The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-01-19
COIN TO SKULE.
III VI ct Al


might be called "proud excitement" district
school had been opened that day. and ol-cal had
shown thirteen children present. few of the old
people were distrustful of results. and one woman
came very near sticking her snuff-stick into my
eye as she hourished it around and said
81 never did snuggle TO this skule bizness nohow
can't read nor write, but if Their is any woman
in this comfy who is a better woman than me let
her step out kin shute gun, handle hoe or
AK, make the best softsoap, cure a bile cook A
chicken skin bar, and I'd like to know what
else a human female ar expected to do"
This speech hoored the meeting for few
minutes, but at length grizzly old mountianeer
replied:
"But we've got to have eddecashun, Sallie Ii
takes eddecashun to keep postoffice and store.
If the postmaster didn't hev eddecashun how'd he
know when letter cum fur you? How'd the store
keeper fgger up?"
"Oh, sprinklin' might be eddecated" she
graciousy admitted-"them as amt of no earthly
good fur other work but this eddecatin' everybody
is dangerous Sam'l and do believe it's agin the
Lords wishes. Eddecsshun makes rascals Look
at Long Davis If he hadn't bin eddecated would
he hev sot fire to that s4w-mill? Look at Morgan's
GAL Jenny. If she hadn't bin eddecated would she
hev run off with that AR chap from Kentucky"
"Thar's a heap o. sense in what the ole woman
says" added one OF the men, "but | go in fur
eddecasbun-mo' or less. We've got to hev it or
we can't do bizness II I'd had eddecashun when
cut them ar seven cords of wood fur bod Havens
at sixty cents cord wouldn't hev bin fuled into
takin' gallon o. asses and halt pound of tea and
wlpln out my claims Consarn his old pictur'
but I'll kill mewl fur him if he don't even up"
'What dye think, stranger?" asked one of the
women of me.
Education won't hurt your children any,
maam"
Won't it make 'em lazy nor sassy?"
al don't think So"
"Wont they try to boss the old folks, and want
broadcloth and silk?"
"They shouldn't"
"Wel | dunno dunno. Seems to me like
flynn in the face of Providence but mebbe it will
cum out all right. | wash my hands of it, any how
III badness Gums of it nobody must blame me- You
all remember that | was agin it."
After supper, the man who had been responsible
for all the excitement, asked me to take a walk
with him. When we were half a mile from the
hamlet he filled his pipe, sat down, smoked for five
minutes without word, and then quietly asked
"Hev you ever bin to skule?"
eyes"
"Hurt you any?"
"No"
"Do ye good?"
eyes"
"Will it hurt any of us?"
"No It's the best move you ever made"
"Honest IDjun?"
eyes, keep that school going if you have to live
on roots No man has a chance in this world
unless he has education"
"Jist as | told 'em, but they wouldn't listen
viii you cum to the skule house tomorrow"
Eyes"
"And We won't go back on yer opinion?"
mo"
"Put it thar 20 he said as he reached out his big
rough hand. 81 kinder felt l was right all the
time, but they was all agin me-"
Next forenoon went over to the school house
1t was little room in the rear of building which
answered for a blacksmith and wagon and cooper
shop. Everybody else also went over, and when
we all got in there was room for anybody to sit
down. The teacher was young woman who had
never attended anything higher than district
school, and the outfit consisted of q black board