The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-09-18

sclpe and the beautiful valley beyond, not
! to be had elsewhere, and. reserved, as it
We're, from the outside world, stands q
building. recently erected. which promises
in the near future to become famous as in
institution for the education Of the youth
of not only this. but other states Of the
Union. Situated as is Mr. W. II. Kable's
school, no one can pass without Observing
its location, its attractions and its modern
and skillful arrangement in every respect.
In fact it possesses all the latest advantages.
and affords to the passer-by an example of
ntatness and convenience, and Il lesson of
good and sound judgement, seldom to be
had in this stage OF the worlds proceed
ings. AS you enter the grounds you per-
ceive on your left the large and comfort
able residence of the principal, the home
OF al the boardingpupils of the institution.
Where not only the comforts of life are sup
pied, but where the influence of home
government, kind impulses and actions.
nc:itness and punctuaity, ave brought to
bar upon the mind Of the pupil and moral
and religious principles are inculcated
As you reach the building itself, and look
around you, your thoughts go back toyom
own school-days when such advantages as
are here presented were unknown to the
school-bov. You enter and you see around
yon, i'll large and magnificent room,
fitted up in modern style the students at
Individual desks. with an abundance of
| light and sunshine and other advantages
so frequently deprived of in former days
and not to be had III All schools at the
| present time. Here are the pupils at
We *. and programme Of the days work
is i@fore them. The time Of recitation is
at htnd, and we follow in the rear to Il
neat and comfortable recitation room, 1Sft
square-of which are several in the build
ing fitted up with folding seats, and ar-
ranged with Il view to comfort and ease.
Here is 4 blackboard of pure slate, running
around the room, with l44 square feet of
surface and there in spaces well fitted for
the purpose are charts, maps, etc. But
here comes the principal, and our thoughts |
are no longer upon what surrounds us. AS
he draws the attention of the pupil, he
draws ours, and for half an hour we are
school-boy again in every sense of the
word. Could we have had the benefit of
such instruction i'll the past, as Prof. Ka-
Bile and his assistants afford, we venture to
say that our school-days would have been
more pleasant, and far more Instructive
The students do not only go through the /
lessons, but. they comprehend and under
stand every principle taught No hurry |
ing to and fro, no skipping OF pages and
the completion OF the work at some future
time, but thorough grounding and under
standing of every principle involved. But |
our thoughts are again cut short, as the |
Principal shows us his Laboratory and |
takes us through drilling equal, if not SUI /
perior to the demonstration of sound and |
light given at the University of Va. I'm
ported compound microscopes, magnetic
electric, gavano-electrc machines. n.y.
draulic force and lift pumps, analytical |
balances and delicate weights, geiser tubes,
sonometers and air-pumps, are among the I
many things seen here Charts llllstra- /
tive of heat and light, and various other |
things, comprising fifteen OF twenty sub
jects are here presented. And one feature,
noticeable if not important, is the way
Mr.. Kable impresses upon the pupil the /
analytical chemistry. For instance. we i
pick up a bottle, and we see under the
name, the formula (NH4 )4 COS the parts
necessary to form ammonia carbonate, and
this is before the students at all times, en-
forcing it so firmly in his mind that he
never forgets it. All his chemicals are SO
arranged and with such plan that those
who undertake the subject can not help
but derive d benefit, which few colleges of
this kind possess. One thing, which sur
prised us, and which in the days of our
youth we were taught to ignore, was the
vast amount of homemade articles de-
signed for special purposes. For example,
illustrative Of his theory of lightning rods
an electric machine devised by himself and
constructed in a simple manner, to illus
trate to the pupil that he is not dependent
upon dollars and cents for those things, +
after once understanding the principles of
were we to go into detail, we might intro
duce a thousand different articles, which
Mr.. Kable has arranged for his own con-
yenience. But this is not necessary. In
all the departments of his school, his APP
paratus is the best, and particularly is it
SO in his chemistry and philosophical de-
partments, some of the instruments he
uses being the exhibits of Queen q Co.,
the largest manufacturers in the n. O. at
the Centennial in 1876. Nor does the
scientific department of this school CON-
prise all that is taught here. The ancient
languages are not q dead letter and the
modern are taught in such way that the
weakest mind derives full understanding
ere he leaves the department in which he
has begun. 1t is found, as has been evil
denced in other schools, that some pupils
outreach others in study and for such. a
programme interesting and progressive
has been carefully planned. A general
scope of education, as regards this school,
has been selected with tie most Scrupu-
lous care, and the entire management looks
toward the accomplishment Of these OBJ
jects without regard to the weakness Of
some and the fallibility Of others.
That we have a school in our midst, far
superior to any ever introduced in this
Valley, is q fact not to be questioned. A
question for our consideration is whether
we as citizens Of a state ignore, as we
might say, an institution Of this kind or
support it. For those who doubt its ca
pacity, its intelligence, its vailed andcem-
plete course of training, as taught, we ex-
tend, on behalf of the principal, a thorough
and intricate Investigation. With such
assistants as Dir. Gordon, of Richmond,
and Mr.. Bonner, graduate of the " M.
Institute. Lexington, and others, whose
names we failed to secure, we have the
assurance to say that a great and good
sc,.ool, grated with principle, pure and
holy. is among us, and it remains for us as !
common citizens. with children to educate |