San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-02-23
THE MISTAKE ABOUT SEE.

"Hamp See Ounce! Well, maybe
80: but arter what seed, it 'ud take O
smarter schoolmaster than 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 judg-
ment we're respected by all the men
who sat there in the village postofiice
waiting for the mail. He had grown
prosperous by dint of hard labor and
good Judgment, and his neighbors were
accustomed to ask for and respect his
opinions
II did not say precisely that, MIR.
Vaughn" replied Mr.. Penruddock, the
schoolmaster, Il only said that my best
efforts to educate the boy were rem
dered futile and nugatory by reason of
his inexplicable inability to grasp and
retain so simple thing as the acct
dence of the Latin verb"
"That means, in plain English, that
he amt got no grip on what you teach
him, don't it," asked old Riley.
"Yes, that is what mean, replied the
schoolmaster with something like a
shudder at old Riley'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. "Once
your boys told me Hamp could tigger
out how long it 'ud take for cistern to
get full of they was three pipes O diff
ferent sizes runnin' into it, and two
others O still different sizes runnin'
out"
eyes, he is an expert in the practical
application of arithmetic; and yet even
in arithmetic his standing is not good,
because he seems incapable of master
ing the exact terms of the formula and
rules"
"Wall, now, look here" said old Ri
ley, rising and striking the counter
with his big fist; it jest comes to this
here: the boy amt got no grip on your
words and things, but he's got good
grip on ideas and principles, and it's
my belief that's the inside O. sense. L
don't want to be unnecessarily often
sive, but you an all schoolmasters like
you ought to teach parrots. They don't
want no ideas; they jest want words,
and that's your notion o learnin'. That
is the trouble O. this here country down
here; men learn words and make
speeches, but they can't do nothin'.
Now I've seen the boy Hamp See do
what nary man in this country could
do. I bought the first reapin' machine
as was ever seed in these parts, an
when it come it was all to pieces an
packed in boxes. I sent one after an
other for all the blacksmiths and wheel
wrights and carpenters hereabouts, to
set the thing up, an Pm blest If one
on 'em could make out which end o the
thing was foremost Not one on 'em
could put any two pieces together.
That ere boy hung around all the time
with his forehead creased up like. and
finally be says TO me, says he, Mr..
Vaughn, let me try We'll, try says
I, and eff you git 'er together, I've got
q five dollar bill for you Maybe you
won't believe it, but afore noon that
very day, that there reaper was reap
in wheat like dozen hands. The boy
lest seed right into the thing. Now L
saw eff he's Ounce, the sooner most
people in these parts lose their senses,
an get to he ounces, the better twill
be for all concerned"
And with that old Riley stalked in
diguantly out of the poStotlice.
Notwithstanding all that old Riley
could say, however, public opinion was
against Hamp See. 1t was certain that
be was dull in his lessons. He. could
not keep up with Mr.. Penruddocks
classes. and instead of studying his
Latin verbs he was perpetually inter
rupting the school by asking MIR. Pen
ruddock to explain things like thunder
and lightning, and the presence of
shells in the rocks on the mountain,
and the curious ways 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 not know anything about educa-
tion. because he was not himself edu-
Gated. IL was even said-and this came
70 Riley's ears-that he was even prelu-
diced against education. Even Hamps
mother vas discouraged. HamP was
always -pOttering," she said, instead OF
attending to his books
why she said, hes been foohng
With q spring on the hill back OF the