The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-07-13


it is such fun TO school-boys and girls t)
he allowed TO make some nj OF q
noise, and we made the old school
house ring.
. 1t was just the same the next day
and the next There was a large elias
of us, and we considered that rec tation
prime fun.
The fourth day of school came;
and, as l drew out the geography from
my desk 10 prepare my lesson some
thing seemed to whisper to mo:
| What $ the use of your taking so much
/ pains to learn your lessons when the
class all answer together? Who is gO-
ing to notice il your voice ISM among
the restP You can pick up enough
\ from what you know of geography, aud
what the rest answer, to put in an oOca-
sional word; and it viii do Just us
well'
II suspect that imp Of mischief went
about and whispered the same i'm the
ears of the rest of the class; and you
may conclude SO, too, before my story is
done. 1 am ashamed TO tell you, boys,
that / listened TO the evil suggestion.
and spent the time drawing pictures on
my slate, and arranging a jack-kni:e
trade with Ned White, that should have
been given to my geography lesson.
And withal the geography was a new
one that term, and not one of the class
had ever studied it before.
q" First class in geography called
Miss Mason that afternoon, and just
then there was knock at the door.
F'She answered it rs we were taking our
seats, and ushered in the minister and
his wife, committeeman and his wife,
my two grown-up sisters, and last, but
most important of all to me, my cousin
Nathan, for whom | was named, aud
for whose good opinion | cared more
than for almost any other persons. He
always had such pleasant way of re-
warding me when / did well, and such
a way, too, of making me feel his dis,e
pleasure when / was in the wrong. AT
that moment would have give every
thing possessed in the world for the
knowledge of my lesson, but il was too
late TO wish for what / might have had
SO easily. 1t seemed TO me / felt small
and mean enough to crawl into knot
hole
a. You may recite in concert said
Miss Mason. What peninsulas on tho
Arctic coastP
- Booth'a and Melville piped up
small girl, the very least and most diff
dent of the whole class, while the rest Of
us sat dumb as statues, but rcdder in
the face.
"tIn concertr said Miss Mason.
/ What ones ON the Atlantic coastp
" Again the small girl answered alone.
'''Once more; and this decidedly in
concert said Miss Ma ON, emphat--
ically What ones on the Pacific coast,
For the third time Susie answered
alone
"'You will now answer by turns,
since you cannot seem to answer IN con-
cert" said Miss Mason; and three more
questions went round the class, each
to be finally answered by Susie.
- Miss n asOn laid the geography
down on the desk, with peculiar smile
on her face. Those Of the class who
have learned their lesson for to-day will
please raise their right hands
up went one little hand. Susie's,
of course.
Miss Mason looked amused enough
to see how the rest of us had walked
into her trap.
Perhaps you thought she said,
that, because / had heard you answer
! in concert heretofore, / should always
do the same; but that is quite uncertain.
/ shall never tell you beforehand how
you will answer, so the only safe way is
to prepare your lesson. Now, ! viii
tell you little story; and then ! will j.
near DuSle IttlLt btib Itbb VI HCA ifoTOhs
while the others take their seats and
prepare to recite after school.
"Once upon time, the whole world
agreed to meet together and shout all
at once, to see what "a great noise it
would make. But, when they met, it
seemed each one thought his voice could
make no difference in such a crowd, so
he would not listen to the rest. All
thought so except one old lady, who
went to do her duty and had no thought
of shirking It. So, when the signal was
given for them to shout, all that was
heard was one lady squealing "Boo?'
at the top of her voice Moral each do
your duty, and the shout will come"
A shamefaced crew, we went to our
seats, and into our Biographies oh,
dear! how humliating it was, before
visitors, to see the rest of the school dis
missed while we remained; but you
may be sure we did not need the punish
ment again.
$50 1 charge you once more, my
boys,
Always and everywh 're
B honest and fair"
-HIastratcd ChristiaB Weekly