The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-05-27
A COUNTRY SCHOOL.
Correct Pen-and-ILk Sketch of Small
Connecticut village.


Alone, upon the summit o. high
hill. this unpretend:ng temple of learn
ing has been the structure used for gem
erations in climbing the hill of science.
The march of improvement has been
carefully kept back from its surround
ings, the only adornment being beds
of rock and piles of stone. which are
only changed as the careful farmer or
labor-saving road-master finds it con-
venient place to add TO its already
overwhelmed stock.
The same old plank on which our
grandfathers so industriously used
their jack-knives is to-day the writing
desk around the wall, save where a
place has been whitfield too much to
be Of further service a new piece has
been inserted, giving the youth OF the
present day enlarged facilities for dec
Grafton. In front are the same old
wooden benches over which the chill
dren of to-day swing in and out after
the fashion of their grandmothers in
days of long ago. The presiding
genius of the place is even in keeping
with the surroundings; master in win
ter to manage turbulent boys, and
while his farm demands his attention
during the summer months, some
schoOlmarm fills up the interval and
aids overburdened parents in the care
of children who are in the way at home.
As one old master is obliged to lay
aside the duties of his office on account
of the infirmities of age or to 60 to his
last resting place, new one is found
so nearly like the old that the change
is hardly perceptible. Even the very
ferule and hickory club are carried and
used as efectually as by the masters of
a century ago.
The children of to-day spell out the
words in the Testament at the opening
of school with the same moderation as
did their ancestors in '76, and the same
old blue-covered spelling book is yet in
the hands of the pupils, keeping alive
the mOmentous questions whether the
man who made spelling-books and the
one who talked politics were one and
the some, and if SO why should he live
so much longer than other folks, and
questioning the propriety of changing
! the old catechism so as to read Noah
Webster, and not Methuselah, was the
oldest man. But at length the march
of improvement reaches our rugged
hills and invades our territory. A
young lady from the city, graduate
from prominent high school, appears
at the door of our district committee as
a candidate for the school. He stares-
a departure from our custom, but
will consult the people of the district
and let her know. Unanimously they
say: "We'll try the city LADY, She
enters upon the duties of her office.
Leaves all the attractions of one of our
prominent Connecticut cities to enter
upon her life work as teacher. Ayoung
lady full of life, energy and deter
mination to make her first effort sue
cess.
| The old school-house is made to look
more cheerful by the addition of few
yards of white cotton cloth at the win
dows, and the blackboard instead OF
being used for drawing caricatures of
the teacher, is kept filled with well-ex-
ecuted school-work.
The very school-room seems to be
filled with different air. No instru-
menc of torment is in view, and two
dozen pairs of prying eyes have tried in
vain to discover its hiding place. What
aschool with no whip! The city is filled
with horrible means of torture and
some dreadful thing must be here in.
visible. One sharp pair of eyes dis
covers near the blackboard two oblong
articles. III have found out" is the
first confidential talk with compan.
ion. "She'll box us side the head
with those things by the blackboard
and at the close of the session pupils
scatter homeward to make known
to parents the wonderful discovery.
Catch her using them things on my
children" says one parent, and his
children return to school to tell what
pa says.
Another session and the queer-look
ing things are taken in hand. Breath
less silence reigns in the school-roOm
Who is the victim? The teacher quietl,
uses them for cleaning the blackboard
and the great mystery is still unsolved
Still wonders do not cease. A spelling
class is called and pupil spells COW
ke-ow. Teacher says pronounce the
word COW, not ke-ow.
Glass dismissed and at close of schoo
teacher says: Children, when YOU
meet person on the street say, How
do you dop' not 'Hellor"
Children look amazed and report t,
parents. "The teacher is oversteppins
her duties, meddling with outside mat
tiers, and besides, is casting reflection
on the manners of the people," Mem
beers of the board of education are con
suited as to the limits of a teacher
power. The six members of the boar,
have all presided as teachers in tn
town, and it is against the rules to crit
icise any thing out of school-hours
and surely it shows q great lack Of ia
miliarity between teacher and pupil
not to say "Hello.' Now, here is GU
chance. We have always succeede,
in keeping city teachers out of tn
place. We have teachers enough Q
our own and need the money ourselves
and we have quietly revoked city teach
er's certificates on two occasions an
they have been obliged to leave; so
we can only manage this one success
fully, probably there will be no a,
tempt at city teaching for some time t
come. We will not have any new meth
DDS introduced here.
The committee of the district is cor
suited, but says: Not complaint ha
reached his ears from a person whor