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"In the matter of repairs and school furnishings the record of 1890 is a very encouraging one as it furnishes proof of a larger interest being taken by our people in the material comforts and conveniences of our schools" [School Inspector's report, Antigonish County, Journal of the House of Assembly, 1891]
"The sections that made the principal additions to their school equipment in patent seats and desks, maps, globes, dictionaries, and sand tables, are the following:--Marie Joseph, Lochaber No. 5, Upper South River, Boylston, Giant's Lake, St. Mary's River and East Roman Valley." [Report of Superintendent of Education, Nova Scotia, Annual Report, 1905]
Supporting Evidence
Comments: In the early part of the 19th century, most pupils used simple planks for desks, often made by their fathers. Many Maritime schools at this time were hampered by poverty and an acute shortage of blackboards, maps, globes, pens and ink. Attendance at school was irregular, largely because household and farm chores were a priority for schoolchildren. Moreover, sitting at a backless desk for five or six hours had little appeal. In the second half of the 19th century, school reformers called for major changes, most notably segregation by sex, age and ability. Such modifications necessitated new forms of school equipment and furniture. Educational journals prescribed architectural designs and laid down clear specifications about seating, spacing and floor plans for more effective classroom management. The factory-made desk which was to be immoveable was the epitome of this new educational philosophy. The appearance of this style of desk was less severe and utilitarian than its predecessor. Made of iron and wood, it had subtle elements of the more decorative Victorian sensibility. And yet, there were many similarities, such as the inkwell in the corner and the trough for pencils. Allegedly the factory-made desk provided students with the comfort and support they needed for long school days. This particular desk was donated to the Antigonish Museum by Doris Flikke. It was made in Preston, Ontario by the C.O. & S.F. Co. Ltd. The feet are fitted with holes so that the desk could be bolted to the floor. The early version of this design seated two students side by side; the desk for the individual student came later.
Comments:This old school slate came from the North Lochaber School and bears the marks of use and age. A piece of slate has flaked off a corner, and the worn frame has been notched in two corners and tied with a string, apparently to keep the loose frame together. A hole was drilled in the frame and a string looped through, probably so it could be hung on a wall for safe-keeping. The frame itself is very rustic- looking and may even be a handmade replacement of the original. Perhaps the most interesting feature of this slate is the carved initials on the frame, LMN. It is likely that Lillian McNaughton, who grew up on a farm in Lochaber, was the owner of this slate. Slates were especially popular for working out arithmetic sums, and they were kept for that purpose long after they were required for academic studies--in some cases, well into the 20th century. To clean the slate, most children carried a small bottle and a rag. Some children, however, made do with their spit and their sleeves. Although it was possible to purchase slate wipers (no water required) as early as 1870, it is unlikely that money was spent on these when water and a rag were free. According to the Journal of Education for August 1870, slates were available at 57 cents per dozen; for another 7 cents one could purchase 100 slate pencils. Slates were a reflection of the frugal lifestyle of early rural communities and they made a practical substitute for paper.
Comments: The first Nova Scotia
Reader was introduced in 1864 shortly after the implementation of
Nova Scotia's Free School Act. This legislation was designed to
combat the evils of illiteracy; the 1861 census revealed that more
than one-quarter of the population could not read. Standardized
texts became an integral aspect of the new regulated school system.
The Nova Scotia Series was followed in 1874 by the
Royal Readers Series and, a year later, by the Maritime School
Series. By 1880, Inspector Roderick MacDonald reported that in
almost all the schools in Antigonish County, "the Royal Readers
and the Maritime series are to be found, and in some, in addition
to those, the old Nova Scotia series." There were seven books in
the Nova Scotia Series of Reading Books. The
price per dozen ranged from 35 cents for Book No. 1 to $4.28
for Book No. 7. Book No. 5 cost $2.05 per dozen. Textbooks were
issued free of charge to the pupils and were regarded as the
property of the school section.
This particular reader,
dated 1907, does not bear the name of any school or person. An
interesting feature of the book is that every paragraph and
every verse is numbered. This may have been done to facilitate
the custom of reading aloud in turn, a practise that was very
common. The reader contains interesting stories to read and
poems to memorize. Nineteenth-century textbooks mirrored the
morals, attitudes and culture of the times. This text is no
exception. It emphasizes such themes as social harmony, hard
work, honour, Canadian heroism and the glory of the British
Empire. The Fifth Book ends with the poem, "Rule Britannia"
and a picture of Edward VII. In 19th-century Nova Scotia
schools, the school reader was the measuring stick on the
learning scale. There were other textbooks but, for a long
time, none attained the prominence of the reader.
Comments: These registers for St. Bernard's Convent were
donated to the Antigonish Heritage Museum in 1994 by the Antigonish
District School Board. At first glance, they appear much like those
used throughout most of the 19th century, but there are significant
differences. Instead of the typical ten-month term, these registers
covered two six-month terms. One ran from 1 May until 31 October and
the other from 1 November to 30 April. Average daily attendance of
49%, 65%, or even 71% would be unheard of today. But these were the
daily averages in these registers and they were much higher than those
found in most schools. (The average rate for Antigonish in 1883 was
45%.) The classes at St. Bernard's Convent were for girls only. The high school register
lists forty girls in one term and forty-five in the other. They
ranged in age from eleven to twenty-seven years.
One of the registers records an interesting event on 28 October
1885--Public Examination Day. Twenty students and twenty-eight
visitors, including the examiners, were present. The examiners
consisted of local clergy, lawyers, St. F.X. professors, the Inspector
of Schools, and a representative of the school board. The subjects,
or branches, studied included the usual 3 R's, along with Music,
French, Natural Philosophy, Bookkeeping, Navigation, Algebra,
Geometry and Physiology.
Although the registers do not
clearly identify the name of the school, the names of the teachers
indicate that they came from Mount St. Bernard College, or St.
Bernard's Convent. The school had an excellent reputation, and
received many accolades for the performance of its students.
Comments written in the registers noted: "Everything
about this school is as it ought to be", and "Have every reason
to be pleased with this school."
Comments: It is difficult to pinpoint the date or origin of this clay inkwell because there are no distinguishing marks. However, this style of inkwell was replaced in the late 19th century by the more common glass inkwell. It was plain and notoriously messy as many old desk tops attest. The ink in the inkwell was either a commercial preparation or a homemade mixture of maple bark, lamp black and iron sulphate. The goose quill was commonly used before the introduction of the steel pen, which would eventually give way to the ball-point pen. The "Master" (the traditional name for the school teacher) was usually adept at "transforming the quill into a pen" and handed this skill on to those pupils learning to write. As a result, the pen knife was an "essential part of the old 'school master's' equipment". Penmanship was also highly valued at this time and was regarded as one of the most important of the "3 R's".
Comments: It is difficult to
determine the exact age of this locally-made desk. There are no marks indicating when it was built.
It is known, however, that the desk was used in the North Lochaber
Schoolhouse, which was constructed in 1866. The desk comes from a time
when most school furnishings were homemade rather than factory-made.
Often parents were required to provide seating for their children,
so there tended to be a wide variation in the colour and construction
of desks. This desk, donated to the Museum by Mrs. Eileen
MacNeil, features a sloping desk top, a trough for pencils, two
inkwells and a open shelf where students could store books
and other belongings. There is evidence that the desk must have been
bolted to the floor in order to thwart the popular student prank of
tipping desks as a class distraction. There is a slatted bench fastened
to the front of the desk which pulled down for students to sit on.
Although there are a lot of initials carved on the desk, it is
still in good condition.
It is believed that a barn owned by
Angus Boyd, an early settler, served as one of the first schools around 1827. At this time, desks were little more than thick slabs of hewn timber (3 to 4
inches thick) with wooden legs. The only desk was the "Master's",
which often travelled with the schoolteacher when he moved from school
to school.