Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1963)
KLAMATH FALLS. ORKGOM. SINDAY. PfcXEMBKR 8. 1963 Many Still Fondly Recall McGuffey's Famed Texts ( :; o d ; V I ' .... : If I V rliVii 3 & in ., ifci ".JiJL 7 A DESCENDANT Mrs. Loren (Mildred) Binney, 724 Mitchell, is a descendant of two hardy men of the great clan of the fighting McGuffeys who migrated from Scot land to contribute to education in America. William Holmes McGuffey who wrote the McGuffey's Eclectic (third) reader, and his brother, Alexander McGuffey, who wrote the Eclectic Speller and the fifth and sixth grade readers. Revised copies of the third grade reader and the speller, are owned by Mrs. Evelyn Loomis, 216 Pine . Street, Klamath Falls. par "V;. ImpM fB I V -- "-Tat - ibiitrrcVC " Hi H I II .,. 7 "?. V r to - i j , Site j t yo. '-'p -chic - MANY LESSONS LEARNED School books were used over and over in the early days of education when school and family funds were low. Numerous children learned from the same speller and reader, and the volumes soon became dog-eared and worn. This copy of McGuffey'i Eclectic Spelling Book (revised edition) owned by Mn. Gordon (Evelyn) Loomis, 216 Pine Street, has childish scrawls on fly leaf and in side covers. As pupils sometimes are required to do now, unlucky ones who missed a word, stayed after school and wrote it 50 times. By RLTH KING The beloved old school books, the McOuffcy's Readers and the MeGutfey's Speller, are known to many persons of an earlier generation, but to the younger, they are names rarely men tioned, seldom seen. They are linked to Klamath Falls through Mrs. Evelyn Loomis, 216 Pine Street, who owns the Third Grade Eclectic Reader and the Eclectic Spell ing Book, and Mrs. Mildred Binney. Mrs. Loren ( Mildred) Binney of Klamath Falls is a direct descendant of the McGuffey family of whom Alice McGuffey Rugglcs writes in a charming narrative of the family that came to America from the mountains of northwestern Scot land. McGuffey sons were later to leave their imprint on educa tion in this country. "Outwardly tamed, they kept their proud independence of spirit, and a gnawing restless ness tormented them from with in. But they lived their hard lives of work and prayer un complainingly, and even found a kind of savor in the hard ness," wrote Mrs. Ruggles. It was Billy McGuffey "who attended strictly to his own business, farming and cobbling," and his wife Ann whom he adored," but tried to cage her spirit with his own iron will," who emigrated to America in 1774. It was Ann who patched the family's threadbare clothing over and over, stinted the por ridge and doled out the wood and peat, to help swell the sack of pennies behind the chimney. He was 32. she was E7. They had three children, a boy, Alex ander, 7, and two girls, Cath erine and Elizabeth, 6 and 4. They sailed in a small brig which took the better part of three months to reach America. "Supplies of food, issued once weekly, were cooked over open fires in an open galley. Cock roaches and rats scampered ev erywhere and Ann's spotless quilts were soon crawling. Billy was educated. He wrote a fine hand and read all the books he could gather. Ann could not. He bought a Y o r k County farm in '75 but the war with Britain drew him into bat tle. Ann often killed and conked a pullet for General Washington who stopped at the McGuffey home for rest and relaxa tion. Came an end to the war and Billy Mas back, aged and disillusioned, his new country was not flowing with milk and honey. It seemed to Billy a man without influence or money was in a pretty hopeless state, for all the .fine talk about de mocracy and opportunity. He re turned to cobbling shoes on the side. He was still a farmer. They emigrated again, follow ing the Daniel Boone Trail through the Cumberland Gap and young Elizabeth died and was buried without shrowd or coffin beneath a high bank of laurel. The first grandson of William and Ann McGuffey, sun ui San dy, was named William Holmes McGuffey by his mother Anna. He was a "plain-faced infant," but a precocious one. He was taken by his parents into un broken wilderness to the North, riding horseback. His parents fought the un friendly wilds. His mother was dedicated to the task of build ing a road that would lead her children to education, to pow er and position. No matter what came or went Anna McGuffey "took time to give her children their first lessons in reading and ciphering, usually at night." Above all, it would be William who must be educated. He ate up knowledge. He need ed only to read over a pass age once to have it by heart. He, w ith his brothers and sis ters, walked to a small school, miles from home, to learn from a Presbyterian minister. Rev. crend Mr. Wicks. They learned to say cow, not ke-owe; catch, not ketch, and to drop their voices and not shout. " William learned Latin. At lfi he was given a certificate and became a roving teacher. It was discouraging work. Parents were both ignorant and indiffer ent. Children were unruly. He determined to become a Presby terian minister, a secret kept with his mother. He tramped the frontier, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ken tucky in patched clothing. Sum mers he worked hard on his fa ther's farm, but he loathed it. He was torn with concern for the backwoods people, lonely and hungry for something be sides their daily grind. With his mother, he planned ways and means for further minis try. His father was not inter ested in "lamin' " but he snared William from the farm. There was no money for schooling. A seventh child appeared but Anna never gave up. William would !e a minister. Henry, the second son, wanted to be come a doctor and she would make the smallest, Aleck, a lawyer. Since her husband would not help her, Anna turned to the Lord, "Ask and it shall be giv en unto you." William became discouraged. He was 18. Anna prayed as she had never prayed before. It would take a miracle to find the money for his scholing. Next morning during break fast, a stranger in clerical dress knocked at the cabin door and asked to speak to (Mrs. McGuf fey. He was looking for pupils for his academy in Grccrsburg, Pa. He had been beyond the fence the day before as s h e prayed. A week later William w as on his way. There were some who believed that Anna knew the traveling preacher was in hearing distance. William earned his tuition, 70 cents a week by hard labor in the principal's home. His moth er cherished his letters. He nev er had a cent in his pockets. His father sometimes sent him a barrel of apples or a sack of meal for the principal's family and lis mother and sisters knitted him stockets and mit tens, and a comforter for his neck. "Aim high," his mother told him, "second bests aren't worth while." He enrolled at Washing ton College, and spent six years there, working his way. His courses were Latin Greek. Hebrew, ancient history, and philosophy no modern studies. He taught at Washing ton College, went to Miami University, started a little school of his own to try out some of his theories on educa tion. The daily lessons William ar ranged gradually took shape as a book. He had already pub lished in London "A Treatise on Motliods of Reading." By 1833 his "First Reader" was ready for printing, the year he was ordained as a Presbyterian min ister. His sermons were never emotional. By 1834 pubpic schools were being opened all over the fron tier. William McGuffey fought for his beliefs in education, un compromising, and. because of this, left Miami University where he was an administrator and went to Cincinnati "without a backward look." It was at Cincinnati College and at Woodward that the fa mous "Readers," which he had long envisioned, came to light. A shrewd Yankee youth of 18, Winthrop B. Smith, saw the great market for schools books in the West and approached William Holmes McGuffey to prepare a set of books. The series called for a Primer, a Speller and four Readers. Wil liam had already planned a Primary Reader based on les sons he had taught in informal classes at Oxford. The Speller he lelt to his brother Alex ander who was to collaborate. The Readers were to lay the foundation of correct spelling, pronunciation and usage and exemplify American ideals of work, education, character. He would make them stimulating to all people. He would have no dogma, no gloomy or fantastic tales. The contract for the first sc ries was signed by William on April 28, 1838. The publishers were to pay him a royalty of 10 per cent on all copies sold until the copyright should reach the sum of $1,000, after which the Readers became absolute prop erly of the publishers. It was a clever bargain for the publish ers. In later years the sales and profits had mounted to the millions. The historic little books a Primer, four Readers and a Speller, appeared in 1837, at tractively bound in green and pictures on every page. The il lustrated alphabet in the First Reader began with A for Ax. What backwoods child could fail to learn? It unlocked the gales of learning. Animals played an important part and poetry was written to delight. The second Reader led the child into the enchanted gar den; the third contained unfor gettable stories and the Lord's Prayer in verse. In the Fourth Reader the student began to get the real McGuffey classics. "The Old Oaken Bucket," and "George Washington and His Little Hatchet." Alexander, in addition to the Speller, compiled the Fifth and Sixth Readers. He preached tho beautiful art of reading and speaking. Publisher Smith, now sole owner of the textbooks, worked like a beaver to get them into all schools. West, South and East, everywhere except New England where the "Worces ters" continued in use. Smith's publishing business grew. He grew richer year by year. William Holmes McGuf fey had sold his copyright for a mess of pottage. The readers were widely used down to the 1900s and in some localities, un til 1910. He went to the facul ty of the University of Virginia and continued to fight for his educational beliefs and propos als. He held his tongue on States Rights during the Civil War. He grew old and sad. When the war ended, the pub lishers of the McGuffey Read ers urged William to tour the South to gage the effects of peace on their sales. He was 67 when he toured through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Carolinas. What he ob served was tragedy, but he made no notes of what he had seen. He continued to teach. In his last years he wrote the Mag num Opus. He died in Char lottesville in 1873. He was 73. Shrines and monuments were erected to his name but William McGuffey has a living shrine in the hearts of millions of old school boys and girls. Copies of his Readers are in museums, tucked away, too, in attics and basements. A few are forgotten on tlie bookshelves in libraries, a few are cherished by the old. Alexander McGuffey wrote no more than the Speller and the Fifth and Sixth Readers. He never needed money nor cov etcd it although it was said that at least 10 millionaires "were made" from the McGuffey se ries. Alexander was not one of them. He outlived William 23 years. Both men lived and died un conscious of their real contribu tion to posterity. Mrs. Binney, Klamath County deputy treasurer, as tier illus trious forefathers has taken a continuing interest in educa tion, polities and civic proj ects. She is the mother of three children, Stephen, a senior at Oregon State University; Larry, Klamath Union High School sen ior, and Susan, KUHS junior. She is a past precinct com mittee woman, serves on the elementary school budget board, is a past president of Oregon State University Moth ers, and is serving this year on the state board; she has been active with her husband, Loren, in PTA, Cub Scouts. Little Leaguers, Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball, and has lived in Klamath Falls for 26 years. a LfL1 i ill ' xl 'NEWYORK CINCINNATI t.e uir. r - QUAINT TITLES Third grade pupils who studied the McGuffey's Readers, re peated "The Lord's Prayer" from its pages, and read a story a day The Young Teacher, A Walk In the Garden, Bird Friends, Weighing an Elephant, The Echo, Find ing the Owner, Beware of the Firist Drink. When the first edition back in 1837 was issued, school furniture and equipment was primitive. Boys and girls tat on wooden benches. They helped teacher pull water in a bucket from a well and stoked the stove with whatever fuel was native to the part of America in which they lived. f ' r fjtii- imm.i ! " When y.Mi imd tin,! yiiur t it 1 1. vi-li, Hi'ak mildly a sin ill- n li mi.- liMiii,. fr,,m I mtlii-r Yr.n iH ,. liiiu. Yt.u will m,,, ix liiii, and And tlia Wim I'tlics will lifcxnc wild and fw'1, "i I". " Whether yc, ,iru in tllc, j,,id nr -m tlio wixhI.i, al or ut iily, at huuio or abrrnid, remember, The piod anrl tho kmtl, By kindiw-w tltir !ov ever pmvtnp, Will dwul with ttif. jmrv iiutl 0 lovin)(.n LESION XXXIV. fiunt fvttM n frN' ltn'ilif lining ttrjiw'hef ri OKOKIC II FRAKT. ' t. Opnfe's mother win very poor, Instead of hm'tnir bright. Uiuinjr fires in winter. !; had notliii; tn burn but dry Mickx, wliieli CiMirp' .irkl up from urolor the trew wt llltlt. 8 One nn dny in July, h "l 0"nre. to the w..l. wlie b '"" "li,rt! from tW villngu in bicb she . lirtJ. H rillRI UKAHfiK VM , stay H.- - '' l" K"1 " ..ml k be WinM collcet. " un mm bijrh, he tw but, and wiohed for fA place where he might real and out tiia dinner. 4. While he hunted about the bunk, he mw among the iimjm some (Imj, wild itruw." berri, which were a bright ncarlet with ripcneM. ri (Vilnius fi'iil'iiri' I7.ith'fiil frail'ty iji ii'lyx eiliVn d.Vi'lv tiii';y iM.l'.li,' liell'ver (linir'y f'il'i'cr uu'iin'iii'M lie,u'ly eh'ur'nnej' Te'lenrj! fleeVy lu'tifr friViui gat way ftiimt'sAke' alnVtum nu'a'sllf le'fciun rii'ion stcc'iile" rfl'Ler 1WIM nw'liiir oak'ma , potd'tie tri,!- ' WlfU ; twis;'icr Wery, , Ar'riV liiirVm mirVm uturViH i-;'irV' IjOiwiii 77. 'V; n,.lin wlih !. Ih k Uf W iflmi. Wln'dujr win'noii I Wil'll'l Lii'lo ulifil'loV ilV.p fellow m-ri6jr 'ftl'hV lllelld'ojr liii'lojf wid'ow : WfJlr mur'nW tri.-vi-IhieVf' h-4 V .li.ik nf-t fwittel'l,( rv trievi' ui Irievii n j.iriV" vn rvil le aK-iV hro Tier" li- c'.iVa re liJf reUe decfiV'eT , dc.it'fl dUnViia .rhfrl Itjfllr' rirus ' Lemon 78, THE TORCH OF LEARNING BURNED BRIGHT In those early days of American Democracy when men toiled to open new frontiers, it was usually the mothers of growing children who were dedicated to give the younq the advantages of an educa tion, meager at best in those days when toad and shelter came first. Ann McGuffey, newly arrived from the mountains of Scotland, who followed her husband Billy from r.ew land to new land, mothered the authors of the McGuffey'i Eclectic Readers and McGuffey's Eclectic Speller, William and Alexander. When mortal man failed, the sought divine help, and sometimes used a women's wiles to gain an advantage. William aiijAVnj. omrht. aiovd. -wrj, trml fd. rf hud ftf grain. Kl a'nWni l.d, id M. ' rl. ptrwml. rL nJor. rL I ffnus, KwL flimt, tl. Ik, rbj,. oar, for rormj.. OTP1, rrfied nutui 6Yr, ottr. AVer, o ho or. Adda, teiiit to. ,i .it-, i - MS, a yiwer i inm. tiff, liquor. VI, to frrl fin. M, rff mL. . ct;,')(t, trice four. (nt, m tMerf. . McGuffey became one of the foremost American educators and ministeri. The broth ers gained little from the publication of their school books while the publisheri reaped riches. Both men lived and died without knowledge of the great contribution they had made to education in this country.
