Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-05-15

sec il placed there than in the Capitol
| Square. Yours respectfully.
/ A MESaBEn OF TEE RKIIc COMMITTEE.
No. 52i north Fifth street.
THE HAPPY DAYS At SCHOOL
Bright "Reminiscences of the Boyhood
Franks Of Years Ago.
written for the Dispstch.l
As nv recent Recollections OF Musical
Artists OF the Past" were received WITH
| appreciation By your many readers. and
have served to bring forth other interest
| ing facts from my contemporaries OF those
happy DAYS, may venture TO give rev
incidents OF past school-days, when some
of you now staid and solid men of the city
cut up so many prankst
My first school experience in Richmond
was with the Misses Forbes. two most ex-
cellept and estimable ladies. who taught q
little girl and bows school on Grace street.
think nearly every little boy and girl OF
the principal families Of that day received
their first instructions from these kind
ladies', whose gentle influence won the
hearts Of all the little ones. 1t was at the
time of the Mexican war. when the streets
we're filed with volunteers marching to
and fro with flying colors and TO the sound
preparations fred our youthful hearts with
military zeal, and our little school formed
itself into two companies, one headed by
Santa Anna" and the other by General
Scott" and we often had mimic battles,
in which Santa Anna would be invariably
defeated.
NV next school was with Mr.. Edward
Drew, in rear of St. James church, and
afterwards in the Norwood building. next
a Il. "a nj
always kept close to the church, that It's
sacred precincts might subdue the unruiy
spirits of his boys; but even these nal
lowed walls failed to deter our boldness.
for we would frequently get into the
church, one of our number mount the
pulpit and give forth sermon" TO the
congregated boys. For these pranks
we would be kept in and severe
ly lectured. remember on one
occasion. after q very late hour, when we
were told to go, that one little urchin arose
and said Mr. Drew. won't you 90 home
| with me and take q cold dinner!" This
so upset the gravity OF the pedagogue that
the little fellow was not keptin afterwards:
Then there was DR.. Maupin's celebrated
school and Mr.. Squire's. ct each OF
which many of the first graduates OF
| the university were prepared. Soon after
| this Mr. David Turner. northerner OF
some celebrity opened school on Nam
street. which became quite noted and was
attended by all the first-class boys in the
upper part OF the city. "Old David Tur-
| ner" had system of teaching and gov
erning his boys peculiar to himself. COM
| blning that of lectures and experiments,
which added much interest TO their stu
| dies and greatly increased his school.
| can now see him tip-toeing around the
schoo-room. like cat after mouse,
watching the boys that they play no tricks
IN school.
HAD LITTLE THEATRE.
But il was ont OF school that we boys OF
| larger growth had our fun. DO the good
people of Richmond know that there was
once theatre" on Foushee street be-
tween Grace and Franklin? Do the present
residents know that Colonel Archer Ander-
son, Mr Edward Archer. and your humble
writer were the orchestra; that Mr.. Horace
Edmunds, Mr.. William Archer. Mr. Charles
Kent, Wythe Munford, Ellis Munford.
David Edmunds. and other brave, noble
boys. many of whom are sleeping In sol.
diers' grave, were once the star actors"
on our little stage! The admission to our
performances was one cent or dozen
pins but we got more pins than pence.
The greater attraction, however, to the
bows was, q glimpse of Mrs. Mead's school
girls in the adjoining lot. We had fitted
mp stage with scenery. curtain. ana all
the paraphernalia of "a mimic theatre, ana
had prepared a grand play, IN which was To
| be introduced fire engine with hose con-
| nected with the hydrant below the lights
were all lit. the audience had assembled,
and everything was ready for the perform
ance. when "Old Simon," the facto-
| tum of Mrs. Mead's establishment,
rushed TO that lady and said: Mrs.
iiead. Eddie and dem boys will burn up
the whole place. aud they won't mind
me ." Whereupon Simon was duly au-
thorized to go and clear out" the boys
and put the lights out. Rushing back to
the stable, Simon popped his head up the
stair-loft, Just as the music was IN
blast and the play begun, and yelled
out: Mrs. Mead say all you boys must
clear out from here" One OF the boys
on the stage held the nozzle of the hose
and polntedit at Simon's head The engine
worked vigorously, and the stream hit the
mark. The audience, actors, aud all yelled
with laughter and delight, but it ended
the play, The lights were quickly put out,
and we scampered off tor fear of old
Slmonis wrath and thus our theatrical
career ended.
Our great pride was our fire engine,
clumsy box fitted on wheels, in which was
a tin pump. This we would pull out at
the first alarm of fire, and lacking on the
old No mandrake city ire engine, we
would 90 a-yelling with the boys, and our
miniature stream would afford shouts or
LAUGHTER as Chief" Horace Edmunds
would give his orders through an immense
tin horn.
THFIR BOAT WAS WRECKED.
Then we would form boat crew to sail
the Nancy Jane" which was built in MIR.
Robert Edmunds's stable, and with gaudy
paint and a long pennant, and with Cap
tainn Dayy Edmunds at the helm, she
would bound over the raging waters OF the
James. until ut last she was wrecked be-
| low Rockets. -,
Next our orchestra was formed, with
| Archie Anderson as leader" whose ef-
| forts to get the bass and accompanying
| instruments to harmonic was truly Ia
| borious, but viii n at last produced con-
| cords which, if not "sweet sounds" were
| satisfactory to ourselves. and which some
times would be waited upon the night ar
| beneath the window OF some fair LADY,
until bucket OF water would make Us
scamper.
Oh. those were Jolly DAYS for " US boys"
many of whom have since become famous
| on the field of glory, or upon the arena, or
with eloquent tongue have charmed
| the assembled thousands of their country
men. They can now turn back to those
| happy days and trace their first efforts 10
| the debating society" IN "Old DAVID
| Turner's" little school-room. or upon our
mimic stage in the old stable. l.. Z. NJ.
al