Southern standard., 1851-04-05
An Irish Story.
THE sCHooMAsTER's DREAM.
BY MRS. C. S. HALL.

bows" O'Learv never considered 90 the Vulgari- |
ans'-as he termed those who only learned English,
writing, and arithmetic-worth counting No boy, |
in his estimation, merited naming or notice until
he entered Virgil; he began his school catalogue
with she Vargils - but was so decidedly proud of
s'taking the shine out of thin ignorant chaps up
at Dublin College" by display of his @ Graciaas"
five or six clear headed Intelligent boys, whose
brogues were not their tongue whose cloths hung
upon them by mystery; and yet, poor fellows
were proud of their Greek, and fond of Gaping
Latin verses, as their master himself.
James OLeary deserved his reputation to a GER
tain extent, as all do who achieve one. In his
boyhood he had been himself poor scholar, and
travelled the country for his learning, he had grad
uated at the best hedge school in the kingdom of
Kerry and at one time he had an idea of entering
Maynooth but fortunately or unfortunately, as it
might be, he lost his vocation by falling in love
and marrying Mary Borne, to whom, despite GER
tain quantity of hardness and pedantry, he always
made kind husband, although Mary, doce and
intelligent in every other respect, never could a
chicve her \, 3, G; this he was fond of instanc
ing as al proof of the nferority of the fair sex.
James looked with the greatest contempt at the
system adopted by the National schools, declaring
that Latin the foundation upon which all in
telectua educatons should be raised, and that the
man who had no Latin was not worthy of being
considered a man at all.
Donnybeg, the parish in which he resided, was
very remote, silent district--an isolated place
belonging chiefly to an apoplectic old gentleman,
whose father having granted long leases on remu
nerating terms left him certain income, sufficient
for himself, and not distressing to others. The
simple farmers had so long considered Master o.
Leary a miracle, and lie confirmed them in this
opinion so frequently, by saying in various Ian
guages, what they had not understood, if spoken
in the vernacular, that when a National School was
proposed in the parish by some ofhcious person,
they offered to send up their schoomastcr, atten
ded by his Latin and Greek scholars-tail fashion
to bother the boord.' This threw James into
a state of such excitement, that he could hardly
restrain himself; and indeed his wife does not hes
itate to say, that he has never been right since
The old landlord was as decided an enemy to the
National School system, as James himself; and
the matter dropped without O'Leary's having an
opportunity of .fourishing the board which he
bitterly regrets. James, for many years after his
establishment at DOnnybeg, was exceedingly kind
to the itinerant class, of whose merits he so
bright example; for long time his College was
the refuge of every poor scholar who received gra
tuitous instruction from We Jfaster' and the at
tention and tenderness of mother the Mistress
This generosity on the part of James O'Leary in
creased his reputation, and won him great bless
ing from the poor, while pupils thronged TO him
from distant parts of the kingdom-not only the
itinerant scholar, but the of snug farms, who
the classics, and all accomplishments. This James
found very profitable in due time he slated his
house. placing a round stone as principle on Ell
ther gable representing, the one the terrestrial the
other the celestial, globe he paved the little court
yard with the multiplication table in black and
white stones and constructed summer-house, to
use his own phrase, on geometrical principles
whose interior was decorated with maps and trian-
giles, and every species of information. If pupils
came before, they 'raned on him. after his
'Tusculum' was finished and he had its name
painted on Gothic arch above the gate, which,
such was the inveteracy of old habits, always
stood open for want of latch but somehow,
though James fortunes improved, there was some
thing about his heart that was not right he be-
gan to consider learning only valuable means
of wealth; he became civil to rich ounces, and
continually snubbed frst-rate FGracian,' who
was, 1t is true, only poor scholar This feeling,
like all others, at first merely tolerated, gained
ground by degrees, until Master O'Leary began
to put the question frequently to himself-'Why
he should do good and bother himself so much,
about those who do no good to him p He had
ventured to say this out loud to any one but
he had at last whispered it often to himself that
one evening, seeing Mary busily occupied turning
round some preparations in little iron pot re-
served for delicate str-about Cruel "a sap Of broth
which he knew on that particular occasion was in
tended for the 'Gracian, who had been unwell
for some days-atter knocking the ashes out of
his pipe and closing and clasping his well thumb
ed Homer, Mary, can't We sit still at the wheel,
now that the days a most done and nature be-
comes soporiic (which signifies an inclination to
repose'
In minute, dear; it's for poor Aby-he's
sick entirely, and has no one to look to him, the
place where he lodges has no conveyance for a
drop of whey-and if it had, they've nothing to
turn it with, and nothing to make it ofso III sit
down at onct'
Then why don't you sit down at onct PA
corruption of 'at once, means, at this moment-it
is the present ense-now-instantly. )-'Why do
you sit-wastng your time-to say nothing of
the sweet milk-and the'-he was going to say
'the sour, but was ashamed, and so added, other
things-for one who does no good to us 2?
No good to us!' repeated Mary, as she poured
off the whey, keeping the curd carefully back with
horn spoon. No good to us, dear ? why it's
for Ably -the-what is it you call him-Aby Gra-
dus No; Ably the Gracian-your top boy-as
used to be--he that his old grandmother-( God
help us l-he had no other kith or kn)-walked
ten miles, just to him stand at the head of his
class, that she might die with easy heart-it's
for him, it is
Well, replied the Master, 4 know that, 1
know it's for hm-and I'll tell you what, Mary,
we growing--not to say ould, but advancing
to the region of middle life-past its meridian, in
deed--and we can't afford to be throwing away
our substance on the like of Aby-'
'Jamesl' exclaimed Mary
'Ay, indeed, Mary, must come to a period
"a full stop, | mean-and'-he drew deep
breath, and then added-'and take more poor
schOtorsh