The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1848-12-08
The Death Of the Dominic.
By THOMAS HooD

My oil schoolmaster is dead. lie "ded
Of a stroke" and ! wonder none Of his pn-
pills have ever done the same. have been
logged by many masters, but his rod, like
Aaron's, swallowed all the rest. We have
often wished that he whipped OH the prnci-
pie of Italian penmanship strokes heavy
down strokes light; but he did it in good
English round hand, and we used TO think
with a very hard pen. Such was his love
of Jogging, that, for some failure in English
composition, after having been well corrrc
ted, have been ordered to be revised.
have heard Of the road to learning, and he
did Justice TO il; we certainly never went
stage in education without being well hor-
sed. The mantle Of DR.. Busby descended on
his shoulders; and on ours. There was but
one tree on the play cround-a birch. but it
never had twig or leaf upon it. Winter
or summer, always looked as il the weather
had been cutting at the latter end of the
year. Pictures, they say, are. good incrn-
iives 10 learning, and certainly we never
got through a page without cuts; for instance
do not recollect a Latin article without a
tail piece. All the Latin at the School might
be comprised in one line. "Arma uirum que
rdno" An arm, man, and cane. 1t twas
Englished to me one day in the school house
when was studying Robinson Crusoe. in
stead Of Virgil, by storm Of bamboo that
really carried on the Illusion, and made me
think for time that | was assaulted by
set OF savsses. He seemed to consider a
boy rs bears cub, aud set himself literal.
" 10 lick it him into shape. He was so par.
ticularly fond Of striking MS with a leather
strap on The flats ofour hands, that he new
er allowed them days rest. There was
no such thing as a Palm Sundy in our cal
ender. In one word lie was di>interrstedly
cruel, and used as inhus'rionsly to strike for
nothing as others strike for wages. Some
of the older boys who have read Smollett,
christened him Rndprick from his biting like
Random, and being so partial to stray.
His death was characteristic. After ma.
king his will he sent for Mr.. Taddy, the
head usher, and addressed him IN these
words.
sit is all over, Mr.. Taddy-1 am sinking
fast--I am going from the terrestrial globe
to the celesiial-and have promised
TomkinS flosging-mind he has il, and
dot let him pick of the blns-l have asked
Aristotle (here his head wandered) and he
says cannot live an hour-I don't like that
" for not knowing his verbs-Osniago TO
non qnod cd 10 habeam-Oh, Mr.. Taddy
it, breaking up with me--the vacations
coming there is that black horse again
Dulcis moriens reminisci,ur-w short Of
canes-Mr. Taddy don't let the school get
into disorder when / am gonr--.I am afraid
through my Illness the boys have gone back
in their hogginc-I feel n strange feeling
=. H..
trust have done my duty-and have made
my willard left (here his head wandered
again,) to Mr.. Souter, the school-boCk sell
er-Mr. Taddy, | invite you to my funeral
make the boys walk in good order-and
take care of the crossings. MY sight is
getting dm--wriie TO Mrs. B. at Margate--
and inform her-we break up on the 2lst.
The door is left open--I am very cold
where is my rulcr-I feel-John, light the
school lamp cannot see q lne-O, Mr..
Taddy-venit hora-my hour is come--I
am dying-ihou art dying-he is dying.
We-sre-dying-you are-dying--"
! The voice ceased. He made a feeble
motion with his hands as if he was ruling
a copy book-the "ruling passion strong in
death"--ahd expired.
| An epitaph composed by himselfwas dis
covered in his desk, with All unpublished
paper against Tom Paine. The epitaph
was illustrated with quotations from Homer
and Virgil and almost every Greek and
| Latin author besides, and the mason who
was consulted by the widow dec lined 10
Autograph it under hundred pounds. The
Dominic consequently rrposes under no
more Latin than He facet, and without q
partce of Greek, though he is himself a