Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-04-26
The School Mistress.


with the faded gardens, the cool shadows.
and the frost suggesting vapors Of early sep
tember comes the school mistress She
vanished from among us Just as the tulips
were towering, and the first wrens were bal
ancing themselves upon the catalpa twigs by
the south windows. We remember how
weary She looked as she passed along the
street, that last day of school, few steps
behind the prim little calcoed misses and
and hilarious young brats in button-ups
She steps more lightly now as she goes smil-
ing to the work aud worry Of a new term
The pale cheeks that she took away with
her, when she went out to Kansas to spend
her vacation, have gained color from the
pink aud russet tintings of the rich plains
sunshine, and the new light in those eyes,
which seemed so dull and sad three months
ago, looks like surprise of blue sky through
the mst-like veil that serves the double pur-
pose OF concealing her freckles and protect
ing her against the ill-manuered stares OF
street loafers She still dresses in material
that can be washed and done up and
wears that inevitable white apron and the
brown kids frayed at the hnger-ends, but
not the Helen of the Had, "clad in the
beauty of a thousand stars" was SO fit to he
enshlined in immortal song
We owe her right royal welcome, the re
turning September school mistress She is
emphaticaly one Of our helpers. We might
better spare the whole race Of politicians
than this modest, earnest, ovcn-tempored
stepmother of eyeryhody's children. She it
is who in her quiet and patient way, sways
and fashions the errant forces upon which
depend, not merely the rise and fall of rudi-
mentary knowledge, but the security and
growth of all that preserves and eXalts so
ciaty and gives to popular government its
progress and its glory. Nine-tenths of our
children get the most of their education in
the public schools aud there can be no
higher mission in such country than that
of the meek-faced woman who, with no
crueler weapon than bunch of belated
marigolds or a copy of the last 81. Nicholas,
brings the boys and girls, who are TO be our
future men and women, safely and clearly
through the decisive experiences which,
more than all else OF life fix the hent OF
mind. Of manners, aud of morals Accord
ing to the sincerity and skill Of her labors
must be the character OF the scholars and
as the schools are, so will be the citizens--
which is but saying that so will be the na
ton, for honor or for shame
The returning school mistress will find
things much the same as she left them. She
will see some new acquaintance among her
pupils TO be sure and perhaps new serie,
of text books also; but there is no altera
tion in the general outlook and her work j.
ready to be resumed Just where she dropped
it. A week hence she will have the business
Of her school reduced 10 a system that nC
civil service reformer could improve. She
will know, not only the name, age and schol
arly standing OF every child under hel
charge, but also all their individual tastes
( habits, and preudices. 1t is this admirable
| faculty of discovering and utilizing the pc
| culiar characteristics of each mind will
| which she has TO deal that makes the schoo
mistress of the period such a pronounced
success. With her, TO impart instruction Il
/ net TO turn the crank of a machine. lnsteaC
of adapting her pupils to her teaching, sh'
| adapts her teaching to her pupils sh'
sometimes has a dozen methods of present
ing and enforcing the same thing, not one o.
/ which is to be found in any book. If johnny
| stumbles in his syntax, she does not reie
| him TO printed rules that are ten years allea'
| of him, but explains his error to him IN tn
language of the playground; and if It'll
Susie gets mixed in her multiplication table
she is set straight again 10y some honely II
| luStratlOn when Is worth whole dtN
study TO her. 1t took us a long time to leau
that teaching is the special sphere of woman
The school mistress has won her place II
spite of us and, having won it, she is enti
tied 10 our grateful recognition as she ap
pears again after her vacation (Which, let u
hope, was pleasant and prodtable), 10 remln,
us that September has come and "schooF
called"
Our September school mistress will b
making wife OF herself one Of these days
She always gets married. There is plac
for her in matrimony, just as there is in edu
cation. A widower, with five or six chi
dren, is somewhere constantly waiting TO
her. She could not eyade him il she would
perhaps she would not if she could, lie !
not an educated man, and there is a smell o
the soil on his garments but he has a con
Portable home and good income, and Il
will worship her in his clumsy way as il sli
were a second Minerva. When he gains lac
we lose her forever. Once wife, not cvel
September can bring her back again am
the inclination to be a wife is the one that sh
cannot resist. The trail OF the serpent
here as everywhere. Good and useful am
! necessary as she is, the besetiing ambition