Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-09-10
OLD.TIME sCHOOL.TEACHING.
"REMINISCENCES OF An OLD PED4GOGUE.

large SchOOl-hOuSe Where l. taugnC, tnaC
the boys came out the back-door into the
playground as if they had been fired from
q cannon. They shot out one after another
and generally landed in a convenient snow
bank. On going to the head Of the stairs
saw the reason. The boys jumped astride of
the banister and went sailing down the in
clined plane, jumping clear off the steps,
and landed, as general thing, on their feet.
The end of the banister had no newell post,
and the open door was only a few feet from
the bottom of the stairway. 1t was great
fun, ,and theamusementW was Increased when
a big boy could rake in with his projecting
feet some unfortunate youngster who was
going down the stairs in the ordinary way
1 told the boys when school was called that
this sort of rapid transit would have to STOP
Boys usually don't have much respect for
the commands of a new master until they
find that he means what he says. At the
next recess I went to the foot Of the stairs,
to find out whether they proposed to obey
me or not. l found, as expected, that they
didn't. When the lads came sailing down
the banister l grasped each, as he flew past,
by the collar and swung him around into
the lower passage way and stood them up,
one by one, somewhat dazed by the whirl
they got 1t was lively work, for the sup
ply of the boys exceeded the demand. They
came from the upper regions with beWllder-
ing rapidity and l had my hands full in ev-
cry sense of the word, as l gathered them in
At last the news spread that the master was
at the foot of the stairway, with standing
invitation to all sliders, and the doWn-pour
of boys suddenly ceased. wasjust about to
turn my attention to the row of captives
when heard the following conversation at
the head of the stairs:
"Don't. The masters down there"
IT don't care"
"He'll collar you."
"I'd like to see him do it. I'll give him
a dig that'l double him up mighty quick,
you bet. Like to see him collar me-"
The latter speaker made no attempt to
conceal the fact that he didn't give hang
for the new master.
/ stood at the foot of the stairs and waited
for him. He threw his leg over the banis.
ter, and, spreading out his feet, launched
himself down toward me. A glance showed
me that I would be raked in the next mo-
ment, and would be the laughing stock of
the school so kicked the door shut and
stood aside. The big fellow, whose name l
did not then know, came down like Whlrl-
wind. The moment the door closed he tried
to fling himself off; but he was too late.
He shot against the door with with q thud
that made every window rattle, and fell
back in heap on the floor.
I helped him up on his feet, assisted
by one of the boys, and he said, feebly,
that he guessed he would sit down for a
little while. I let the row of culprits 60,
and told them that an accident like that
might happen at any moment If the door
CHANGED oshut, and so after that we had no
more sliding down old Grimes cellar door.
It is seldom that schOOl-master has
11,if ypf
in the backWoods l have known such a
thing to take place. once was one of a
party of five who undertook to thrash our
school-master, who was terribly severe
man. He gave me the worst thrashing |
ever received, and to this day 1 don't know
what it was for. However, thrashing new
er went amiss with me at that time. al
ways deserved it, and this one [ merely
placed to account, knowing there was still
large balance coming to me. But as l
was saying, five of us agreed to climb on
the teacher at a lonesome place about half
mile from the school where he couldn't cry
for help. We climbed. But alas it was
not the teacher who had to cry for help.
accustomed to thrashing boys that he SEEM
ed to do it quite from the force of habit.
The schoo-boy of my day was born
fighter. Every new boy had to fight his
way to his place among the boys. l have
fought, when I went to a new school as a
pupil, with good-natured fellow who hap
pened to be the champions, who had not
the slightest ill-will toward me, nor l to
them. But school etiquette demanded that
we should fight, and we did. 1 don't sup
pose this occurs to any extent in town
schools, but, no doubt, it does in the coun-
try, where hollow behind the school-house
or piece Of woods down the road offers a
secure fighting ground. Little the teacher
will know of these combats if there is a
stream near by where the victor and van
quished can wash their bloody noses, as an
East Londoner would say. l was always
coward, and never took kindly to those
fellows ''Whose fist was ever ready for a
knock down blow" The boys of that far
off time had no idea of the rules of the ring.
They fought in a savage, rough and tumble
way, and when one got the other down it
was considered no dishonor to pound away
at him till he cried "enough." At this cry
the boys generally pulled the upper savage
off if he didn't quit.
One day tramp circus man taught me
some valuable wrestling tricks. My favor
ite was a hip-lock, which invariably
brought to earth the opposite party. The
beauty of it was that when once you raised
out in almost any style you chose. He was
perfectly helpless, despite his struggles, the
moment you got him in the air, and then
it was delightful after literally keeping him
in suspense to lay him fiat on the ground
in any particular style that fancy suggested.
This point, however, was not lasting for the
boys after tumbling to it in various attitudes
generally "tumbled to it," as the slang
phrase has it, and then it's usefulness was at
an end. Still it was alwaysa wonderful ac-
complishment in new school, and on sew
eral occasions, although I was terrible
coward, gained victory over my oppo-
nent by clinching and .hip-locking him and
then pummeling him in such rapid success
sion that the fight was over before he
thougt it had begun.
Although boys will fight like tigers among
themselves, it is rare that one of them sum-
mons up courage enough to attack their
common enemy, the teacher. Only once in
nv varied experience as a schoOlmaster did
boy set out to thrash me, and that occa-
sion I shall never forget-and l don't sup
pose he will either.
taught a wild school in a backwoods
district one winter when physically, was
scarcely able to teach. had had severe
illness and was back at my desk again before
I had fully recovered my strength. have
often been panied to observe that the aver
age boy has little consideration for the
weak, and my school seemed to think that
because l wasn't able to give them their
regular rations of birch they might do
pretty much as they pleased-and they did.
One day felt that my control of the school
was gone. The noise that was unable to
quell kind of dazed me, as l sat there feeling
completely i'll and helpless. Ifelt that had
better resign and get into saw,mill or a
boiler makers shOp. or some such Occupa-