Early Quaker education in PennsylvaniaWoody, Thomas
History
Early Quaker education in Pennsylvania
Woody, Thomas
Education -- Pennsylvania -- History; Society of Friends -- Education -- History; Thesis (Ph. D.)
The length of the school day is better indicated, and perhaps the source
of information is more reliable, near the end of the century. The rules
issued by the Board in 1795 state that the hours are to be from 8 to
12 in the morning, and from 2 to 5 in the afternoon, these hours to
be observed from third month, first to eleventh month, first; in the
remaining months the hours were 9 to 12 and 2 to 5.[860] Vacations were
very scarce and very brief.[861] In the main, according to the rules
issued at least, they were to be: (1) at the periods of the quarterly
and yearly meetings; and (2) a vacation of three weeks, commencing on
seventh day preceding the last sixth day of the week of the seventh
month.[862] The other rules issued at this date besides these mentioned
relating to holidays and length of the school day were the same as were
previously stated.[863] The hours named above appear to us rather long
for the small children; arrangement seems to have been made for them,
though no statement of it is made in the school regulations. There were,
however, the schools of (1) William Brown and (2) Sarah Lancaster, who
taught children for half days,[864] and also the Girls’ School, in which
Anthony Benezet taught (1754), was mentioned as though it were to be
conducted only in the morning.[865] It is not to be understood that the
half day arrangement was always followed in the case of younger children,
for Sarah Lancaster taught thirty-five children whole days “at 15/ per
quarter.”[866] It seems that the amount of time for them to attend was
probably determined by the desires of their parents.
[Sidenote: Student papers, and magazines, etc.]
An interesting and instructive light is cast upon the inner life of
the school in Philadelphia, by some of the manuscript collections of
the very old Philadelphia families. For instance, we learn that in
the public school there were published certain magazines, gazettes,
chronicles, and so forth, a few of them named as follows: _The Examiner_,
_The Universal Magazine_, 1774, _Students’ Gazette_ (about 1774 to
1777), _The P. S. Gazette, Latonia_, 1777 to 1778, the _Public School
Gazetteer_, containing the freshest advices, foreign and domestic (a
palpable imitation of the newspapers in the city of that date), and _The
Students’ Magazine_.[867] The contents of all of them were no doubt very
interesting to the boys and girls at the time of their publication, and
are so even now, and at times give light on topics of importance. It
may perhaps interest the reader to see some of the entries. We find the
following which gives a clew to the book used for instruction in grammar.
[Sidenote: A few items of interest and value]
Was lost on Wednesday in The Public School Rudiman’s Grammar
newly bound—Whoever has found the same and will bring it to me
... shall receive 1 sheet of paper reward.
S. FISHER.[868]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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