I have been asked to write a paper for your August body on the subject of "The Early Development of
Education in Fairfield"  or as requested "some similar title."

I had had a couple of years at school before I came to Fairfield, so I was placed in the third room.  If my memory is erected we vent by rooms instead of grades. The first room was in the south vest room of the old brick school building (since demolished).  The second room was to the southeast and so on around,  There were four rooms to the ground floor and the same number above. The fifth room was above the first and the sixth north of the fifth the seventh and eighth were on the east side and separated by a series of folding doors.

I remember some of the teachers: Miss  Belle Rogers, Miss Maria Gash, Miss Ida Swan, Miss Minnie Stinson, a Miss or Mrs. Susan Phelps, R. V. Black, J. M. Dixon, and a Mr. Davis.  Being a very small and rather helpless and a very timid boy, I regarded them as a bunch of Amazons and ogres, with one exception, but after many years of teaching myself, I have come to the conclusion that they were a very fine, efficient, and extremely well qualified group. The exception I mentioned above was Miss Kate Morris, who was always so kind and sympathetic that I always regarded her with a kind of veneration, All the others were very stern and efficient and insisted on work being done. I suspect they had to be that way in order to keep ahead of the kids.

I regard Miss Minnie Stinson as one of the most efficient lower grade teaches in the profession.  Prof. J. M.  Dixon taught me history at a summer school one summer.  His work  was so realistic that one almost felt that he was right there while events were happening, The others were I believe, very sympathetic and helpful in their hearts but had to he stern in order to get along.

I believe that the high schools of our day were fully as efficient as they are today. Of course we did not have bands, football, music, dramatics, home economics, social science, cheering squads, Booster Clubs, parent teachers organizations, supervised play, majorettes, gymnasiums, free lunches, free buses, etc., but the subjects we had were pretty good and well administered. We did have football. The east side of the yard was for the larger boys and other kids who risked venturing
over there. The southwest corner of the yard was for the smaller boys and the northwest for the girls.

Going hack to football.  It was some kind of heavy cloth covered wit h rubber,  It had two small plates about the size of a quarter grimly fastened on the outside and through in the middle. There was a small hollow tube to fit in this hole which you blew into as much air as you could muster. Then while holding the open end firmly with your tongue you twisted the tube to the right and it closed the valve or whatever it was and you were ready for business.  The big boys chose up then divided into two groups. The object was to kick the ball over the fence behind your opponent. If you could kick it when it was near you, you kicked somebody. (However this was not, in the rules).

But one of the great sports was fighting. Whatever the boys were doing when some one yelled "Fight, Fight"  everybody stopped what they were doing and hastened to the spot where the scrap was going on. They gathered in a big circle and watched it out, then went back to what they were doing until another shout started it all over again. I think fighting has gone completely out of style among school boys. I remember some of the fighters but will omit names.

As far as sanitation is concerned, we were far, far behind the present day. The modern toilets and shower rooms, clean, paved, and immaculate delight me.  I enjoy knowing that the present day child has them. The sanitary drinking fountains and the locket's are a pleasure to see.  In my day the little brick building at the east side of the school yard was the only boys' toilet.  It was a place of indescribable filth and probably resembled a scene from Dante' Inferno.

I think one of the greatest events that ever happened to Fairfield was when Hayward College was established. It presented opportunity for higher education to a large number of people who, otherwise, would not have had that opportunity.   I remember also that high school graduates took advantage of the opportunity who probably would not have been interested in higher education. The teachers all over Wayne also attended. I think Hayward was the beginning of a desire for higher education among great numbers of folks in Fairfield and Wayne County.

I have not, mentioned that Hayward was established by the Methodist Church and I believe led by Mr. Robert Hayward. They should be given great credit for this achievement.