The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-07-28
THE on SCHOOL DAYS.

it was painted yellow. Many of us learn
ed our letters In that house under the ar
bitrary rule Of old Olive Cross. I say
old Olive Gross, because / have no recol-
lection of her as ever having been young.
Her years seemed to have been perennial
and eternal. She was stern old Puri-
tan and required pure submission to her
rules, and her punishments were such as
the inquisition could hardly have i'm
proved upon. She was considered a
very good woman-very religious and
proper in her manners-snd seemed to
have earned the prescriptive right to
teach the Iudiments of education to all
the children ia town. She won the con-
fdence of the parents by her zeal in
watching for offenses and in Furnishing
offenders. I have often thought if she
had had children OF her own she would
have been gentler in her nature, and
would have learned that love in school
room, or in family, is more powerful
weapon than fear. But the parents of
those days were great sticklers for force,
Children needed fogging as much as
horses, and they got it, too. There were
the Dows, the Wallacee, the Blaisdells,
the Athertone, the Averys, the BARRIERS,
the Wellses, the Tiltons-wbat would any
of them ever have amounted to if they
had not been logged? And what would
school have been good for, unless it
conformed to the parental discipline at
home? have often wondered il, in the
happy home to which, when her spirit
ceased from troubling, good old Olive
Gross was triumphantly removed, she
ever has visions of the little boys and
girls in that old yellow schoolhouse,
standing in the floor, their noses pinched
with split sticks, holding heavy books
out at arms length until they fell
to the floor through WEAKNESS; or,
with screws vibrating between the fingers
until the blood flowed; and that great,
wide ferule, that raised blisters wher-
ever it fell. But these were facts, which
seemed all proper and right, and served
to develop the self-respect and intelli-
gence OF the pupil
sometimes observe the comfy which
exists in fsmilies-that is, the reciprocal
sentiments that pass between parents
and children. Inever saw a boy yet who
discovered much affection for "the old
man" who clicked" him upon occasion.
He did it again, and he lied about it, too,
if it would redeem the whip. In tamil
lies where they keep whip you do not
see much caressing. The little boy, when
he comes home tired all out, does not
drop into his fathers arms and kiss him
as he falls asleep. Little boys think;
they observe the ways and the tempers-
ments of men. A boy always looks in a
mans face when he passes by. He is
ever watching for little acts Of courtesy,
or a recognition from older persons.
Speak to him pleasantly, and notice
what JOY pervades his face and shines
out in his eyes. He sees that the little
manhood that fills his jacket Is recog-
pized, and he goes on his way happy.
Many men and women forget they
were ever boys ol girls, and look down
upon them from so far of that they seem
never TO distinguish them from birds or
cattle. Thank Cod always loved chill
dreD; always liked TO be with them. I
like to have them in my house, filling my
yard and playing in the shade of my trees
They are like the birds among the
branches the re of Their voices are music
to me, because they are the voices of limo.
cence and happiness. And there is far
off future for them in the coming yeare,
when they, like me, will be gray headed,
looking back over the events Of half a
century, and, perhaps, unlike me, sing
ing:
Oil would were boy again,
When life seemed formed of sunny years.
My recollection of the teachers in that
old schoolhouse is that they were all
alike. They never appealed to the man
hood and self-respect of the pupils. Their
laws, like Draco's, had penalties, and
could only be appeased by corporal suf-
fering. There was Edward Olcott, rus
ticated student, and Elijah Blaisdell, who
spared nobody-somebody was being
punished all the time; and the Rev. Jo-
seph l.. Richardson, who afterwards be-
came notorious as one of the leaders of
the mob that destroyed tie academy; he
us ed to believe that children could en-
dure cold and thirst as well as bodily tor
lures. He would tell us that these things,
although they appeared to be severe judg
ments, were intended as blessings, and if
we profted by them we should receive
crown of righteousness at some future
time; but never seemed to appreciate
his prophetic promises in our behalf.
When Elder Wheat preached, sixty
years ago and more, there was great
choir, and they made great noise. The
old sounding board that hung over his
head would echo again and again the
last notes OF the great voices. Benja-
min Trussell used to play the violcn-
CELLO and when he was not there DIR. Til
ton gave the keynote with his little. fine
tenor voice, holding on long while till
they could catch the tone all over the
galleries, and then, like an avalanche,
the music would roll and crash among