Evening school
The school admitted both boys and girls for instruction. The amounts paid by voluntary contributors varied from 2/ to 15/ per year, while the tuition charged was from 4d. to 6d. per week.[319] The evening school was intended for those who were forced to work during the day time, or for others who, because of their age, could not enter the regular day school.[320] Among the patrons from 1706-1708 there are to be found a great number of English names,[321] which may no doubt indicate that the school under the German master was recognized by English inhabitants to be of very high standard. His experience in Philadelphia would speak for that.
The school probably taught in English
Some question has been raised as to whether Pastorius taught the school in the English or the German tongue. Though in his manuscript it is found that he did use somewhat broken English,[322] we know that he taught the English school at Philadelphia, where most of the children were English.[323] The majority of his pupils at Germantown were, of course, German,[324] and doubtless German was spoken between them, and the teacher at times. The fact, however, that the titles of Pastorius’ school books were written in English, is pointed out by Seidensticker as an indication that the language of the province was given preference in the school.[325] It is also to be noted that the General Court had in 1696 ordered that the minutes of the Ratsbuch be transcribed into English, lending further evidence to the idea that the importance of the official language was recognized.[326] The length of continuation of the Friends’ school at Germantown is not known, though it seems likely that Pastorius may have continued in its service till the time of his death, or at least until 1718.[327]
SCHOOLS AT EXETER MONTHLY MEETING
Youths meetings established 1758
Exeter Monthly Meeting, established 1737, being set off from Gwynedd Monthly,[328] did not have any schools under their jurisdiction at a very early date. The first indication that the subject of education was being seriously considered was about 1758 when youths’ meetings were established, two each year, one at Exeter and the other at Maiden Creek.[329] These youths’ meetings, sanctioned by the quarterly meeting,[330] and another at Robeson several years later,[331] were the first steps taken for education of youth, and controlled by the meeting. It is true, there was a school (day school) even at this time situated near Samuel Lea’s, as we learn from a chance reference,[332] but though it was attended by Friends children in part, it was neither controlled by them, nor under the monthly meeting. This condition lasted until the recommendations of the yearly meeting of 1777 and 1778 caused the monthly meeting to look into the educational situation.
Committee appointed on schools
A new committee to visit the preparatives
In accord with the recommendations concerning “the proper education of youth” published in these years, and sent out, the meeting at Exeter appointed Samuel Hughes, Abel Thomas, Benjamin Pearson, Mordecai Lee, James Thomas and John Scarlet to take the question under their consideration.[333] For two years and a half the substance of the reports of the above named committee and its successors, was to the effect that not much had been accomplished.[334] In 1781 the committee reported they had visited the preparative meetings (two of them), and recommended to them the careful consideration of the youths’ education, under good moral tutors.[335] A year later, the committee was released, having, according to reports, accomplished nothing.[336] Those delegates who attended the quarterly meeting in 1783, brought back new advices, and were directed to furnish each preparative meeting with a copy and request a report on school conditions among them; at the following monthly assembly more of the preparatives were ready to report.[337] Despairing of any report, unless of their own making, the monthly meeting appointed a committee of nine men to visit all the preparatives and report what they thought of their schools.[338] They produced the following statement.