Show EARLY SCHOOLS an old settler contrasts the educational cat ional Advant anges of ashiley valley in 1878 and 1892 wonderful progress and great opportunities tuni ties for alio child ol 01 today to day cut this out anil ft tu during the spring summer and fall of 1878 quito a number of families added to tho population of ash loy and in tho latter part of tho fall the people mot together to devise ways and moans to build a schoolhouse it was finally decided to locate it near T taylors ranch and by voluntary contributions of the settlers settlors sett lors all of them married and single men taking an active part therein a good comfortable and commodious log house was built and rudely furnished with seats and desks for writing pur poses the next important item to consider was employing a teacher and after much solicitation I 1 agreed for a certain consideration to teach the young idea how to shoot I 1 started in to teach a three months term with about forty scholars choso whoso ages ranged from six to twenty years none of them were advanced beyond the third reader and the majority wore in the primer and first and second readers and such a motley col lection of dog eared books I 1 never 1 had seen there hardly two books alike in the school and as I 1 biad to classify them in order to avoid so much confusion in hearing recitations it made teaching very arduous and unpleasant however I 1 got along very well and succeeded in satisfying the patrons of the school bettor than I 1 had hoped for through the winter there was an occasional dance in the schoolhouse school house and teacher scholars and parents would throw dull care and the blues to the winds and enter into the spirit of enjoyments enjoy ments with a fully equal if not superior to our more for dunato brother mortals in the settlements on several occasions I 1 have danced until sunrise next morning in company with some of my scholars and then eaten my breakfast and taught school all day this was the first school taught in ashley valley the next summer more people came in and took them homes new school houses wore built and other teachers employed from time to time until uintah county was organized when tho county court organized and set apart several school sections and joseph black was kloct ed of schools at tho first election held in the county ho proved himself to be an able and efficient officer and from that timo to this the growth of the schools and educational interests has been ono of alio leading aims of tho pomplo hero today every school district has its school bouso and an attendance of from fifty to one hundred scholars each school bouso has all the improved maps charts etc necessary to explain the subjects taught tho anro men and women of education and experience and it is a pleasure to see tho merry bright clean faced well dressed children going to school and instead of one or two dilapidated books that looked as though they had come over in the mayflower you will see each one with a neat book bag or slate strap crowded full of books containing the elements of all studios taught in the common schools of our territory such is the present condition of our educational interests what its future will be wo can only predict by the progress we havo made in the past but in the next decade I 1 think I 1 can BOO a college and seminary from which will graduate men and women who will be an honor to their parents and their county who will bo qualified to till positions posit ious of honor and trust who will perhaps take part in making our country laws healing our sick in adding to scientific discoveries for the bolint of mankind and qualifying ojo o jo ambition only loads thorn 10 live a quiet uneventful and peaceful life among their flocks and herds or on the farm to enjoy and make tho most of tho opportunities afforded them by providence in a perhaps more humble but not less contented condition taking utah as a territory we can show as high a grade of intelligence and education as any state or territory in the union this includes all the branches of science and art oratory legal talent sculpture music and painting are a few among the many branches of education for which native sons and daughters of utah are famous why not add some of uintah countes Coun tys native born progeny to the list washington was a farmer lincoln also grant was a tanner and others choso whoso names aro legion who reached the highest round in the ladder of famo sprang from the most humble origin and only rose by their own efforts and untiring industry in conclusion let me say to the boys and girls of ashloc valley se c your mark high raise your tc six hundred or one thousand yards aryl then firmly and deliberately mcce up your minds to score a buffs jyo before you stop firing remember that kome was not built in a day but perseverance and energy will accomplish groat things and if you pors overe you will succeed remember education forma the common mind just as the twig is bent tho inclined start right study hard be industrious and manly or womanly and you will make your mark among tho honored ones of the world to the people living outside our county I 1 will say a few words are you looking for a place whore the cli mato is delightful chero tho soil is rich carrots parsnips par snips boots ao grow 0 long as your arm choro cab bagdis and squashes molona and babies are indigenous to tho soil and climate choro nature has poured out tho contents of her horn of in profusion than in any other land under tho sun choro ries grow as big aa hons and brains in proportion dont forgot to impress thin on your minds come hero and make your homos and in the golden future before us you will have no causo for regrets YE RELIO OF YE OLDEN TIME |