By Mike Durall
The World’s Fair was held in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904. Among the marvels introduced were hamburgers, hot dogs, peanut butter, iced tea, club sandwiches, cotton candy, and the ice cream cone. In addition, visitors to the fair saw homework samples from children in one-room schools in McPherson County, Kansas.
How these homework examples ended up in St. Louis is unknown. Perhaps it was because in that era, Kansas had about 9,000 one-room schools, most with a lone teacher. Officials at the fair may have requested homework samples to reflect education at the time.
The assignments are written on 8.5x11 paper, with the student’s name, grade, and age at the top. One student was 14 years old, and in the 6th grade. After being exhibited at the fair, a teacher bound them into a book, now in the archives at the Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Society in Lindsborg.
Let’s begin with math. The answer to the first question is easy. The answers to the remaining questions are at the end of this chapter. The first reflects the nature of a farming community: if a man sold $60 worth of corn and took his pay in hogs that cost $5 each, how many hogs would he get? That would be 12.
If six men do a piece of work in 12 days, in what time can 9 men do it? What is the premium for insuring a store worth $50,000 for 4/5th of its value at 1.25 percent and a stock of goods worth $200,000 for 3/4th of its value at 3 ½ percent? Not so easy.
An example from an English class is, I went to town. “To town” is an adverbial phrase. Modifies went. The cup of water is cool. “Of water” is an adjective phrase.” Modifies cup.
Birdie Griffiths, aged 10, wrote a brief essay titled, Things that harm the body. She said, “Alcohol harms the body because it makes your stomach sore, it dulls your senses and makes your eyes weak, and your eyes get all red, and your skin gets hard and rough.”
An example of homophones, words that sound alike but are spelled differently, come from Elsie Simpson. Scene, a view; seen, to see with the eye. A week, seven days; weak, as in frail. Pear, a fruit; pair, two things; pare, to peal. Rain, water from clouds; rein, to stop with a bridal; reign, to rule.
The math answers are: 8 days; $500 for the store, and $250 for the store’s goods.
