The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-11-27
Miscellaneous.
LOCKE AMsDEN,
THE sCHOOLMAsTER.
EXTRACTs-CONTINUED.


tben cline. Old Winter had taken his Jan
nary nap. And having protracted longer
than usual his cold, sweaty slumbers, he had
now, rs if to make amends for his reniss-
ness aroused himself with n rage and fury
which seemed to show his determination TO
cypel the last vcstige of his autogonstc Gle
mcut heat, that had lhus invaded and for
while dsarmed him, for ever from his do
minous. The whole season, indeed, to drop
the metaphorical for plain language, had
been one ofuncommon milducsS A warm
! Bal broken December had been succeeded
'y a still warmer and more thawv January.
aud so little had people been nluGe aware
Jithe presence Of winter thus far that their
doors were often left open, and small fires
only were either used or required. But the
rOld weather now set in with intense sevCri-
a., aud compelled all to keep tightly closed
doors aud roaring fires.
The school house, which we have been
.dr some time making the scene Of action,
had been built the preceding faUnd the in
terror, consequently, had been freshly plus-
tered; while the wood work ofthc doors and
windows, already tight before from its new
ness, had been swollen by the recent thawy
weather; so that the whole room, by this, and
the finishing operation of the frost in closing
up the remaining interstlces, bad been made
almost wholly impervous to the admission
otany fresh air without. From this. however,
no evil consequences, owing to the milduesS
0fthc aeason,& the attendant circumstances,
we have mentioned had resulted to the school
But scarcely week had elapsed, after the
change of weather lust described, before the
scholars, though apparently much enjoying
the contrasted comforts otthcr tight, stove
heated room, while the cold, savage blasts
could be heard raging and bowling without,
hecame very vlsibly affected. A livid pale
ness overspread their features: while their
crery appearance and movement indicated
great and increasing lauguor and feebleuess.
The general health of the school, in short,
including that ofthe master, seemed to be
rapidly falling. These indications were soon
followed by several instances Of so great i'll
ness as to contine It's victims to their homes,
and even to their beds. Among the latter
was the case of the only son aud child of a
poor, but pious and Intelligent widow, by the
name of Nlar1 in, which excited in the bosom
of Locke feelings of the deepest sorrow for
the misfortune ofthe boy, and sympathy in
the affecting of his doating parent. Aud il
was not without reason that both teacher
and parent were touched with peculiar grief
on the Occasion; for the boy, who was about
ten years old, was not only kind and amiuble
in disposition, but very excellent scholar
But nOW,almost for the first time, having the
advantages of good instruction, and his am
biton and natural love of learning having
been kindled into enthusiasm by the various
Indictments held out to him by his instruct
or, with whom he had become a secret ia
vOrite, he pursued his studies with an ardor
aud assiduity which knew no relaxation.
And having made surprising progress in
grammar, during the few weeks the school
had kept, he had recently solicited and OBJ
famed leave to commence arithmetic, to
which he was giving his whole heart and
soul. when he was thus snatched from his
expressing pursuit by the hand of sickness.
These cases of sickness, and especially the
more serious one Of the good and studious
little Henry, the boy we have pnrtcularizcd,
Produced much sensation in the neighbour
hood. And the cause, not only of these in
stances Of absolute illness, but of the altered
and sickly appearance Of the whole school,
which now excited observation and uueasi-
ness, began to be generally discussed. As
no epidemic was prevailing in the country,
and as all other schools in the vicinity, as far
as could be heard from, were even unusually
healthy, it was soon concluded that the pres
emit unhcalthiueSs must be oCCasiOncd by
something wrong about the school house
or IN the manner Of conducting the school.
Andas nothing anIiss could possibly he per-
ceIycG in the school house, which all pro-
nOunced warm and comfortable, it was set.
He'd that the fault, of course, must be looked
!or in the master. Souc nvcrred that the
latter, by undue severity, or by some other
means, had broken down the spirit ochis
scholars, which had caused them to become
melancholy, dropping. and sckly. Others
SAID that he had made the scholars study so
hard, that it had caused their health to give
way under the tasks which they We're in
duced through fear, or some mysterious in
tiuence he had Obtained over their minds, to
perform. And there We're yet others who
carried still farther the idea thrown out bv
those last named, and contended that the mas
ter must have Yesorted TO some unlawful art
or power, which he had exercised upon his
pupils, not only to suhugate them, but some
now to give them an unnatural thirst for
their studies, and as unnatural power of
mastering them. In proof of this, one man
cited The instance ofhis son, who, having be-
come halfcrazed OH his arithmetic and hay
ing workedall one evening on a sum which
ne could not do, went to bed. leaving his
slate upon the table, but rose some time in
me night in his sleep, actually worked out
me answer, returned to bed, wholly uncon-
sclous OF what he had done, and slept till
morning, when he found to his surprise, the
whole process, in his own figures upon the
slate This incident, however little it might
nave had to do, in the minds of others, in
proving the position it cited to sustain.
seemed to go with these people in con.
nrmng the strange notion they were begin
hlhg to conceive, that the master had brought
some unnatural influence TO bear upon his
pupils And when they compared the wild
thoughtless, and unstudious conduct which
This incident, improbable as it may APP
pear to some, is true one, having occurred
within the knowledge of the author, who
otherwise would not have ventured on rela-