Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-09-16

Your children do you honor;
You have won success and praise.
With peaceful look they answered,
God is good to us, that's true;
But we think there'l be happier days for
In the life we're going to.''
NOT WISHY-WASHY.
Clarence Gorse's Style of Teaching a Dis
trict School.
In those merry old times in Merry
England, whose shadow, after centuries,
is still passing dark and upas-like, when
the only learning among the rich was
in hawks and hounds and the art of
arresting a poacher, and, among the
poor, in clutching from sullen soil,
with hardly better tools than finger
nails, harvest sufficient to keep the
narvesters alive and their masters in
waste and idleness; when the only craft
of the rich and great was in treason
aud straagem, and of the poor, in
conccalment and humility or in treach-
cry to more faithful comrades; in those
merry times-if merry is the blacklist
word in the languagc-when the cruel
est of laws were distorted by the cruel
est of men, or set aside if, haply, some
genius of barbarity might devise some
thing worse-in those times, then, there
was one law so destitute of any show
of reason that generally, no king, lord,
or prelate desiring its suspension, it
was allowed to have something of the
force of settled rule Under this law,
a person charged with any crime might
decline to plead, and ask, by right Of
the realm, shield of faithful subjects
permission to prove his innocence on
the body of his prosecutor. In the bat.
tie then given, if the prisoner were
victorious, his innocence became mani.
fest; if he were beaten, his guilt stood
revealed as if by the light of MONDAY.
This was one of the more prominent
and even liberal features of English
Jurisprudence, and when it became
obsolete in the courts it still remained
in force in the society which those
courts had helped to mold.
Fifty years ago, in our own country,
the tribunal of force was the only tri-
bunal recognized in at least one of our
Institutions public school. The
teacher was sort of plaintiff, charging
the pupils with ignorance, and bidding
them learn from him. The pupils, in
defence, answered according to the
old rule, by giving battle. Such, even
five years ago, when this little tale
begins, was the rule in remote lake
district of Ohio; and so firmly was the
rule adhered to, 50 brave and de-
termined were the pupils, that it be-
came impossible for the school trustees
to find in the vicinity and among the
ranks of veteran pedagogues person
bold enough to assume The position OF
instructor. In this terrible pass and
menace to education. the trustees caus-
ed a notice of their wants to be placed
in the post-officc of a neighboring
college town.
There, to while away an idle moment,
Clarence Gorse, sophomore and richest
student of the college, read it. Poorer
young men read it. But the reputation
of District No. 6 was known, and
for month there were no applicants.
At the end of that time. however:
Clarence Gorse walked from his
boarding-place to the post-office to
read the notice again, and when he had
the address of Mr.. H. Clark, Ochreville,
o., he put himself in communication
with that gentleman with no delay.
The school was still vacant, the answer
came; and laconic directions were
added whereby Mr.. Gorse night find
the house of Mr.. II. Clark, where
the trustees would assemble to consider
his candidacy. Gorse put the letter in
his side pocket as carefully as if il
contained the clue to another island Of
Monte Cristo, for a turn of fortune
wheel had made him as poor as be had
been rich. At the time set he
penetrated into the rebellious
district, and by dint of inquiry
arrived at his destination. 'Ml
Clark's'' was rambling white house
quite the finest about; but perhaps i
was too fine for, knocking at the from
door, Gorse was presently startled by {
pretty voice inside, which com
municated the intelligence that the doc
was "fastened,'' and would he ''g(
round?' Going around he was met a
the side door by the owner of the pretty
voice, who proved to be a remarkably
pretty girl. She colered when he re
garded her intently and on receiving
his name conducted him to the parlor
Here she cast a deprecatory glance
about, murmered in the pretty voice
that she would tell father,' and dis
appeared. Gorse thought the room
rather plain nor did he notice how
much had been done to make it cosy
and agreeable. In some things, truly
it was rustic to conven;ionality. Fol
instance, the picture of battle ii
which the leading Rebel, about to sabe1
the leading Federal, was covered by
the revolver of q second Federal about
to be bayoneted by Il second Rebel, who
was in imminent danger of death from
a third Federal attacked by a thirC
Rebel grappled with by a fourth
Federal, and so on until the two grea
armies of fifteen or sixteen men wer,
hopelessly involved. This was unnatural
and confusing; but there were othe
pictures which atoned somewhat TO
its enormity. On a homemade ease
was y crude water-color of a prett.
subject. The carpet was bright, ant
the old furniture had tides and cover
worked with thousands of patien
stitches. All in all, if the room wa
not an aesthetic success, it was, at least
a pathetic failure, and so worthy Q
consideration. The young lady
creator of this interior, was soon bac
| with a message that her father woul
|