Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-08-26
visit TO a Log SchOOi-hOuse I'm the
Mountains.
BY N. p. WILLIS.
IDLEwILp. Aug. 8. lS5!

DEAR MoRRIs:-There j. one class of sights
upon new railroad which are very interest
ing while their freshness lasts-Me places that
hare been taken By surprise. On the line of the
streak of lightning that was thrown over the
Allegaaies by the Baltimore thunder-cloud of
thirty one million dollars, is a succession of
far hidden remotenesses-wildv valleys, cas-
cades, solitary shanties and mountain fast
nesses-many of which were thought by the
hunter, or by the pioneer settler, wholly I'M
readable by common thorOugbfares, and, in
fact inaccessible to all visitings but the
eagles. but which have been laid open, al
most with the suddenness of thunderbolt,
and are now daily looked at from crowded
freight trains and expresses, as familiar to
the man in the locomotive as the signs of a
street.
do not know whether it was by chance
stopping of the train, or by kind intention
OF tile selective taste of our prescott the
Smith, that we found ourselves, In the mid
die of the forenoon of a delicious summer
day, halting tor few moments directly in
front of one of these remotenesses-a little
bit of a log schOoLtouse. right in the heart of
Northwestern Virginia's mountain wilder
ness. The small low door, and the glimpse
of a row of little hatless heads, as We saw
them from the car, were very tempting, and
there YVES an immediate jump of our party
for better look at the interior.
A modest and dignifed courtesy from the
schColmistress gave us a welcome. There
was a spare bench near the door which ac-
commodated the most ot us, and Judge War
rem and Poet Thompson occupied vacant
spots on the short seat of the class ''up for
spelling" Secretary Kennedy leaned on his
stick near the shut-uP stove In the center,
his kindliest of voices and faces encouraging
the interrupted exercises to proceed, and
"cloud-compelling Marry" stroked the head
Al. hnx i'm in h..e R,,u
ard Taylor sat, in his quiet observing way,
Studying the surrounding rows of boys and
girls faces--some thirty Of them, altogether
aud every one barefoot. aud all seated
against the rough hewn logs on the one
bench of narrow plank which lined the room.
Fancy what picture tor photographer to
have brought away-the celebrities, and the
little ragged problems of humanity, all COM
bined.
But obi the tender Providence of God
which has provided, for these cradles of the
intelligence of our race, the willing devotion
of womanhood. 20 potent, 80 self-sacriicing,
so accomplishing and atfectionate The
.'school ma'am" before us was a delicately
formed young woman of twenty two years,
perhaps, dressed with exceeding plainness,
and OF the most unconscious simplify of de-
meanor, but her pale and thoughtfully re-
fined features had an expression which
seemed 10 me the perfection OF what we re-
cognise as the beauty OF the soul. She looked
as if she felt born only to be good and kind
to others, while life should last, aud that she
was here in her place, somewhat overtasked,
but doing good, she hoped, aud willing TO be
forgotten. At the same time, in her sub
dued gentleness OF tone, her exquisite propri-
ETY. of replies, aud her calm sweet manner TO
US, a party of strangers, there was self-pOs-
sessed dignity that it was impossible not to
pay homage to-diffieult IL may rs we'll say
not to record for others, as admiringly as one
remembers it Tor ones self As | sat in that
humble school-room and looked upon the un-
conscious beauty OF its patiently presiding
spirit, could not but thank God for the aa-
gels still found distributed through the
world
We were TO hear class recise, however,
and YOU are never surprised, | hope, to fad
that fun and pathos come very close together!
A halt dozen OF the little shock head bare
footlings were called up to spell; aud my
friend the Judge, who, moment before, had
some trouble 10 keep his eyes dry with the
sight of the picture | have described. burst
into convusion of laughter at the succession
of intrepid little voices. each with its proud
pronunciation of the mastered monosy hahIe,
B-u-double q, suZzl E-double *, kGGI
S-m-a-double l. SMALL lG--r-a-double
=, GRASS /! rang out from the low-rooied temple
OF learning into the neighboring woods, the
sturdy lttlc Tecltefe Us consequence NAeH
the dignity of their performance as II they
were SD akers for the first time on the noor
If Congress. The fun was somewhat CATCH
ing, but the understandable laughter OF one or
two of our party had no effect ON The
scholars. Bravely they spelled away, book
Ia hand aud eyes turning exclusively from tue
slow-spclt weld 20 the approving lace look
lag down upon tbem-onr uneomprehended
visit. aud our interruptions OF the iesson,
being evidently taken, like the long words
at the end OF tue spelling book. To oe mys-
teries which IL was enough. for the present,
that the school ma am should understanding
BE- treated respectfully till they should know
more about them
Among the bits Of fare feet doubled up un-
der the long benek, was one very slight pair.
b longing 70 girl Of perhaps len years old.
whose natural pslde of form and feature struck
~. as something remarkable. she was Ia
ragged frock. which appeared 80 DC Der one
| single garment, but the head was ses on Der
| sanbart shoulds n. like an infant Fasriax's,
| and the hrvwn lustre Of those grrat dark
eyes. with the long eye-iashes, LOOKED a. u II
must have been llterrd through long race
| u esgrt bsansies e@iied Bayard Tayloss