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Henry Wisner.

His Excellency, Governor Livingston.

During the preceding year, Prof. Webster had prepared the manuscript of the first part of his "Grammatical Institute of the English Language," the first text-book for the use of schools published in this country. This first part was the Webster Speller, not only the first school book published in this country, but also the most popular one.

Mr. Webster's object in leaving Goshen at this time, was to show these manuscripts to people acquainted with the educational situation throughout the country and to get their opinions on the probable demand for the work.

He visited Philadelphia and met a number of the members of Congress, among whom was James Madison, afterward president of the United States. Mr. Madison was himself, a thorough linguist and deeply interested in the subject of schools. He also showed much interest in Mr. Webster and his proposed work. From Philadelphia, Mr. Webster went to Princeton and showed his work to the Rev. S. S. Smith, then a professor and afterward president of Princeton College. Everywhere the project was enthusiastically received and the young author returned to Goshen, greatly encouraged to complete his series of texts and to publish it.

As we have already stated, no text books had been published in America. Moreover, at this time a widespread awakening to the importance of education was manifest throughout the country and the demand for books suitable for the instruction of the children, both in the elementary schools and in the academies was great. Accordingly, Prof. Webster returned to Goshen, continued his work there another year, during which he revised and completed his manuscripts, and in 1783, returned to Hartford and began their publication. The Grammatical Institution of the English Language was published in three volumes. The first was the speller, the second the grammar, and the third, the reader.

They seem poor and printed with wretched type, when compared with the workmanship of modern text-books, but these little volumes, produced by an Orange County teacher, while teaching in its earliest academy, were most enthusiastically received and the demand for them taxed the capacity of the publishers to the fullest extent.

The speller, the first part published, was an immediate success. In fifty years, about twenty-five million copies were sold, and for a part of this time the sales exceeded a million copies a year. The royalty on this book was one cent a copy, and, for many years this royalty yielded the author a very comfortable income. The other parts of the work never had so large a demand as the speller, but the reception accorded them and the demand for them which followed, induced the young author to devote his entire time to authorship, so that his two years in the Farmers' Hall Academy, at Goshen, comprised his entire work as a teacher.

What other teachers conducted this school before the date of its incorporation under the university law, is not definitely known. The charter was issued April 1st "in the fourteenth year of American independence," or 1790. The school, however, had been in operation at least sixteen years, before this date, and ten years before the university law was passed.

There he would sit in his chair, on the porch of the hotel, always ready to tell of the many and varied experiences of his life to any who cared to listen.

One day he did not respond to the call of the gong which announced that dinner was ready, and they found him, sitting in his chair, dead. He had died without a struggle and unnoticed, sitting in his accustomed place.

Some time previous to 1820, the Female Academy was established and became a part of the institution, controlled by the same board of trustees as the Farmer's Hall. William Ewen was the first principal in this department. Among the many teachers who had charge of this school during the earlier half of the nineteenth century were: Nathan Stark, Horace Sweezy, Victor M. Watkins, Rev. B. Y. Morse, David E. Fowler, Stephen D. Bross and Nathaniel Webb.

The last mentioned, Nathaniel Webb, became principal of both departments about 1833. Mr. Webb's influence, not only in this school, but also in the educational interests of the entire county, was such that he is worth of more than a cursory notice in any account of educational matters in this county.

He was a graduate of Union College and had caught some of the enthusiasm of Dr. Nott in the cause of education. He had prepared for the ministry, but, on the completion of his studies at Union, he found his health so impaired that he had to give up work and spend some time in the South, recovering his lost vitality. He never became robust, but enjoyed a fair degree of health and was an indefatigable worker.

After leaving the principal-ship of Farmers' Hall, Mr. Webb established a boarding school for young ladies at Goshen, which had, for many years, a wide reputation and patronage. It was noted for its thoroughness, its high moral tone, and for the real culture of its graduates. This school, which was later known as the Goshen Female Seminary, under the efficient management of Professor Webb, became one of the best schools of its kind in the State, and sent out many cultured women into the homes and schools of this section.

Various other teachers as principals and instructors carried on the work of this school until well on in the second half of the nineteenth century, when, like most of the other private academies, it was replaced by the public school.

Whatever the facts may be concerning the priority of the establishment of Clinton Academy and the Farmers' Hall, there seems to be no doubt that the Montgomery Academy, another Orange County institution, incorporated in 1792, was the fourth of these schools in the State.

The progressive character of the people of our county is shown by this fact, that two of the first four academies of the State should have been founded by them. The subscription list for the Montgomery Academy is dated in 1787 and was probably circulated and signed at that time. The village of Montgomery was only a small hamlet in a farming community. The people were, not wealthy, but they were in earnest in their determination to secure for their children the advantages of a good school.

Two hundred and seventy-seven names appear on the list, almost all of them heads of families, residing within eight or ten miles of the village. The amounts were small individually, but the sum obtained was sufficient for the modest beginning which they were to make. The trustees appointed by the subscribers, to take charge of the undertaking, were thirteen in number and were generally the most prominent and intelligent men of the section.

The story of how these farmers helped themselves to what they wanted in school accommodations is told by both Eager and Ruttenber in their histories of Orange County. This story illustrates so well the method of the founding of these schools in rural communities throughout the State that I quote from Ruttenber the story, entire:

"The trustees purchased a frame, already put up, several miles distant, as they could get it for some small sum, made a frolic to which the farmers came with their teams and carted it down to the village. This was but the work of a day, in these patriotic and freewill times. So, at very little expense, the building was entirely put up and finished.

"The teacher they wished to employ , was married, had a family and a horse and could not come unless the family and the horse could be accommodated. So, the trustees redoubled their exertions, built a kitchen adjoining the academy, put up a stable and permitted the Reverend Mr. Miller to live on the ground floor. They tendered him 80 pounds for the first year, and, after that, all he could make. This offer was accepted and the Reverend Mr. Miller became the first principal of the new institution. The tuition fees paid by the pupils varied from 2 L. to 5 L. a year, according to the subjects studied." The pound in New York currency was .50.

The old building was used about twenty years and was then replaced by a substantial brick building, in which the old academy maintained its existence for many years, after most of the private schools had been absorbed by the public school system. In 1891, after more than a hundred years of existence as a private school, it became the academic department of the Montgomery public schools.

The Newburgh Academy was projected by the Reverend Mr. Spierin, pastor of the Episcopal church. After some delay a building was erected and a school opened "for the instruction of youth in the Greek and Latin languages and in other branches of literature." The peculiar relation of this school to the Church of England and its control by the trustees of the Glebe, seem to have been a source of trouble. In 1804, a public meeting of the inhabitants of the original patent was held and nine trustees were elected "to take charge of the school in the academy." The new trustees evidently did take charge, for the school was incorporated under the University of the State of New York in 1806 as "The Newburgh Academy." This school had a long and successful career. Many of its teachers were men of learning and ability and the school enjoyed a reputation second to none in this section of the State. It is impossible to give its full history or to name all of its teachers. Mr. Ruttenber mentions Samuel Nicholson as principal in 1799, James Larrimore in 1802 and a long line of successors. The academy continued its work as a private school until the special act establishing the free schools of Newburgh was passed in 1852, when it became a part of the public school system of the village.

The Washington Academy, of Florida, had its inception in a meeting of the inhabitants of that village held on February 14th, 1809. The meeting was enthusiastic and decided to erect a school building and establish a school "for the instruction of the young."

A two-story brick building was erected, but it was not conducted as a private academy long. When, in response to the law of 1812, the towns were divided into school districts, in 1813, the building became the school house of District No. 15, of the town of Warwick.

Samuel S. Seward was one of the first movers for the establishment of this school and was a member of its first board of trustees. His son, William H. Seward, afterward governor of the State of New York, United States Senator and Secretary of State under President Lincoln, was one of its early pupils.

Mr. Seward was never satisfied with the fate of the Washington Academy and later gave a site and erected a building for a private school which was known as the S. S. Seward Institute.

He left ,000 in his will for a permanent endowment of this school. For nearly half a century it was maintained as a high class boarding school. The endowment and the active interest of the Seward family kept it in operation long after most of the schools of its kind had been closed by the competition of the public school. But in 1891, it was turned over to the board of education of the village of Florida and it has, since that time, been the academic department of the Florida public schools.

The Wallkill Academy, Middletown, like a number of other places along the line of the Erie Railroad, owes its initial development to that road. In 1840 it was a small village. The people were alive to the interests of their children, however, and in 1841, they organized a company with 115 stockholders, for the purpose of establishing an academy to provide the children of the village with better opportunities for education than could be had in the district school. The result of this movement was the building of a school house and the establishment of the Wallkill Academy.

The Reverend Phineas Robinson was the first teacher, and the school took high rank as a classical or grammar school from the first.

He was succeeded by Patrick McGregor, who was principal for five years. Henry Freeman was in charge for a like period, and the Reverend P. Teller Babbitt was in charge for a year and half. Then D. Kerr Bull became principal and continued in charge of the academy until it became a part of the public school system of the village of Middletown, at its organization under special act of the legislature in 1867.

The Chester Academy was chartered by the regents of the university on February 27th, 1844. The first principal was William Bross, who was assisted by his brother, Stephen D. Bross, mentioned above as one of the principals of Farmers' Hall Academy at Goshen.

William Bross prepared for college at Milford, Pa., and graduated from Williams College in 1838. He taught in several places before going to Chester, and, in 1848, he went to Chicago and engaged in newspaper work. For a number of years, he was president of the Chicago Tribune Company and he was lieutenant-governor of the State of Illinois from 1865 to 1869.

The Reverend Phineas Robinson, who was the first principal of Wallkill Academy at Middletown, was in charge of this school for eight years, and Edward Orton, who was later a professor in the Ohio State University, was principal for six years. Like the others, the Chester Academy became, later, a part of the public school system, and the old academy building was used for public school purposes until it was burned in 1905. A new building has been erected to take its place and has been in use since September, 1907.

The Warwick Institute was organized in 1852. The building was erected in the spring of 1853 and the school opened the same year. D. F. Drew was engaged as principal but left during the first year, and was succeeded by William A. Carter. The institute and its property were turned over to the board of education in 1868, that board agreeing to forever maintain a school for instruction in the higher studies.

The West Point Military Academy--This school, while in the county, is not of it. It is the United States government school for training officers for the command of its armies.

The Military Academy is located on a government reservation at West Point, one of the most picturesque and beautiful spots on the Hudson. The establishment of such a school was recommended by Washington in his last message to Congress and it is known that even from the time of the Revolution, West Point had been looked upon by him as a most suitable place for its location.

The recommendation of Washington was acted upon and some provision made for the instruction of cadets, but it was not until after the war of 1812 had shown the necessity for such training, that the military academy was fully established.

From that time to the present it has grown in importance and efficiency. Many millions of dollars have been spent in utilizing the natural advantages of the reservation and in providing the equipment needed. The reservation contains nearly two hundred buildings of various kinds, and its attractiveness on account of its natural scenery, its buildings and its well-kept lawns, make it a popular place for tourists.

The academies which I have mentioned, with the exception of the military academy, which is brought in here simply because of its location, were of a semi-public character. While not maintained by taxation, they were organized by popular movements and existed only for the benefit of the people.

There have been many other schools in the county, which were entirely private in character. Many of these have been important factors in the progress of education in our county, and have done much to uphold a high standard of school work, but we shall be able to mention only those which now exist and which hold charter relations with the educational system of the State.

THE PERIOD OF THE FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

There had been elementary schools in most of the scattered communities of the county before the Revolution, as we have seen, and they continued after that war, increasing in numbers and in efficiency. The academies provided better teachers for those schools, and they also stimulated the children in them to prepare themselves for the higher studies of the academies. They were public schools also, but they were entirely dependent upon local initiative and supported entirely by the people of the neighborhoods in which they were maintained. The State had shown its interest in secondary education by the establishment of the university, in 1784, by chartering the academies and by grants of money in aid of these schools, but it was not until 1795 that it showed any interest in the common schools.

In that year, acting on the recommendation of Governor Clinton, the legislature appropriated the sum of 20,000 L. a year, for the succeeding five years, "for the encouragement of the common schools."

The act provided, also, for the election of two commissioners of schools, in each town, of the counties of the State, to supervise the schools of the town and to make arrangements for the proper distribution of this grant. The chaotic condition of the schools, with no system of records and accounts, and, in some instances, the local pride and resentment, occasioned by this State interference in what was considered an entirely local institution, rendered the just apportionment of this fund difficult, and, after three years it was abandoned.

The districts, as formed in Orange County, in 1813, have not greatly changed since that date. The rate bill was continued as the method of school support until the passage of the Free School Act, in 1853, and, in many places it was continued until 1867 when it was finally abolished and the schools, supported entirely by public funds, became free to the children of rich and poor alike.

The supervision of the public schools by township commissioners, under the law of 1795, and abandoned in most of the towns in 1798, was restored by the law of 1812, and thereafter, until 1844, what supervision of the schools there was, in the various towns, was vested in three commissioners and three inspectors. In 1844, the supervision of the schools was vested in a town superintendent of schools and so continued until the office of school commissioner in the assembly districts, was created in 1856. Since that time, the work of inspection and supervision has been performed by these officers.

The commissioners of the two assembly districts of Orange County, since 1856, have been in the first assembly district, George K. Smith, David A. Morrison, Charles N. Gedney, Jonathan Silliman, James M. Monell, Charles Rivenburg and George W. Flood. In the second assembly district, George N. Green, Harvey H. Clark, John J. Barr, Benjamin F. Hill, John W. Slauson, Asa Morehouse, Oliver N. Goldsmith, William H. Shaw, Ira L. Case, Willard M. Clark, William P. Kaufmann.

Since the operation of the free school act began, the educational progress of the county has been continuous. The enrollment has increased with the population. The average daily attendance has increased more rapidly than the enrollment, and the efficiency of the schools, as indicated by the number of the institutions which are doing academic or high school work together with the number of pupils of high school grade, shows the most marked advancement. The number of such schools in our county has increased from half a dozen to twenty-two and the percentage of high school pupils to the enrollment has increased from less than one per cent, to about eight per cent.

To demonstrate more clearly this progress of the schools. I have prepared a table showing the population, enrollment, average attendance and high school pupils for each decade of the free schools.

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