Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-04-29

As time went by the fame OF Nate S
new departure reached beyond Upper
Nineveh. As Lawyer Jenkins had pre-
dicted, the people of Babylon Centre be-
came interested; from which thrifty vii
lage, and from Babylon Bridge and Baby
lon Lower Falls as well, came curious
school committees to see Miss Revere aud
investigate her methods. More than this,
the secretary of the State Board of Edu-
cation appeared one day about Christmas.
heard recitation from the Greek class,
made a good many inquiries, and after
wards gave Kate three complimentary
lines in his annual report. Naturally
enough all this attention was Aattering to
the Ninevites, who felt their own wisdom
in the choice of Miss Revere thereby
justified.
Tell YOU what" the lawyer would
say glcefully 10 his clients, "got prize
when we got Miss Revere, didn't we
And every one but DR.. Barrows would
promptly acquiesce.
At length, when Christmas had gone
by, and Washington's birthday was only
a recollection, and Fast day approached,
it occurred to the members of the COM
mittee that a public examination might
be a suitable opportunity for magnifying
the school and It's teacher and exalting
themselves. This idea being suggested
to Miss Revere was readily accepted, and
the proposed event set down for the We'd
nesday preceding Fast day.
Well, the day came; and all Nineveh
and It's vicinity turned out to celebrate
the occasion. The orthodox church had
been offered for the exercises, as furnish
ing larger accommodation than the school
house: and as carriages and people toiled
up the steep hill, on top of which the
church was a conspicuous landmark, It's
capacious pews promised to be well filled.
Inside, platform built up around the
pulpit was banked up to the rear wall
with the scholars; the girls mostly in
white, with pink, blue or magenta rb-
bons; the bows in nankeen, with smoothly
slicked hair, freckled faces, and amazing
blue or red neckties. The side seats to
the left were occupied by the committee !;
chair upon the platform was appropri-
ated TO Miss Reyeres use, while the
amiable viSage Of lawyer Jenkins, as
chairman of the committee, beamed com
placently from the the pulpit All the
arrangements seemed to promise a graft
flying success, especially as everybody was
in = most self-Satisiying frame of mind !;
the people, because their boys and girls
were on exhibition; the committee be-
cause It's members were displayed IN the
light of public educators; and Miss Re
we're, in that her opportunity had come
and she was about 10 improve It. Then,
too, Kate could not help being hattered by
the lawyers opening speech, wherein he
drew delicate comparison between Hy-
patia of old and a Young lady mot one
hundred miles from Upper Nineyeh
somewhat to the disparagement Of the
the former; so that the flush of gratified
pride on Hates pretty face, and the tre-
NOR Of excitement in her musical voice,
as She stood up before the Latin class and
asked the head boy to decline "m0Sa-
a table not without their justiti-
cation.
cannot stop to tell how admirably
the Latin class acquitted itself; and
how, too, the five girls who made up the
class in Butler Analogy fairly wearied
the audience with their proficiency. In
addition TO all which there were songs,
and recitations and various other per
formances, lending variety to the pro-
gramme, and keeping the people, on the
whole, sufficiently entertained. At GER
tain stage in the proceedings the commit
tee was expected to examine the scholars
on its own account. And to this Miss
Revere looked forward with no little APP
prehenSion. What if old Doctor Trum-
bull who was the orthodox minister and
famous scholar should want to know
something concerning the Digamma or
the Greek particles, about which neither
Miss Revere, nor the good doctor himself,
nor any one else knew anything at all !;
or if lawyer Jenkins, good deal of a
casuist in his way, should perplex the
girls over some obscure demonstration in
Butler: So Kate fairly shivered until DR..
Trumbull had contented himself with the
synopsis of Greek verb and murmured
appreciatively, Very good, and the
lawyer nodded complacently over a short
paragraph from the Analogy" And
then, when the danger seemed past, and
she began to breathe freely, and the
members of the committee, with one ex-
ceptiOn, were expressing their enthusiasm,
and lawyer Jenkins was on the point OF
leaning over the pulpit and saying me-
chanically to the people below, drew a
prize, didn't We the storm suddenly
broke from an unexpected quarter. II
was the voice of DR.. Barrows that dis
PEELED the temporary silence.
I'VE have heard, Miss Revere" he
began courteously, ian admirable per
fOrmance on the part of the young peo-
pie. The pains which you have taken
with them, in branches not usually
taught in district schools, must have beer
very great, and your success is all the
more gratifying. And without question
ing at all, at this time, the utility of these
branches, or the propriety of giving tC
them so much attention, TO the neglect
perhaps, of other important studies,
would like, if YOU please, to examine the
school briefly in what we ordinarily cal