EIGHTH GRADE EDUCATION IN 1895 WAS PRETTY GOOD
Commentary 
Courtesy of Bill Ellis
Syndicated columnist

For most of my life and certainly now, I marvel at how much my                                     parents really knew.                                  Their formal public                                  school education ended                              with the eighth grade. 

I received from hall                                      of fame college                                    basketball coach and                                 teacher, Denny Lehnus,                          information about what                           students were                                   expected to know for                                their final exams in                                  1895. Space limitations                              will not allow me to                                   use all the questions,                                 but you will get the                                   idea.

I hear on the newscasts, read in the newspapers and magazines that education in the United States is failing. We all have our opinions as to why that may or may not be true. We do know that we have serious problems with public education.

Mr. Lehnus has spent his life in higher education. Here is what he passed on to me:
“Remember when parents, grandparents and great-grandparents only had an 8th grade education? Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

“This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file there at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library.

“Grammar. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications. Define verse, stanza and paragraph. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of ‘lie’, ‘play’ and ‘run’. Define case; Illustrate each case. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.

“Arithmetic. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic. A wagon box is 2 feet deep, 10 feet long, and 3 feet wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold? If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?  District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals? Find the cost of 6720 lbs. of coal at $6.00 per ton. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

“U.S. History. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.  Show the territorial growth of the United States. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

“Orthography. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication? What are elementary sounds? How classified? What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’. (Huh?). Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

“Geography. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend? How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas? Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean? Describe the mountains of North America. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

“The total exam took five hours to complete. It gives the saying, ‘he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?’ ”

Mr. Lehnus further said, “I question whether there are many who have doctoral degrees who could ace this one.” Paul was correct when he advised young Timothy: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed . . .” (2 Timothy 2:15).  There is so much to know and we know so little.

Publisher's Note: Bill Ellis, Award Winning Syndicated Columnist, P.O. Box 345, Scott Depot, WV 25560.  Phone:304-757-6089
www.BillEllis.Net.