Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-03-13
GOING TO SCHOOL.
Burdette Pours Out Some Philosophy o
"A Painful Snhiact


Painful Subject.
Dear little man, so you are back In schoo
and you don't like it pretty well don't think
Well, that's natural and boy like, but it isnt
right Going to school is great fun, after you
are too old to so any more, which will he
when you are old enough to die, and then
suppose you viii go to another school. When
was your age don't think liked going to
school little bit, but that was because
didn't have very much sense when | was
young | only worked and studied about six
or seven hours a day then, and had but three
teachers to obey. | was the gladdest boy YOU
ever knew, when got out of school, ana you
never knew me- Since then | have been at
work all the time, and have TO obey more PEG
pie than ever saw in a school house at one
time. The editor says If don't have my COM
position ready by Friday night he won't have
it at all, the foreman says he must have it in
hand Friday morning or it won't go in the
proof reader says il he doesn't get the proofs
Thursday night they viii have 70 read them
selves and the compositorS-therea are seventy
hvesor eighty OF them-declare they Will strike
II don't write more plainly and punctuate
properly, and spell better Then | used to
recite before small class, or the school at
most, and now have to read my compost
bors. When | was boy the teacher corrected
me in tho presence of the class, but now the
critic, terrible fellow he is corructs me
right out in print before everybody, and
when | don't say my lesson TO suit him
doesn't he dust my jacket for me thought
The way he makes the lint fly is a caution,
and the worst OF It is / daren't "holler,n and
SO get over II, that would only make him
worse, and beside everybody would laugh
at me aud cry, give him some more in the
same place" He can--and does-say lust as
nice things as he does rough ones, but Won
have to dot your Is and cross your is to earn
his approval Then have to work for nv
landlord, and the grocery man and the tax
collector aud the shoemaker, and | don't
know how many other people, have to buy
OIL for the marching club Of my party, and /
have to march IN the dust or the mud, and
listen TO long speeches and make some longer
ones myself have 10 say "p'ease" aud
thank you, and say sir when | speak 10
the governor; darent so in my bare feet,
and I've only been fishing once this year,
ami then | didn't stay long and didn't catch
anythins' at the table, no matter how hungry
an, have 10 serve everybody else before
get bite 10 eat myself. and am always
the last one waited on; man down In
Bogus Hollow says he is going to lick me for
shooting his dog-and lie looks like a man of
his word, to0-whCa everybody knows I'm
afraid Of gun and couldn't hit a fock of
barns anyhow, on rest, and with giube
sights another man threatens 70 put me In
jail II l don't pay a hll that have three re-
eeipts for, aud "A poor widow woman in Rag
alley, who ts4kes in washing and gin, is going
to sue me If don't pas her $40 because my
cow tore up her garden, when She has no
garden and never owned a COW in my life.
can't follow the circus procession. / can't
stay home when have tho toothache, | can't
get excused when the fish are biting; some of
the boys IN this great big school are huliies,
anu some OF them are fools, and some OF them
are toadies, and some of them are sneaks
and some are liars, aud some of them arc
great, big hearted, loving fellows, that you
want to be with all the time, bat they're so
busy you can only snatch word with tbon
once IN long while, 1t isn't SO very much
different from your own school after all, only
the discipline is more severe, aud tho Teacher
is strict, while he is loving and gentle. But
every time you break rule you smart for it.
Idon't wonder that some OF the older pupils
are glad, glad. glad, when their lessons are
all said, aud the biottod books are put away,
and they are called up into the higher room,
where they viii be closer to tho Master. and
all the hard places in tho old lessons viii DO
explained away 50 lovingly and clearly that
never a sigh VIII puuctate the recitation,
and never tear blister the pages that we
blur and bluuderoyer 50 stupidity and bliudly
now. All, my little man, you'd better learn
70 love your school; you'il never get out Of 1t
until they send word 10 the sexton that YOU
have graduated - Robert j. Burdette IN
Brooklyn Eagle,