The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-12-14
Old School Teachers.


been stetted, as the lawyers have it,
thinkers and readers may not be UNI
willing for something upon other
lines of intended usefulness.
In the way of "reminiscences of old
families of Garrett county. we would
recall or bring back to the memories
of few survivors, the Payton fam
lily. The ancestor, Thomas PaytOn,
was killed by a stroke of lightning
at Cuipepper, Va. The sons and
daughters did not act upon the popu.
lar adage that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place. but in all
probability feared a recurrence, at
any rate in the early part Of the
present century the family quilted
the bosom of old Virginia and came
to AIiegany county. locating at the
Little Shades of Death, North Grants
vile. This migrating family con-
sisted of six members, three brothers
and so many sisters-James, Benia-
min, William. Mary, Sarah and
Elizabeth. James, the oldest, was
married, hut without children. Be.
ing close friend of Archibald,
Thistle, very prominent man inl
the neighhorhood, he moved with
the latter to Missouri about the year
1898. He lived to he SO years old
and over. He was carpenter by
trade, and a great expert with The
brOad.axe. 1t is said he could face
log with the smoothness and regu
larity of planning machine. This
is now one of the lost arts in old-tinle
mechanism. The broad axe can now
be found about as readily ia a mu.
scum as in a wOrkunan's shop. Ben
iamin lived and died a bachelor. He
was the "schOlar" of the family, a
school teacher three months in the
year, and a shoemaker for the re
mainder. He moved to Fayette
county, Pa, many years ago, thence
to Preston county, w. Va, where he
died in war times, aged 81 years,
William left the neighborhood about
the same time the other two brothers
removed, stopping for few years in
West Virginia, then to Indiana. and
thence to Illinois, where he Was
when last heard from still living.
at the extreme age of SO, and how
much more we have no means OF
knowing. Here is an extraordinary
case uf longevity-three brothers
each beyond 80. with an aggregate
age of 277 years. Where is there
such case in history or tradition -?
One of the three sisters was the wife
of Jacob Shafter, an Old time stage
driver and hotel keeper, and the
father of John w. Shaffer. now u
prominent citizen of Cumberland.
But the PaytOn name, like many
others in Garrett ana Allegany coun-
ties, has been extinct for many years.
1t has already been remarked Ben
jamin Pdyton was school teacher in
his day, of course of the olden time
kind; not much learning of his own,
nut of g0nd Intentions. Three months
during the winter season Was the
length of school service for the whole
year. ITO read, write, and cipher to
the Rule of three" in Pixies
Arithmetic. was the desideratum.
A small log hut was the school house,
poorly ventilated, lighted and heat
ed. The seats were pine slabs with
fiat side up. with heavy pins in the
ends 10 keep them up. The writing
desks were rough pine boards, gen.
orally fastened to the wall. Hardly
ever a chair or seat for the master.
other than the end OF bench not
occupied by the scholars. The Ieli-
able rod was always 10 view. 1t was
believed to he as necessary for the
teacher az tie sword for the military
officer. Burning civilization has SUI
perseded the rod and other cOrpOreal
methods of discipline. Moral sua-
sions are now the ways to cure youth
full indiscretions and errors but still
the birch has its advocates. The
law in our good old State allows cor.
poreal punishment for at least one
offense-wife beating, and with gen.
eral appreciation.
Now that we have switched of
from the track and gotten into the
company of the Old.tine teachers--
generally called "masters" Rudolf
so was our Saviour many times by
his deciples when yet in the flesh
John Wiley of this point of the
country. Was a master or teacher fol
many years, and a good one after the
kind. He not only taught well what
in his day was supposed to be sufi'
cient for practical life, but he enforc'
ed obedience and discipline. Him
self a gentleman by nature, and as
such he taught his pupils. He de
sDised anything rude or rough and