Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1851-12-04
MfsrEIIaMv,
Nix, the PcdagOgue.

te~'S"N1 oHA CuIlOuS were tic lessons lie
taught. For "ten dollars month and
boarded round," the scholars had the ad-
vantage of all he knew, and Herewith
school committees and citizens declared
themselves /" perfectly satisfied" and e.
ven boosted of the superior educational
advantages their children enjoyed. The
remembrance Of such teachers, however,
lives now only in the memory Of the old.
est inhabitants, for State Normal schools
have compelled ignorance and impudence
togive way before the march OF improve
meRt. The physical is no longer para
mount. but the mental is in the ascend
ant. To be teacher now, it is requisite
that the party have, at least, knowledge
of his own mother tongue, and that in
his mode of imparting instruction. the
mind, not the back and legs, Of the pu-
pill be acted upon, and that books, not
birch, shall be the medium.
Sue, the novelist, in his Matire de
Eeole. of the Mysteries Of Paris, has gi-
ven a good idea of the French physical
master; and if we had little of his abl-
ity, we should delight to show up tie
American specimen that beat into us
what little education we possess. Em>
ployed at brick making all summer, and
teaching only in winter, when he could
not work at his regular business, and
moreover taking into account in addition
to his own limited requirements, the fact
that he taught upon the physical system,
together with thu knowledge that the
boys spent most Of their time in devising
means to annoy him, as an Offset to the
innumerable fioggiugs he gave them, and
the wonder is. not thai they learned so
little, but that they improved so much.
Contemporary with our master, was
one Simon Nixon, or as he was better
known, Isl Nix" capital specimen of
the class mentioned above, and whose
first application to be hired it is our in.
ten:ion to record. With the frame OF a
Colossus, nature evidently intended him
for some mechanical employment, and
with similar views, his father designed
that he should succeed him in the hon.
orable trade that had made him and his
ancestors for several generations so Just
ly celebrated. 10 this end. ST was in
early life indicted into full communion
with the cunning workers in the art and
mysteries Of tho lanyard, where he la
bored with great credit till he attained
the age of twenty. one when it was all
at once discovered that his constitution
was quite too delicate for such Luxurious
employment. If the honest vernacular
of his delicacy had been spoken, the word
lazy would have expressed all the oom>
plants under which he suffered His
mother agreed with him that lighter
work was necessary, and schoolkeeping
appearing to come nearest to his stand
ard of what was wanted, and as it more
over required no capital to start with, it
was determined that he should become q
teacher.
This determined, he was not long look
ing for an opportunity. The town Of
Lineas desired q master for the winter
term, and he made application. The
school committee, consisting Of the min
lister, the lawyer and the doctor, was con.
vened, and the examination of the would
be master commenced. He didn't de-
sire to be asked upon any thing in parti.
cular, he said, for he calculated he would
give them satisfaction upon every sub
ject.
Then said the lawyer, you will b
kind enough to tell US about Napoleon
Napoleon Bonapartc.'
'Ah.' seid 81 in reply. you've got m.
there, squire. for I never hearn on him.
want much, I didn't live in this
state, did he sort Of an outlandish
name, reckon he couldn't be much--cal-
culate he was small account. any way
Finding that it was dead set on the
Frenchman. he was asked what he knew
about General Jackson.
why, consarn it, / never heard there
was any such General, and am some
military myself. Igo to all the musters,
and / have seen General Snow, and Gen.
eral Brown, and General Smith--them
are all the Generals that ever came round
our way, and ] rather guess there amt
any such fellow as you speak on
Desiring the committee that they would
now try him on something that would be
useful like to tie children the examin.
alton in history here rested, as the law.
yers say, and an attack was made on
punctuation. A comma was shown him
and he was asked its use.
'Blamenation!' said 81. what you're
arier now: why faint no use at all---setcll
a little Teller amt any count to nobody
we don't use 'eIn up our wayne don't
STAN for nothin'- is all nonsense havin'
so many ofsthem little thin's TO teach
they amt no use any how I but Pm nat'r'l
kinder smart, and / can larn 'em, and
teach 'em, tu'. if you say so.'
A sem;-colon was next shown and then
81 began TO think il gone case with him.
Inauguration, squire. you've got me
aginl. he gasped out, you'll begin to
think don't know nothin'-but if Idon't
know some things, I'm within critter.