Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-01-07
Old Times,

The harvest Is past and the summer is
ended, the cold short days of winter have
come again, so / will talk to the boys and
girls who are trying to store their minds
with knowledge for future usefulness, and
preparing themselves to take the places of
those who will soon pass away.
| My schooldays are brought to mind as l
pass the bright merry boys and girls with
arms laden with books on their way to school.
| How plainly L see the old red school house
at the foot of the hill near the bank of the
old mill pond, with its saw mill, blacksmith
and other shops. What fun we had on the
ice with our skates, coastiEg down the long
hills on our sleds, and the after pleasure of
drawing them up again. Then the hours of
study; the children were classed according
to age and not ability. The seats were slab
benches placed on three sides of the room,
| next the wall; the larger girls and boys sat
| on the benches next the wall, the smaller
| ones on the inner seats. Each scholar studi-
| ed just such books as he happened to have.
1 remember the first arithmetic was an old
| Daybold, the first geography an old Moore's.
| do not know how many generations had
| studied out of those same old books. The
school always opened by reading a chapter
| in the New Testament; each scholar. begin
ming with the largest, read IN turn, then each
scholar began the study of such lessons as
their parents wished. A large number of
them had no books of any kind, but would
| look over with Il n.ore favored one; reading
and spelling were considered the most i'm
portant studies, and any one who could do
both well, was thought to be well educated.
l can see with memory's eye the spelling
| class, the eager faces of those below watch
| ing and waiting anXiously for a word to be
! misspeled; as was often the case, IL word
| was missed and the one below would catch
the word and start for the head, right or
wrong. Each Saturday forenoon we had to
go to school to read, SPELL say the abrevia-
| lions and definitions, the catechism, the ten
| commandments and the last chapter of Ec-
clesiastes, beginning, "Remember now thy
Creator in the days of thy YOUTH" this was
repeated in concert by the school. Then the
minister would talk a while and pray, for it
was part of the pastoral duty to visit the
school, then take his leave: then came the
exciting time for the good scholars: certifi-
cate for reward of merit was given, how you
boys and girls wouldlaugh to see them; they
come in large sheets with the picture of
ship under full canvas printed in red or
blue colOrs, oh. what anxiety each one felt
] to see who should get such prize and when
| given what pleasure to read ones name in
| full as deserving such Il reward 4 and on the
| way home did we chance to meet IA neighDor,
| the first question would be-"How many of
you received certificates to- day." And if
you were in disgrace and had no certificate
| the sorrowful look of the questioner made
you realize keenly that the way of the trans
| gressor is hard. Now you boy and girl stu
dents see and have so many beautiful cards
| and your books made attractive with pictures
you forget that fifty years have made as great
changes in school life as in the arts and
sciences. | don't think the modern school
can compare with the spelling matches we
| had at night; the parents well rs the chill
dren were present, for they took as much
pride in the advancement of their children
As any parent does now. The eXerci. es were
| varied by recitations and dialogue or two.
| Will eyer forget one of those occasions
when L was quite Il small boy? The dialogue
was david and Goliath" remember just
as well how the six feet, six inches young
| Goliath looked dressed in his military dress,
| with his sword and spear, and the little flax
| en- haired David. | wondered if there would
/ be rosia enough for Goliath to fall without
hurting any OF gs little fellows when David
| killed him, the room sSaE so full of people,
| but when David threw the stone WITH his
| sling, he fell just as easy all in IA bunch, then
| l WAS afraid he was really killed, but when
saw tho parents smiling the burden rolled
from my mind. But we had to 20 to school
in summer, not so Intel. 70 study as to learn
to sew. Every little boy and Civ, was provid-
Ell with square of patchwork OF some
| straw to braid; the teacher was to look over
| the work to see il 1t was right. My mother
made me carry my sewing, just as if was a
girl; many little dress have made for my
| sisters, nor was afraid to sew with any of
the girls that was as large as I. Don't you
think felt good when l could sew better
| than the big girs9 And there before the
| window was the mill, and with the water
roaring over the dam. l used to watch the
little speckied trout climb up the sheet of
water and 60 over the dam to the water
above :lhow many times have seen one or
more start up, get part way up and lose the
! hold, go back and startiagain. This brought
| to Es;Id the adage-"If at first you don't
sucesed, Try, try. again" And now when
ride around ths saeitry. as do sometimes,
| and see such nice school i.G4ses provided
| with black boards and desks, VITA Ill the
modern improvements, / almost wish l wss
5 Soy again. r. p. T.
For sALE-As 4 bargain, the property re-