The Lincoln County herald., 1872-11-13
rae MICROSCOPE IN SCHOOL,
GOVERNMENT.
DY MRS. M. NJ D GOO0wIS.


called 10 orhet. Every scholar was II
bis place, and for oOce ,here sas not
Vhispes heard; shispesing had, from
time smmemoriat, beea tho bane o
Maple Grove school. Teacher af'e'
teacher had tried 20 eon9uos the habit
aud with the advent Of evesy new one
lhs Ounce block and birchen Yod bst
been introduced o. part OF the pro
gramms . psrt, however, thst alway'
failed to accomplish the desired end
end, up to the present hoar, the schoe
yeally deserved the name it bore-tht
nost disorderly school in the country.
The present teacher was little pale
faced lady, and the older boys chucklsd
st the thought of ssch a mite Of woman
attempting to coerce them, and at the
morning recess they met in solemn con.
ciavs, and nicknamed her "the Giant"
Miss Dean, as il happened, overheard
the deliberations Of the irrepressibles,
but, instead Of being alarmed, she was
rather amused, especially at the ludi.
crousnsss Of the cognomcn they had
chosen for her four feet Of stature
Tho morning passed without any uu.
usual confusion, considering the perpex
isg nature Of the first days duties and
now, as l said, a hush had fallen on
every scholar-every mouth was agape
with wonder, and every eye fixed on the
little woman at the desk.
Instead Of a rod or feruls, she held in
her hand brass instrument, looking for
all the world like toy cannon set on
end. Silently she held it up before the
scheel, aud silently the scholars gazed,
until little Johnny Burns could repress
his curiosity no longer, and 10 q shrlll
voice cried ont
School marm, will it shute :"
The teacher raised the instrumeut 1T
higher, and smile was perceptible on
her face, as tive or three of the ring
leaders of mischief popped their heads
behind their desks, not doubt being left
in their minds that, if Miss Dean wasn't
strong. bodied, she was at least strong
minded. and intended to govern the
school with some new tangled shooting
machine, instead Of the old fashioned
good-bohavior producers before alluded
70.
"Did you ever see microscope be-
fore?' asked Miss Dean and four heads
popped from behind their wooden breast.
works, while every voice in the house
answered in the negative.
"Well, | suppose the young ladies and
gentlemen who sit on those back seats
have heard Of this instrument and can
explain its use,' SAID the teacher, with
that subtle knowledge Of children's dis.
positions, which leads them to be pecu.
liarly fattered when, on reachiog the (to
them) very mature ages of ten or twelve,
they are for the first time addressed as
ladies and gentlemen!
There vas silence for moment, and
then one Of the boys hazarded the opin.
ion that microscopes were made to see
stars"
Miss Dean then explained to the
school the use Of the microscope, and
calling the eldest boy forward showed
him, upon bit of glass, q tiny spsck,
barely perceptible. Placing this under
the lens, she bads him lock and describe
what be saw.
"Why, huge spider, With points and
brlssles," exclaimed the boy, in perfect
astouishment that SO small speck should
be SO transformed.
"Not q spider, exactly" said the
teacher, though it does look like il;
that is a honey bees sting, and every
one Of those hairy points, which show so
plainly in the glass, is charged with
poison. Do you wonder that the sting
OF the bee is painful, when such a COM
plicated weapon is used ?"
Sending this boy to his seat, she
called up the next eldest
"What Is that little sack that looks
like his head? Is that his bag of
poison ?" be asked after a prolonged
gaze.
81 expect it is, though outside the
microscope the sting only looks like a
little black dot on the glass. and you can
neither hairy points nor
poison bag"
One by oae she permitted every
scholar to look through the microscope,