Hearne History - Page 169

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reading the Liturgy; for the more general Instruction of the People, one Sunday at the upper end of the County, another at Dover Ghurch, and a third at the lower end of the County. He used to Catechise the children all the Summer long, before Sermon, but not in the Winter.

MASTER WILSON.

Master Wilson, a Scotcbman, goes down in history as the first man in Delaware to oppose higher education of women. He kept a school for both sexes as early as 1760, and thought it unnecessary for girls to “go into arithmetic further than through Simple Division, cause it was no use; only torn boys with big slates, would care to cipher in the Double Rule of Three’ -- an argument interesting if not irresistable.

JAMES FILSON.

James Filson first taught in Wilmington before the Revolution, and again in 1785. A wounded arm prevented him from “trashing the boys” to his heart’s content, so lie abandoned his profession and joined Daniel Boone in Kentucky. He made the first complete map of that State, and became its first historian. The Filson Club, which is to-day making valuable contributions to American historical literature, especially of the Southwest, properly perpetuates his name.

MILFORD.

The first schoolmaster of whom we have any record in the town of Milford was William Johnson, who kept a private school in the latter part of the last century. In his note-book appear the following notices for Thursday, Mar 25, 1788:

“Notice is taken that James Train called William Russell a liar, witness William Pope.”

“Notice is taken that Peter Robinson was absent from the school till the evening.”

“Notice is taken that James Train came to an engagement in school this evening.”

The eminent lawyer, William Hall, writes that when he settled at Dover in 1803, “There was then no provision by law in the State for schools. Neighbors or small circles united and hired a teacher for their children. There were, in same rare places, school- houses. The teachers frequently were intemperate, whose qualifica- tions seemed to be inability to earn anything any other way. A

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Notes:


Copyright (c) 1999, 2007 Brian Cragun.