The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-11-18

ol mt and fragrant with their sweet per
fanes I looked ior in vain, and il wss
with feeling Of sadness, that walked
over the fields, through The orchard and
the woods, feeling as the poet expressed
il:
Like me who tresds alone,
some banquet bali deserted,
Whose lights are. fed, and'garlansd dead,
And all. but me degarled
And then visited the old family grave
yard, the city of the silent dead, where
sleep the ancestors Of the Miller settle
ment, and with feelings Of reverence,
and uncovered head read the epitaphs
of the aged pioneer grand-iathers and
mothers, whose mortal remains we're
consigned here 10 the narrow e0nines
Of the tomb, when I was little boy, and
rnethinks could yet hear the minister
pronounce the solemn obsequies, "ashes
10 ashes, and dust TO dust From here I
wended my way, to where once stood the
old-log-house by the lane, and here 7
viewed the lanscape ore, and N my 81
lent meditation, my school-boy days rose
up like a dream. and passed before me in
panoramic review, and said:
Then I wish. was a BOY sgain.
When every day seems two or three.
Youth is long dram Gus in the esti-
nation Of all school boys ; he grows rest
less and tired waiting 30 become q man.
It seems such long pull np long hill
before you reach the brow, but ! do
want the hoary hand Of time, in his re-
lentless passage around the disl-pl4te 10
carry me to far beyond the brow Of the
hill just now, for want to SIT down at
the feet Of youth, and write up my school
boy days Of forty years ago, in the old
log-schOol-house by the lane.
Before attempting To describe the old
school house, and its interior embeilish-
ments, we viii take vieR Of the old
familiar surroundings and the play
ground upon the hill side; the old maple
tree. that stood ike 2 Roman seminal
spreading his huge branches over The
spring, from which gushed forth 3 stream
Of pure and sparkling water, thatso offer
quenched cur thirst, and how We used tC
build dams and bridges across the brook
on the other side Of the school-housC
whose crystal waters came meanderins
and gamboling down the ravine from
neighbering woodland forest, where W
used to ride with wooden horses with GU
best girls down the old hill with thi
speed Of an antelope, imagining ourselve
warriors with helmets upon our heads
how we used to hunt for teaberry-leayei
and dig for sassafrass roots, but thos,
aromatics have lost their prestage sBC
the roasted peanut and the omnipresen
chewing gum have taken their piac,
with the school girls OF to-day. AnC
how We listened in the early spring tim'
TO the plumed songsters Of hill and dale
singing their sweetest carols Of praise.
The school-house was an old weather
beaten structure, about twenty fee
square, entirely innocent Of paint or any
ornamental work, except what the boy,
executed with tleir jack-kniyes. Til.
furniture was marvellous for its cheap
ness and mplicity-backless benche:
made of slabs, with 10 attention paid Il
the comfort Of the smaller scholars. ]
can yet see the 4. b. c. class sitting on
those torturiDg, unfriendiy benches with
their little feet dangling a foot above
the floor Around the walls were the
writing desks for the larger scholars. In
the center an old fashioned wood stove,
behind the door was the wood pile and
the water bucket; opposite the door was
the masters" desk-a sort of a cheaplv
constructed imperial throne upon which
his royal highness was seated, arrayed
with becoming dignity, pomposity and
power, welding his sceptre ofsubmissive
authority in the shape OF a rod about four
feet long. Remember, am nov speak
ing of the "school-master" in the rural
districts of nearly half a century ago.
when muscle, courage and bravery were
among the essential requisites in a teach
erin order to successfully scope with and
thrash the belligerent big boys-to keep
them in the track. to climb the rugged
hill Of science. Spelling, reading. writing,
ciphering and geography constituted tie
line of studies: Cobb's Spelling Book
and Rays Arithmetic were then among
the standard school books, and how We
used to sail through Addition Multipli-
cation, Short and Long Division, and the
Rule Of three, and get in a dead lock
when We struck vulgar fractions In
reading, such small affairs as emphasis.
punctuation. rate, force, pitch, cadence
and modulation Of the yoires. were IN.
cared for and considered Of no account.
We read IN a loud monotone. like
man plowing through sfumpv field and
when We ran against hard word to pro-
noUnce and became tangled the teacher
would help US over as best he knew how
Our writing implements consisted Of
goose quills- The teacher wlote the COPY
snd ordered US to initiate the same. If
We wanted our eopy-book to appear a
little loud and dashy, We used pokeberry
juice for ink. Methinks / can vet hear
some Of the little bows and girls read
with youthful pride, that old familiar
poem:
"rsinkle twinkle hlle star
How l wonder whai yoa are.
Or.
mary bad q little iauab.
- fleece was white as SNOW.
And everywhere that Man went,
The lamb was sure 10 go
Our amusement on the play ground
consisted OF town-bsil, prisoners base,
sock ball, CT cat ball. by the older ones,
while the smaller scholars and girls in
duiged in Anthony over and can vet
see the girls watching the ball as it came
sailing gracefully and majestically over
the cid school house, trying 10 catch II
with their aprons The balls then used
were all all home-made-made FROM old
gum shoes and stocking yarn-and the
boy who possessed a bail considered the
best bouncer was hero.
And with what delight we always vel
coined the irst snow Of the season, how
cur eyes sparkled as We watched those
frozen vsners tbnsa f,liirv bIossoo,s ,,r