Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-02-23
OLD TIME SCHOOL DAYS.
"PIcase, Sir, Will You Mend My
Pen7"

Pen?
Cincinnati Saturday Night.
We haven't been inside a school
house for II good many years, and
musing upon the past we wonder if a
scholar ever sings out to the teacher
now, please, sir, will you mend my
penP" They used to when we were a
boy, and the teacher always carried a
particularly sharp pen.knife so as to be
able TO comply with the request. 1t
had a white handle, and we used to
think we would like one just like it.
To be able to make and mend quill
pens was one of the essential Qualiica-
tiOns of Il teacher in the district school,
in the days when our young ideas
were instructed in the target practice.
Wanting in this, it would have been
useless for a candidate for teachers
position to have applied to the "Board'
for an opportunity to board round.
1t was genuine pleasure to watch
one of those old pedagogues make Il
pen. lie would put his glasses on, and
opening his penknife, carefully feel
the edge. Then he would reach down
and strop the blade deXterousIy few
times on his well worn calf skin pumps,
for they all Wore pumps in
the school room in those days. They
had to, to save their boots, poor fel'
lows. Then selecting a quill from a
bupCh in his desk, tied up with Il scar
let ribbon, he would cut off a portion
of the feathered end to make it the de
sired length, trim it little, and then
with one swift and dexterOuS scoop OF
the knife, give shape to the pen. In
three more lapid motions the slit is
made in the end and the point formed
The teacher used to remain after
school hours to make and mend pens
for the writing class and "set' copies
in their copy books. Occasionally a
pupil more ingenious or initiative than
the rest learned to make his own pens,
but this was rare.
We noticed that the pens of the big
girls needed repairing Oftenest, and the
'o"U'it 'o"v1;n, han, rhero ia a GOOD JaaI Of
t',., i,u.,2 80 ,,, o,o, ~ - soI1ooI ,oachor
1",'"n pnt .'n, A ,a,,Iiu,is 81 ai, ort ~ dat"nou,
Wv ,p'o ~" ,,ao, ,'niiI nsna av,, noro NV
cept occasionally an Old-faslliOned at
tOrney or doctor, who still clings to the
."atioo I,tioo oan,a W ~ a1otnrshavo Lv tho w.U
piTE'-So 49,, 'o'nJ Iiton, t'1 ,rnra r,.i,;n, u;.
,,li. - 1oaiT o,,I, ~ ,;l,h and aS,, whara thn.,
vu1' "pu'" ~ "s r',I ~, ,,,n,I H.,
o,u t,l" p'U"SS"'' S,,, rontb are9 And whom,
qu'',1 VI , m' ,,,y,naa yo" onn,, Lnn,,, n,or,
%,9 Iaea"1 .''G 'VS ';,i,, mono ,h;t nersi,,enti,
"uI u,"' ,,;ainr,Iv .sn,,ttored >" anI
i" ,rharo +oII nc whore arc the hig cirI,
mleto' VIZ, wa, sei I IoLtn aointo tho drv Gnor
m"oI9 std, pe't% Co.. u ron,r,g Nv W If dnaS M nor
si,,'Ia,. ~ Tav'm at,,J .riat ,ra oau COO to rro
nonmd nC" t5nsainnniries anJ ;r we should
'oil'u ,,d v',JJI l n,I, rn,,i'" w -, - n.n.I am,
oOl.o @ 49, .r,t,, o ',,,,,,or ..,vhoraS"
""Tn.,''"oto sr,a ,'oIn!,omno 9 asa r,ostIy dood
W. mo ,.,o4 nna 9r 'hon tho iast ti,na ,y
MG ;.aH ,nSv ,Sn Ua'G ala IA Starn,imG , arornJ Tb,
at ISL tTn, Wv ,r,,Ja I" no trsn6,e haJ grow,
Tyu J;', '""U "Uj % Lus+srioss. tha farm tba
,"a'.,,5 u'"h ',''" ~, j., suoL formidn,Io man
,oon,r% ,,,%o, "p ha ~ nroducod his ferv,a am,
'',i II, i.nnI "%0 -, W ~ pdyanco into ths midi,
otVI'o" e .Iio o'hoo, w. w r,nm, 70 rooo;yo our ron
y, ,1,. Wv ,n"naiu, ",E Inu,n wns h,woJ ON,
',,',,,,I,om %I", I and tha 1ocSo That war
5t,' ,.,. ,,'n nv ,,,i5minht ,yhan u,o Grst Lroy
,i,'l pi"0H L"5 10 H hona'1a whita ~. tho drivo,
/, nm 'nni ""U wa faIt tird,y towords tha al,
'I,o". ] ,,,,, ,rhon La aJdrosogd ma ~,
,n"Sse.' "as ai,,',I,ni, Wv" oonSo;ons Of fseling
Iit,Io NJ fbat owa with which he i'm
'sSNsoI ,'sS.o ~ w. ~ "S ohi1d
piHS1a TSa oiJ "a t;me schoo,master was
% it' a Wv" " vG III, JaU hnt no usmoll,
i tous" '.h o"o :" ,ot J nf I hcv, 70 daol with !;
.no u"u ,,sr noos Ii,triot :obool over whicI
ta ta' uo"""9 .,,"a a9I,od 70 nrooidn Tbe fire
no I., %"' W" ',,o"n,od o oontroI freorentlv hs,
t"y ,ln;io nJ n'ot ,,,hnthor ] or nnt he was m,ste
w W ,'o ueo'uo ,',ti"n mu M;s Wornortions war
v. .le S,'"ao,o hY iha M hi hoys am
Tii'.c"'ay n.%S y, a,oaa,, oIsoryoa @ iny in
,,S ,;.;"n ,'i"r, nf ,,h"aic,I or moral waatnas
u'oattoii ,S VI tn9,aJ py nnd taLan odvanta,,
%outu 'SoUoror Ue"er'or,% onnor.mnitv @ offered W
VI m',one'ol '', oa,,talt. op snr S,nr,rnacy c,,
llaso nav 1'Im Lat TU'r ,,,no "ostar and scholars n
l,eu vi. ,'I oJ'%ev %,',io ] "n"n j., lInoJw Ta,