Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-04-03
SUPPLEMENT.
Newspaper Decisions.
For the Democrat.
THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE.

1.-THE Chase school house, in Wood
stock, was burned on the night Of January
26th."
have, for some years, been conscious
of growing propensity to recall the e1-
periences of my early life, and yet did
not realize
How dear to my heart are the scenes OF my
childhood
| view
until | saw the announcement referred
to. | loved that old school house among
the cedars and frs-how dearly, the
knowledge of its loss was required to
reveal.
Next TO the old home, with father and
mother and brothers and sisters, there Is
no place around which clusters so many
interesting and pleasant memories OF my
boyhood as the school house. | was
present-then small boy-when it was
raised, after the manner of the old-time
raisings. played on its timbers before
il was boarded, and watched with intense
iuteres, the process Of its construction.
| attended the first school that assembled
10 il, and as a scholar and teacher, and,
in various other ways, was personally
Interested in VIVA, transpired within its
walls for more than quarter of CEN
fury.
The first school house in the district
was built in 1914, on the farm then
owned by Merrill Chase-now by Alden
Chase. 1t was made OF logs. Mrs.
Mary A. Bowker, now living in the dis
trict. attended school in this house. She
says it had no glass, oiled paper being
used to admi, the light. The first teach
err was Elijah Hamlin, then quite young,
aud living in Paris.
About 1928, the district purchased the
house tina, had been occupied by Joel
Perham, at the junction Of the road lead
iny through the Chase or Perham neigh
borhood with the Rumford road, between
Stephen Packard's and Joseph Whit
mans.
This was occupied as school house
until 1928, when the new house--re-
Gently burned-was built. Peter KIM
ball had the contract for building. The
price paid was one hundred and twenty
dollars and the old house. Edmund
Bowker purchased the old house, the
price being the frame for the new one.
Mr.. b. moved the old house to his farm
and occupied it for dwelling house
many years. When he ceased to occup!
lit, General George w. Cushman pur'
chased and moved il to North Wood
stock, where it was occupied by John S
French.
David Kicker, jr, then about eighteen
or nineteen years Of age, and Andrev
Small, were apprentices OF Mr.. kimball
and assisted in building the new house
Il was located on the low land, in thu
midst of growth Of wood and timber
which, in severe weather, furnished
welcome protection from the wintr
blasts, as we'll as playground whicl
the bows were not slow to utilize.
1t had been repaired several times
but its original size and form had nc
! been changed. 1t was built cheapl!
;. costing but little compared with the e1
J. pense of school houses of the presel
s time, but it was the best the distri
!, could afford, and we probably appreciate
d it more highly than the scholars Of t.
Il day do the more expensive edifces. 4
Y the east end of the school room was Il
large old-fashioned Fireplace, aroun
which we loved to gather, in cold day
when the teacher would allow US to &c
{ to the fire" The desks were set facir
), the Fireplace, on an inclined plane ri
J. ing towards the west end of the ROOF
4 The teachers desk was located at G
south side of the room. On this de-
was laid, when not in the han
of the teacher, a solid hard wo'
ruler, from one to two feet long; the fl
surface Of which, when properly apple
created, as many luckless boy cou
testify, a peculiarly singing sensatio
This ruler was the insignia of the teac
er's authority, and was deemed indispe
sable in maintaining the discipline Of t
school.
, The first teacher in the new house W
Stephen Bartlett. The second was NJ
Virtue Howard, who became the verer
female teacher of Oxford County. S
, was then about fifteen years Of age, a
this was, l believe, her first school. b
methods were characterized BY tho
peculiarities which. in later years, dist
euished her from all other teachers OF
: time. Those who attended this te
, will recall her method of dismissing
Z school in the afternoon-how we W