The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-10-19
AT THE INSTITUTE.

AT THE INSTITUTE.
Learning, quite by accident, that there
was to be held Teachers Institute, at
the little town of Onargo, situated about
midway of the Central Illinois Railroad,
we of course attended.
The advantages and disadvantages of
being stranger in a strange land were
then and there forcibly presented to my
vivid imagination, as never exactly pre-
sented before. I knew no one in Onargo;
no one knew me. By sly hints and inuen-
dos l might pass for princess in disguise;
but on the other hand, 1 might be sus-
pected of being a burglars confederate.
OF course, l could put up at either Of the
fear Of being questioned ON projects Ter
the future. On examination, neither of
the houses aforementioned were found to
be congenial to my taste; but finally l
found place to stay at, where the folks
had knowledge enough of character to APP
preciate your correspondent and appeared
to be conscious from the first that they
were entertaining angels unawares;' in
fine we soon found ourselves forming one
of a refined and intellectual circle. In this
place everybody came from somewhere
else; the majority from the New England
States-our hostess from Boston. Highly
intelligent, with cultivated manners and
warm heart, united to fine conversational
powers, we were instantly attracted toward
her; yet, often when listening to her sweet
cultivated voice, we felt that,
"She had known sorrow.
He had walked with her.
Oft supped, and broke with her the ashen
crust,
And in the bustling street she heard cen
now the stir
OF his black mantle trailing in the dust"
Not SO with her companion, whose bouy-
ant spirits and ready play of wit enlivened
our party at even and noon-tide hours. So
much for our reception and entertainment,
as the professors say when they get wound
I'D in subject and attempt to back out
without being detected in the maneuvre
by their audience.
Bah. how l hate the very name of pro-
fessor They have been the terror OF my
later years, and when call to mind all that
7 have suffered at their hands, or rather at
the end of their endless tongues, as have
vainly endeavored to see the point which
they said they were developing! l know
one of these babbling old rascals wherever
T see him: bald-headed, weak-eyed, much
vhiskered-the same physiogomy runs
tbreueh the whole race. How wickedly
clad am when they get on shaky ground,
and finally reach the point where they are
OBLIGED to own they don't know what they
ara talking about; for to that point they
must invariably come in metaphysics; for
az Cicero, or some OF those torn-down smart
old fellows, who lived SO long ago remark
ed, "mind itself knows not what mind is. .
Well of course, there were professors
n,enty at the Institute, and as they will
never see this article, although one OF
them came mighty near seeing the above
note, l will give their names. First was
NcHewen, who carried with him box OF
dry bones. and harapgued us upon them in
a rather dry manner. could not attend
to the technicalities of the lecture, for my
;maoination was rife with speculations con-
corning the time and place when these
chastity relicts had local habtation and
name. Then arose Professor Raymond to
tell MS what he knew about Zoology, fol-
lowed by Professor Cook, to discourse upon
the use and abuse of text books in the
school room. The lectures were divided
or limited to an hour each day upon each
subject. At the end of each hour recess
of few minutes, with singing and music
on the organ; all hour and half of noon,
ing.
On the afternoon of the third day, just
,ftor the afternoon session had been called
TO order, the door of the hall opened and
quick elastic step brought up the aisle
medium sized gentlemanly and exceedingly
graceful appearing man, intellect IN the
brilliant eye, intellect i'll the broad lore
head, preponderance Of brain in every
movement of the blue-veined head, ane
quick flash of the dark orbs. Here said
to myself, is the man who shall tell us al
that we shall remember, while we are here
because united to scholarship and rhetor
ical power is originality, for read it il
his fine face even before he was introduced
and began Immediately to talk upon Bota
nv. This gentleman was no less person
age than Dr. Sewall, principal of the Stat
Normal University, situated at Peoria, ant
autbor of that beautiful scientific lecture
entitled the "Green Leaf" which you ma.
have read, as it has been widely copied b,
the press and universally admired. Thu
Doctor read his lecture one night whel
mapy of the citizens were gathered in tn
hall. among the rest an old lady who sound
" berated the Doctor all the way home TO
having the audacity to say that the lea
worked harder than she did. On being in
troduced to him the next day, we tool
occasion to repeat to him the old lady
criticism; the Doctor laughed heartily ant
beooed me to inform the insulted dam
that though he had taken occasion to sa.
50. he did not make it so.
The Institute lasted five days, and was hell
in the fine Lecture Hall of ''Grand- prairie
Seminary" On the opening night Prof
RAYMOND, of Springfield, before referred to
delivered a good lecture on Honesty il
Teaching" He compared the teachers t.
builder, and cited the disastrous conse
ouences which would result in the builde