Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1890-06-05


my ability to teach
& even &C m m
school" when the situation was offered
me In little Tuolumnc county mining
camp. said SO to my old friend, Pete
H.. who had secured me the position.
"Well," said he, after reflective pause,
"do you retain a clear recollection Of the
twenty-six letters Of the alphabet? For.
If you do, you are equal to any educa-
tional demand this camp viii make on
you"
1t was reckless "camp." No phase
of life was viewed or treated seriously.
They did walk their horses to the grave
slowly ut a funeral, but how they did
race back!
1t was legally necessary. however, that
should be examined rs to MY ability by
the school trustees. These were DR.. D..
Bill X, u saloon keeper. and Tom j.. q
miner. Inett them in the Justices Office.
The doctor was an important appearing
man, proud, pompous, we'll dressed and
specialized. He glarcd at me with an ex-
preston betwixt sadness and severity. l
saw he was to be the chief inquisitor.
expected from him searching examina.
ton. and trembled: 1t waa years since l
had seen a school book. knew that in
geography was rusty and in mathe-
mates musty.
Before the doctor lay one thin boob.
1t turned out to be a spelling book. The
doctor opened it, glarcd OH me leisurely,
and finally said: "Spcll cat" did so.
"Spcll hat" Ispclled. "Rat." said the
doctor, with a look Of explosive fierce
ness. and in tone an octave higher.
spelled, and then remnrkcd: "Dut, doc.
tor, you surely must know that can
spell words Of one syllablc?" II don't"
he shouted, and propoundcd "mat' for
mo to spell. with an increase of energy
in his voice, and SO went on until had
so spelled long enough to amuse him and
the other two trustee triflers. Then he
shut tho book, saying: young man,
you'll do for our camp. wouldn't teach
that school for s. 900 year; and there
arc two boys you'll have for scholars
that advise you to kill, II possible, Tie
first week. Let's all 60 over and take o
| drink"
My school house was the church. built
and paid for partly by the gamblers and
partly by the good people of Jimto~n-
"for the use of all scots" ON Sundays.
for educational purposes on week days.
was shut up in that little church six
hours u day with sixty children and
youths, ranging from to IS years OF
age. In summer it was Gercely hot
little church. Tho mercury was always
near 90 by noon. aud sometimes over
100, and you could at times hear the
shingles split and crack on tho roof Of
the cathedral. \ few years Of interior
California summers suns will turn Tin
painted boards and shingles almost as
black rs charcoal.
The majority of my pupils parents
being from New England and North
America, they brought and carried into
| effect all their North American ideas of
education. The California summer heat
10. think, unfit for educational pur-
poses. 1t is too hot to herd sixty rest
less children together six hours n day.
They proved this in several cases. Some
tell sick suddenly. Some tainted. But
this made no difference. The school
went ON in all its misery. sent faint.
Ing child homo one day, and the father
returned with it an hour afterward. He
was fierce. and said he wanted lis child
kept in school when he sent it to school.
| This was In Cal;fornin's carly days.
Ny scholars were the children Of the
| Argonauts, and in some cases had cone
out with them. There was then no regu.
lar system Of text books. Publishers
bad not commenced making fortunes by
getting out new school book system
every three years.
Ny scholars came. bringing a srea,
variety Of school books They brought
spikes Arithmetic" which had como
over the plains, and Smiths Gcosra.
ply" which had sailed around Cape
Horn. Seldom werc two alike. But the
greatest variety lay in grammars.
There was regular museum Of English
grammars. whose authors fongi,t each
other with different rules and called the
various parts of speech by different
names. accounted for the great vari.
ETY. OF grammays Oh the supposition tina,
It ia or was the ambition Of large pro-
portion Of schoolnasters to write q WORT
on grammar before they died and say:
~ hare left another grammar to bless
and confuse postcrity."
Besides bringing grammars. most OF
tho boys brought dogs. Dogs of many
breeds all e:2cs lowered around the
school hcuse They wanted frequently