WILLIAM BRAMWELL POWELL. 229 



His early education was such as the country schools afforded 

 but his parents ever held before him the importance of achiev- 

 ing the highest education possible. 



In 185 1 his family removed to Bonus Prairie, Boone County, 

 Illinois, where a larger farm had been purchased. About 1853 

 the Wesleyan College was established at Wheaton, Illinois, and 

 the family removed there in order to take advantage of the 

 opportunities afforded. The father became one of the trustees 

 and young Powell entered the preparatory classes. With inter- 

 vals of teaching he continued in the college till 1855, when he 

 entered the preparatory department of Illinois College at Jack- 

 sonville, Illinois. Here he continued a year, leaving to enter 

 Oberlin College, Ohio. In 1858 he returned to Wheaton Col- 

 lege and entered the Junior year. Leaving in 1859 ^^ ^^' 

 gage in his chosen profession of teaching, he was not gradu- 

 ated ; but in 1865 Lombard University, Illinois, conferred on 

 him the degree of A.M. 



Mr. Powell's services as teacher and school superintendent 

 ■extended over nearly half a century. He was principal of a 

 school in Sharon, Wisconsin, for some time between 1854 ^^^ 

 1861 ; in 1861-2, principal of the Hennepin (Illinois) school; 

 1863 to 1870, Superintendent of the Peru (Illinois) schools ; 

 187 1-1885, Superintendent Aurora (Illinois) schools ; 1885-1900, 

 Superintendent of Washington Public (white) schools. In 1901 

 he visited the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands and Japan to 

 investigate the schools and text-book needs of these countries. 



Mr. Powell was a member of the National Geographic 

 Society, Washington Academy of Sciences, National Academy 

 ■of Political and Social Science, Anthropological Society of 

 Washington and the National Educational Association. He was 

 the author of a number of school books which have been exten- 

 sively used in the public schools of the country. The chief of 

 these are: " How to See, How to Talk and How to Write," 

 published in 1880; and a ♦' History of the United States for 

 Beginners," published in 1900. He was also joint author of 

 the "Normal Series of Readers" published in 1887, and a 

 "Rational Grammar of the English Language," published in 

 1900. 



