The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-05
history Of Early Education in Rem
lucky Now But 4 Grand
fathers Tale.
The Old Log School House Built
by the Farmers on Rainy
Days.
he Primitive Fnrnishings and Primitive
Psdagosue-salAry : Doubtful
Quantlty-The Three RS.

AVA AAAOs 49, " sAOAA 0WAy sA0
d loR school house, By turns a stable, pig
pa, nothing, has rottsd away, and the his
~ OF early education in Kentucky ID but
grandfather's tale. But old folks, though
mstimes %garrulous, tell interesting
ories; the children will tell you that, and
10 il one of them. Why thsro were ous-
ms in vogue forty years ago, before this
ate became . patron Of education, which
puld turn the modern school, with its
lndreda OF pupils and its extended ourri-
lum, into : state Of anarchy that would
mpsl the governor to call out the militia.
you don't believe ii ask your grand
hher.
The old schoolhouss was a log structure,
tilt on rainy days BY the farmers for six
seven miles around, who we're possessed
tn the oommendable desire that their
lite. The house OF education was gsner-
y on = hill with thick woods around, fifty
Erds from which squirrels, perhaps wild
ia, had their homes. Ons largo room con-
ttuted the ''institution." In one end was
great fireplace, which extended clear
ross the house and which kept the school
VS. muscles hard all winter ohopping
pod to keep the cavernous mouth full Of
81. In n cofuer on q raised platform
ts the masters desk. Ons-half Of the
om WAS given MP to the seats. They were
ads Of split logs, the legs made fast in
CUR holes, bored in the bottom of the
sts. That they were rough and hard goes
thout saying, for a plano could not have
en- found for miles around. There we're
desks in front of the seats, but over on
9 side Of the room a rough board, slopin &
I'm the wall. served az . place to write.
in was tho primitive sohoolhouse.
b master" deserves at least q passing
Pntion. He was generally from the cant,
Yankee" AZ the farmers called him.
9 accompanied and lent emphasis to his
thorlty. for no young man would have
red face the sver-imminsnt danger of q
htiny or the iron muscles of tho big boy.
en- he needed a thrashing. Sometimes
) pedagogue of old knew something of
tin and Greek, but this part of his odu-
ion was never called into play in Ksn-
pky. His learning showed in his polysyl-
lie conversation, and earned respect and
. for him-outside tho school-room. His
airy was a very doubtful quantity and at
st but a miserable pittance.. He was paid
the pupil, getting from $3.50 to So for
th one. Tbs school was frequently below
Esen in number, never above thirty. A
lie multiplication will show that the
nastsr' was very poorly paid, since he
4 to teach three months and sometimes
pr.s These pioneer school teachers did
he good work, too, and greatly lessened
'his x mark style Of signing the
ne.
school began at q very early hour, before
ny of these lattsr-day scholars are up. Ii
rted with the arrival of the first boy.
ose duty it was to kindle the fire. The
10 had hardly begun to orackls through
big pile of wood in the Ere place before
teacher arrived. He took off his over
II. if he had one, and right then the reci-
ions began. A big Chest in one corner
the room was unlocked, and the school
bks were taken out, for they were always
at school in those days. Nobody was
bected to study at home. for when the
(oolboy had fed the stock and the school
! had MIXED the COWS it was time to 60
bed. Tho master" called the boy
b had started the fire to his desk, that
one of learning, and heard him spell or
d, as the case might be. When that was
shed another pupil or two had dropped
They were called up to the desk, each
ring been given 4 few minutes for study,
The order of their arrival. This rule pre-
led until all the scholars had arrived.
~ VI eAOAA q w VioVSA sAAOV VI 4oAA
Is. it was nine O'Clock frequently, and
n later, before all had reported. There
ependent method Of obtaining
bwledge being the prevailing method,
ty years ago. On through the
the scholars were called up to the desk
gly, and "heard'' in first n subject and
n another, until the whole list, which
never long, had been gone through.
A1ino uriti1r hiuknrv Urn M mar md
graphy was the extent of the course.
sixth Reader was the goal for which
stroye.
4 noon a recess of an hour. was given.
, boys and girls were not allowed to as
late during this interval. An imaginary
}, like the equator. was supposed to
bot the school house, and extended both
r. for an lnterminable distance. Some
es, however, the course of this line wal
:ked by barking" the trees. To cross
Fas q capital ~offense, and the penalty was
bund thrashing. No matter how bad
81 wanted to speak to ANNIE" that
was IN i~nsurmountable barrier. Ii q
crossed it the penalty was the same,
in those days, forty years ago. q pupil
he fnirer sex was supposed to be hardy
ugh to stand . very severe application
he birch. Neither did age raise a bar
and maids OF l6 and even 20 were pun
ID when ohastisement was deserved. Tho
Pss time over, the master stepped to
door and called the children in. The
ills spent the rest OF the day in alter
ely studying and reciting. At five
ock they were dismissed for tho day. .
here were no blaokboArds in the early
>. Only the teacher knew that such a
lg existed. When illustration was re-
red the master drew the figure Or letter
! slate and held it up in his hand for
b~sction. ~a
b to the pupils themselves they were a
mixed lot. The little girl of six years
the strong man of twenty-four sat side
tide in the rough seats and learned how
pell. There was the ''bully." who lived
he reputation of having evsrlastingly
sshed somebody some long time ago
the small boys hardened to his CON-
ID. here was the 'tsll-tale," generally
Il, whom everybody dsapised, but who
we'd nevertheless. There was the mas
b favorite, the cause of which the other
ils said was her pretty face and rosy
pks, and not marked intelligence. There
the good boy and the good girl, and
bad boy, who ate apples and threw
d." in school, just as nowadays, for
hgh customs may change tho ways Of
dren do not change. On rainy days the
ndance of boys was much larger, for,
lg to the weather. they could not work
nything on the farm, and hence were
to school. Ihs session lasted over the
le winter months, during which time
teacher boarded around from one house
mother.
here was II custom practiced in the
nitive DAYS which was unique. II was
wn as turning the teacher OUT and
expression may be taken in its literal
10. When the holidays began to draw
and the pleasures of the coming Christ
occupied more and more of the child
. thoughts, plans we're laid IA secretly
my plot against tho life of my king, to
n tho teacher out" The big boys were,