Thomas Woody

“ Let the common language, used in School, be Latin, as much as conveniently may be, according to the speaker’s knowledge and ability therein, but in all places let every one speak with as much propriety and grammatical accuracy as he is capable in whatever language he makes use of. ”

“ In many others the number of the race was so small that a separate school was entirely out of the question; but more was needed than the mere presence of a White school, to make certain that they received even the rudiments of an education. A constant readjustment of the general ideal of attitude toward them was necessary for each individual community. The details of information concerning the work of each meeting was interesting enough, but perhaps it will be more instructive to point out and illustrate the general characteristics which applied to most, or at least a large number of them. ”

“ And to the end that the children of the poor people, and the children of Indians may have the like good learning with the children of the rich people, let them be maintained free of charge to their parents, out of the profits of the school, arising by the work of the scholars, by which the poor and the Indians as well as the rich, will have their children taught, and the remainder of the profits, if any be to be disposed of in the building of the schoolhouses and improvements on the thousand acres of land, which belongs to the school. ”

“ There are several temporary schools within the limits of our Monthly Meetings, chiefly made up of persons not of our society, and kept by masters of different professions, no funds provided for any of them, into which Friends in such neighborhood send their children, there is a subscription gone into within the compass of one of the preparative meetings towards building a schoolhouse on a lot of land given for that purpose—the raising of funds for the support of schools has been under care, but not much progress has yet been made therein. ”

“ The financial burden of Negro education usually fell on the local meeting. Those owning slaves were required to pay for [248] their education, but when they became free, as most of them did by the time of the Revolution, it was impossible for them to pay for themselves. This burden, which the society assumed, was usually met: (1) by subscription, [1222] (2) by special legacies, and (3) by income from investments in property. ”

“ There is no objection to the classical learning if it be added to the qualification under (2) .
Education not limited to Friends
Fifth, their conception of the scope of education did not limit it to their own people alone, but extended it rather to all peoples, Negroes and Indians, the rich and the poor. This is made perfectly plain in his address sent to the Governor of the Barbados in 1671.
Consider, Friends, it is no transgression for a master of a family to instruct his family himself, or for some others to do it in his behalf; but rather it is a very great duty incumbent upon them.... ”

“ For use in the writing school, we find one definite reference made to Bickam’s Universal Penman, which was purchased for use in Alexander Seaton’s School in 1762. [914] The various primers and spellers already mentioned dealt largely with writing also, giving models which were to be set before the pupil in the books or to be written out for him by the master. Some of the mottoes called to mind were: “Command you may your mind from Play” and “A man of words and not of deeds, is like a garden full of weeds.” ”

“ Pursuant to the advice and recommendations of the Yearly Meeting of Friends for many years, and excited by consideration in our own minds for an improvement of the school education of the youth, especially those in low circumstances, we, the subscribers hereto, have agreed to promote the raising of a fund or stock, the increase whereof to be for the benefit of the several schools which are or may be under the care of London Grove Monthly Meeting, and to be distributed amongst them at the direction of a committee of the said meeting, appointed from time to time in the care of schools. ”

“ The seventh day of the week the scholars may come to school only in the forenoon, and at a certain hour in the afternoon let a meeting be kept by the schoolmasters and their scholars, where good instruction and admonition is given by the masters to the scholars and thanks returned to the Lord for his mercies and blessings that are daily received from him, then let a strict examination be made by the masters, of the conversation of the scholars in the week past, and let reproof, admonition and correction be given to the offenders, according to the quantity and quality of their faults. ”

“ The Latin School of Philadelphia exemplifies contention of those quoted above
Education an asset; but apt to be perverted
Moreover, from various sources one is assured that a classical education was not abhorred by the Quakers of Philadelphia. The work offered in the classical school was for any one who had the ability to do it and its attainment was encouraged by Friends. The higher education was for girls as well as for boys, as we may judge from reading the journal kept by Sally Wister (or Wistar) , a Quaker girl of the days of the Revolution. ”

“ But still more convincing and irrefutable evidence is found in the preamble to this school charter, whence an extract is taken.
Public education essential for the welfare of a people
Whereas, the prosperity and welfare of any people depend in great measure upon the good education of youth, and their early instruction in the principles of true religion and virtue, and qualifying them to serve their country and themselves, by breeding them in writing and reading and learning of languages, and useful arts and sciences, suitable to their sex, age and degree ”

“ The size of the schools, measured by the number of pupils, must be judged mostly from material found relating to Philadelphia. It was doubtless true that in the country regions there were fewer children within reach of the school and it was not necessary to state limits beyond which they might not go. The yearly meeting certainly recommended that the number of children be specified, which the master was to teach, but this was often taken to mean that they should promise to teach a certain number of children for the use of the school. ”

“ The heart of Benezet knew no bounds; in his philanthropy he included all classes.
Third, a definite stand is made for higher standards for teachers.
I do not know how it is amongst you, but here any person of tolerable morals, who can read and write, is esteemed sufficiently qualified for a schoolmaster; when indeed, the best and wisest men are but sufficient for so weighty a charge. [94]
He endeavors to show that the work of a teacher is pleasant and should interest a better class of masters than it has in the past. ”

“ The monthly meeting was above all others the organizing business unit and the welfare of schools appears to have depended much on its activity. It is to the monthly meeting that we are indebted for almost all of the reports on schools, and it has been noticed that not until raised to the dignity of being a monthly meeting, did many meetings assume any important part in directing education. A few preparatives, which might be considered as a little exceptional, were Byberry, Falls, and Horsham. They appear to have handled their schools a little more independently than did others. ”

“ The chief purposes of the organization, when first begun, were (1) moral and religious discipline of members, (2) assistance to the poor among their number, and (3) to protect themselves against the oppression of outsiders (function of the meeting on sufferings) . The functions of the higher meeting (yearly) were chiefly advisory in character, while those of the lower meetings (preparative) were to work out the details. Educationally, the yearly meeting exercised an influence very early by its frequent recommendations and the literature sent to the smaller individual meetings. ”

“ I do not say that all Friends are thus hostile, or that they are all alike hostile to liberal learning but I charge this hostility on the system. That such is its character, appears from the denunciation, the indiscriminate proscription of Barclay, and that not in a few places in his book. It appears in the general hostility of Friends to all colleges and seminaries where the elevated branches are thoroughly taught. Not [27] one young Friend out of five hundred, even in this free country, ever obtains a liberal education in fact or in name ”

“ Small children were taught generally at about fifteen shillings per quarter, or half the customary price for older pupils whatever that might be. The general custom was that in cases where the school corporation sent poor children to a teacher they were admitted for a lesser rate than the others; if fifteen shillings were paid by others, then ten shillings might be paid for the poor children, schooled at the trustees’ expense. These prices for teaching among the Quaker masters are quite comparable with those demanded by other private masters in the city at about the same dates. ”