The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-02-06
Selert Storp.
GETTING AN EDUCATION.
What Came of Wasting My Time"
at School.
IFloyd K. Royce. in Housekeeper.l

sCuuic All l. tNtl SOb sib NhN
old deestrict schule, an | guess it's good
enough for any of our boys.
"But times have changed since then IA
ther. Fifty years ago young man could
begin life with smaller amount Of book
learning than is now necessary for him to
possess, if he would compete with others
for the honors and positions we hoped to
see our boys gain. We have toiled early
and late for thirty years, on this farm, 10
seph, and while there has been much of
happiness in our lives, yet the knowledge
that we have never been able to gain much
to lay aside for a rainy day has caused us
anxiety for the future.
ayes, that is just what | am trying TO
make you understand. We haint got but
a thousand dollars in the bank now, an l
want to buy that piece of medder of Dea-
con Asher, too; but you want to fool it
away in sendin that boy off to college. [
yum, l never could more n half understand
you, Phebe.'
was an unwilling eavesdropper to this
conversation between my parents. had
come in from the yard with pail of milk
in each hand, and to tighten the too heavy
burden the care of the dairy placed upon
my little mother, | stood in the milk-room
straining the milk for her, when they came
into the garden by the side of the room, and
and | was made an involuntary, yet, must
confess, most anxious listener. My en-
tire life had been passed upon the farm
and one who has endured the hardships of
farm life for few years knows how irk
some such life can be made, if the main
idea is to work more with Drawn than brains.
| was in my eighteenth year, and the only
surcease from labor had been the few win
ter months passed at the district school.
These few months of each year had indeed
| been an oasis in the hard life, and the
grains of knowledge CLEANED from the chaff
threshed among us by the too often incom-
petent teacher, who was secured more
times because he could be gotten cheaply
than because he possessed any particular
ability for teacher of the young, were
eagearly picked up and added to as oppor
tunity would permit had at last, by
hard work evenings, after the chores were
done, fitted myself to pass the preparatory
examination at the State Industrial Uni
versity, and now desired the consent and
assistance of my father to take the four
years course in mechanical engineering.
1 NY father was not an unkind man at
heart, but he had become so surrounded
with the ideas of his own Importance and
power that he could conceive of nothing
higher or grander in boys life than to
be able to initiate himself No one in the
whole neighborhood could keep up their
''station" in binding grain with him, while
at barn-raisings, corn-huskings, hog killings
or log-rollings no one who knew him would
for moment attempt to equal, let alone
trying 10 excel him. 1t was true that
Deacon Ashers new hired man. stranger
in these parts, had attempted to throw him
in wrestling match at one of the raisings !;
but he was quickly sent 20 earth with a
bruised head and chagrined spirit which
raised my father another notch in local
fame, although it gained him an enemy in
his delcs.ted antagonist. Father was a
heavy, muscular man, as may be imagined,
and | gave promise of nearly equalizing
him physically, but there the resemblance
ceased. He was light-haired, while [ re-
sembled my dark haired mother in com
plexion and disposition. | was fond of
athletic sports, but did not care to indulge
in the rough matches of the ueighborhood
which so frequetly engendered ill-feeling.
/ NY three brothers, all older than myself,
took naturally to the farm life; they had
grown up uneducated, and while not my
equal physically, they resembled my father
in more respects than did. As may be
presumed from this, they were seemingly
drawn closer to him, while | always looked
to my mother for sympathy and needed
spending money, She had been better ed
ucated than my father in early life, and by
insisting upon taking her fayorite magazine,
treat always to me, she had kept fairly
abreast of the times. and sympathized with
my ambition to make something of myself
We had talked over my hopes and plans
the night before and, like the dear little
mother | had always found her, she insist
ed upon gaining fathers consent to our ar
rangements. And this was the conversa-
| ton ! was oyerhearing.
| must confess that leaned my head
little closer TO the window to catch my IA
TIERS reply, and in doing so was afforded
view of his face From the stern look |
could see gathering in his eyes, | knew
NY hopes were doomed to disappointment,
even before his next words confirmed this
opinion My mother had added another
in reply, which did not hear, but could
see him turning nervously on his heel as if
anxious to have a disagreeable task ended
II didn't intend TO tell it, jest yit but
the fact of it is, mother, Jed thinks o get
tin married this fall, after the work is out
of the way, and we must buy the Deacon's
medder to make the farm large enough, for
another Jed spoke to me las night -
"But Joseph, you have already helped
Jedediah to thousand dollars. and | should
think that in the spirit Of fairness to all of
our boys, he should now be willing to
wait
"'Taint no use to throw up about what
Jed lost in buyin that race hoss, retorted
my father angrily, for my mother had
touched him in tender spot
My brother had purchased high priced
trotting horse a season or two before and
he and father had been in high favor at
the annual meetings of all of the county
fairs for time, as their horse was good
one and usually won, but one day after a
very successful race on Deacon Aster's
track, he and Jed and some intoxicants
Gather declared solemnly that it was moth
ing but cider, but Jed winked at me when
he was telling it, so | knew Deacon As
ter's hired man had evened up with him
by putting "stick in it, became mixed
up with the race horse and another mans
carriage, and the result was that the trot-
ter lay down and died, and when father
sobered up he found that he had thous-
and-dollar note to pay which Jed had got
ten him to sign with him for the horse He
now wanted an excuse to get angry so he
| I L Il l.