The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-28
W ASl1INGTON, D. c.
For the Natonsl Ers.--f Copyright securedl
THE SHAM 0Ck;
EECOLLECTIONS OF IRELAND.
By SLOW JAMIE.
gu.
NJ Last Term at School an Ireland.

CHAPTER NIL.
M Last Term at School an Ireland
The last summer spent in Ireland was in
She year 1891. ! was then six years old. Two
weary Years had now passed since my first en-
trance Of school. Weary | call them, and
school made them so. / munched the sweet
oaien cake, supped the pleasant porridge,
picked the large juicy blackberry from the
bush, and | gathered the daisy in handfuls,
heard tlre-:5ong Of the thruah,ahd l listened
TO my uncle James playing the fiddle. l en-
lvyed all this, bnt still | was not happy; for
.choo school, school, was to me song of as
doorous a pitch that of the shirt. The
school house had its master, and the master
had his tawse, and the tawse had its appro-
pirate work to do, in which it was never re-
miss But at last school became little less
irksome For nearly two years spelled, with
out end or aim. | knew that when | had
learned to SPELL would be taught to read
bat that spelling would prepare me to read,
never entered my head, and no one ever told
me- BY sheer repetition, | had acquired such
facility in spelling, that | could pronounce a
the letters. Still i thought reading was some
mysterious process, by which a scholar con-
versed with the author. | had about as cor
rect an idea of it as the Indian, who, being
sent with some fruit to lady, was told that if
he ate any of it, a letter he carried would tell
On him. On the road he covered the letter
with Hat stone, went away, and RECALLED him
IL. Il a. t,l-.
the letter, went on, and delivered it, with the
rest of the fruit, imagining that it could know
nothing about what it did not see.
One Sabbath morning j took up catechism
and asked Hugh what certain word was. He
told me. and showed me how the letters spelled
it, For the first time the idea now struck me,
that the words in the reading were the same
as the words in the spelling. | had heard the
catechsm repeated often, that | nearly
knew it, and so found it easy to read it. That
day committed five questions to memory, and
repeated them TO my father in the evening.
He told me | had done well. That was the
first word of commentator had received in
a long time. 1t went down like good wine,
and like wine, it rose to my head, not to intoX-
icate, but to exhilarate. The next day, took
a little book of Williams, which had often
heard him read, and found, to my astonsh-
ment, that could read it myself. The new
hedged bird, which springs for the first time
from the nest, and finds that it can fly from
branch to branch, is not prouder Than | was.
The teacher soon found it out and advanced
me to the next class. Indeed ] was far ahead
of nv classmates for although ] learned but
slowly, yet had attended school much more
steadily than they.
After | began to read, school was no longer
the irksome place il used TO be. By the exer,
mons of the Kildare Place Society, our school
hooks were of a more attractive description
than they had formerly been. They contained
Bible stories, fables, and lively pieces of poet
nv. But the most fascinating OF all were the
sketches of natural history. The OK was de-
scribed prodigy OF utility. While he iived
ne would draw the plough, or heavy loads
and when he died, every part of him was
turned to good account. His flesh furnished
as with food. his hide with leather, his fat with
soap and candles, his horn with combs. his
hooi with glue, his bones with knife handles
has gall with medicine, and his hair witt
cushions read it with delight; and as
came from school. contemplated an OK Of
IS dow Hanna, and thought what a mass o
yralth moved along his stately legs.
The story of the ass was, if possible, more
attractive still. BY a happy tam, the writer
iaade his donkey speak for hihlself. AS nel'
a. | can remember. it was something IKE INF
following:
Il am a lour-footed beast. / have very long
ears. aud | bray very loud. The horse is AFRAID
wheh BRAY, and starts back, but 1 am very
?rntle and never hurt ANY one. My young
ones are called colts suckie them. 1 am
not 50 LARGE as a horse, ard cannot do so much
work. but still am rery industrious. carry
turnips 10 market snd great loads OF mngs ana
kettles and pans with which my back Is al
most broken. AID carry little boys and girls on
my hack. offer two OF three at a time, and they
are sometimes so wicked as to whip me, and
prick nv SIDES thst ] may go the faster, but
never comphain. have no stable to GO into as
the horse has but | lie out III the rain and
.uow. | oct rothng for my dinner but few
pricklv tbistlps. u little coarse grass from of
the common. pat am always content. ! give
milk. too. as VII as a cow and my milk is very
aood for pe.pIe that are sick, to make then.
well agaipy
lie. 100 his story so well, and with so little
o-,eutayon, that | thought him very sociabe
a. w as an intelligent animal. Short
iy arr | read it, a beggar man came along,
ridng an ass, with two babes slung across
i. back IN bag Their head and shoulders
-Hck out of holes la the bag. Ny mother gave
ann Il noggin of cold porridgs, and he fed them
On each side of him, while he sat on the ami
m'ls back. My mother noticed nothing but
The children, asking questions about their
nother, &c. But | threw some potatoes in a
tub for the beast to eat, and while | examined
Lis long ears, his big head, aud his clean limbs
was convinced, that however dali his eye
aIeit be, lac had very intelligent look.
OF my scho0lmaIes, | can only mention q
t-w. John Galloway was a soft, gOod-patured
boy. He never had his lesson well. Ii he had
piece of bread, and i had none, he never fail
ed to divide He would tell me about their own
goat and has uncle's colt, till, both getting alb
Sorbed, would forget to look on our books
aud get well cufed.
Charlie Wright was goodBatared boy too
gust as ready to tell 4 story and divide his din
''er as John. bat he got his lesson well. They
have probably both forgotten all about me, but
vii never forget either of them.
Jack McCracken was altogether the reverse
hls face was marked with the smallpox, and
Otherwise harsh in expression, and he was al
Ways getting into a fight with the other
scholars William Mccullough was very coz,
tah'e too, but he always quarrelled with
those who were his superiors, or at least his
equals, ia age and strength. Andrew Morrow
was the son of the linen merchant of the same
name. He was quiet civil boy, and the best
scholar in school.
Last year had a cousin who came from Ire.
land, and | inquired about my old school.
mates John Galloway and Andrew Morrow
"ere drunkards. Charlie Wright was farmer.
and respectable man. He was q member of
uie Presbyterian church. but rather inclined
towards the Methodists. Jack McCracken had
come 10 this country, and they had heard that
he was hanged. William Mccullough had