The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-09-01
Educational Column.
BY GEORGE r. WILSON, COUNTY suP'r.
A strike Of Other Days.

A Strike OF Other DAYS.
These strikes BY the school children
are nothing new. But they don't de-
yelop ani bring out and down the strong
hand Of the ruling power as they used
to. Among tho sunny memories OF my
school days there glows, bright and
soft as a summer sunset. the picture OF
the great strike at Humans, in Peoris,
away back in 1853. Hinman's was the
greatest school in the West. The dear
old man was Superintendent Of Public
Instruction, Board OF Education, School
Trustee. County Superintendent, Prin-
cipal, assistant and janitor. lie had
pleasant smile, q firm temper, ana siate
frame. He also carried about his person
! grin that would make blacksmith's
wise crawl into the scrap heap ana mae
itself. We used to have genera! exer-
Iciscs Friday afternoons, at which we
, were wont to recite In vociierou' con-
cert the multiplication tables. the states
and capitals, and such thriliing rnetor-
lical exercises as, "Will you Walk or
ride ?" aud "They tell u to DO moderate,
but they, they are torevelinprorusion!
liz was thrilling. But after we hau
learned all these chants by hearV ana
could chant them of with our eyes smut
"Old Hinmsn" introduced an innovation
!. -"speakin' pieces" Upon that we
struck. We endured il three weeks ana
then we determined TO boycott the
, whole business. All the boys went into
KIN. Bin Smith and Hub Tuttle, Rob
7 Gregg. Ed Easton, Steve Bum, Bill 10
: sdecker, Hen Keencr, and all the big
boys. TOO. The first boy called on 10
"speak" was to announce the strike, ana
. As nv name came pretty well up IN the
alphabet, 1 stood good chance OF oeing
q leader. a distinction for which was
not at all ambitious, because OF tender
Years and OF a ruddy countenance, ana
Sentative feelings. But a boy named Al
Ian. Who was called ahead Of me, funked,
= ana said his piece, 'Hohenlinden. al
1, though we made such suggestive gcs.
l,nres at him that lie forgot half OF 1t ana
q hrokc down aud cried. When was
4 called refused to speak. Being pressed
for a reason, l said, in ialtering accents
!. that "there wasn't going to be no more
. speakin'." When the old man, with un'
. fcioned surpriss, asked me who said 60
Ala saIl Of us did" Then he said
= ,here would be "a little more speaking
lhefore the close OF the session, aud go ~
led me out upon the rostrum. IbeI
; and there. with feelings which l nov
!, shndder to recall, I did my first sont
ana dance act. had often before per
a, formed nv solitary cschuca to the las
= c;vious pleasing OF "Old Hinman's" slat'
frame but never had l accompanied
cf mvselt with words. Boy like, hat
!. selected for my piece poem expressive
u, ~ ,hose peaceful virtues l most hearth!
despised 90 that my performance at to-
Of the strike ran some
TO what like this:
e. 20, not tor me (whack. J. is the ro'''"'
o. (whack y drum, :,
"a Or the (whack, whack y trumpets will
(whack y appeal. Boo hoo!
"A Or ,he crv (boo hoo) of (whackD wa
;s hen the (whack y foe is come,
" Or the (Ow y brightly (whack y flash
he ing steel" (whack, whsckD
=. cannot convey 10 the most vivid In
aoination the gestures which accompar
nc ;ed the seven stanzas Of this beautifu
or. noem. Suffice 1t to say that they keE
mace with the old man's peculiar sy'
,st ,em Of punctuation until at last, ove
ha come with conflicting emotions, l wei
sohbinq 10 nv seat, and wondered wn
~ an inscrutable providence had given
The rhinoceros the hide that the etern
T. - t,ness Of things had evidently prepare
cal for the school boy. !.
ar;od NV tears in the enjoyment OF Il
play as my compstriots ucs cse'ope-
Mr.. Hinmsn, who had oeen unusS'
nal gentle and self-rcstra.ned Win me- -
be his temper with the boy VINO iolIow'
be me. and therc was . sounu o. 'cvc'
the for the next hour. lie shook ooys un
their teeth ratified 60 you couidnt nc
ons them cry; he bit Mickey wagner, =
rity tough boy, one whack with skate sus
and Mickey ran out and rolled 10 !,
ma. snow 10 cool off; he hit JAKE bai'
but across the thighs with the slate ira,
and II hurt so that Jake couldn't now
de- he inst opened his mouth ana gasp
ery- and forgot bis own name; ne Pusu
R;u Haskell into q seat aud the oen
,ore hroke he shook Dan stevens so tnat
ius. sest didn't touch the floor for five III
nos he ran across the room and reacn
he'd o", % for lem Harkins, and Lem had
ani Sasoro tho old man touched hin
wh;nned the two Knowltons with o.
our hsnds and the Gibbon family, hve o o.
lem. and big girl, be hit all q, once WIZ
girls skipping rope and they RAJ,
ssroh . united vail the clock stops
he be kept the atmosphere .aa 2, sn';n,, sna,
school room full Of dust, ana spnn.'
Eng. and lint, weeping. wsiIing and gnas1
y 10 Of teeth, until bis old arms acneo anu
~ DC hearts weared OF the inhuman 81
'n:' and wicked contcation, anu 'n."
lway srd cane. aud STATE franc,
trav. s"arp' srinn;nv rope, aud asked
assn' clear triumphant tones;
"Who says there isn't going to DC
more speskin'v' ..
: said And the boys Of tnst scnoo' no. .vso
4 tho =. one being, and shricked 10 tonos
tever anguish: Nobody J!
alton. And I, who led that strike ana va
n the first martyr. l have been "speakin
vsl 10 aimee. Brooklyn Eagle.
} that .,-.,.. 4, ,he CouarER. II d