The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-03-16
COIN no SKULE.

One evening, as | arrived at one
OF the mountain hamlets, found the
inhabitants in a state of what might
be called proud excitement" A
district school had been opened that
day, and roll call had shown thirteen
children present. A few Of the old
people were distrustful of results, and
one old woman came very near stick
ing her snuf-boX into my eyes as she
flourished it arourd and said:
never did snuggle to this skule
bizness, nohow. | can't read nor
write, but if thar is any woman in
this county who is a better woman
than me let her step out | kin shute
a gun, handle hoe or ak, make the
best soft soap, cure a bile, cook a
CHECKER or skin a b'ar, and I'd like
to know what else a human female
ar expected to do.
This speech foored the meeting
for few minutes. but at length a
grizzly old mountaineer replied:
But we've got to hev eddecashun,
Sallie. 1t takes eddecashun to keep
postoffice and store. If the postmas-
| ter didn't hev eddecashun how'd he
know when a letter cum fur you?
Howe d the storekeeper fgger up?
Oh, sprinklin' might be eddie
c,ted, she graciously admitted
them as amt of no earthly good fur
other work, but thi5 eddecatin' every
body is dangerous. Sam'l and | do
believe it's agin the Lords wishes.
Eddecashun makes rascals. Look at
Long Davis. If he had't bin edde.
Gated would he hev sot fire to that
saw 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 heap O sense in what the
ole womon says, added one of the
men, but go in fur eddecashun-
mo- or less. We've got to hev it or
we can't do bizness. If I'd a had
eddeCaShun when | cut them ar
seven cords OF wood for bod Havens
at sixty cents a cord | wouldn't hev
bin fuled into takin gallon O las
ses and half a pound of tea and wipin'
out my claims. Consarn his old
pictur', but I'll kill mewl fur him
ii he don't even up!
What dye think. stranger? asked
one of the women OF me.
Education won't hurt your child
rem any ma am.
Won't it make 'em lazy nor sassy?
| don't think so.
Won't they try to boss the old
folks, and want broadcloth and silk
They shouldn't
Well, dunno-I dunno. Seems
to me like hvin in the face of Provi
dence, but mebbe it will cum out all
right. | wash my hands OF it, any,
how. If badness Gums of it nobody
must blame me. You all remember
that was again it.
After supper, the man who had
been responsible for the excitement,
asked me to take walk with him.
When we were half mile from the
hamlet he filled his pipe, sat down,
smoked for five minutes without a
word, and then quietly asked:
Hev you ever bin to skule?
Yes.
Hurt ye any?
No.
Do ye goodo
Yes.
Will it hurt any of us?
No. It's the best move you ever
made.
Honest Injun?
Yes, keep that school going if you
have to live on roots. No man has
chance in this VIC rid unless he has
education.
list as told EN-, but they wouldn't
listen. Will we cum up to the skule
house morrow.
Yes.
And We won't 90 back on your
| opinion?
No.
Put it thar! he said, as he reached
out his big, rough hand | kinder
felt | was right all the time, but they
was all agln me.
Next forenoon | went over to the
schoolhouse. 1t was little room in
the rear of a building which answered
for a bla 'ksmith and wagon and
cooper shop. Everybody else also
went over, and when we all got in
there was no room for ANYBODY to
sit down. The teacher was a woman