Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-01

EDUCATION IN VIRGINIA IN DAYS
GONE HY.
ne "reminiscences Of an Old virgtnian-
Personal Experience-The Old
Fashioned schoolmastsr.
fYor the pispstch.I

universities are lOuuucu utiu cSi1esos -
| doved by States and private indlvlduais;
General systems of free schools established
| ali over the Union. while some OK our most
benevolent and broad-minded leaders con-
| slider the matter of so much Importance as
10 deserve to be taken under national SUI
peryision and control. II would there
fore DO interesting to most OK US
who are more or less occupied Dy
| This great subject to look back. 70
a time when other matters seemed OF
more importance and to recall how the
schools were conducted during the larger
portion Of the present century. About Inc
| time of the revolution and before the idea
| of general free schools had entered the
public mind except in New England, all
| schools were upon q private OASIS. III
| those country neighborhoods where chill
| dren we're numerous private individuals
| with their own means erected temporary
log houses generally upon some ridge OF
healthy locality near q spring on the edge
| NJ the woods. and as generally the poorest
land was selected as the site they were
called "old-feld Schools" The teachers
were Of all sorts. descriptions, and grades:
Learned scholars from the academies OF
had to preach on Sunday ana teecn
on the other days of the week
to make living: enterprising young men
educated in the towns and villages Of New
| England: the broken-down gentleman,
| having in early manhood wasted his patri-
mony, now willing to rub up on the gram;
mar, the Latin and Greek OF MS ooyno9d
ing the Young idea how to shoot" VI such
material was the better class OF teachers.
In poor and ignorant sections the teachers
were composed Of a class with snatter-
ing of knowledge and great indisposition
TO work. Tho scholars were OF al classes
and of both sexes. The sons OF the wealthy
farmers and their poor neighbors were
crowded around the came instructor. Inc
| school-house and its playground contained
a purer and more unmixed democracy than
Sparta.
DOUBLE DUTY.
Asbooks we're high and scarce, the Bible
| and PRAYER Or hymn-book did double duty
at home. at church, and at school. The
large letters commencing the chapters OF
HYMNS we're used TO teach the alphabet OF
| the large letters--the smaller print USED
both as primer, spelling-book, and reader.
| In learning the letters was invariably
called lizard, an old abbreviation OF hard.
As specimen Of spelling, Aaron was
spelled, Big A. little a, o n-ron-Aaron."
| Arithmetics were not used, except IN rare
instances. The schoolmaster had one, and
| the lessons for the dav were copied by the
scholars from his into what were called
4
the study of arithmetic and learn
ing TO write in the same lesson.
In those DAYS the scholars all together not
only recited. but also committed. or got
their lessons. aloud, so that the din OF
school, from Che piping tones OF the ilttie
urchins and tho deep bass of the big
boys,D could be heard for a long distance.
The old system can be best illustrated by
the authors experience as n scholar IN an
IL Gel N M -
Eastern Virginia some forty years ago. The
master of this school was considered far
| better than the average. He had been
educated at " Humanity ball" by learned
man, who was both q Clergyman and q
schoolmaster, and he named his school
Humanity Hail." which would have more
appropriately borne the name OF "lnhu-
manitv Hail. rs will be shown hereafter.
He taught a full course of English gram
mar, geography, Latin. and Greek, IN adj
ditlon to the three RS" as Reading
Riting. and Rithmeticn were then called.
His name was Briggs, short, stout man,
of very dark hair and eyes with over;
shadowing eyelsshee, under which winked
pair of red ard .peering eyes, ana
with eyebrows Joined together over his
forehead As this was before the period OF
whiskers and mJustaches, and as he shaved
ONLY on Sundays, towards the end OF the
week he presented TO our youthful eyes
most formidable appearance. 10 say tnat
the "big boys" were afraid of him would
express their feelings mildly. but we 1T
tie boys regarded him with perfect ter
ror. With him there was no royal road up
the hill Of science. no roses along the pain.
but up the ragged steep we CLIMBED wnn
weary steps, with briers and brambles I'M;
peding our way. and driven upward and
onward by craven and AFFECT fear.
ptr,sIsH,fgNT.
He used three kinds OF punishment
horsing. feruling. and seeking. In using
the first the largest boy in school (for he
had them of all ages from twenty-h We down
TO fiye) was selected as the horse. The I'M
fortunate culprit mounted on his back with
his knees under his elbows and his hanoS
drawn by the hands Of the horse, "
unincumbered with superhqous pants, was
striped by Briggs from his shoulders down.
ward with q long hickory switch, which, II
was said. had boen washed over IN salt
water. This was the seYerest punishment.
and rs the curious would inquire VINO
horsed Bill Jones, 1.-THE horse" Bill would
intimate that Briggs was afraid OF him and
would do nothing to him but SOCK him.
THE PENS.
All the pens were made of quilts by the
master and all the copies for writing were
set by him and the lines ruled on the
paper by fat. straight piece OF WOOD
about foot long by til side OF whicn t Inc
lines were drawn with lead pencil for inc
writing classes by the master. Inc pun
ishment of feruling was to clasp the IN
gers of the offender and extending ms
hand TO apply the rule vigorously 10 INC
palm OF his hand the number OF slrohes
being proportiouate TO the offence ~ Tug
iudgrnent of the master. Inc operation -.
socking, which was the usual puIlsnlII'oin ~.
|
BRIGGS holding the ear or nose between
ne fnre6nger and thumb Of one hand
aud striking the head or the scnolar
syith tha clinched knuckle5 of the other
hand The offences were numerous, out
Il was A standing rule that no punishment
could be inflicted except Tor something
done in - books that is, during school
hours. Fighting, swearing. or any other
violation OF propriety or morals done out
of school were never noticed by the master.
The common offences were laughing In a
suppressed manner, or staggering" as III
was called, ard failure to study or to recite
perfectly; and these, upon being repeated
after several Stockings, were punished by
feruling; and when this was found inef-
| fectunl, the bad boy was mounted upon
the oack Of Bill Jones, horsed, and thrash
ed. Crying and blubbering 20 An unrea-
sonable extent after punishment was an
offence which tended to show insuborcina-
ton in the judgment of the master, and
was always rewarded with seeking.
THE SCHOOL. HOUSE.
The school-house was primitive struc.
ture. IT was built OF pine-logs sawed of and
knotched, set upon blocks about a foot
from the ground, with q slab-roof and a
plank-hoor. with one window nearly the
length of one side of the house made of O
wide plank, fastened with hinges on the
bottom. which was closed by shutting II
up. and when let down 1t constituted the
writing-desk for the whole school. with Q
large wooden. cavernous chimney with
barrel with the heads out on the top. The
, furniture consisted of a wooden pail FOL
wat8r, a split-bottou char for the master
! and benches made of outside plank with
| legs of different lengths to suit the sizes
of the pupils, all ranged around the room
, Taking note that the fat beams OF thereof
3 were the receptacles for books, and
J that the inside Of the house wai
furnished with hooks nailed on by thu
boys 10 hang their buckets and baskets o.
, yations, you have full description OF HUI
mainly Hall, a typical school Of the older
time. Entering at intervals OF time be