Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-27
What q Girl Can Do.

Tn the year of our Lord 1S6o, fato found
US student in tho Normal University in
this State. In common with about three
hundred others, we patiently devcd through
the mysteries Of learning how to teach, in
order that VIC might teach how TO learn.
A queer set that three hundred were
and very naturally, for n! that time only
the queer ones ever thought Of becoming
professional school teachers. Those Who
cid were either crippled, poor, or like
onrse!!, both poor, and too lazy to think Of
doing anything else, Or have an ambition
above the spelling book and leru!c. Wol,,
the profession has locked up for some
time since then, which may furnish Il rc..-
son why we left it. There was in the
school heterogeneous class, composel OF
!hosc scholars who had tcen in school
long enough TO graduate, bat who, from
lnattcnton or inability, had not kept up to
the average standard, and had bcon put
back to so over tie ground again. Some
them had been in school tIroc, some
four, and some five years. They were
locked upon by the ":egulars," 1. c.. the
students who had kept UP with the regular
course, w::h l. f cling ci mingled cont.n,p.
and pity, and even the scholars in the
lower classes patropiZcl them. If any
mischief was done, his class Of "s.upits''
were pretty sure to have hand in it; on
which account they wcro not f.voritos
with the faculty.
One of the most notable Of this class
vas young girl named Nj. She was
fair mathematician, a tole:aJle tchoIar, -
good-n"iurcd, rather quie; girl She had
10 trouble III the lower class.s, and il WAS
10. until SIZE camc 10 those rhetorical
studies whore composition is ra1uirei, tia;
she stuck, fast and hnpele=s!y. She coul.i
not write. Every year she passed through.
The same examinations, failed exactly in
the same place, was not allowed to gra,lu.
ate; and, ut tie beginning Of the mex,
year, took her place wher. she had com-
menced the scar before, aud, with a doci.e
perseverance, that was iuany to link Of
went over, and over, aul over the same
round Of studies, with sober, dcmure and
painstal;ing method.
She taje lair to be wha: a great many
other gl'!s oecome-thc or'iuary wife Of
an ordinary lnau. M,.rc than once the
faculty shook their heads and lccl.,cd tia,
Al wouI'i never, they l.ared, become
an ''earnes. teac!lc..' Eur five years ST..
lived tbs prrroscie=s, An'I, AMI 0! jvc;!css
lille, AID th.u a cl;a".c came.
lie. parents lived in Bloo;nira aton, Where
her father carried on furniture store.
lie w"s stricken down by disease, and after
long and lingering illness, died, leaving
NJ, tho oldest gi,!, Ler mother, a
younger sister. und two younger brothers,
all Of them dependent upon their sister
for livelihood. People sympa'hized
with i.er-synpsii!y is so ci,.ap--and
came 10 the following clqritalic conc:u-
s:ois:
First, That she wou!I have a hand time
Of l..
Second, Tia: the bes, thing she could
do would bo 10 get married.
Third. Iha, If she couldn't 10 that, she
might bt able 10 teach sciluo!.
And having thus settled her case, they
left her to her fate.
Then the gilrs nature asserted itself.
lnstead Of selling OFF the stock which her
father lef;, !or what she cou!I get, and iiv-
'ng on 1t until something turned up, she
hired wo,kGen, put the stock TO rights,
and sold it at retail People p;,i.t l,cr-
but they bought her goods. Peop!a sym
Ia'hizsa with her, 10 i it Was a drcaG!u!
Ching FOR girl tc 10 wl.! in bov would
Lave been though, highly comr:euda-
bic.
When the stock ran low, she astonisised
hei friends by going to New Yo,k city
aud buying larger lot Of furniture than
any one ever before had had the ll.:l:-
hood 10 bling to Bloomington - and wha,
is more, she sold il. For the frs, year
tie open sympathy and covert snec:s oI
her friends were hard to bear.
Size succeeded, Of course
The other day we saw her, after sevel
years Of hard work. Tie same Old fash.
'oned, quiet, good-na'ured manner, the
s"me A., uppreten;iuus, ob!ging, &c
mure.
nd ye: she owns a store worth S1s.-
600, in the upper story OF which she began
her labors, but Which is flied from cellar
to garrct with her goods. She purchased
house some time ago for $1,000, ard
can sell it now for $4,000. She has
100000 in real estate, with a stock worll,
$4,000 more, and all paid up.
This is a work of girl still young
who in school was looked upon only as
possessed of ordinary abilities.
The secret was, she had persistence.