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! I EDUCATION Chapter I3 About 1831, according to tradition, a young woman from the town of York (Toronto) came by wagon to Paris, rented a house, and then announced to the village and its countryside that she was prepared to teach the rudiments of education. When questioned regarding her qualifications, she proudly declared that she had a very comprehensive grasp of the true elements of a liberal education: namely, reading, writing and spelling. But - somebody asked - was she proficient in the art of ciphering? Oh no! - was her reply. She could, of course, do simple sums; but as for the intricacies of division and multiplication - she did not concern herself with such frills. Evidently the majority of interested parents were quite satisfied with her degree or erudition and her philosophy of education. Since most of them could not read or write (Anna Jameson guessed that only one pioneer in seventy was literate) they were not very demand- ing. At the end of the year she had twenty pupils, and was receiving about twenty dollars a week from fees.. But the success of this first teacher in building up a class meant the end of her school; for as soon as twenty pupils were under her guidance, the most important requirement for the establishment of a common school in Paris had been met. According to the Common School Bill of i816, all Parisians interested in establishing a school could now legally meet to elect three trustees and build a school- house. A meeting was held in 1832; and there one of the elected trustees, Hiram Capron, promised at his own expense to build a school. 155 h~~~~~~~i