The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-04-05
Some "Reminiscences OF Stonewall
jackson as q Professor.
From the Richmond Dispatch.

Stonewall Jackson as lieutenant
, during the Mexican war, and rs u
"Bollonas bridegroom" in Confctlcr-
ate times, is reasonably well known
to the world. The "Life" of DR..
I Dabney is in many respects worthy
of the illustrious subject and of tho
able and accomplished author. But
this Life" and all tho other Lives, "
are mainly devoted to tho task Of
depicting the Christian warrior,
and rs this is the character in
which Jackson figured most
conspicuously, and in which he was
most fully himself, it was natural
and proper that the biographers
should concert themselves most
especially with this manifosta ton of
the man.
Still, as a matter of fact, it is
known that Jackson spent con
siderable portion of his lifc in the
position Of "Profcssor of Natural
Philosophy and Artillery" in tho
Virginia Military Institute at
Lexington and it must be manifest
to the observnnt reador that this
portion of his Efo has been but
scantily treated by his biographors.
This, however, is not due to my
neglect on the part of those writ
crs, for they vol know that all
intelligent readers would desire to
know how Professor jackson lived =:
how ho taught his classes what
was his method of instruction {;
what he said and did in tho lecture
room indeed, almost everything
which would throw any light upon
tho character nnd conduct OF the
man who said so little and did SO
much.
But the truth is, that there was
precious little to tell about this
period of General Jacksons life.
a biography of great literary man
is apt to be littlo moro than re-
view of his works the biography
Of thinker must often be simply an
account of his thinking and it's
results; and the biography of Il
teacher, though he he Il prince in his
profession, will not often present
much that is very now or very
striking to tic non professional
reader
But Jackson's life rs teacher
was singulorly and exceptionally
monotonous.-He had his text
books, and he prescribed the los
sons, and at the appointed time he
''heard" them anl this was ubou!
all oft. Discussions in the class
room were almost unknown. and
even "explanations" were very
unfrequent. The text was tho one
great thing which he came to
hear" and We came to "say"-if
wo could--and most Of us common
Iy couldn't, when the said text
was Bartlett's Course of Natural
Philosophy.
Poor Allen. Hc was my room
mate the first yoar, and with VII
liams and Patton and Slaughter
and myself made up Broom No.
13." Where are they now9 Allen,
Patton and Williams all fell at
Gettysburg-nll young lawyers, all
coloncls of Virginia regiments, MI
of the same class QS55)-and
Slaughter hld been disabled for
life before the sad day on which our
room mates fell
When I was in the "third class"
I used to SEQ Allen tugging over
"Oid Jacks" terrible lessons in
Bartlett's Optics and one day 1
opened the book, and on the hylcaf
found the following stanza, which I
suspect was Aliens own {:
""Tis said TIM, Optics trent of light,
But oh believe it not. my lark
I've studied it with all my might,
And still it's left mo in the Gnrk."
Major Jackson seemed to be per
fcctly Mt home in long and intri
cate equations md other mathcmati-
cal formuln which make up SO large
II portion of Bhrtlctt's Mechanics,
Optics, and Acoustics, md Spherical
Astronomy and many Of his pupils
often wondered if there WAS in the
three volumes an equation the
formuln of which "Old Jnck" could
not repeat by heart.
And yot, with I'LL his accurate and
minute knowledge of tho course,
there was very little teaching done
in that department, unless teaching
be made to mean the prescribing
and hearing of lessons. Tho truth
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