The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-01-25

il would not expend itself In learning
lessons" He would work his books into
a mass of dogs ears. His writing book
was ever in mourning with ink stains.
His face was generally inky. His ink
stand was generally upset. He would
hold a pen as he would pitchfork. He
seemed also to give out his vitality when
he came to school and infect AL the 9TH
ers with it, He was not regular scholar.
He was sent only when it was an "of
day" on his fathers ranch" In the
scholastic sense he learned nothing.
But that boy at the age of 10 would
drive his fathers two horse wagon,
loaded with fruit and vegetables, 100
miles from California to Nevada over the
rough mountain roads Of the Sierras, sell
the produce to the silver miners of Aurora
and adjacent camps, and return safely
home. He was obliged in places to camp
out at night, cook for himself, look out
for his stock, repair harness or wagon
and keep an eye out for skulking Indians,
who, if not "hostile," were not saints.
When it came to using the hand and the
head together he had in him go
"gumption" and executive ability, and
none of my teaching" put it where it
was in him either. He may have grown
up unpublished" but he is one of the
kind who are at this moment hiring
polished and scholarly men to do work
for them on very small wages.
do not despise "polish" and "cult-
ure," but is there not an education now
necessary which shall give the child
some clearer idea Of the manner in which
It must cope with the world in a few
years? The land today is full Of couture"
at ten dollars a week. Culture gives
polish to the blade. But it is not the
process which makes the hard, well tenn
pered steel.
The "smartest" boy in my school gave
me even more trouble than the son of the
rancher. He could commit to memory
as much in ten minutes as the others
could in an hour, and the balance of the
time he was working off the Satanism
was an omnivorous NAV. 1t would take
in anything and everything with the
smallest amount of application. 1t would
have required two-thirds of my time to
feed this voracious and mischievous lit
tie monster with books for his memory
to devour.
But he was not the boy to drive team
through a wild country and dispose of
the load in Nevada, though he could on
such trip have committed to memory
several hundred words per day on any
subject, whether he understood it or not.
My young lady pupils also gave me a
great deal of trouble. They were very
Independent, and for this reason: Girls.
even of 10, were very scarce then in the
mines; so were women of any marriage
able age There were ten men to one
woman. The result was that anything
humanity feminine was very valuable,
much sought after and made much OF
by men of all ages My girls of Is, as to
life and association, were grown up wo-
men. Young miners and middle aged,
semi-bald headed miners, who did not
realize how many of their years had
slipped away since they came out from
the States" took these girls to balls and
whirled them by night over the dusty
roads of Tuolumne county in dusty bug
gies.
1t was difficult for one lone man, and
he only schoolmaster, to enforce dis
ciplne with these prematurely matm ed
children, who had an average of two
chances month to marry, and who
felt like any other woman their power
and influence with the other sex. Half
of them did have prospective husband
in some brawny pick singer, who never
went abroad without battery of port
able small artillery slung at his waist,
and who was half jealous, half envious
of the schoolmaster for what he consid-
cred the privilege of being in the same
room with his future wife six hours
day.
One needs to live in a country where
there is dearth of women to realize
these situations. When my school was
dismissed at 4 o'clock p. M, all the I'M
employed chivalry of "Jimtown" massed
on the street corner at the Bella Union
saloon to see this coveted bevy of Cali
fornia rosebuds pass on their way home.
The Bella Union, by the way, was only a
few yards from the church. Extremes
got very close together in these mining
camps. But the frequenters of the Bella
Union, who gambled all night on the
arid green baize of the monte table, had
more than half paid for that church,
and infer, wanted it in sight SO that no
other persuasion should run off with it.
was glad when these girls got married
and entered another school of life, where
| knew within years time they were
likely to have n master.
was once "barred out" at the close Of
a summer term. This was fashion inn
ported from the extreme southwestern
part of what some call "our beloved
Union" Returning from dinner found
the doors and windows of the university
closed against me. parleyed at one of
the windows II few feet from the ground.
| was met by II delegation of the two
biggest boys. They informed me could
get i'm by coming out with iisburse-
ment of s.. so. to treat the school to nuts,
candies and cakes. | did not accede,
the window and went in. Most