The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-01-26
"REMINISCENCES.
Continued from Page 5.)

latch to which was attached latch
string made of leather, thrust through a
hole 10 the outside. A heavy wooden
bolt which was locked from the outside
with a long crooked wire for key,
which, when used, was passed through
another hole six inches above the bolt.
At each end was window of six, eight
by ten lights, and on each side two long
windows of the same height. This des-
-cTiptiOn will furnish pretty good idea
of the external appearance of the first
Snyder school house which was a fair
specimen of the famous American log
cabin schO, house, to The influence Of
which, owing to the wisdom of the
founders of our government, we owe in
large measure our greatness as a ma
ton to-day. Not any more pretentiOus
were the inner appointments and con-
Een1ences, and as they were designed to
be OF an entirely practical character,
the matter of comfort, except as to
warmth, was unthOught Of. The door
opened into a small veStlbule where
were hung the hats and caps OF the
boys; the old hickory broom, and in the
corner bench for the water bucket
with its wooden handle and hinges and
its accompanying "tin" from which all
alike quenched their thirst, dipping
'"blech full" drinking and emptying
what was left back into the bucket-nO
SqueamiShness or fastidiOuSnesS being
shown. The floor was laid with wide
rough boards from the saw mill, which,
in drying out. left large cracks convent
ent places for pOking down waste
papers, splitting through and "tOeing tho
mark" in the spelling class An i'm
mense plain, roughly cast, template
stove occupied the center of the room
capable of receiving a stick of wood
nearly three feet long. On either side
was placed long slab bench with two
legs at each end and one in the middle.
Holes were bored into the logs around
the room into which were driven heavy
S0ak pins which supported a two foot
poplar board which served as writing
vdesk, into which were carved numerous
initials of those who had occupied the
seats from year to year. At the west end
and near the door was the school masters
desk, elevated considerably above the
common desk, and furnished with a
short high bench seat. Above the desk
driven into the logs were two short pins
-four feet apart which furnished place
for the half dozen or more hickory or
beech rods which were considered indis
pensible adjuncts in training" the
young idea" High up around the
room were arranged narrow shelves for
the dinner baskets and wooden pins for
bOnnets, clOaks, sc. The height of the
pupils ambition was to be promoted to |
seat at the writing desk, the bench for
which being some inches higher than
the common seats, added greatly to the
dignity of the promotion; the desk also
affOrding a support for the back on turn
ing around, except the one low short
bench placed in front of the stove for
the small pupils. The benches were all
too high for an eight or ten year old
boy seated upon them to touch the floor
with his feet, so that several positions
were common in order to get relief for
his aching back or limbs. One was, to
half sit and half stand, the other to sus-
pend the punishable portion of his
Juvenile cOrpOrOsity over the back edge
of the seat and by leaning his body for
ward preserve a comfortable balance.
A bench full of a dozen or more boys
doubled up in this position presented too
tempting an opportunity for testing the
withiness of new rod, to be passed
lightly by, as the writer has reason to
know.
Seated on the far end of the bench and
engaged in some mischief unfortunate
ly observed by the teacher, he COM
menced at the near end of the bench
giving each one a tremendous eye
opener, which doubled him up the other |
way as quickly as punch would cut |
worm, until the other end was reached, |
IT'S occupant receiving two, the extra, |
which was given in the spirit of justice |
to the other eleven, who were really in
nOcent. The north side of the room, on |
account of the vestibule, was only re-
deemed from being the shOwiest part Of |
the house by being occupied by the girls, |
and, strange as it seemed in after years, |
the minor Offenses of the smaller boys |
was punishable by having to sit with |
the girls. The ceiling, eight feet high,
was formed of rough boards, loosely
nailed down on unhewn jOists, placed |
about four feet apart, A trap-dOOr in
the northeast corner opened into the
attic. The creYices and knOt-hOles af-
f0rded means of ventilation, not COM
pretended in the plan, but which was
about the only redeeming feature in the
whole structure, and which relieved, in
a measure, the mustiness of the atmos-
phere, often impregnated with a villain
1us OdOT arising from the vicinity of
some SuSpiciOuSly innOcent-lO0king
lrchin, who sat solitary and alOne-his
on either side, with fingers
TO his nose, having slid away from him
ike needle frOm the negative point of
/ magnet-prim and erect, with COM
pressed lips and a vacant stare at his
book, in which he seemed intensely in
terested. A burly, gOOd-natured fellow
was Lne average SCHOOl UOyJ pOSS66o6u VI
4 degree of self-asSurance which gave
him the air of one who might have been
.he pOssessOr of half the land in the dis
srict. One cheek distended with an inn
mense quid of ''cayendish," which he
sxpectOrated with recklessness sug-
gestive of conscious manhood. GeneT-
Ius to fault-in dispensing bits of his
cavendish to the smaller boys and keenly
enjoying the sighG of the revolt of an
stomach. Dressed in a home
spun. home made suit, consisting of a
'wamus" of red flannel, rather lengthy, |
with the lower front corners tied in a |
knot, which popular manner of wearing |
it arose from the liability of the loose |
shirt being graZed, which counted the |
same as "h.t" in the popular games of |
''hOle'' or corner" ball. The bagging |
Dccasioned by thus tightly tying the cor |
ner formed convenient receptacle for |
mittens, books, applel, etc., and gave |
him a unique appearance, which was |
greatly heightened by the row of big |
brass buttons down in front. Pants, the |
legs of which teing cut straight all the |
way down, were a slight improvement |
on the original pattern imported gen. |
Grafton or two before from thesOld |
country, and innOcently suspended from |
a nair of hIua leans "OalluSeS" gave the |