The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-15
HOOSIER SCHOLARSHIPS.
How Pedagogue Cooled the Anger Of Two Of
His Pupils--Barring Out Teacher.

The allusion to Josephus Cicero Worrall in
last Sundays odds and Ends recalls to another
old resident the fact that so far as he knows or
has heard, Worrall was the last schoolmaster in
indianapolis who was 'barred OUT by the pu-
pills 1t was not an uncommon practice of the
backwoods any moro than of more polished
communities; and Miss Edgeworths story shows
that it was common in the time she describes.
even among the young gentlemen and noblemen
of England 1t is not too much to say that
Worrall was heartily disliked by hix
pupils, male and female. Besides a very
ready use of his switch-he didn't use
ruler ordinarily, the other old resident init
mates-and a profuse use of tobacco, both ia
chewing and smoking-he frequently did both At
once, and always chewed the end of tue cigar ha
smoked-he made the girls help his wife in her
household work, and the boys saw wood and
bring water for her. He sometimes spoiled =
Saturdays holiday for couple or three unfor-
Inmates by having them at his house, southeast
corner of Delaware and Ohio opposite the site
of the Central Christian Chapel, and making
them help him in his housework, for che wholly
unremunerative pay of apples and little round
ginger cakes On Christmas, 81, the boys, and
girls, too, determined to "bar him out and they
did He either gave no holiday ON
Christmas or the barring outn was dona
the day before. At all events, lie broke this
blockade only by promise to treat That
didn't mean whisky, even in those remote days
when whisky helped out an inadequate supply Of
milk, according TO the old joke 1t meant
bushel of apples, the school sprnkling pot fulloP
cider and few dozen little ginger cakes. If
not the first. that was the last barring OUT in
the school history of Indianapolis.
Talking of sehoolmasters, !" said the old resi-
dent who told of the barring out" 'the most
effective reform of the combative disposition of
schoolbovs, and the best joke ever played by a
schoolmasrer was devised by Rev James S. KEN
per, now of South Charleston, O., then master
OF the "Old Seminary" and the most distin-
guished of all the old-time teachers. 'By the
way" he interpolated here, General Gilman
Marston, of New Hampshire also served several
years in Congress before the war; lost an arm
early in the war; became brigadier and after
wards was for some years Governor of Wyoming,
or Idaho or one of the new territories: was
a school teacher here in 1897 and he opened the
first school in the Franklin Institute a frame
building where Mr.. Englishs residence stands"
Continuing his original story he said: Mr.
Kemper. one evening after dismissne school.
walked down the street past the next alley and
there he saw two of his boys with their coats
off fighting like cocks of the game He took
each one by the arm or ear and led them
up to the little upper room in the seminary.
There he took their coats of, gave each of them
a tough beech swtch-he kept some lying by
for occasional though infrequent service, as
Henry Ward Beechers brother Jim found to his
cost, one spring morning-and told them to lay
on Macduff, while he stood by with another
switch. bigger than either. to lay on if they
Stacked off. They were mad enough to need lit
tie stimulation to renew the fight. and they
dashed each other we'll, till the pain began to get
the better of their wrath, and they Jagged lit
tie Then the teacher stopped them and sens
them home, the worst punished boys that ever
went out of the Old Seminary, and with the con-
solatory reflection that they had done il them
Selves