The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-23

These strikes BY the school children
are nothing new But they don't de-
velop and bring out and down the strong
hand of the ruling power as they used
to- Among the sunny memories of my
own school DAYS there glows, bright
and soft as summer sunset, the picture
of the great strike at Humans, in
Peoria, away back IN 1858. Humans
was the greatest school in the west The
dear old man was superintendent OF
Public Instruction, Board of Education,
School Trustee, County Superintendent,
Principal, assistant. and janitor. He
had pleasant smile, firm temper, and
a slate frame. He also carried about
his person grip that would make a
blacksmith's vice crawl into the scrap
heap and hide itself We used to have
general exercises Friday afternoons, at
which we were wont to recite in vocif-
erous concert the multiplication tables,
the states and capitals, and thrilling
rhetorical exercises as .'Will you a0atkz
or ride?'' and They tell as to be MOD
crate, but they, THEY-are torevelinpro-
FU-sionr' 1t was thrilling. But after
we had learned all these chants ''by
heart and could chant them off with
our ewes shut, "Old Hinman'' introduce
ed an novation-''speakjn pieces"
Upon that we struck. We endured it
three weeks and then we determined to
boycott the whole business. All the
boys went into it Bill Smith and Hub
Tuttle, Rob Gregg, Ed Easton, Steve
Bum, Bill Rodecker, Hen Keener, and
all the big boys, too. The first boy call
ed on to s'speaka was TO announce the
strike, and as my name came pretty
well up in the alphabet, | stood good
chance of being leader, distinction
for which l was not at all ambitious, be-
ing of tender years and of a ruddy
countenance and sensitive feelings. But
a boy named Allen, who was called
ahead of me, flunked, and said his piece,
"Hohenlinden," although we made such
suggestive gestures at him that he forgot
half of it and broke down and cried.
When | was called | refused TO speak.
Being pressed for a reason, said, IN
falterino accents. that there WASH t
goin' to be no more speakin." When
the old man, with unfeigned surprise,
asked me who said so, | said ''all of us
did Then he said there would be "a
little more speakin y before the close OF
the session, and so be led me out upon
the rostlum. Then and there, with feel
ings which now shudder to recall, L
did my first song and dance act. had
often before performed my solitary
eachuca 10 the lascivious pleasing OF
'.Old Humans" slate frame, but never
had | accompanied myself with words.
Boy-likc. | had selected for my piece a
poem expressive of those peaceful virtues
| most heartily despised. so that my
performance at the Inauguration of the
strike ran somewhat like this:
20, not for me (whack , is the rolling (whaek .
drum,
Or the (whaeh, whacSD trumpet's wild
(whack, appeal. Bno-hoo
| Or the cry tBoo-hool OF twhack war when the
(whack) foe is come.
Or the (OwD brightly twhackl flashing steer
(whack, whack).
/ cannot convey to the most vivid
! imagination the gestures which accom-
panied the seven stanZas of this beauti-
| full poem. Suffice il 10 say that they
kept pace with the old mans peculiar
system of punctuation until at last, over
| come with conflicting emotions, | went
sobbing to my seal and wondered why
| an inscrutible Providence had given 70
the rhinoceros The hide that the eternal
fitness OF things had evidently prepared
| for the school boy.
But | forgot my own sorrows and
! dried nv tears in the enjoyment of the
| play, as INV compairiots developed it.
| MIR. Human. who had been unusually
gentle and self-restrained with me, lost
his temper with the boy who followed
me, and there WAS Il sound Of reyelrv fol
| the next hour He shook boys unit
their teeth ratified SO YOU couldn't heal
them cry; he hit Mickey McCann, the
tough boy. one whack with a skate stral
| and Mickey ran out and rolled in the
| snow to cool off; he hit Jake Bailey
across the thighs with the slate fran,
| and it hurt so that Jake couldn't howl
he Just opened his mouth and gaspet
and forgot his own name; he pushed
| Bill Haskell into n seat and the bencl
broke: he shook Dan Stevens so that hi!
| feet didn't touch the floor for five min
| utes; he ran across the room and reach
ed out for Lem Harkins. and Lem had
| fit before the old man touched him; b,
| whipped the two Knowltons with boil
| hands at the same time, and the GibboI
family, five boys and big girl, he hi
all at once with girls skipping rope
| and they raised such united wall tn,
clock stopped; he kept the atmosphere o
that old school-room full of dust, an,
splinters. and lint. weeping. wailing ant
knashing of teeth, until his old arm
ached and all hearts wearied of the in
human strife and wicked contention
and then he stood up before us in
sickening tangle of strap, and cane, ant
slate frame. rattan and skipping rope
and asked, in lear. triumphant tones
"WHo says there isn't going to be an,
more speakin'?'
/ And the boys of that school rose u
as one being and shrieked in tones 0
anguish:
..NoBoDYr'
And |, who led that strike and was it
first martyr, | have been "speakin'
ever since.-Burdede ia Brookly
Eagle.