferred to the common school fund until the annual income of the latter fund should reach $200,000. In 1870 this provision was repealed, and the whole income of the normal fund left applicable to the support of normal schools and teachers' institutes. At the first session of the State Legislature in 1848, several acts were passed which carried out in some degree the educational provisions of the constitution. A law was enacted to provide for the election, and to define the duties of a State superintendent of public instruction. A district board was created, consisting of a moderator, director and treasurer; the office of town superintendent was established, and provision was made for the creation of town libraries, and for the distribution of the school fund. The present school code of Wisconsin is substantially that passed by the Legislature of 1848, and which went into operation May 1, 1849. The most important change since made was the abolition of the office of town superintendent, and the substitution therefor of the county superintendency. This change took effect Jan. 1, 1862. *. DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOLS IN VERNON COUNTY. From small beginnings indeed, education has developed in Vernon as in other counties, step by step, growth upon growth, ever widening and deepening to meet the wants of an increasing population, until to-day our schools stand abreast with the times, and are not far behind the foremost in Wisconsin. Here and there some fifteen to twenty years ago the traveler might meet on some cross road or deep in the head of some cooley, the oldtime log cabin, poorly lighted, largely ventilated, wretchedly constructed and furnished, where grown boys and girls with little children were taught from old fashioned and various text books, and often indeed, without even these poor aids. Educated and trained teachers were hard to obtain. There was little attempt at classification or any uniformity of method. One teacher spent part of his term in pulling down the work which the former teacher had built up, or in carrying the pupil over the same ground traveled by his predecessor, leaving the boy or girl at compound numbers or at fractions, to begin again the same process on the re-opening of the school and arrival of the next teacher. *Educational History," by Prof. Edward Searing, in the Illustrated Historical Atlas of Wisconsin. |