Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-08-30
VOL XIII.
AUNT BErHTA,s SCHOOL.
By HER NIECE

/
! school. was about to ask what made my
little daughter think her teacher so unamiable
when aunt Bethiah spoke. She crushed her
knitting together when no where near the
middle of the needle" ami knew this au-
CURED great irritation of mind.
"NOw," says she, II don't hold to being over
harsh with children, but if ever my fingers
tingle to give young one a whipping apiece
it is when he comes home from school with
complaints against his teacher. I never gave
my Joseph and my Hulda but one severe whip
ping apiece, and that was when Joe cut of the
end ofthe Maltese kittens tail, and when HUI
da said she fairly hated good old master Green
leaf You know I'm slow to anger, as the
Bible says, but then my spirit was up."
"But aunt" )" said /, do you think that the
teachers are never eulpablei"
That's not the question, niece. Children
ar'n't always it for judges. They don't see
things as they are, and make mountains out Of
mole hills. I've kept school myself, and wish
from the bottom Of my heart that these fault
finding fathers and mothers were obliged to be
confined in schoolrooms a few months as teach
ers Of their own children and those Of their
neighbors- III warrant they'd be deal wiser
after it." ..
do tell me, aunt, did you ever teach a
schOo?' and 1 looked increduously into her
broad, good-humored face. There was not a
schOol-marmish look about it.
"Yes, Of course did" (Aunt Bethiah re-
sumed her knitting) "In my younger days,
il girl could read write, spell, and cipher as
far as the Rule of Three, she knew enough to
tench summer school anywhere in our region.
If il does look like boasting, I will say that |
was the smartest girl TO learn that ever went
to a district school; and when was sixteen 1
knew the Geography and Murry's Grammar
all by heart, could do every sum in old Kin
ney's Arithmetic, and as 10 spelling-Id like
to see the boy or girl now that could have
spelt me down then. Spelling is not of so
much account as it used to be-mOre's the pity.
l remember master Simpson tried to spell me
down one night out of Webster's Spelling
book, but he had to get the Geography and
search out some of those awful Russian names
with half of the alphabet in them, without re-
gard to how the letters come together, before
he succeeded.
| "Well, the summer that was sixteen ] got
anxious TO put my school knowledge to some
good account, so began to look about me for
a school. We had school agents then to EN-
ploy teachers, just as they now have in out Of
the way places where they have rever stopped
to consider what nuisanccs they are; l could
talk two da.- 5 describing the odd geniuses in
the shape of Agents that encountered during
that search afer summers school
Some Of them thought l was toe young
that "kook larnin, as they called it, wasn't Of
much account They wanted middle aged
critter, who could make em mind and larn EN-
manners But the majority hed promised
their schools to some niece, cousin, or wife's
sister, without regard TO their fitness for school
duties. However, father succeeded in getting
me situation in a district ten miles from
home, where the agent knew my mother to lie
a good 'stiddy woman, and took me on the
| strength of this knowledge.
Il don't think that much learning had made
me mad or foolish, but did expect when /
began the school to find the most Of the schol-
ars ready and willing TO climb the tree Of
knowledge, or. at least, to gather its fruit if
only, as in duty bound piled up the stepping
stones or pulled the branches down within
their reach. OF course my expectations were
not realized; and, before / had been mistress
the space of one week over forty rude prank
ish boys and girls, felt convinced that love or
desire for useful knowledge is not the inaliena'
Lle birthright of Adams fallen race, aud be
came full believer in the doctrine of Total
Depravity of the Human Heart" Oh! such
grimaces over addition and substraction, such
heart breakings over spelling lessons, and such
downright aversiOns to any thing like oSedi-
ence to school regulations. But tried hard
to do my duty toward the little ungrateful
imps, bucying up my worn spirits for time
with the thought that should meet, at least,
with sympathy and encouragement from the
parents This fact alone shows my utter ig-
norance of the ways of the world.
20 dear! don't believe that peoples hair
turns gray when they aIe young from great
sorrow and tribalation, for mine did not that
summer Everybody in the district except
the doctor and minister seemed to know how
a school ought to be kept. Neither were they
backward about sending me hints of their
knowledge through their children; and every
dnv my cars were greeted with something OF
this sort: Mother says must sit in this seat,
or, Father thinks ought to read i'll that book,
until went almost distracted.
Father came and fetched me home several
times while the term lasted, but he declared
the last time he carried me back that if con.
tinued to loose flesh as had all summer, that
when school closed he should have nothing but
a band box and skeleton To carry TO my moth
er. Poor man! he counlJnt imagine how one
could get 20 poor in flesh if they had enough
TO eat, and / overheard him telling the womaE
/ boarded with 'to nuss Bethiah up or he did
not know but she'd go into a decline
Il didn't go out much, for the people were
all strangers and was rather bashfu then =
They never seemed to think that they ought t.
invite the schoolmistress TO their pieasan
homes, aud make her acquaintance, so as t.
find out if she were really fit 10 teach thei
children.
1t was near the end of the term that closet
school carly one afternoon and entered into
sort of charitable circle that held its meet
ings once fortnight at deacon Stebbin's. =
Mrs Deacon Stebbins gave me an introduction
to a number of middle aged ladies, and seal
ing myself beside one of them began u cor
versation.
ats great misfortune to be hard Of hear
! ing" shouted the woman in my car, withou
seeming to notice my remarks
. at is, indeed" said speaking slowly an
distinctly, for thought the woman must b
very deaf to speak SO loud
Was it bad cold that brought it on, o
were you deaf when you were born" she shout
, ed again eEose to my ear.
) "SIe! Did you think me deaf?" and neal
ly choked with laughter.
s.Ia sakes alive! yoR aint deaf! Why j
rusha Smith eaid you was as deaf as an adder
. and I've been pitying you dreadfuly to thin
: Yqu eyer tried to keep school,"
"Then Ibis is Jerusha Smiths revenge upo