The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-04-18
SARGE PLUNKETT
TALKS WITH OLD-TIMERS ABOOI
SCHOOLS and TEACHERS.
A Peep Into a Country School-koom-Ahe
Methods of Discipline In Old limo
Schools-Other Matters.

by early recolections
l venture there be many Gfanu man
and many Il fine lady who remembers win
feelings of pleasure the little tin bucket
that they use to carry to schOol-thc OLD
country school that was two and three,
sometimes rs far as four, miles from their
homes. 1t is the associations OF that httle
bucket which make it remembered. how
nicely was the dinner packed away III 1t.
Mothers thought OF the very best they had,
and it was saved to go into these little
buckets. A nice piece of chicken--a drum
stick"-a piece of ham with biscuits dipped
in red gravy was put at the bottom; on top
of this was placed II tart and some cake,
then on top of ii all would be Il biscuit split
open with fried egg between to eat at
recess. This was II part Of going to
going to school in old times, and Il happy
part to all who could resist the temptation
of eating it up before dinner 1t was
pretty hard tor me to do, and Brown never
could get to school with his; he never was
Known TO get more than IL quarter from
home before he would have the lid Off OF
The bucket examining what he had. The
sight and the smell was too much for such
4 mortal us Brown, and down he would sit
on u grassy place and eat it up. lie had
TO; believe 1t would have run him crazy
to nave kept II and thought about it-and
got me- and some folks think it did, but
anyhow remember such things with pleas
lire ana Wish that it was so again, and | be-
heve there are thousands of others
VINO THINK the same way, but
won't say SO. Seriously, L believe
that all thinking people would like TO go
back to the, old school system. but it can't
be done. Too much money is invested
in public schools To turn them
loose, and the old sclloolhouse and
the old Schoolmaster must remain i thing
OF the past.
The old-t schoolmastcr was us plain
as the old bluc-back speller and Just
solid. Horse sense ana muscle and nerve
was what were needed 10 be Il success.
Standing collars and hISh-top hats dident
play 70 part. The boys were there TO try
him. and they would run him out of the
settlement if he ddcnt mind | ulster
watch these old teachers. They were II
study, and they knew how to size Il school
up. for they studied too The first day or
two these old teachers would let things run
along pretty smooth, but all this tine lle
was studying his scholars. There was al
ways a leader among the boys i'll trying"
the old fellow. This Lender was the ideal
OF all the rest, and was more than apt 10
be pretty hard to handle. The best dis
dphnarians among these old teachers would
make 1t point to frail thunder outcn this
leader the first thing, and then he had the
school. 1t was no more trouble after he
whipped the bully" and whip
ped him we'll, to manage Il school, but
if he called in this he had better 80 TO
some other settlement. But they seldom
failed. They went into it like killing
snakes. and many has been the time /
have seen them roll and tumble and scram
bic and fail over the sch0Olroom with
big fellow who thought he could not be
whipped. II would cause n right smart
confusion for awhile in the schoolroom
but when the old teacher got the youngster
by the collar and made him stand and take
a tlalling with an OK pole, ii dident take
him l0Lg To restore order and he had no
more trouble that year. These old teach
ers were rough, and their methods wouldent
do this day and time. Some ten-year-old
boy would shoot thunder outen
lin with big pistol and then
some BOARD or "truStceS.' Or something
else would hold meeting and pass resp
lutions generating the boy and thus encour-
-, others u 20 and DO likewise There u
mighty little difference between church and
state and school and state. is my notion.
but it won't do to say so. not yet: but Just
wait and remember | told you So
All of these old teachers were pretty
much the same. but there WAS one down IN
the county of Pike who combined preach
ing with teaching. Some Of tie older f)'hs
wanted a church organized, but there we're
IA great many rowdies who did not want
q church--thpy were afraid it would break
up their little games of seveu-up. 1hlS Old
fellow. though. with the same stern resolve
of thousands of the old time preachers,
give out that he would preach on certain
Sunday He was there, as appointed and
so were the rowdies The old fellow came
swir gine up to The church with his coat
over his shoulder. aud he no sooner
got to where the crowd was than he ask
ed IN old brother 10 just hold his coat
few minutes; he wanted To fan out the
r0wdies before he got COOL was the way
he expressed it, and he did. In those days
any man was sure of fair play in rough
aud tumble fight, This old teacher knew
this and he felt equal to the best man the
roWdies had in their crowd. He walked
right out among them and Tanned out
the biggest fellow without passing any
words This was enough the balance sue
cumbed, and from that day to this Il church
has stood right upon that ground and l
am in hopes that it won't be moved from
there TO the railroad, az is too often the
case in these days
a crowd Of we old timers had a pleasant
chat the other Might about these old schools
and these OLD teachers. Brown swears
they ruined him., chat is, the
were mixed He never did study
any at school, but depended entirely on
the two girls he stood between telling him
These girls wpTe BDUwn'S masters. If
they got in the pOuts with him any day he
had a hard row to travel They We're
tyrants, 100, They knew they had Brown
and they made him do just they pleased,
and they were cruel. too. sometimes for
they wouldn't tell him just to see him get
whipping. / have seed some mighty sad
looks come over Browns face Us he stood
between these two girls reciting his les
sons Sometimes it would be because he
could not quite hear what the girls said
and sometimes it would be "a :aIse The
girls ont of pure deviment would tell him
wrong an the old teacher would baw out:
Whats tha,? What's that?"
Brown Knew W.T. This meant and lie
would cut his eye from Mary to Fanny in
the most appealing way. but often they let
him "catch it just to see him jump about
But never mind about these schools: we
won't need any much longer, I'm thinking
for it won't b. long till there wont be 0uv
children. especially boys, and witarut cG.
drcn we don't need schools. y boy not
over nine years old the other day advised
me not to plant corn as | was then ..'t;rs-.
He was sure he knew best, Hnd wanted
to see it did another way. | don't me; ion
thissto chidc the boy; just want 10 shw
that they jump from the cradle 10 aoont
,,-htrr / stood at eighteen veaIs # age.
A ten-year-old boy now is abo;:; thirty fv-
as compared with what it used to De, AMI
so wags the world.
Let 'er wag.
SARGE PLuNKETT.