Semi-weekly Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1851-1852, 1851-05-09
From the Evening News.
THE COUNTRY SCHOOL MASTER.
-uSktlled tn ride.

The Village master taught his school -.
There are few characters more singular, few
situations more varied, than that of the Coun-
try School Master, us he formerly existed
The present race OF School Masters is as dil
ferent from that, which ruled in our time, rs
the flying lizards Of the Sauran geologic period
were to the flying ants of the year 1851. Now,
he is spruce young dandy, in many instances,
Just let loose upon Southern barbarians, from
the refined New England States. Formerly
he was man more sinned against, than sin.
nng-a kind of accommodating machine, put
in motion BY the breath of every ones wishes;
dslikcd by nobody and like nobody but him
self. He possessed character, the terror Of
every hoy and girl in the parish; and OF very
little convenience to the possessor de suffer
cd rs many changes as i rebel emperor, and
was by turns, a tyrant n slave, a law maker,
and a sufferer; and yet amidst all the varieties
of his life, he strutted his hour with singular
credit, performing no little service to mankind.
A long string of requirements made him a
necessary being with old women, and country
pumpkins aud he was invariably the oracle of
all the knotty enquiries of the ueghborhood.
One might know ehim by his gaunt figure, for
though the best fed man in the country, like a
pig, he never thrived upon petting. With a
wardrobe and library consisting oitwo shirts
and Pixies arithmetic, he passed long and
patient lite with as much celebrity orhis sphere,
as prince in power, dealing out his learning,
as freely as his birch, and in school, always
proving one by the other. Then all the ologies,
physiology, geology, concology, and psycolo.
gy were unknown, except dorotogy which he
regularly stood up and sung in Church on Sun
days. His teaching, therefore, was confined
to reading, writing, arithmetic and grammar,
which he taught far better than it is known i"
the present day. He also understood latin,
which he read huently, always giving a the Ok
ford pronunciation aud the sound OF a. With
old farmers and the parson he was ever a won.
derful man, keeping the former always well
posted up in politics, and chat; and suffering
the latter to beat him invariably at checkers.
The old ladies too. delighted greatly, Of a Fri
day evening, to see him pacing along towards
their doors, and such an event enacted an un.
usual stir in the household. Jenny WIS allow
ed to put OH her Sunday frock, and the vene.
rated china left its old stand in the cupboard.
Little Johnny too, was INDUCED with clean
face and his best jacket, and he was sure to lay
in small stock OF favor to serve him at school
the coming week. He was therefore quite Of
6cious TO hand the cake to the master, and lis.
tening with unabatcd attention to bis often re.
hearsed stories.
At Sunday meeting the schoolmaster, al.
ways excepting the parson and the deacon, was
the most important parsonage present. He
would sit on tombstone in the church yard,
before service, with crowd of gaping rustics
round him, all listening to his wondrous tales,
and wondering at the extent Of his knowledge |
How many miraculous stories he told OF the
goblins his great grandmother saw dancing in
the moonlight, and his uncle was we'll acquain.
ted with the man who saw the jawbone of Jo-
nahs whale. He loved too, to speak of the
little frolics he used in his youth to lie guilty
Of What gallant he used to be, and how
folks used to plague hi.i about the pretty little
who lived at the foot of the bill.
All these faculties made him quite fine fel.
low with some, and miracle with others Of
his neighbors; and it was not till after long
lie, devoted to that single vocation, more loved
for it's simplicity, than envied for its possessions,
or feared for its ambition long after the dust of
his grave had been leveled by the foot OF time:
that this humble pioneer of the youthful iutel.
lect was ceased to be remembered for his use.
fulness and benevolence of his heart. And
where better stationi The tolls Of the am.
bilious and the struggles of the great but end
10 the grave; and few leave memorials WHICH