88  HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

examiner. The last public school in the log house was taught in the
winter of 1860-61, by John C. McClaren, and the last private school,
in the spring of 1860, by William Travis.
    The public school system of the town of Brazil was under the
management, or administration, of the trustee of Dick Johnson town-
ship, until the incorporation of the town, in the latter part of the year
1866. Three years later the incorporation proceeded to build the brick
house on North Meridian, which was completed ready for school in
the fall of 1870, three years before the incorporation of the city.
    The history of the administration of the public school system of
Brazil, beginning with the completion and use of the Meridian street
building. now comprises a period of thirty-nine years. During this
period of school years there have been but eight superintendents. The
first was F R Smith for the years 1870-71 and 1871-72, succeeded by
C.  P. Eppert, for the years 1872-73 and 1873-74, who was follwed by
M.  S. Wilkinson, for the year 1874-75, when C. P. Eppert was again
installed, for the years 1875-76 and 1876-77, who was followed by J. C.
Gregg, for five years successively, from 1877 to 1882, when he was dis-
placed for the year 1882-83 by A. D. Hurst, followed by J. C. Gregg, for
the year 1883-84, who was succeeded by J. M. Brown, for the year
1884-85.    Gregg then again succeeded to the position for fourteen years
consecutively, from 1885-86 to 1898-99 inclusive, when he was succeeded
by W. H. Fertich, for three years, from 1899 to 1902, when he was dis-
placed by L. B. Odell, for the five succeeding years, from 1902 to 1907
inclusive. succeeded by C. C. Coleman, who has since occupied the
position.
    From a careful analysis of this schedule it is seen that J. C. Gregg
filled the position for twenty years, a fraction more than half the time,
his succession having been broken but twice for the period of twenty-
three years, and then but a year at a time.
    Of the assistant superintendents Thomas N. James has a record of
thirty-six years, having been first employed in 1873, with a continuous
service, excepting an out of two years, from 1902 to 1904.
    A feature of our public school system was the Township Library,
inaugurated fifty-five years ago, provided by the state, the first distribu-
tion of books to the townships having been made November 1, 1854.
Though in the main the books provided were a miscellaneous- collection,
adapted to family reading, there were a number of volumes auxiliary
to the course of study pursued in the common schools, intended to
encourage and aid pupils in self-reliance in the work of popular educa-
tion. For many years these books were taken out and read by both
teachers and pupils. It was no unusual thing for readers to vie with
each other in the number of volumes read during a winter, or for a
year’s time. Their usefulness, influence and good results were rec-
ognized. But it is characteristic of the American people to tire of even
a good thing anti go in quest of the new and more pretentious, and often-
times so at the expense of quality and results. Every change is not an
improvement nor reform. Township libraries are no longer enumerated
as assets in the inventory of the township’s educational agencies and
appliances. Of the thousands of volumes in the libraries of Clay county
only remnants are now to be found, and they among the abandoned files
and rubbish of trustees’ offices.
    That the reader may have some conception of the rate at which the