Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-07-07
A Visit to st. CIsirsviIle.

From very graphic letter to the
Cambridge iN'etcs, by Rev. w. II. Fur
gason, Of Washington, Guernsey county,
describing his recent visit to our vii
lage we take the following about our
town and people:
The grandeur of the landscape in
creases as we near st. Clairsville. We
the grape is being cultures in this
region. These hill-sides are covered
with the choicest varieties of this
famous old fruit. These with the nu-
merous orchards, fiowery gardens, splen-
did wheat, corn, and Oat fields, mead
ows, and ever glorious clover fields, and
the trim fences, handsome residences,
white barns and attendent buildings, all
make a picture that charms one to look
upon, and to feel what a happy and
contented people these Belmont people
must he. And, let me assure them, if
they are not a thankful people they are
the most ungrateful people on earth. [
have been in sixteen States of this
Union, as we'll as in Canada and Cuba,
and do honestly declare that taking
every thing into consideration / would
rather own a good farm somewhere
along this road between Washington
Pa, and GAINESVILLE, o., than i'll any
other section of the country have ever
been in. l have no other interest in
making such statement besides de-
Tending the truth.
Lovely for situation is st. Clairsville
1t strikes the traveller most favorably as
it is first seen in the distance hiding its
white and red walls among the trees.
r., |, g.,
above the rest in majesty of its modern
elegance. Three stories and high base
ment, it even overtops. by its belfry,
the spire of the quaint old Court House
near to which it stands. Our Masonic
brethren have their Lodge in the third
story; where there are rooms as COM
modious and as beautifully furnished as
can be found in any part of the State
out Of the cities. In the first story are
four very fine school rooms, and as
many ''coat-rooms." The second story
has two school rooms on the right and a
| large, well seated Hall OH the left. The
cost of this building with the necessary
furniture must have been great, but
never was an amount of money more
ljudiciously expended. For generations
this noble edifice will stand as monu-
ment to the good taste and judgment of
its founders, and all who voted TO erect
it. To any of them who are bachelors
may it be more lasting memorial than
was the pillar of Absalom to that child
| less scamp.
| But come in. This is examination
week. Prof. Burns and all his teachers
and all the pupils, are busy beyond
compare from day to day in showing
that they have not been idlers during
| ha far, = ~ft . he =
workshops of science, or the truly lovely
gardens of the classics.
A large audience of beauty and intel
! ligence is present, and show by their at
traction that they are entertained. Diff
ficult sentences, in English Grammar
are always read and the exact function
of each word given, with all the ease
with which an expert silver smith
would take to pieces and and put up a
watch. Nouns are declined, verbs con-
ljugated, adiectives compared, words
defined, shades of meaning given, modes
and forms, relations and features deter
mined in Latin construction that show
ed mo It commendable amount of drill
creditable alike to the patience of the
teachers, Messrs. Burns and Black, and
to the perseverance of these numerous
pupils. We never heard better exam
ination in Latin than this. The Reader
was very good, Caesar was much better,
bat Virgil by far the best ofall. There
was no ''stuffing''-LatiE into English,
English into Latin-forwards, back
wards, right, left, around-alI perfect
and complete without stammer, slut.
ter, halt or hesitancy. And 50 of the
mathematics, especially of higher alge-
bra. This class has my thanks for the
high qualification it afforded us during
J the hour it was examined. 1t was sim