Connecticut western news., 1879-02-26
The School Teacher.

The School Teacher. TFRoM PAPER "soME WESTERN SCHOOL MASTERS" IN soRIBNER' FOR MARCH.
 As recall the old-time school, I can not but think that, if it's discipline was somewhat more brutal than the school discipline of to-day, it's course of study vas far less SO. Children did net often die of the severity of the old masters, though many perish from the hard re- quirements of the modern system.
 To nervous child the old discipline was, indeed, terrible. The long beech switches hanging on hooks against the wall haunted me night and day, from the tune entered one of the old schools. And whenever there came an outburst between master and pupils, the thought less child often got the beating that should have fallen upon the malicious mischief maker. As the master was al- ways quick to fly into a passion, the hIn-loving boys were always happy to stir him up. It was an exciting sport, like bull-baiting, or like poking sticks through the fence at cross dog. Some times the ferocious master showed an ability on his own part to get some fun out of the conflict, as when on one occa- sion in school in Ohio. the boys were forbidden to attend circus. Five or six of them went, in spite of the pro- hibition. The next morning the school master called them out on the floor and addressed them:
 So you went to the circus, did yoa?'' ss Yes, sir"
 Well, the others did not get a chance to see the circus. want you boys to show them what it looked like. and how the horses galloped around the ring. You will join your hands in circle about the stove. Now start p
 With that he began whipping them, as they trotted around and around the stove.
 It was fine sport for the more daring boys to plant handful of coffee-nuts ir the ashes just before the masters en. trance. It is the nature of these coffee nuts to lie quietly in the hot ashes fol about half an hour, and then to explod. with sharp report, scattering the ivt ashes in an inspiring way. Nothing could be fnnnier than the 1mpoten wrath of the school-master, as he wen poking in the embers to find the remain ing nuts, which generally eluded hi search. and popped away like torpedoe under his very nose.
 The teaching in these schools wa often quite absurd. was made to 2, through Webster's spelling book fv times before I was thought fit to begil to read, and my mother, twenty year earlier, spelled it through nine time before she was allowed to begin Lindle, Murray's English Reader" It was b, mere chance of the survival of some e the tougher old masters that knew tn old school in its glory. The change fo the better was already beginning thirt or forty years ago. The old master taught their pupils to edo sums," tn new ones had already begun to teac arithmetic. In one of the schools i the generation before me was one Jir Garner; he must be an old man now, he is yet living, and he will pardon m laughing at the boy of fifty years age One day he sat for long time tappin his slate with his pencil.
 ''Jeems," i" cried the master, |" what ar you doing ?"
 I'm a-tryin' to think, and I can't, said Jim, eff you take three from on how many there is left"
 It was in the same old Bethel schoo house, about the same time, that th master, one Benefel, called ont tI polling class of which my mother, the
 little girl, was usually at the heat
 word given out was " onion."
 zppose the scholars at the head of tl .ass had not recognized the word h 1ts spelling in studying their lesson / They all missed it widely, spelling it i the most ingeniously incorrect fashion Near the foot of the class stood be who had never been able to climb | toward the head. But of the few wor, he did know how to spell, one W "onion." When the word was miss at the head he became greatly excite twisting himself into the most ludicro contortions as it came nearer and near to him. At length the one just abo the eager boy missed, the master ss "next, " whereupon he exultingly swul his hand over his head and came o with: On, un, ion, yun, sng-un, I'm head, by gosh P and he marched the head while the master hit hin blow across the shoulders for swearir
 The beginning of educational form in my childhood took on eurio forms. We had our grown man
 Benedel's school who got his tuiti
 free of charge in consideration of