The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-04-17

ARE meet To De mdHiHc cuume
When April comes.
Death Of Blind Joe Parsons.-Joe Par
sons, who was formerly familiar figure in the
upper end of Baltimore county, died in Peoria,
Illinois, in December last. In its issue Of Deem
Der 3lst the Transcript of that city says:
"For the past three years the figure of Joe
Parsons has been familiar one to all who have
frequented the business portion of the city. Par
sons came here from Atlanta, Ca, his pioneer
home having been at Baltimore, Nd, and has
occupied a room in the second story of BohPs
block. Although totally blind, he could make
his way without aid over the central portion of
the city within a week after he had been here and
never lost his bearings. He walked the streets
as unerringy as many person who sees and
seemed 20 know by sort of instinct just where
the place was where he wanted to go, for he gen.
orally found it without difficulty or assistance.
Indeed, so remarkable a man was he in this res
pect that many of the more incredulous were at
hrst-inclined to doubt that he was totally blind.
Yet at the battle of Antietam his sight was for
ever destroyed by ball which passed through
both eyes, entering at one and passing through
the other
"Of late he had been troubled with rheumatism
and complained of pains in the region of his
heart. Wednesday evening he was cheerful and
apparently as well usual. He drank consider
able in the course of the evening, spending the
latter part of it in the saloon of 7. A. Turner.
The bartender went home with him after the
saloon closed and he went to bed still apparently
we'll. At s o'clock yesterday morning A. W. Will
lard, the restaurant keeper, went to his room with
some kindlng and Parsons arose and let him in.
After Willard had gone he went back to bed and
no one saw him until 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
when he was found lying dead in his bed. 1t is
supposed that death was caused by rheumatism
of the heart.
GIN Volume of the Rebellion Record for the
years 1S62-63 is JOe's own account of how he lost
his sight The anecdote was related by q cores
pondent of the Boston Transcript, who was writ
ing from the hospitals of Alexandria, Va, and is
as follows;
Joe enlisted in the First Maryland regiment
and was plainly CROUCH" generally. As we
passed along the hall we first saw him crouched
near an open window, Justify singing, "I'm
bold soldier boy" and observing the broad band
ago over his eyes, I said "What's your name,
my good fellow p "Joe, sir" he answered, "Joe
Parsons" "And what is the matter with your"
"Blind SIR blind as a bat" SIN battle?" eyes,
at Antietam both eyes shot out at one clip"
Poor Joe was in the front at Antietam Creek, and
q mimic ball passed directly through his eyes,
across his face, destroying his sight forever. He
was but twenty years old but he was as happy as
a lark at is dreadful" L said. "I'm very thank
full I'm alive, sir. 1t might ha' been worse, yer
see," he continued. And then he told US his
story.
81 was HIT" he said "and it knocked me down.
L lay there all night and the next day the fight
was renewed. 1 could stand the pain, but the
balls were flying all around and 1 wanted to get
away. couldn't see nothin,' though. So I wait
ed and listened and at last heard Teller
groanin' beyond me. "Hello !" says I, "Helo,
YOURSELF" says he, "Who be YEP" says ia
rebel?" "You're Yankee" says he. $50 am"
says :; "What's the matter with your" "My
legs smashed" says he, "Can yer walk z" "No,"
"Can't yer see p' dyes "Well," says I, "youre
rebel, but will you do me little favor ?" ~
WILL" says he, "ef.I KEN" Then 1 says, "We,
ole butternut, can't see nothin," my eyes is
knocked out but ken walk. Come over yere
Let's git out O. this. You pint the way, and I'll
tote yer off the field on my back ?" "Buly for
you," says he. And so we managed to get to-
gether. We shook hands on it. I took wink
outer his canteen and he got onto my shoulders.
"I did the walkin' for both an he did the nav
igatin'. An eff he didn't make me carry him
I 81 iaignt into rebel coloneis tent mile away,
I'm a liar Hows'ever, the colonel came up and,
says he, "Whar dyer come from? Who be yer %
[ told him. He said was done for and couldn't
do no more shootin' an he sent me over to our
lines. So, after three days, came down here
with the wounded boys, where we're doin' pretty
WELL all things considered" "But you will never
see the light again, my poor fellow" L suggested
sympathetically. CHATS so," he answered, glib
ly, "but I can't help it, you notice. did my
duty-got shot, pop in the eye-an' that's my
misfortune, not my fault-as the old man said of
his blind horse. But-"I'm a bold soldier boy, :"
he continued, cheeriy renewing his song, and we
left him in his singular merriment. Poor, sight
less, unlucky but stout hearted Joe Parsons
"The Honor System in Schools. "-Col.
| VIM. Allen, superintendent of the McDonogh
School, Baltimore county, delivered an address
| upon the above subject before the Public School
Teachers Association of Baltimore city, on Satur
day last He said "I shall give you the results
| of my observation as to the place emulation
should have in the discipline of schools as de-
| veloping a sense of honor. 1t ought ever to be
| borne in mind that the teacher for the time being
takes the place of the parent, and as school is a
preparation for life, the discipline should be such
as to make the transfer easy and natural. My
/ experience teaches to advocate strongly the use
+ of emulation. 1t is present with the success
! ful worker in all departments of lfe 1t has been
| my custom to appeal to the pupils spirit of emu
| lation by system of marks and honors. 1t is
better not to grade reward children at all than
to do it carelessy as to cause sense OF inJus-
tice. If grading is out of the question, special
examination and special exercises might be used.
1t is sometimes objected that emulation only at
fects the top of the class. If so it be correct
ed by varying the system of honors, without going
so far as to degrade the honors in the sight OF the
| class. Another and stronger objection is that
emulation sometimes makes the pupils envious
| and Jealous. There are cases of disease. ltwould
be wrong to order school only with reference to
the sick children. How can honor be best secur-
ed 1t goes without saying that the teacher must
set the example, but there must be more. 1t re-
! uuires tact, judgment and perception. The rela-
| ton between the teacher and the pupil must not
be one of suspicion. Trust the child; rely abso-
lutely on its word, and keep it up until you know
| certainly that it has deceived you, and then let
| hahn of
pointment There is no danger that pupil can
| long deceive an earnest teacher. Suppose the
| child repeats the deceit? 1 should treat it as a
! case of small -pox-neither could long remain IN
my school. Information about conduct should be
| obtained in some other way than by direct in
] ousiton Of the pupil concerned. The boy that
will cheat will lie, especially when he is strongly
temped to do so by sudden questioning in public.
Our boys regard cheating at lessons an injury not
to the teacher, but to themselves, from the unfair
| advantage thus obtained, and the boy who cheats
soon learns that the way of the transgressor is
| hard We give them much liberty as possible
under a strict discipline, and allow them to man
age their own little affairs. We take the utmost
| care in grading ann giving marks. The marks for
conduct and scholarship are kept entirely separate
| The grading should be so managed that the
class will see that it is perfectly fair. My own
| experience leads me to believe that strong sense
of honor can be developed in the great mass of
normal and healthy boys"
Sale of 9th District Property.-S. Cover
Wilson, auctioneer, sold at the Court House, on
Tuesday, for S. Parker Bosley and j. I. Ensor,
trustees in the equity proceedings of VIM. H. r.
| Anderson and Thomas Gorsuch, plaintiffs, and
Hiram Shaneybrook and others, defendants, three
lots of ground in the Sth district, belonging to
the late Hannah NJ. Shaney brook, and situated
on the York turnpike, one mile from Sparks sta
| A. Gill md inn
proved by log house and barn, and l acre and Is
perches, unimproved, bothto Levi Paxton, colored,
for S132; and 81 acres of land, unimproved, to
Anthony Shaneyb brook, for $50 per acre.
| A Valuable Gown. Jacob L. Seidel, a
well known farmer of Dulany's Valley, has val
liable COW in which he shows a pardonable pride.
| She was IL years old on the 23d of last January
and to this time has dropped 13 calves-fve times
| singles and four times twins. She easily makes
| IL lbs of butter per week and can do much better
with proper attention to feeding, &c. The cow is