The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-05-06

chimney, then vertically again till it en-
teredthe chimney. One day small boy
sitting on 1.-THE low seat was busying
himsllf with nail, digging out the dirt
froma crack in his seat. The teacher
spieohim, stepped stealthily, like cat,
acroS the room, his thin slippers with
out leels making no noise upon the
floor grabbed the little innocent fellow
by tl5 back of his jacket with one hand,
threw him over the stove-pipe, and
caught with the other hand as he came
down; then throwing him back upon his
seat yelled out, ''There, stop your play
ing now, will you"
AT another time he found the same
boyengaged in similar, quiet, noiseless
plai, and grabbing him with one hand
thrw him across the floor against an
otter seat at the risk of breaking his
boIes. He gave but one prize for excel
len,e, and that was in spelling. A small
on' cent primer was the premium. This
was given to the scholar who stood at
TIN head of the class the most nights in
til, week. The school law required five
AM half days week. The custom
WIS to keep school on alternate Satur-
days. 1t happened one week when
sdool kept Saturday, that boy who is
n'w judge in one of the Providence
c,urts, was scored at the head three
Chys and the writer three days. The
teacher could not afford to give two
Primers, consequently we had to draw
hts for it. He got the primer, and
good natured feud has existed on ac-
cunt of it, between us from that day to
his. l have seen many teachers noted
Tor their severity, but L think never
saw one, or heard of one, more unrea-
yonably severe, or more dreaded and
cared by his pupils.
Many thoughts crowded upon my
memory in turning the mind back upon
the early years. some of them ludicrous
and some serious. Every school has its
leaders, and generally some one or two
are to be found upon whom the practi-
cal jokes and ridicule Will fall. One
day V and R frightened all the
small boys by Selling s and, with
stove door wide open, carrying him to
the stoves open mouth and threatening
to thrust him in. Then changing the
furnace for the refrigerator, they took
him out upon the bank wall near the
schoolhouse and tossed him headfrst
into the snow, from which he soon ap-
peared whitened, bleached and blanch-
Ou' AO dilOGhCl blln0 ~ Tall Was ldlu
across in front of the stove from one
low seat to another to sit upon. When
this rail was pushed as far toward the
end as possible. the other end would
fall from the seat to the floor. One day
a small boy was seated upon this rail,
and began swaying his body with his
hands clasped beneath his knees. One
of the larger boys sitting beside the
stove on the low seat observed that the
rail was nearly off at that end. He,
therefore, steadily pushed it until it just
rested, and then returned to his seat
Soon the rail fell off its support, and the
small boy, just then having swayed his
body backwards, tumbled off, turning
as he fell complete somersault.
But the spelling SCHOOL, and the
speaking SCHOOL, were the great oc.
casions for display. These institutions,
however, so well known that each one S
memory will supply all the details.
Suffice 1t to say that my recollections
OF these summer a d winter schools are
of most pleasing kind. l believe the
pupils were of a superior sort, and the
teaching generally was excellent. The
results have been what might have beer
anticipated. Preachers, doctors, mer
chants, manufacturers, teachers, writ
ers, ETC., are now scattered from Maine
TO California, who were pupils in Mum
Der Eight School between eighteen hun
dred and thirty and forty.-By Mdssa
chuSettS Superintendent.