Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1863-05-14
For the Cieilian and Telegraph
SCHOOL GIRLS TRIALS.

The respected matrons Of this Nineteenth
Century have always maintained that our
school days were The happiest and ,re think
if these are the GASES, what a vast Sahara
life must be. At the very thoughts ofthem,
what ghastly procession of the abstruse
sciences and musty classics stalk, like Ban
quo's successors, across my brain not to
mention the grim Profs who haunt the tenn
pic of knowledge. But these troubles have
been expatiated upon, and we only wish to
lift the curtain and show our sympathzing
friends the inner life, the everyday little
trials, which, after all, arc the hardest to
bear.
In narrow room, eight by ten feet, in
one Of the best Seminaries west Of the Allie
games, were seated group of girls. The
weeks work had been done, and as it was
Saturday eve, they had made up their minds
to enjoy themselves. Accordingly dumpy
little Buckley produced from her pocket
about pound of butter, a black-eyed Ken
tuckian drew bread enough from the same
treasury to feed score Of hungry soldiers,
another exhibiteda teacup of sugar, which
had also performed mysterious Journey
from dining room TO dormtory, a fourth
drew from her shawl the pointer, which was
daily used in demonstrating Euclds hard
propositions. The provisions were tempt
ingly displayed upon the wash-stand, (the
bowl and pitcher in the wardrobe pro tcm)
One Of the girls opened Rob Roy, saying,
"Npw girls, I'll read to you while Kate
toasts the bread"
Accordingly the bread was put upon the
pointer, and Kate kneeled before the little
franklin stove, her face and hands brown
ing faster than did the toast. The Seminary
was lit by gas, with burners inserted only
in the hall, before each door but the girls
occasionally furnished themselves with light
in the shape of candles, inserted in the only
tumbler, with paper wrapped about it to
make tight fit; but these girls were rather
better fixed having purchased handsome
coal oil lamp, which was daily secretcd be-
meath Koniton ruffles and Brussels collars in
the trunk. This lamp was burning bright
ly--shining very bcnignly upon the smiling
faces gathered round the stand. Kate toast
cd away, having almost a platefull, all nice
ly Drowned, buttered and sugared. Just
then, as we were contemplating nice time,
there was rap at the door. The provi-
sions were hurriedly crammed into tho wash
stand drawer, amid soap, tooth paste and
! brushes, bits of candle, and other odds and
ends, and the lamp hurriedly deposited un-
der the bed-all this sooner done than said :
and the girls having assumed faces of inter-
mnable gravity, the door was opened. and
who should it be but Madamoisellc Vuliottc,
the French teacher, who was nervous fol-
lower of Dianna; who, tripping in with
her Frenchy step, said:
81 will spend Won loetlo evening With you,
and lend you &c light"
And sure enough, she sat down, and her
lamp took the place of cur secreted lumnary
The girls looked woe-begonc for few mo-
ments, some clevating their eyebrows. 9TH
ers pointing to the door and motioning to
make an excuse to get her out but the offer
was really kind, as we girls who did not 60
down to the young lady's parlor, lit up on
Saturday evening for our benefit, were sup
posed to be in absolute darkness, excepting
the uncertain fire light, and Of course she
remained. Yes, there she stayed till the
prayer bell rang, and then she, with all the
suavity of her nation, gallanted us down to
the Hall; and after that the retiring bell
rung and then no whisper even dare be
heard, so we lost our evening fun.
Oh! the unknown miseries of School life
Well may the girls say, with the Eastern
Queen, "The half has not been told" To
be obliged to draw upon the black board the
consultations Leo the Dragon, Ophiuchus,
&c., when you possess no more talent for
the fine arts than an Esquimaux and
which the ancients, even with their fertile
maginations could not recognize, such un-
gainly stars as would make an artists nerve
culver. Then again, to have some hundred
lines of Virgil Bk 4th to translate, when
you have just devoured letter from home,
telling in glorious terms of the egayeties and
home happiness. Dido and Eneas disap-
pear, and a mother and father takes their
places then the reality comes to the mind,
and violent fit of weeping succeeds the
letter, and you go into study with blind
ing headache, and the hours drag by, and
the retiring bell rings, and all the Latin
that your benighted mind has received is
lulce domun dulce damun scribbed up
on the margins Of Cooper's latest edition of
the Mountain Bard, and Buffers Analogy
and the other studies are all untouched. You
remain away from dinner to commit the diff
fercnt coalitions formed against that un-
principlod genius Boneparte-hoping to be
rewarded at least with "well done" from
your approaching Prof., but, alas for such
hopes-your tutor has suffered all night
from dyspepsia, and he cuts off your long
sentences learned rerJaium ct Meratum, by
turning with question abruptly to your
! 1. l. 1f