The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-09-22

mus only could he snake the IeelinS OIL
That he had learned too much, or not enough.
Cold is tho air of reason. though serene;
Chill and unsatisfying, though serene,
Better for life and death
We're simple faith,
That ample evidence Ut things unseen,
Rut we hava eaten the forbidd en- fruit,
Nor knew the tree was rotten at the root
~3~--
THE MISTAKE AKOUT MAMP SEE.
A FRA, tical Lesson for Teachers and Pupils.
BY George Cary Eggleston.
"Hamp See Ounce! Well may be SO;
but arter what I've seed, it nd take smart
er schoolmaster than you to make mo think
So
1t was old Riley Vaughn who spoke, and
although old Riley had no education, his
hard sense and sound judgment were re-
spected by all the men who sat there in the
village po>tofice waiting for the mail. He
had grown prosperous by dint Of hard work
and good Judgment, and his neighbors we're
accustomed to ask for and to respect his
opinions.
Il did not say precisely that, NJ
Vaughn" replied Mr.. Penruddock, the
efforts to educate the boy were render ed
futile and nugatory by reason of his mex
plicible inability to grasp and retain so SIM
Pile thing as the acciGence of the Latin
verb"
That means, in plain English, that he
amt got no grip on what you teach him,
don't it," asked Riley.
Yes, that is what mean," replied the
schoolmaster. with something like a shud-
der at old Rilev's English. "But I will
make an honorable exception in the matter
Of mathematics. He seems instinctively
to grasp arithmetical principles"
"Yes," drawled old Riley; lone of your
boys tole me- Hamp could fgeer out how
long it nd take for cistern to get full of
they was three pipes O. different sizes a.
runnin' in it. and two others o still diff
1erent sizes a-runnin' out.
Yes, he is an expert in the pratical as-
plication of arithmetic; and yet even in
arithmetic his standing is not good, be-
cause he seems incapable Of mastering the
exact terms of the forml@ and rales.
WELL now look here," said old Riley,
rising aud striking the counter with his big
fist; it's jest comes to this here; the bog
ain got no grip on your words an things,
but he's got a good grip on idees an prin-
ciples, an it's my belief that's the inside O.
sense. l don't want to be unnecessarily
offensive, but you an all schoolmasters
like you ought to teach parrots. They
don't want no idees; they jest want the
words, and that's your notion O. learnin'.
That's the trouble O. this here country
speeches, but they can't do nothin'.
Now I've seed that boy Hamp See do what
nary man in this country could do. l
bought the fust reapin'- machine IS was
ever seed in these parts, an when it came
it was all to pieces, and packed in boxes.
sent one arter another for all the black
smiths an wheelwrights an carpenters
hereabouts, to set the thing up, an I'm
blest eff one on 'em could make out which
end O the thing was foremost. Not one on
EN- could put any two pieces together.
That ere boy hung round all the time, with
his forred creased up like, an finally he saws
to me, says he, Mr.. Vaughn, let mo try.
Well, try says I; an eff you cit her to-
gether, I've lot five dollar bill for you i.
Nh: te you won't believe it, but afore noon
that very day that there reaper was a reapin'
wheat like dozen hands. The boy jest
seed right into the thing. Now say eff
he's a Ounce, the sooner most people in
these here parts. loses their senses an gifts
to be Iurces. the better twill be for all con-
cerued. And with that old Riley stalked
indignantly out Of the post-otfive.
Notwithstanding all that old Riley could
say, however, public opinion was against
Hais,p See. It WAS certain that he WAS dull
in his lessons. He could not keep up with
Mr.. Penruddock's classes, and instead Of
studying his Latin verbs, he was perpetual
ly interruptirg the schools by asking MIR.
Penrnddcck to explain things like thunder
AID lightning, ana the presence of shells in
the rocks on the mountain, and the curious
ways that plants Lave Of taking care of
I.
TO til. work of the school. 1t was agreed
that Riley Vaughn could not know any thing
about education, besause he was not him
self educated. 1t was even said-and this
came to Riieys ears-that he was preiudi-
ced against education.
Even Ramps mother was discouraged.
Harp was always put ering" she said, in
stead Of attending to his books.
Why" she said, hes been fooling with
spring up on the hill back Of the house
the whole season through. He's laid pipes
to bring the water down here, and now he's
turned the whole house into MILL" Then
she would show her visitor what Hamp had
done. He had constructed an ingenious
water wheel with which to make the most
Of the power afforded by the spring, and
had set it at a variety Of tasks. A stretch
Of line passed nn.le: the floor of the house,
and bands were passed through the floor
to the churn and the sewing machine, and
even the sausage chopper could be attached
at will II don't deny that it's han ly, and
saves work" said his mother. And now
he's made sort of fan in the dining-room
and has set it going too, SO that it keeps
the flies off the table. If We had baby in
the house it would rock the cradle. But
it's discou1aging about his studies. Mr..
Penruddock is in despair, and says he
don't know what's to be made of the boy. "
The summer proved to be avery dry one
and the Gardens especially suffered for wa
ter. When the people began to complain,
Hamp had an idea. He always had an idea
when an emergency arose. He went into
his mothers garden and worked all day,
digging trench down the middle, and
making littletrenches at right angles to the
main one, SO that every bed was surround.
ed by them; and the larger beds crossed as
we'll. He was very careful to keep all these
trenches on one level. Wien he had finish
ed, he laid drain from his water wheel
to the main trench, so that the waste water
after turning the wheel, was carried into
the garden and emptied into the trench
Little by little the main trench filed; then
the water trickled into the smaller trenches,
and as the spring from whichit came was
anever failing one, the garden was supplied
with water throughout the dry, hot summer.
and such garden nobody in that region
had seen that season.
People said that Hamp See certainly was
handy sort of boy; but they were sure to
add. "It's a pity he is so dull
One day old Riley VAUGHN was Offering
extravagant prices for horse. mule or OK
teams to haul stone. He had taken q con-
tract to supply from his quarry the stone
for the railroad bridge over The Bushy Run,
and now the time for delivery was near at
hand, and no teams could be had. s. All the
horses were at work on the. crops, and it
began to appear that old Riley must either
lose money on the contract by hiring horses
and mules and transfers at ruinous, prices,
or forfeit the contract itself. He tried in
every direction to get mules and wagons.
Offering twice the usual wages. but still be