Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1875-11-06
"REMINISCENCES.
Written FOE THE sAsrIxsBURs fSpEaszpEsT
BY A BERKELEY BOY.
schooldays at Charlestown.

When / was about fourteen /
was put to school at Charlestown.
seeing that my school days there
ante-dates those at Winchester, al
ready recalled, l am aware that
introducing the former now is a
reversal Of the chronological order.
But, as my apology for doing this,
l have only to repeat that l set out
with no purpose to give system
attic chronicle of events, autObio-
graphical or otherwise. To the
contrary, it has been consistent
with my plan, or rather with my
no-plan, to touch here and there
along the paths of memory. as one
event has recalled another associa-
ted Herewith.
That portion of my preparative
education procured at the place
since made SO historic by the exc
cution of the anti-slavery martyr,
John Brown, was pursued at jones
Academy, which was located in
the southern part of the town -
Whether the building is still there
l know not. 1t was a capacious
brick structure, with dormitories
on the ground floor for the use of
such of the students as boarded in
the family Of the principal, for
whom there was not room in his
dwelling, and school-room over
head. The first named were little
cared for and uninviting apart
ments, disfigured from floor to
ceiling with the names of students
and their caricatures of the teach
ers and of one another. To these
were added the various notices,
catchwords and slang sayings, Of
ten smacking of vulgarlty, too fire.
quently found where boys congre-
gate, done up, some of them, in
the charcoal style of art, lead pen
ellis being by no means SO plenti-
full in those days as now.
The school-roOm, though kept
In a more Clearly trim than the
dormitories, was certainly not re-
markable for neatness- II pre-
sented bare walls BETTING a prison
as much as a school-room. But in
this respect it was not different
from the common run of southern
buildings of that day. Professedly
designed to educate the young
that is, to develop and lead out
the mind by feeding it with facts,
but to develope a love ofthe beau
tiful as well-they really tended to
repress rather than to call out and
foster the qualities mentioned.
The academy grounds were anne
uabIe to a like criticism. While
they were ample and enclosed
wherein they differed from the old
Martinsburg Academy, as l recall
its surroundings-they were as
bare as the Last named. There
were neither trees, shrubery nor
flowers to render the scene attrac-
tive to the student as all school
grounds should be given
the power to do, instead of repul-
sive as prison environs are expect
ed to be The school-room was
pretty well supplied with desks
But these had the fault of being
double, so that the boys were, by
their close proximity, tempted to
plot mischief as well as to "do
the sums for dull or indo-
lent desk partner. My partner
was Smith Crane, a youth of
great amiability und generosity,
and therefore popular--the ten
dency of which, in after life, when
he came into possession of his
inherited means only to squander
it. has furnished a Renaissance
too sad to dwell upon. The last
time / met poor Smith was about
twenty years ago. 1t was in New
York, while was in exile there,
whittier he had been induced to
90 with the view ofembarking fer
California, where, being removed
from early associations which had
only proved detrimental, it was
hoped he would take new depar-
ture. While stopping a few hours
at Harper's Ferry, on my return
from my recent visit to Berkeley,
took occasion to inquire of DIR.
Philip Stevenson about him and
other schoolmates of ours at
Charlestown. The answer was as
favorable, doubtless, of him as
were the brothers Manning, the
Washingtons,inc him whom
John Brown siezed as hostage
because of his social worth and de-
served popularity, and that singu-
larly Withholding scion of a pro-
verbally sedate race, Lawrence
Washington, thirty or more years
ago, as a candidate for an APP
pointment in q new regiment of
the regular army, about TO be
raised to fight the Indians. To