The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-02-09

shame our city pupils and teachers with |
all their advanced methods. Scarcely |
a school district but had its champion
spoilers, and frequent and exciting
were the contests between the neigh
boring schools. A Spelling" would be
announced. which would be nOised far
and wide. The big sled would be
brought out and rugged up with straw,
buffalo robes and blankets, and Jolly
crew of boys and girls would be col
lected, and to the music OF the old
fashioned string of bells, the merry
party would make raid on some rival
school for the ayOwed purpose of spell
ing down." Two of the pupils being Sc
lected to head the sides, toss up"
with the masters "gad" was had, the
one catching it low down then as hand
over hand the top was reached
the one having the two best out of three
was entitled to first choice, alternately
choosing until all were arranged on Op-
posing sides. The interest increased as
the spoilers became fewer on each side,
and occasionally after long contest
difficult words failing to put down
either, draw was declared and the
championship left open for future
occasion to settle. The recess during
the evening had charms which added
greatly to the interest of the spelling"
The game of ring" in which host
of pretty girls took part was played by
taking hands" and forming circle of
boys and girls prOmiscuOusly, while one,
sometimes two, passed around the out
side until coming to his sweetheart
tap on the hand was challenge to
race for kiss, and though he might be
the best runner in the country, strange
to say, almost invariably he was caught
before he could reach the place vacated
by his charming pursuer. Many bash
full young fellow was never able to tell
whether his liking for the girl who
filled his eye and heart, was returned,
until the magic of a gentle tap on the
hand thrilled him to the center of his
being, and if ever chap struck out for
the lOng-cOveted prize, kiss, he did OBJ
liviOus of everything, but the object
of his pursuit. Nobody was too big for
him to run over, butting against some
eqnally earnest pursuer, lodging here
and there inside and outside of the
ring, he at last found his reward in such
kiss! w-h-e-w! which brought his
heart up into his throat, and sent the
blood tingling to his toe and finger
ends, and which set him to dreaming
for a week, and compared with which
those much-pTiZed rarities, "reaSllnS,"
candy, maple sugar, or even belly
CUTS" became insipid as saw-dust.
Who the first teacher was we have
been unable to ascertain, but for
number of winters, Jacob Carte con-
Quoted the school followed by George
Grubb, 10 Uhrich, Abe Bair, Sam. Gefb
and Peter Hate.
The latter introduced the study of
algebra into the school, but as the
teacher was not required to be exam
ined in this branch. none of the regular
hours of the school was allowed by the
directors to be taken up with the reci-
tatiOns.
The custom of passing around any
knOtty aTithmetical problem which
cellent state of feeling between the
teacher and pupils of the neighbOring |
schools.
The old western calculator" was a
great favOrite, and was teeming full
of intricate questions" and the pupil
who succeeded in going through
this book, was credited with being a
fine scholar.
George Carte had the faculty of hunt
ing up and working out these sums
with wonderful tenacity, then passing
them around to puzzle the head of any
one who chose to tackle them, and
many a long winter evening was de-
voted to the useful exercise of thinking
and reasoning out a solution of these
problems. The aStOnlShment of Mr..
Carte was very great on one occasion
upon presenting a question which had
greatly puzzled the GTubb school, by its
easy solution by one of the pupils in the
Snyder school, who making a simple al
gebraic statement, rendered it so plain
that it was readily worked by the rules
of arithmetic, not occupying over twen-
ty minutes. This feat placed the pupil
very high in Mr.. Garte's estimation,
though deserving of little credit.
We might go on and describe the dis |
cussiOns which occasionally took place |
on some of the mOmentOus questions of |
the day, one of which was, which has |
the greatest reason to complain, the |
"niggeT," or the Indian, which were |
amusing beyond description, and what |
influence they may have exerted in
bringing about the late war and thus
settling the "nigger" question, we are
unable to say, but having drawn out
these "recOllectiOns" to an undue
length, we will conclude next week by
giving few accurate statistics which
we have recently gathered, and describ-
ing an Old-fashiOned barring out which
occurred 38 years ago in the old school
house.