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THE SCHOOLS. • 27
English at the root. The magistracy was still as grave, reverend, and dignified a body as if it were presided over by the lord-lieutenant of some English
county, and enforced its grandeur by fines, suspensions, and imprisonments
upon the slightest suspicion of contempt or indecent liberty. The vestry
power was a strong one, and though badly and defectively exercised, owing to
the corruptions of the clergy, who would rather fox-hunt than enforce the
laws, who neglected the ordinance of baptism to seek good dinners, and who
encouraged illiteracy and permitted polygamy as readily as they traded in
advowsons, it had a good, conservative influence on the community in the
remote country sections. The towns revolted against this vestry system, and
practically repudiated the yoke of Episcopacy, affiliating themselves with
Presbyterianism, or some other form of dissent; but the parish priest had
great power up to the time of the Revolution, in all the country neighborhoods, and on the whole, exercised it for the benefit of the community.1
In regard to schools, several notable ones were set up in the province at different dates, but the first Free School Act was that of 1723, chapter XIX.2 This,
as we have seen, provided a per capita tobacco tax for the support and maintenance of country and parish schools. These schools were, perhaps, the
nucleus out of which our excellent county academies grew; but at that time
they did not work well nor make rapid progress, except in the infrequent
cases when the clergyman of the parish was a man of piety and learning and
able to take charge of the school himself. The school-masters were a low and
dissolute set, more than half of them being redemptioners and servants.
They had Latin and Greek enough, perhaps, but were of the " hedge priest"
class, drunken in habits, severe and capricious in discipline, and teaching in a
rude, irregular way. Some parish schools, and some private ones, happily
rose considerably above this standard. We have enumerated a few of these
latter, and other schools are worthy to be mentioned.3
1 The numerous reports to the Bishop of Lon- Sharpesburg, Frederick county." October 12,
don, who had general charge of the Church in 1769, John Stevenson, of Baltimore, advertises
the colonies, and whose ordinary travelled sev- a parcel of healthy indented servants, just im-
eral times in this province, are evidence to the ported, amongst, along with bakers, weavers,
fact that Episcopal affairs were very badly ad- hatters, farmers, is one school master. No-
ministered in Maryland, that a large number of vember 23,1769, another lottery, to raise \
the clergy were totally unfit for their places, for a public school in Frederick county, is ad-
and, in short, that there were as many trans- vertised. December 14, William Hutchings
ported priests and clergymen as there were of opens school in Annapolis, at Mr. Cannon's
the other trades and professions. Upon this house, on Market street, " where will be taught,
point, see Dr. Hawks' History of the Church in after the most approved Methods (with Care
Maryland. and Assiduity), Reading, with Propriety;
2 Bacon's Laws of that date. Writing, in various Hands ; Arithmetic, Vul-
3 In the Gazette of January 5,1769, John and gar and Decimal, in all its Branches ; Extrac-
Sally Stott propose to open an English school, tion of the Square and Cube Roots ; Biquadrate,
where English, writing, arithmetic, book-keep- etc." Mensuration and "the Inculcation of
ing, mensuration, knitting, sewing and sample- the Principles of Virtue and Morality, as well
work on catgut and muslin are to be taught in as the other Branches of Literature.''' January 3,
an easy and intelligible manner. June 8, same 1770, Samuel Culbertson and Thomas Bell an-
year, a lottery is advertised to raise $600 " for nounce that they propose to open a Classical
compleating and finishing the Reformed Cal- and Mathematical school in Annapolis, as soon
vihist church, and building a school-house in as the holidays are over. The advertisement
| Title | History of Maryland - 2 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000052 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | THE SCHOOLS. • 27 English at the root. The magistracy was still as grave, reverend, and dignified a body as if it were presided over by the lord-lieutenant of some English county, and enforced its grandeur by fines, suspensions, and imprisonments upon the slightest suspicion of contempt or indecent liberty. The vestry power was a strong one, and though badly and defectively exercised, owing to the corruptions of the clergy, who would rather fox-hunt than enforce the laws, who neglected the ordinance of baptism to seek good dinners, and who encouraged illiteracy and permitted polygamy as readily as they traded in advowsons, it had a good, conservative influence on the community in the remote country sections. The towns revolted against this vestry system, and practically repudiated the yoke of Episcopacy, affiliating themselves with Presbyterianism, or some other form of dissent; but the parish priest had great power up to the time of the Revolution, in all the country neighborhoods, and on the whole, exercised it for the benefit of the community.1 In regard to schools, several notable ones were set up in the province at different dates, but the first Free School Act was that of 1723, chapter XIX.2 This, as we have seen, provided a per capita tobacco tax for the support and maintenance of country and parish schools. These schools were, perhaps, the nucleus out of which our excellent county academies grew; but at that time they did not work well nor make rapid progress, except in the infrequent cases when the clergyman of the parish was a man of piety and learning and able to take charge of the school himself. The school-masters were a low and dissolute set, more than half of them being redemptioners and servants. They had Latin and Greek enough, perhaps, but were of the " hedge priest" class, drunken in habits, severe and capricious in discipline, and teaching in a rude, irregular way. Some parish schools, and some private ones, happily rose considerably above this standard. We have enumerated a few of these latter, and other schools are worthy to be mentioned.3 1 The numerous reports to the Bishop of Lon- Sharpesburg, Frederick county." October 12, don, who had general charge of the Church in 1769, John Stevenson, of Baltimore, advertises the colonies, and whose ordinary travelled sev- a parcel of healthy indented servants, just im- eral times in this province, are evidence to the ported, amongst, along with bakers, weavers, fact that Episcopal affairs were very badly ad- hatters, farmers, is one school master. No- ministered in Maryland, that a large number of vember 23,1769, another lottery, to raise \ the clergy were totally unfit for their places, for a public school in Frederick county, is ad- and, in short, that there were as many trans- vertised. December 14, William Hutchings ported priests and clergymen as there were of opens school in Annapolis, at Mr. Cannon's the other trades and professions. Upon this house, on Market street, " where will be taught, point, see Dr. Hawks' History of the Church in after the most approved Methods (with Care Maryland. and Assiduity), Reading, with Propriety; 2 Bacon's Laws of that date. Writing, in various Hands ; Arithmetic, Vul- 3 In the Gazette of January 5,1769, John and gar and Decimal, in all its Branches ; Extrac- Sally Stott propose to open an English school, tion of the Square and Cube Roots ; Biquadrate, where English, writing, arithmetic, book-keep- etc." Mensuration and "the Inculcation of ing, mensuration, knitting, sewing and sample- the Principles of Virtue and Morality, as well work on catgut and muslin are to be taught in as the other Branches of Literature.''' January 3, an easy and intelligible manner. June 8, same 1770, Samuel Culbertson and Thomas Bell an- year, a lottery is advertised to raise $600 " for nounce that they propose to open a Classical compleating and finishing the Reformed Cal- and Mathematical school in Annapolis, as soon vihist church, and building a school-house in as the holidays are over. The advertisement |
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