History: The Standards of 1895

Subject: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 00 - 12:36 AM

I realize that education is only tangentially important to the major topics of music, instruments, and the evolution of traditional songs.  But I thought you might enjoy a notion of what bloody Kansas' educational standards were like when it had barely been settled, and that only sparsely, in the era of Stephen Foster, the Golden Spike, John Henry (roughly), the Reconstruction, Regency clothing styles,and "After the Ball is Over"; the year Thomas Huxley, Louis Pasteur and Engels died, and the expression "De Blues" was still a few years in the future, at least in published form.

It was the year Carl Orff , Anna Freud, the surrealist poet Paul Eluard,  Robert Graves and Castelnuovo were born; at that time Charles "Buddy" Bolden, the first  man to play the improvised New Orleans rhythms of "jass" founded his first band, and lead it with his sweet, incredibly clear cornet licks. In that year, too, sailing out of Gloucester, under the reach of Cape Ann, just north of Salem, Massachusetts, Capt. Caleb Hines, 50, a native of Pubnico, Nova Scotia, washed overboard from the chooner Reuben L. Richardson on the passage home from Newfoundland with a cargo of frozen herring. He had a wife and three sons. In the same period all this was going on, and much more, the

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, KS. USA.
It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley
Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS and reprinted by the
Salina Journal.

8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS - 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no
modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do,
lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that
you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many
bushels of wheat will it hold?
 3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts.
per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary
levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104
for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20
per m?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance
around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of theRebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln,
Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates:
1607
1620
1800
1849
1865

Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography,
etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph,
subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e'. Name two
exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling.
Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a
 word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono,super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and
name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir,
odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences,
Cite, site, sight,
fane,fain, feign,
vane, vain, vein,
raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation
by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
Manitoba,Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and
Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same
latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the
sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth.
Give inclination of the earth.
---------------------------------------------------
Imagine a college student who went to public school trying to pass
this test, even if the few outdated questions were modernized.
----------------------------------
Gives the saying of an early 20th century person that "she/he
only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning!

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: SeanM
Date: 03 May 00 - 12:47 AM

OK, Amos... You're frightening me. I was just reading this exact piece from the Urban Legend Resource at snopes.com earlier today - the page in particular being here.

Damn coincidences...

M

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: The Beanster
Date: 03 May 00 - 12:49 AM

That's amazing. I never even heard of orthography...and what is fane?? (where's my dictionary...) I'm sure there aren't many Ph.D.'s out there who could do very well on this exam.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Gypsy
Date: 03 May 00 - 12:58 AM

As someone who has hired many high school graduates...wouldn't be a bad idea to have this kind of education available to them. At the very least, they could spell, check their bills for addition errors, and figure out a 20% tip.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: SeanM
Date: 03 May 00 - 12:59 AM

The site I posted goes into detail. It's listed as an "undeterminable" Urban Legend that's been floating around.

A point brought up on the site... more important than just the immediate assumption that today's kids couldn't do well on the test, consider the fact that many of the questions are things that just don't apply any more. F'r instance, the math sections are nothing but regular arithmetic, using archaic terms, and on one occasion ("Write a promissory note") a useless skill in today's world.

As well, while I personally can't name all the various rules for capitalization or grammar that they request, I on several occasions in my schooling turned in essays that were savagely shredded in the search for the slightest error.

Also of note... the questions that snopes.com has over the authenticity... apparently this 'society' that posts said test has other documents as well, one of which is relatively certainly a fake...

M

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 May 00 - 01:15 AM

Well, Amos, my grandmotehr was born in bloody Kansas, and would have been 10 years old at this time, but by then she was in Colorado.

Urban legend or no, my father has an 8th grade education and I would put him up against any college grad, today, and bet he'd come out ahead. Entertainment when he was growing up, was sitting at the table, with his parents, in the evenings, eating popcorn and apples, while reading the classics by oil lamps.

I have a book of my aunt's, the Encyclopedia of Business and Social Forms, from just about this time, also. I've quoted out of it in the Thought for the Day threads. Judging from the chapter subjects and breadth of knowledge displayed in it, I wouldn't doubt for a minute that the above could be a fair representation.

My own high school education was the equivalent or better than most colleges offer or expect of kids today.

My two cents,

kat

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 03 May 00 - 01:30 AM

Well, I was expelled from Salina High School roughly fifty years after that mythical(?) test. I was a rebellious, smart-assed sophomore, singularly unimpressed with the education they were offering. I can assure you of this: If such a test was actually presented to students in Salina in 1895, the standards of scholastic achievement had diminished considerably by the time I observed them.

Sandy

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 May 00 - 01:37 AM

sorry for the run-on italics AND certain grammar

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 May 00 - 08:22 AM

Truth told folks, the standards are lower. There is a funny thing that circulated among teachers a few years back. I don't have it anymore, but it had to do with the ability to pass math tests. It ended with something to the effect that a passing grade was NOW determined by whether or not a student could RECOGNIZE a number.

Spaw

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 May 00 - 09:25 AM

Aah, but you should see the stuff they were expecting people to know in 1795...

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: MMario
Date: 03 May 00 - 09:30 AM

The records of what (noble) children were expected to study during the 1500's and earlier show that much greater demands were put on the young. There are records showing students starting sword lessons at 3 years of age, of being accomplished hunters at 10, young ladies often could converse in three or four languages before they hit puberty - I believe Elanor of Acquitane was (very activly) RULING at the age of 14....

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 00 - 09:33 AM

But that was a third of her life. More or less. Plus, no Disney. Maybe no, or few fairy tales -- nothin' but reality. Awwww.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: MMario
Date: 03 May 00 - 09:38 AM

what third of her life? she lived to be 82, and from all accounts was pretty feisty right up to the end.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 00 - 09:50 AM

Wow...I'm sorry MM -- I yield to superior scholarship. It was my understanding that the life expectancy even among the landed class in those years was closer to 40!

A

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson
Date: 03 May 00 - 09:55 AM

I can't vouch for whether that test is a real test, but judging from conversations with my father (1909-1983) and essays by Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1989)and others of that generation, the dumbing down of education is real, and to be deplored. Heinlein has a long essay on this point in "Expanded Universe" collection and it agrees almost completely with what is here.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: MMario
Date: 03 May 00 - 10:04 AM

"AVERAGE" lifespan, Amos,....even some of the peasants lasted into their nineties, according to the Doomsday book, and parish records etc....

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 00 - 11:04 AM

Pete:

Thank you for resurrecting the name of one of my favorite writers of all time. RLH could get it said better than any other sci-fi writer of the era, especially in terms of real living and honest walking. I have always wanted to be Lazarus Long when I grew up. But this also amounts to a confession that that ain't gonna happen! (growing up, I mean...I'm still working on becoming Lazarus Long).

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: GUEST,Dorothy Crocker
Date: 03 May 00 - 11:38 AM

I, a 71 year-old Canadian, could answer lots of those questions. Some are pretty funny in 2001, e.g., (note punctuation) "what use is a river?" One could easily make up a test for today's Grade 8s that some would do well on, others poorly (as in 1895) with questions that would be totally outside the experience and knowledge of 1895 teachers. Relevancies change, knowledge expands.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: GUEST,Aldus
Date: 03 May 00 - 12:38 PM

I would say that relevencies take over and knowledge declines....now if a thing is deemed to be irrelevent (whatever that may mean) is demoted to the realm of unimportant and therefore not taught in schools. We have left the age when people loved learning, now we claim to love education...alas the connection between them has been lost to the God of relevence.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 00 - 01:02 PM

Wise words, Aldus. The hard curriculum, assuming it is accurate, of 1895 8th grade equipped people who finished it to go out into the world as, at least, working humans with some knowledge of place and planet, the disciplines of their language, enough math to solve major issues on the scale they would likely need to, and a sense of history. The relevance was partly generated by the training in what to look for.

If we trained people in the skills of good living, rather than the mindless adsorption of symbolic facts, we would do them more good.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 May 00 - 01:13 PM

An average life expectancy of 40 doesn't mean that you were likely to reach 40 and then keel over. More people died young, and this brought down the average. But if you made it past childhood, and didn't die in childbirth, you could expect to live to a fair age. And it's not ancient history either - that's how it still works in poor countries.

When I looked at my son's maths homework when he was at school I could never make head nor tail of what they were talking about in the questions. I'd have had a much better chance with the alleged 1895 exam paper. Apart from some of the stuff about American History.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: Peter T.
Date: 03 May 00 - 05:27 PM

I think the most important thing that has been lost, apart from geographical and historical facts that I usually bitch about, is that people with no schooling or none in the 19th century were clearly able due to lots of practice to read, articulate, and write complex sentences, including very sophisticated syntactical relationships, such as hypotaxis (i.e. subordinate clauses, relative clauses) which are far beyond most university students today until they get into 3rd year. Ordinary people read the Bible, Dickens and Scott and Shakespeare; children could not get out of the 8th grade without having worked through novels like The Mill on the Floss. This is not Romantic nostalgia. I have done research into this in Canada for presentation at hearings into education policy, and that was the level of complex reasoning that was available to ordinary people. You only have to read court transcripts of vagrancy hearings or servants complaints. That meant that they could weigh evidence, present positions, and engage in arguments that would baffle most of my students who read and write like infants. Many of them are very smart, but are handcuffed by their lack of mental structure. They are vaguely gesturing in the direction of thinking.

Sorry, I have been marking student papers all week, so I am somewhat exercised about this!!!!!!!!!

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: History: The Standards of 1895
From: kendall
Date: 03 May 00 - 05:36 PM

I know who MORSE was..and all those 4 digit numbers are adjoining rooms in a Polish hotel.