Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-04-28

lated from the German, and of which an
English version was eagerly read at the
time when Mrs. Anne Radcliffe was at
the heighth of her popularity. | am
able to affirm that we did find this book
more entertaining than its predecessor,
On what ground, with our very imper.
feet mastery over the French tongue,
we found one book more amusing than
another, | can't conjecture.
Even our studies of the vernacuar
were sometimes pursued after laisses-aiier
fashion, which scarcely accorded with
the importance attached to them. Dr.
Saunders had an aged father-in law, who
had cut off whatever communication
was left between himself and the other
world by taking strong and frequent
pinches Of coarse rappee, and this re-
spectacle but somewhat diDgy gentle.
man was occasionally trusted with the
superintendence of a body of readers
One day, | observed from a distance
that the boys, who were ostensibly read
ing by turn Goldsmith's abridged His
tory of Rome" were all shaking with
laughter, which they scarcely attempted
to suppress, but which was utterly un-
noticed by their auditor. What could
it mean? To my delight | was sum-
moned TO take place in the class, and
the boy whom found next to me i'm
mediately solved the mystery by whis-
peIing into my ear
"Such fun! Whenever a word ends
with ing, say ink instead. We are all
doing IT, and he don't find it out"
entered at once into the scheme, which
was, indeed, productive of much amuse.
ment. When we had to utter such
words as "approachink," or consider
ink" the mirth was mild; but when it
ELI to the lot of one fortunate youth to
state that Tarquin was "Kink" of Rome,
there was almost roar. Still our ex-
cellent old gentleman never discovered
that anything abnormal had occurred /;
and, when we were dismissed, no doubt
that he confessed, in his inward heart,
like England in the old seasOng, that
every man that day had done his duty"
As might be supposed, corporal pun
ishment was not much in vogue at a
school so extraordinarily lax in discip-
line. What would have been the fate Of
the kinkmaker" under the rule of
Mrs. Jackson, dread to conjecture.
But the learned doctor did not wholly
ignore the use Of the cane, though it
might be observed that this was regu-
lated rather by the state of the doctors
own temper than by the state of boys
delinquency. One popularity showed at
least that he had studied his Roman his.
tory to some advantage, and had taken
the elder BTutus for his model. Among
the pupils were his two sons; and if ever
the cane was in requisition with ex-
ceptional vigor, what clouds of dust rose
from the jackets of those devoted ladsl
If we-chosen few-who stood at the
head Of the classical scholars had been
passed into the first part of the Eneid,
we should have been reminded of the il
lustrious Trojan concealed in cloud by
his divine mother. But we knew of no
book but the second.
All things considered, | am of opinien
that, if any of the pupils at the academy
which | have tried TO describe, and of
which saw the end, are alive now, they
2till look back with kindly feeling upon
the figure of DR.. Saunders himself. His
notions of instruction were detestable;
but, in spite of occasional outbursts of
anger, he was essentially good-natured,
kindly man, endowed with much native
humor; and, in his most cheerful moods,
he loved to tell droll stories that would
make the benches rock with laughter.
And as for his gloomier moments, it
must be remembered that he had very
large family, and that he was very poor
Al Tie Year Round.