, 1870-05-08
A Magazine Article Written by the
Pffsoncf.

wealth highly reformed and splendid system O.
education; before Herbert Spencer IN his profound
treatise on human nature, had laid down the aw o.
nature by which the race should be esiucsteds be
| fore our OWL f0umaus, and others OF the present
age, Ind uttered thelr philosophical thoughts On
1ess nay ct
wss mr. misfortune to ae schoolboy In the city
OF New Yess. Iment1ou this last benevolent In
Rs
some laT. for the prevention Of cruelty to school
boya-
given Us his worid-Ienowned description Of bothe.
| boys Hail; but bis account was ucnon; mine L
! history: he had to invent; have only to remem-
| ber. .......
Few things In life are more painfully sad to one
who has hal some ambition ''to know the secrets
| Of this woulerous world" than the remembrance
Of that development to which By no effort in after
life he can ever attain. How the Sad and solemn
lines OF Longfeflow Ind an echo In our breast
while Borrowing over the forever lost days OF
"Ah met what wonder.woridng occult science,
Can from the ashes tn our hearts once more
The rose OF youth restore7
What craft Of Alchemy can bid defiance
To time and change, and for single hour
Renew this phantom lower
And the sea answered with lnmeutatlon,
~ Aias! th5 youth Is deadi
It breathes no more; in the dask places With the
Il lies for ever coid!"
To recall With much mlnuteness the events Of
hut let It be borne Ii mind, they were impressive
events stamped on the mind or early childhood /:
i say e &c II ot
eariy years, much better than the comparatively
recent ones Of hts aault age
basenent Of large Gothic church, st1aa1ed on
what Was then - northern outsktFt Of tbe city.
Broad, nnenc1ose4 acres Stretching out Of fHht,
where ne Tere wont u ~ ou1 kites, play hr nsaz-
blea, bail, md tag. made up Its background But
the pavior sud the nn2on have been abroad; stony
streets and bricks and mortar corer the Play
grounds and tie only ldEdmark left to identify
The spot is the old towering massive esittcer
hemmed In for miles rounu BY the swarming hab-
itatlons Of men. The schoolsoo1a, as It then "a ap-
By abont seventy -1se feet Wide; but, as the Size
Has measured By the a1agnIfytn9 eye Of childhood,
It was probably Of smaller dimensions @ LoH ao a9a
spe1sed; At the decline Of day. VILE spectral shaa
ions ss q .sfs se @ sssk penche %
each Of which sat, With. curved splncs,
some dozen pa1e-1acei, cowen.town po5s, extend
70 to iss aEa siss iea1inE vide M reessngaE spae, q
schoolroon1~ attached to one end Of. ahGut Two
having mcnated on the Top square: Hooden blocks,
painted whtrer each side Of whlsa were pantel
IN oack letters, words o. sentences. according T.
down On sand md slates, when erg1hctaied By 8
large boy called the "dtCtator," as hs paced down
the hall with MEASURED tread and authoritative
ment on plattorm, At the upper ena ot tts
room, stood the masters Lesk and high stak Herer
enthronet, the monarch of The school, nsth fernia,
to uphold his government, re,gned over. IS sub
ance aud cruelty Of the King OF. Da-
biacE hnedoln. No means Of ventilation what
erer Was to be seen I7ro word q tyentilation" was
NOT 1nowh in the vocaonls1y Of the school; hut
mat breathing mu1sltudc.of boys, was carefully
kept within the schoo as y subs tffute fer futt
With doors and windows t1khtly closed. and about
100 scholars e1hh'lng carbonc acid gus and raall-
nting impurities from theff: unw2shed persons, 81
day long, the atmosphere ot.the place mnst haFs
been relJ IKE that Of the Back Hole Of Calcusta:,
globes were ever used In the school Descriptions
OF the eaftA or OF the stars we never had; but tn
on e aIpa o. nsasen nna
riest TO edncaaon a. maps and btackboards, there
were otness gsacing the wailss and deemed Of
Dut espcc,aljy to the moral and religious develop
meut' Ut the stadfnti On the Will, behind the
master, in full vteE Of the whole school, y Keep
cato -nEne-tails Of enormous size. The handle had
the dimensions OF q farmers naiL The hstes were
Of aog as fescn z as yaag tafsh aa
down to be used On eE.xa occasions cnly bnt sin-
3le-hanle! one waa In constant servcein me dal!T
o.
huge c1tu hung ttFo othe implements OF culture.
These last were nader Of haiher, covered over with
knd Ct !! mas5a s1 ts an5e esa
cap" The former wasa lind Of skul:-tsp, without
q visor, which mad1 person Look, and presume,
iu1ted ali oser wish,lnIesczibahe nngiesnnd snaxy
curves Ike one Of those hOErots worn on ne neauol
a Chinese god, or a,fotlnl Of the auto-dG!E- Both
90 az the huge Acat7 hanging bestle thesn- dteaA-
fnl as that was In a&d4non 4, these. csacted on
the platform to tne Itgas of the nlasIes. WIS
bar,H This was :ra1I .0f. unu about ttree fees
long, and about AL iI21 square y Its transverse
section, placed in hattzontal POSITION On upttgi.
supports about Eighteen lnchcE AtEh- It *Ss used
for feats Of neutrality-suspicious. with batn feet,
TINT were cruel IN the e1hene- These engines OF
torture were used ehe sesol1n re chas f -
echool They were regarded a. absolutely Reces-
sary to mo.as, order nsM mentaa ttls1!pllneLtob b
me9cy Der = to othera Is saI femsn,6er them, shc5
appear as blooly Instruments Of The tuq1laEon,
and, without doubt No14 b ra5e @ ca5ioslties tor
application Will be rela1kd.fdfther on
The instruction came Cndernn general meShod
to to Know. It Could not breaHedthe . aIancassersn
systeu1,7 although It htd an element Of this It
WAS not the Kinder Gaz1en,s + nor ne ~ fessa9z- ~
celebrated hIrtsh Tuto7.EE' l. wns ssst geney5s.
the Faculty consisted OF the tnasster che alcta-
tor, ard monitor for essa 'csaas eSGenllng tas
abstract studies Tbs LITTER came under the I'M
mediate Instruction Of toe. mastet; he had the
"a s
stairs, ana who wasthE lns temporal and spiritual
Of the school, had the appointment Of him The
rosauan ros is u ofce:. : tk K week ss ! tine was
The length Of the,1 sa1n.nis5aston; 7ssAi ~
V were TeTy Authoritative. the senoolmaster sell
dom or never came In contact with the scnolAfs
!cat t and other medluns ot similar nature, o.
It MS tic UNIFORM ,cratouh Of the master not %
tic regular time for commencing school Some
Of the beys, who knew: Ttcrr he lived, were hY
tar1s the DO 9t. 9f syery 70
order that the primarysexerr!ses oi the aay naght
Be Got through with bys the monitors, and things
st.iksng Incident Of those days Causes me wildly
to ramembcr this u3kge Ell the school. 1WilLhere,
BY way Of pa1rnthesis re1ate u though moEe ap-
Rssem PssR1sf5 ION that WITCH IS NOW about tube de-
one f1ne morning it 20 happened thatnobody
wsnt s aeF est I'll o as It ae aa
hour Immunity fKptn their penttentfatJ, they we're
Improving il Gu. ut doors with nproaltcua jubilee:
q sudden tness was mwnais s y +esei @9e
breaihless urchlns. tIfs true! It's be- He ap-
prpaches with rapid stt1des, thIeatentng looks,
ana & saaEes
mt, then the other; then both; he shepts aayagely
It Us to CONG into school; he shakea furously the
5ss were to iii bisuee The eplihets 'sRascals!" "Vn-
iaIusi'-threats, denunct1ronB, almost mpreca-
ons ta om ls lps as we sna eptss sia stsf m
shouts. % IS quick as ven. driiet,sold!ers We tail
Int pd ps g. III sn ei show ns Szs it,
claims:z and. commencing at tho heal Of the line,
he deAla each aud every on& Of Us three naru,
i1itin't 20 ioT he Eey This chastisement be, no
doubt, considered impartial and "eren-handesl
iustice,7 The fact Of the natter was, however,
hs ~ of es 5 1eys
hoy whose specIal duty was to 50 for the KEY tRat
morntpg, wss probably nes u school that day-
sisted x speiiing and reading. No umtoTm sors Of
hpots was used In the scaooL save the CatecnisIa-
As eyery word OF this vas absolute anA N
ment to It, and, the1eto1e, there were 70 ~
rietles. We were more liberal and tatitudtna1ian
IN onr secuas book ons gsnoar aa one ~ Sn1 @ q
from the English Reader" " another from ~Ggok,s
VoYages," and another from the Life Of Wash
@ Z ST. sss fsss IL
and from an sutedtluFian relic called "The
| Gough.r This last book was considered ~ exhsus
IRE IN the science Of numbers and Nas SAID 70 be
| great Irish scholar, Who lived In ancient l11sh
| lines The spelling 1esson Of a class would be
! h s1d one morning from one kinG Of book and OF
tile next from different kind Just IS It happen.
| cd; and that boz Wes accounted lucky whose book
chancel to ke selected for my single occasion, a
he therefore, was more likely to be posted In THE
| Lesson than the rest Of bis clasa.
Let us take the syatena in lis daily order: 1t Is
| O'Clock 4 bof bus Just returned from- the maat
| ter'H house with the key. He oleps the dooE
| ringa the bell, and the scholsrs without leave o1
| taelr sports and pour into school They as1a1
themselves against the Wall around the roo1r n
| military companies, ,eaeh cl.as under tta oWn Eon
tt1r Is captain. Doubt, tear, and trembling a3t
| tate man5, as II they really were soldiers going
INN battle for the ftysf time The repult R{ tteII