The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-09-27
Old vaughn's Dam.

YOU to make me think So"
1t was old Riley Vaughn who spoke,
and although old Riley had no educa-
ton, his hard sense and sound judgment
were respected by all the men who sat
there in the village post-oflice waiting
for the mail. He had grown prosperous
by dint of hard work and good judg-
ment, and his neighbors were accustom-
ed to ask for and to respect his opin-
ions.
"I did not say precisely that, Mr..
Vaughn replied Penruddock, the
schoolmaster. 81 only said that my
best efforts to educate the boy were rem
tlered futile and nugatory by reason of
his inexplicable inability to grasp and
retain so simple thing as the accidence
of the Latin verb"
"That means, in plain English, that
he amt got no grip on what you teach
him, don't ?" asked Riley.
I" Yes, that is what mean," replied
the schoolmaster, with something like
shudder at old Riley's English. But 1
will make an honorable exception in the
matter of mathematics He seems in
stinctively to grasp arithmeticd pru-
ciples."
"Yes," drawled old Riley; tone Of
your boys tole me Hamp could figure
out how long it 'ud take for cistern to
get full eff they was three pipes o. diff
erent sizes runnin' into it, an two
others o. still different sizes a.runnin'
out"
eyes, he is expert in the practical APP
pications of arithmetic; and yet even
in arithmetic his standing is not good,
because he seems incapable of mastering
the exact terms of the formul@ and
rules
"Well, now, look here" said old
Riley, rising and striking the counter
with his big fist cit Jest comes to this
here the boy amt got no grip on your
words am things, but he's got good
grip on idees an principles, an it's my
belief that's the inside o. sense. | don't
want to be unnecessarily offensive, but
you an all school mas ters like you
ought to teach parrots. They don't want
no idees they just want the words, an
that's your notion o. learnin'. That's
the trouble o. this county down here;
men learn words an kin make speeches,
but he can't do nothin'. Now I've seed
that Hamp See do what nary man in
this country could do. L bot the fust
reapin', machine as was ever seed in
these parts, an when it came it was all
to pieces, an packed in boxes. / sent
one arter another for all the blacksmiths
an wheel -wrights an carpenters here
abouts, to set the thing up, an I'm
blest eff one of 'em could make out
Not one of 'em could put any two pieces
together. That ere boy hung round all
the time, with his forred creased up like,
an finally he says, says he, "Mr.
Vaughn, let me try" Well, try, says
/; an eff you get her together, I've got
five-dollar bill fer YOU" Maybe you
won't believe it, but afore noon that
very day that there reaper was reapin'
wheat like dozen hands. The boy
just seed right into the thing. Now,
say eff he's Ounce, the sooner most
people in these here parts loses their
senses am gifts to be ounces, the better
it will be for all concerned" And with
that old Riley stalked indignantly out
of the post office.
Notwithstanding all that old Riley
could say, however, public opinion was
against Hamp See. 1t was certain that
he was dull in his lessons. He could not
keep up with Penruddock's classes, and
instead of studying his Latin verbs, he
was perpetually interrupting the schools
by asking Mr.. Penruddock to. explain
things like thunder and lightning, and
the presence of shells in the rocks in the
mountain, and the curious way plants
have of taking care of themselves
things which had no relation to the
work of the school, 1t was agreed that
Riley Vaughn could know nothing
about education because he was not him.
self educated. 1t was even said-and
this came to Riley's ears-that he was
even prejudiced against education.
Even Hamp's mother was discourag
ed. Hamp was always pottering,' ,
she said, instead of attending to hi:
books.
Why" she said, 50 he's been fooline
with spring up on the hill back of the
house the whole season through. He:
laid pipes to bring the water down here
and now he's turned the whole hous,
4 u.