The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-01-30
From the South.

TAYLOR FARM, NORFOLK, Va, Jan. IA, Sc.
After tea tonight, it was proposed to have
some music. found the JUBILEE, Mr.. Bemis
went to the melodeon, we gathered round and
sung some of the old tunes. After "Baca,
nBoonton," and "Come Home" | naturally
enough felt like resrming my talk to you.
Probably / shall not fqd a better time to
describe my school, as it has nov been in
operation long enough for us to know pretty
nearly what it is. Onr school house is new
wooden, building, some ninety by thirty feet.
1t seems to be double planked, and is battened
inside and out. For ceiling overhead, there
is tent cloth nailed to the joists. About six
feet are partitioned off for an entrance; there
are two inside doors with platform, desk and
blackboard between, like northern school
house. The farther end is divided into two
rooms, some twenty-Seven by fourteen feet
inside. The house fronts the north, and my
room is in the southwest corner, and will
probably be less comfortable in June than it
is Of sunny day now. The rooms are fur
Ny room has thirteen of those benches, each
just six feet long, and one seat running
across the back end of the room. On these
seats from ffty-seVen to sxty-three persons
since New Years. ] have twenty boys of ages
varying from seven to seventeen rs nearly as
can tell. Few know their ages correctly.
The first month had them all in one class.
They read in Sanders Second Reader, recite
| in Cornelps Primary Geography, and small
Mental Arithmetic called Table Book. They
stand up to recite there is no room for
recitation bench. They stand with the tall
est boys in the middle, and the order is so
well understood. that if new boy comes in,
/ the boys put him in nearly the right place of
their own accord. At the head stands George
Hawkins, boy of about nine, full-booded
black. He was neither absent nor late last
month, gets every word of every lesson, and
is pretty nearly model boy. Near the mid
die of the class stands Cornelius Cole, seven
teen years Of age, son Of free parents. He is
about half white, grave and dignifed as a
Judge, faithful and diligent in study, and es-
teemed by MIR. Bemis as the most trusty boy
he has had to deal with. At the foot stand:
little Frank Stone, yellow boy who never,
either in class or out, looks in his book except
he is told to, that can see, yet manages to
read about as we'll as the best of them. How
he does it is still a mystery to me. The class
is filled up with as varying quality as you
would find in any school, only have none ot
as low grade as have seen in school. There
are none on the place. About half the girls
are in the Second Reader, and of equal ad
----~-,An4 With the hnys.. thnnOh most nj
them are older. The remainder are in the
First Reader. Ny best class in that is ths
! little ones from six to twelve years old.
! have offered them rewards for learning the
definitions, and it would do you good to see
them study Most of them are on hand every
time. The lowestclass is composed ofwomen
from twenty-five to forty years old who come
three or four days in week, anxious to learn
to read, yet getting on as slowly as you would
!, naturally expect.
Some of the children bring their books in
bags hung by a strap over their shoulder,
and the more careful ones keepth bag hung
to their necks all day, with all the books il
it they are not using. The rest lay their
books and caps on the bench by their side, OF
under the seat on the floor, and they fare
somewhat as books naturally would under
such circumstances. Last week we went
down one afternoon and drove row of nails
on the boys side of the house. | did not
think of them in the morning, but the boys
, discovered them the instant we went in, and
he who sat next the wall was the best fellow
Books, bags and caps were hung up quickly.
The schools meet in the large room for
prayers, then we sing for 6fteen or twenty
minutes. Mr.. Bemis leads with violin which
helps good deal. They learn new tune
very quick. Then, at signal, the scholars
go to their respective rooms, and each teacher
calls his or her own roll. The door is locked
during prayers, and the children answer
"present" or "tardy" as they were in before
or after the door was locked. We anticipated
trouble in getting correct answers, but find
very little Altogether, they seem to me
intensely human. E.C.H.
An IMPORTANT Bounty DECIsIoN.-The fol-