Don Balka
In the early educational history of Indiana, schools were under the control of county superintendents. Around the turn of the century, that person for Hancock County was County Superintendent Geo. J. Richman. His job was to run county schools, but he was also involved with the Indiana County Superintendents’ Association, serving on an important committee in the early 1900s for the future of our state. The committee’s task was to write the state examination for students who wanted to go to high school after completing grade 8. That examination, written in 1904 for use in 1905, is the focus of this article.
Students (predominantly boys) intending to continue into a Hancock County high school or just wanting a junior high school graduation certificate were required to take an examination that covered seven topics: Reading, Arithmetic, Physiology, Music, Grammar, Geography, and History. The instructions and notice to applicants are shown in the same format as on the original examination.
Here are some “Questions for Examination of Pupils Completing Course of Study in the ‘Common Branches:’”
Instructions: Pupils need not copy the questions; but must number each answer to correspond with the question, and must write the manuscript in ink. When you are asked to answer “any six” out of eight or ten questions respectively, stop when you have answered the number required, To answer more is a loss of time, and may lower your grade, as all mistakes will be marked off.
Writing: The penmanship shown in the entire manuscript of the examination will be graded on a scale of 100 percent; with reference to legibility (50%), regularity of form (30%), and neatness (20%). The handwriting of each pupil will be considered in itself, rather than with reference to standard models.
Spelling: The orthography of the entire manuscript will be graded on a scale of 100%, and 1% will be deducted for each word incorrectly written.
The County Superintendent will grade the manuscripts, and certificates of graduation will be issued to each applicant who attains a general average of 75%, not falling below 60% in any subject.
Here are questions for three of the seven sections of the examination.
(1) Reading
1. Who was Victor Hugo?
2. Give something of Hugo’s description of the battle of Waterloo.
3. Name a work of Emerson.
4. Compare and contrast Longfellow and Tennyson as authors.
5. Tell the complete story in one of Longfellow’s poems.
6. Explain the meaning of Tennyson’s short poem, Crossing the Bar.
7. What life lessons are revealed in Thanatopsis? Quote from it.
8. Characterize Longfellow as a poet.
(2) Arithmetic
1. (a) 2/3 of 5 1/2 times 2 3/4 equals what?
(b) .96 divided by 96 equals what?
2. A farmer exchanged 17 1/2 cords of wood at $2 3/4 a cord for coal at $4 3/8 per ton.
How many tons did he get?
3. At 20 cents per square yard what will it cost to plaster a room 15 ft. long and 12 ft. wide and walls 9 ft. high?
4. I sold a wagon for $100, thereby gaining $20. If I had gained $20 more what would have been my gain percentage?
5. Find the amount of $392.38 for 3 months 11 days at 6%.
6. A, B, and C buy a farm. A invests $2,000, B invests $2,500 and C invests $3,000. The needed improvements cost $750. What should each pay?
7. A cylinder is 3 ft. in diameter and 6 ft. long. Find contents.
8. A hallow sphere has a diameter of 20 in. How many gallons of water does it hold?
(3) Physiology
1. Name the juices that assist in digestion.
2. Name three uses of the skin.
3. Why is it difficult for a drunkard to quit drinking alcoholic drinks?
4. What is true respiration?
5. What are the constituents of expired air? What is the most injurious substance in expired air?
6. What is the portal circulation?
7. What are the main divisions of the brain? What are the convolutions?
8. What are the uses of pain?
Nationally, there were about 17.1 million students, and only about 4% were enrolled in grades 9 through 12. For Hancock County, the population in 1900 was 19,189, which translates into about 768 students going to high school in all nine townships of the county.
Our Indiana educational history is an important part of Hancock County history, especially considering that a Hancock County resident and school superintendent helped write the state examination.
Answer the questions if you can! No computers, phones, or calculators allowed!
Don Balka is Professor Emeritus in the Mathematics Department at Saint Mary’s College. He is a mathematics educator, working with K-12 mathematics teachers and leaders all over the world, and also serving on the board of the Marshall County Historical Society, where he has been writing articles about a variety of area historical events.
