Ohio History Journal




EDITORIALANA

EDITORIALANA.

OHIO DAY IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

At the regular monthly meeting of the Executive Committee of the

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical society, held Friday, July 18,

1902, Professor C. L. Martzolff, trustee, presented a scheme to have

the public schools throughout the state, celebrate the admission of Ohio

into the Union on March 1, 1903. He proposed that the Society, through

a committee, prepare a program of exercises for that occasion, such

program to consist of historical sketches, literary excerpts, poems and

other literary matter pertinent to the day for the children to read or

recite, and that this literature with some suggestive schedule of exer-

cises, be sent to the superintendents and principals of all the schools

of the state. Professor L. D. Bonebrake, School Commissioner, and

Mr. O. T. Corson, editor of the Ohio Educational Monthly, had sig-

nified their willingness to co-operate in this matter. The Executive

Committee of the Society endorsed this plan and appointed Professor

C. L. Martzolff, Professor F. B. Pearson and Hon. D. J. Ryan as a

committee to prepare such program and report to a subsequent meet-

ing of the Executive Committee. Accordingly on November 14, 1902,

at the first joint meeting of the Centennial Commission appointed by

the Governor and the Executive Committee of the Ohio State Archaeo-

logical and Historical Society, this matter was presented by Hon. A.

R. McIntire and it met with the approval of the joint committee. Again

at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Society on Decem-

ber 13, 1902, Professor Martzolff, on behalf of his committee, reported

that they proposed to send to the principals of the schools a little

pamphlet containing the program of exercises for the children to fol-

low, with a list of books and literature to be consulted.   A  pre-

liminary statement in the form of a circular had already been sent

to very many of the teachers and something over one hundred of the

county newspapers. These papers had published the circular and com-

mented favorably thereon. The matter had thus been sufficiently adver-

tised to establish its popularity and justify the carrying out of the

project. It would, however, require considerable expense. The only

source from which funds for the purpose could come was the Centen-

nial appropriation of $10,000 made by the legislature in its extraordinary

session, October 22, 1902. The Executive Committee decided to recom-

mend to the Joint Centennial Committee that this proposition for the

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186 Ohio Arch

186         Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.

 

school day celebration be carried out and that a sufficient amount be

voted from the centennial fund for the purpose. At the second joint

meeting of the Centenntial Commission, held December 29, 1902, Pro-

fessor Martzolff presented the proposed pamphlet to be sent to the

teachers, which was entitled "The Ohio Centennial Syllabus," the material

of which would constitute a pamphlet of 64 pages, with an appropriate

cover upon which was printed the National flag in colors. This pamphlet

comprised an introduction by School Commissioner Bonebrake, a

statement of the history and work of the Ohio State Archaeological and

Historical Society; statement of the committee preparing this material

setting forth the purpose of the school celebration; the origin of the

plan and steps taken to carry it out. The material chosen for this

pamphlet was carefully selected by the committee from leading his-

tories, volumes of poems, works of literature, publications of the Ohio

Archaeological and Historical Society, etc., also a valuable list of reference

books pertinent to Ohio history. The Centennial Commission made the

proposed appropriation and authorized the committee to proceed with the

publication and dissemination of this pamphlet. It was decided not to

hold the school celebration on March 1, 1903, which was the real date of

the admission of Ohio, because that date fell this year on Sunday, but rather

to hold it on Friday, February 27, which day would be more suitable

and convenient for the schools. The Centennial Commission authorized

Professor Martzolff and his committee to print and circulate the pro-

posed pamphlet. The committee had 15,000 of these pamphlets printed

and sent to that number of the leading teachers, principals and superinten-

dents of schools in Ohio. Indeed, more than half of the teachers of the

state were thus supplied and there was scarcely a school in a town of any

size that was not a recipient of the program and that did not make

use of it. It was indeed a most successful achievement for the Ohio

State Archaeological and Historical Society and on the day, in ques-

tion, hundreds of thousands of school children gave their thought and

attention to the history of Ohio and the literature that has been pub-

lished concerning it. Probably in no state at any time has so universal

and complete a program of a state event been observed by the school

children. The results of this Ohio Day will certainly be far-reaching.

It not only added vastly to the information and interest of our young

people in their own state but it was an inspiring and patriotic occasion well

calculated to stimulate and encourage their study of the achievements

not merely of the Buckeye State, but the American nation.