The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-09-25
GOING TO SCHOOL.
An Old Pupils Pleasing Reco-
1eCtiOnS of the Old Masters.
Ghe Little House in the Grove-The Spring
The Three Passports of the Scholars
The Barring Out, Etc, Etc.
"And dear the school-boy spot
We ne'er FORGET though there we are fnrnnt


yesterday to gentleman in poetical mood
yesterday. "Where did you get it?"
Byron" said the gentleman.
byron! eehoed the Colonel f'well ITS
pretty, and old Byron was good poet. That
Eentiment carries me back to my school days
But the schools when 1 was q boy were differ
ent from those of today"
did you ever go to an old field school ?"
querled Celenel Adair, and his face bright
ene9 s and IN bis tones o SS & grew eS tender
" man with fine face and hair sprinkled
with silver, 'and when l repeated that snatch
OF sentiment was thinking of one of them"
u transferred piece of property In good
gid Dekalb county the other day." continued
Colonel Adair, "and in one of the papers
came across the name of one of those old field
school teachers. 1t was Starnes, and used to
30 to him when was a small boy.'
Tell us something about the old field
schools, colonel?'
"With pleasure" he replied, and the crowd
were all attentive in moment.
- ears before the war;" said Colonel Adafr
s'the old field school cut a great figure in the
south The majority Of the old field school
of Maryland.
las rule they were Irishmen who had come
over from the old country. They were Protes-
kants, Presbyterians, and were noted for their
precise ways and rigids discipline. They were
harroW-minded in the sense of being quite ig-
them were trife tyrannical.
But for all that there was much good stuff
En these peculiar gentleman, and they used to
DO much good in Georgia in their efforts to
teach the young idea how to shoot
"0ne OF these schoolmasters, }" continued the
colonel, would come to asettlement and draw
Up q long agreement with as much red tape and
precision as if he was making will to mil
Eomething like this:
Roderick Random, OF the first part, do
hereby engage to devote my services for the
Germ OF three months to the instruction of the
following named children giving names and
Eex) IN consideration of two dollars, to be paid
20 me as hereinafter set, etc., etc.. forth, ETC.,
ete'
:" We, John Virgins, Bill Jinks, Tom Rugs,
81 the second part, etc, the parents of the
children aforesaid, do hereby agree to nav to
She aforesaid Random the above specified
amounts at such and such time for the instruc-
Zion Of the aforesaid children, etc., etc., ETC.,
Rnd in witness whereof we hereunto affix our
seals and signatures, etc., etc..
This agreement would contain host of
minute particulars and would be duly signed
by the teacher and those who agreed to patron
aze him.
:. "If there was no schoolhouse in the neighbor-
hood the people in the settlement would chin
Sn and build one. They would select a spot
In some fine grove near a sparkling spring,
scoop up the earth, as it were, throw together
p little log house, with rough-hewn planks for
benches, and pine table, and sometimes a
severely plain splitbottom chair for the school
teacher. That gives you vague idea of the
Eudest form of old field schoolhouses.
"Of course some OF them were built of better
material. weather-boarded you know, with a
strong door and one or two wooden windows
swung. on hinges and fastened with iron
hooks"
Can quite primitive though"
ooh. yes. Well after the agreement had
peen duly signed up, the school would be
opened on time and the boys and girls of all
ages and sizes i'll the settlement would come
"Some of them were SO small that they could
hardly walk while there would be big boys and
Sgirls-some OF them eighteen, twenty, twenty
6ne years old-in others even older.'
/ "There were no desks in the genuine old
Aeld schoolhouses. The boys and girls would
sit Oh the hard benches-the boys on one side
and the girls on the other-and study their
lessons, while the schoolmaster sat in his
chair at one end Of the house facing his pupils
and keeping sharp lookout to see that no
mischief was done"
Glow many hours day would school keep,
colonel"
Generally all day long. But of course
there was short morning and afternoon re-
cess, and in addition to that about an hour in
She middle of the day for dinner.
The scholars all carried their dinners in
those days-usually i'll baskets rudely made of
oak splits. AT dinner time they would all go
down to the spring and after eating would
make little cups out Of big green leaves, scoop
up the clear, fresh water and drink from them.
4 have seen them do it thousand times,
and have done it myself-and I want to say
right here that water from a clear country
spring in leaf cup is sweeter and purer
shan the best city water from silver goblet
when you are right thirsty"
s"Wha1 did they study Colonel@'
= fIhe three RS Readin', 'Ritin and 'Rithme-
itic,' as Rip Van Wrinkle would say. AS near
Ias can remember We used somebody's first
tand second reader, Smiley and Pixies arithe-
Bic and plain unruled foolscap paper for copy
Books
Z "That was our curriculum-not forgetting, of
course, the maple lux il small phial5 and the
bgoose-quill pens
1.-THE teacher, who was monarch Of all he
Surveyed, always had two very useful things
about him-a pOcketknife to sharpen goose
auills for the scholars and rule to line their
Eoolscap paper.
: 'He would do that slillful work and then
set copies in plain hand for the pupils.
"'All that Glitters is not gold
" A man today in rich array tomorrow may
be laid in clay.
"'Birds of feather flock together etc,
These were among the proverbs always set for
copy by the old field schoolmasters. And it
was as good as a show to watch girls and boys
bend to the work Of writing. What pains
they took to achieve excellence in penman-
Ynanship1 and how they would get walloped
sometimes If the books happened to be
blotted."
"Ihey believed IN Whipping"
d. "The teachers certainly did, but, tell you,
the scholars didn't, for whenever one Of those
tigid old fellows gave boy dressing it could
pot possibly escape his memory. II was laid
on with too much emphasis, you know. And
they would jerk fellow up and thrash him
on the slightest proTOcation, too"
"Ihere were sports, tOoY'
sob, yes, and world Of fun we used 70 have
at the good, old-fashioned games. The boys
played cat, bull pen,' town BALI and
fnear neighbor,' and the girls would 20 off to
themselves at recess and play Growing the
queen, or 'chickamy crany crow and three
Score and ten and other old games. They
aFould fashion crowns Of dead leaves and
GROWN each other, and 1 have seen girls at old
field schools who were about rs handsome as
as the best looking queen you could trot out.
There is nothing in this world that is prettier
tban genuine country beauty. There IS a
Freshness Of complexion and brightness Of
eye about her that is hard 70 find in cities"
Sometimes" continued the colonel, "the
boys would take il into their heads that they
wanted a heliday-aud then there would b5
war. The boys Toald want 70 90 to q mus
ter you know, or something Of the kind.
They would get 10 the school house early ia
fhe morning and proceeded % bar the teacher
out by fastening the windows securely and
billing benches against tic door
when the master reached the house lie
s.F- 4.~ . sg s ts .F ssls. Il