The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-04-02

ana tne quantity OF snow, checkerberry leaves.
apples, and dough-nuts, that have vanished
from the world in these cuddy houses, defes
calculation No wonder that this very peculiar
institution is cherished with fondness that is
proof to ell compromise.
Lou VIII 90 we'll not to omit in your survey
tne stove, which In winter is not the least i'm
portan nt feature of the menace. It's g Grim.
ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous rusti
ness, does not hinder it from being the tutelar
divinity of an indefinite number of dinner. nails.
which daily do congregate on its shoulders. A
little legion OF leggins are spread out at its
feet The rosy-cheeked baldwins and gold.
en- fussess' that hiss and culver and stagger
over IT, might tempt al epicure while its very
roughness Is turned to account by the practical
young msthematicians, who sharpen their slate.
pencils ard their wits against its democratic
sides, 5E
The seets, you observe, are intended for two
pupils only, except the "long seat" which is
at right angles with the others, and is capable
of accommodating seven or eight. This was the
unquestioned prerogative of the I" big boys f" in
winter, and its awful seclusion was never pro-
famed by nninitiated feet; but in summer, lit.
tie and great girls and boys, gamboled within
Its deserted precincts, in unrestrained freedom.
The low seat in front of this bench was, for a
long while, fallen at one end, forming an in
chned plane. Here, when our dear, good,
young schoolmistress- -how we loved herl-was
intusing knowledge f"a-b,abs" into the minds
OF the rising generation around us, we found
great amusement in pouring water on the de.
clivity, and then sliding down ourselves on the
slippery surface. This sport was monopolized
by two or three, the rest gazing in admiring al.
lence, and wishing they dared undertake the
feat. 1t was this same good-natured woman,
who, with truly Christian consideration, always
gave US leave to study our lessons, on the warm
summer afternoons, out doors, under the shadow
of the old school-house. There may have been
more derangement among the vowels and CON.
sonants Of baker, shady, lady, tidy;" perhaps
the boundaries of Chinese Tartary were not so
accurately defined but who shall say that
these deficiencies were not more than compen.
sated by the calm, sweet, soothing influences
of the green fields and the blue sky on our
young spirits? That loved and loving teacher.
also, trusting in the strong arm and brave heart
OF another, has turned her footsteps towards the
setting sun. The West, the West! that insatiate
monster, that annually gorges so many of our
brauest and fairest. Yet, when they shall have
become assimilated, bone and nerve and sinew,
shall Few creature walk forth, of statelier
form and more beautiful proportions God
hnC, ckCCt, III HdiiF0 uOuOr ClaQ
But l see your glance directed somewhat
scornfuily to hole in the floor near the stove,
which leads me to insiuuate remark touching
the benevolent wisdom which mother nature
displays in adapting means to ends. When
this school house was erected, ventilation was
a thing unheard of, at least in this secluded
spot. Men builded houses, and planted corn.
and trusted in God, and did not fret about
oxygen and nitrogen, as do their degenerate
sons and daughters. So nature took the fresh.
ar business into her own hands and of the
skill with which she conducted her affairs, this
room is . perpetual memento. Look at the
hng lie satng s spdaags pags teg ghpaa pa
over thisroughly- outlined aperture, and see how
they are growing purple in the cold draught.
Do you not now see that there is an mex
haustible supply of fresh, pure, country air ?
SO far, then, is this ungainly chasm from deserv-
ing your contempt, that it may well excite your
admiration. The only inconvenience it ever
caused was the necessity, as the master said, of
counting the pupils every night, to see that none
of the little ones had fallen in.
But the most stirring scenes that occurred
within these walls were not during the daily
routine of study and recitation, nor even when
the monotony was disturbed by the application
of birch and ferule to an evil-doer, though many
a rosy lip has then quivered and many stout
young heart has quailed. 1t was when the even
ing exhibition, near the close of the three
months winter term, drew troops of friends to
witness the performance of the lads and lasses.
The boys for weeks beforehand traversed the
woods for evergreens with which they festooned
the rooms. The girls ransacked the country
stores for tissue paper; pink roses and red,
white roses and blue, flowers of every hue, and
Hv>1 Al o1o 81
earthly botany, and preserved in no earthly
herbarium, peeped forth in single clusters from
the greenness, or in the more imposing form of
wreath adorned the master desk or the triumphal
arch, from beneath which each young Cicero
was to hurl the thunderbolts of his eloquence.
The iluminations were on a scale entirely
primitive. Small cubic blocks of wood and
large potatoes punctured in the centre to the
depth of perhaps two inches, held candles of
home manufacture. These, covered with ever
greens, were plentifully scattered about the
room. Fathers, mothers, uncles, sunts, grown
up brothers and sisters occupied the seats, while
tho scholars were bestowed anywhere.
The exercises of the evening are opened with
q "round robin" Fifteen or twenty of the
little ones are ranged in q circle, with the mas
ter in the centre. He commences at a certain
point, snd gives the words. If one is msspelt,
OF unpronognced, he takes no notice of it.
The first pupil who notices and corrects the
error, takes his place above the person who
made it, no matter how many words may have
been spelled since. He who makes the cir
cumferenpe of the circle the greatest number
of times, ia the victor. There is always more
or less of trouble among the little ones. Ann
positively declares that John spelled separate
with an e while he as positively affirms that
that he said a. Seven words have been spelled
since then, three of which were wrong; so the
others have forgotten, and the teachers judg-
ment alone can decide Susan will go above
Harriet, because she did not pronounce her
word before she spelt it, which assertion Har.
riet aoutiy denies. After carefully sitting the
case and examining evidence, it is ascertained
that Harriet did not quite understand the word,
and 80 pronounced it with rising infection,
which Susan considered was merely asking
question. A compromise is effected between
the heihgerent powers, by letting Harriet retain
her place this time, but laying down law, that
hereafter the pronunciation of o word shall be
affirmative, and not interrogatory. Little Billy
Parsons Olga up the controversy about sepa.
rate. which was thought dead and buried, by
spelling it e p sep a sepa e rate separate,
and starts eagerly to take h;s place above g
whoe semicircle; but his triumphant career
is checked by the outcry of dozen voices, if
if the class be not particularly well trained
andif it is, nothing can prevent murmur of
dis,pprobation, the ominous shaking of dozen
heads, and the violent upspringing of dozen
red fat hands. The aggressor of SO many
young sovereigns and sovereignesses is desired
to explain. "She did not pronounce the a."
says Billy, breathless from interest; where. |
uEpn o new law is promulgated, that when a
syllable consists of only one letter, it need not
be pronounced. Though the rule is very clear
Iexplained, ten to one Billy is but half salts