The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1860-04-05

lFor Tho Now8.
School Exhibition in Fairfield TIP
FRIEND BOARDMAN: - Inasmuch as
the cause Of Education is receiving in.
creased attention in our county, every
thing of interest corrected Herewith,
being acceptable to many readers, I am
induced to give a short account Of the
closing hours of a School that I re-
Gently attended in the School House
generally known as "Morrow's." It
had been in session for about sixteen
successive months, under the care and
supervision of Teacher j. STRETCH.
And I am inclined to the opinion, by
what I heard and saw there, that the
people Of that district look upon him
as one of the best Teachers in the
county, and I concluded that such must
be the fact, or that he had the peculiar
address to insinuate himself into favor
with both parents and children, and
possibly he possessed both those quail.
tics.
A large proportion Of the students
were grown.up young people of both
sexes, who underwent q thorough ex-
animation in their various studies, oo-
cupyiug two whole days, and until noon
of the third; in which they acquitted
the msolves with much credit, and re.
dected honor on their Teacher. The
afternoon of the third day was spent
variously mostly in declaiming and
reading compositions, iuterspersod with
dialogues and witticsms calculated to
inspire mirth, Some of the deolama.
tions were eZoollout, and improssively
delivered but thought the compost
tions rather inferior, mostly on little
subjects, tho style not rising to that
eminenco that is desirable, which caused
the belief with me, that this useful study
had not been sufficiently attended to-
And here permit me to remark that
there was a large class Of vocal musi.
clans called out at intervals, to exhibit
their skill and entertain the large au.
dience with "sweet sounds" A band
Of instrumental musicians, known about
home as "tho Scotch band" we're also
present, and frequently "discoursct
sweet music" to the great delight, as il
appeared to mo, of many present.
In the course Of the exercises, Teach
er Stretch very politely and respectfully
extended an invitation to such us fel
like making any remarks, to avail them
selves Of the opportunity; wheroupor
a practical and Intelligent Farmer cam,
forward (for there is intelligence anon!
farmers-a fact not fully appreciated
Iby village tape-sollors and pettifoggars
and made q speech of about an hour
length, on the Importance and nocossit,
of Education. The speaker drew
contrast between two great sections oi
our country, viz: Virginia and New En-
gland; gave their early history, and tn
nations Of the first settlers with respoc
to schools and education, using name
and dates with great facility. In Vir
ginia, he stated, education was sup
pressed, and for a length of time tn
people were taught to look upon it a
dangerous to their liberties and best in
terests 1t was rather humiliating to u
old Virginians, who pride ourselves S.
much on our ancestry and former resi-
dcnce, to be told that we had deriver
our chivalry and distinctions from suoI
an amount of Ignorance; and that tn
"first families" were the offspring of
class of ladies that were sent over from
England and sold to the colonists 70
wives, and paid for with tobaccoI
The speaker then advanced to tn
other side, spoke in the highest possibl
terms of the Pilgrim Fathers, of thGi
honesty and zeal for the cause of Edu
cation and Religion; that to them W
might trace the first dawning of tha
excellent system of popular education
or Free Schools that DprvOdes the Nov