The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-05-01
..Mr Smith the hirh school exercises


sMr. Smith, the high school exercises
were very fine, now, weren't theyp The
ESSAYS were creditable and the declama-
tions Just grand. Well, well, children
nowadays are greatly blest. We didn't
have such schools in our day, ehf"
This is enough. William Smith gives
his person a final adjustment. "Well,
if you call IL a school where one-half Of
the time is spent in getting the chill
dren's toes on crack, and the other
half in keeping them there, all I've got
to say is we didn't have any such
schools in our day. Why. ! happened
to go in the public schools the other
day, and the teacher, a young thing in
frills and buckles, was trying to get the
school in order. She was all red and
hot with trying. Then she said 'one,
and the children took up their pens.
Two and they struck position with
their arms. Then some of the boys
weren't up to time, and it all had to
be done over. Three, then they began
to write in copy books that had all to
lie at certain angle. 1t took nearly
ten minutes to get them started. You
may see the value of all this fuss and
feathers. 1 don't. / never had any
such red tape in my school," 1e. 81
your school. Why, really, Mr.
Smith,"
"Why, yes" says Mr.. Smith, smiling.
and taking an easy position. II wish
you could have seen my school. That
was a school, and none of your still-as-
death schools, I can tell you. Jeems
Rivers! You don't want still schools.
You want noisy schools. There is an
educational value in noise that none OF
the folks down there (snapping his
fingers in the direction of the high
schooD 'know anything about.
"Now, look here. What is school
but preparation for life. After you
have been trained in one of those deaf
and dumb asylums they call schools,
do you suppose the world is going to
hold its breath while you do your work?
No, Stree. Inever demanded but one
thing of my boys-learn, learn. Every
man-jack studied in whatever key his
voice went the easiest on. I'd like to
have heard boy come to me and say
he couldn't study for the noise. I'd
have put him between two of the great
est roarers in the school. Then when
he was man I'd have expected him to
come and thank me.
1.-THE aim in my school was to get
knowledge, and each boy got it in the
way best adapted to his case, and as
fast or slow as his mind was capable
of receiving it. Some boys shot ahead
like arrows, other boys crept like
snails. But they all learned, SIR"
s'But how did you manage about
their school books, Mr.. Smith,"
"Now, school books. There's an
other delusion. / didn't break parents
up buying schoolbooks as they do now
a-days."
William Smith flung himself again
around the inner circumference of his
rocking chair.
every boy brought whatever school
books they happened to have in the
house. There was museum Of old
arithmetics, algebras and gcometries
in that school. Ididn't care what book
boy studied in. When he went to
the blackboard l pretty soon found out
how much he knew"
"Wel, you must have needed as
many hands as Briareus to have heard
a recitation"
'sDo you suppose, sir, / asked any
boy those cut-and-dried things out Of
the booksp They never saw any prob
lem ever gave them. made them up.
If boy was in fractions he got frac-
tions, or interest and proportion, he
got interest or proportion. / had
equations all along the line, and sur
veyed fields of every conceivable shape.
That is the way to find out how much
boys know. Why, in mathematics, I'd
match my boys against any set Of boys
your graded schools ever have, or ever
will produce. 1894
There was my brother.in-law, Daniel
Parker. He was a banker. One day
he came up to my school and said,
Smith, I've brought you a problem
that will try your metal. We've been
working on It at the bank until we're
worn out. See what you can do I
turned around and handed it to his son.
lad of sixteen. There, John, said /,
solve that for your father John took
it and went smilingly to work. In five
minutes he gave it to his father, done,
sir. You never saw man as pleased
and at the same time as crestfallen as
Daniel.
20, what beautiful studies are Latin
and Greek! just wish you could have
heard Horace Morton conjugating the
Greek verbs. That was what I call
music, sir. And as for Homer, Ia
rather hear one of my boys rolling out
those great, large, sonorous Greek
syllables than any of the prima donnas
you think SO much of. There's more
music in it, SIR"
"Mr. Smith, didn't youhave any girls
in your schoolr'