Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-03-29

dollars u yard thread lace ties for tweD-
ty-fve dollars each, sacques, shawls-
ali kinds of lace articles. This branch
Of work is in charge of ten nuns, who
came from France some years ago, though
every child that attends their school is
instructed in the art but it must require
years of patient practice to do the nicer
kinds of work. The rapidity with which
they handled the numerous bobbins was
perfectly bewildering to me.
| found the Mother Superior, bux-
ON, French woman, very pleasant and
agreeable to me. but should prefer to
hold the position of visitor rather than
nun, subject to her orders and controlled
by her caprices.
Very many of the catholics do not
permit their children to attend the pub
lie schools. so the ..sisters" teach the
white girls in room in the convent,
while in another building near by. other
''sisters" teach the colored children.
The boys are. | think, under charge of
one of the priests. l visited the cathol-
ic Sunday school and fully one-half the
children were colored-which indicates
the prevalence of that faith among the
blacks here-and contrary to the prac-
tice in churches of other denominations,
all are here taught together, no apparent
difference being made between the white
and black lambs of the flock.
In the convent school for whites there
seemed to be discipline. order and meth
od, with fair degree of interest; but
In the primary department for colored
children, confusion prevailed. In the
first place. there were sixty-five children
in room not large enough for twenty,
making crowding and pushing and fight
ing for place almost necessity. AS
there was no place provided for their
hats, they kept them on; and, conse-
quently, they were ready to dart through
the open door whenever the teacher
back was turned. In the midst of the
boisterous urchins stood meek-eyed,
pale-faced nun. anxious to do her duty,
but with no power to control the exuber-
ant spirits of her charge. | pitied her
from the bottom of my heart, and hear
tilY wished she might shift her burden
to the shoulders of some brave, thorough,
efficient New England teacher. for there
is field for much good work here for
the bright eyes of many of these chill
dren were not windows for dull intellects
or befogged wits but their present
training is worse than none.
From this room l went to the public
schools, under charge of Prof. Waterbu-
ry. Here were good rooms, nice desks,
maps, globes, etc., and tolerably good
order; but if his method of teaching is
in accordance with that in vogue at the
present time, l. shall grieve for the good
old days when lessons were learned OF
we stayed after school; when teachers
had to be able to onSlcer as we'll as ask
questions.
Here in Florida one hundred thousand
dollars ere every year expended on the
public schools, and most of it is used IL
the larger towns. for so far as L am able
to learn. the back country is entirely
/ without schools, or else has them opeI
but very small portion of the year
Enough money is paid ont to ensure
good schools; but if Mr.. Waterbury i.
a specimen of the teachers here. ths
! schools need reconstrueting badly. They
don't want carpet -baggers, but they vii
! have to have Yankee school-ma ans be
fore they have good public schools.
From contemplating the new thing
of St. Augustine (for free schools arr
very new turn again to the old thi
time to the dead things, for now we arr
in the Spanish cemetery, where for ;
century and half the catholics hav,
buried their dead but old as it is. ther,
is nothing very peculiar The oddl,
| shaped stones ] have seen over lndiaI
graves on Et George; the moss-eoveret
tablets are, many of them, lettered eli
ther in Latin which | can translate, o
Spanish, which can't there are tn
same quaint epitaphs one finds in an,
old cemetery the same extolling of tn
dead. who sleep quietly beneath the sod
Not beneath, | conclude. as, roaming
about, | spy the corner of coffin;
closer inspection shows that it was bur
led just on q level with the ground tina
the lid was not secured; that the eros
pieces on which it rested have decayed
letting the coffin drop about four inche
and leaving it SO exposed that porto
of the skeleton is visible. Don't shrie
and faint. my delicately nerved friend
there was nothing to alarm one abou
those poor. dead boues. buried there hal
a century ago. Worms had done thei
work we'll, and nothing remained bu
bones. no whittier than those of your f
vorite horse which was shot on the bai
tle-6eld.
At the back side of the cemetery is
small chapel. in which rest the Iemair
of Cuban priest. who died in St. A,
gustine many years ago. Every Monda