The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-07-24

IL from memory NOW, Il nave nt.itfl
from a dozen of people that you are
Latin scholar and | would like 10 hear
your translation of the first few para
graphs just to see how you construe it,"
Burning, who did not know a word of
Latin, was dumbfounded he did not
utter word. The peddler then trans
lated the first sentence, "All Gaul is
divided into three parts" YES" said
burning, greatly excited, "that is what
/ always said ii was, "All Gaul is quar-
tered in three halves.r The master
felt that his glory had departed and
lost no time i'm seeking pastures new.
Peter Welfiey was one of the pioneer
teachers Of Somerset county, and a good
one. He was also potter, and so far
first pottery of any pretensions in the
county. His methods of teaching were
less crude and more systematic than
those of some of his predecessors. He
soon found that he would either have
10 abandon the pottery or teaching, and
! he chose the former. All of his sons,
of whom he had quite number, after
wards became teachers at one time or
another. w. ii. Welfey, now and for
some time past, Lord High Mayor of
Somerset, j. a grandson ofthis pioneer
teacher. The grandfather was life
long Democrat, and pillar of the par
| ty i'm the section in which he resided.
He was loved and trusted by every one
who knew him, but in politics he was
no match for his grandson ''the Gov
ernor," IL the sequel will show. When
Peter Welfley reached the age of sixty
| he retired from business bat never fail
ed to do his whole duty in a political
campaign. Ii was his duty the day
! before the election to fold the tickets
| and tie them up ina convenient form.
| The canvassers and any one else who
wanted tickets would call on Welfley
and get them. At that time state, coun-
! ty and municipal officers were voted for
on separate slips, but they were all
tied in one parcel and the election in
| spectOr would open and distribute
them to the section of the election box
where they belonged. \ certain elec-
ton was 10 be held Monday. The Sat
urday preceding Mr.. Welney completed
his job of folding and tying the tickets
and placed them carefully in drawer,
not for a moment suspecting that some
times mans foes are they of his own
household. His grandson, the Gov
ernor, known also by the nom de plume
of Julius" then about nine years old,
| was present, an interested and appl-
rentiy innocent spectator. Wm. III.
Welfiey has always been a red hot Re
publican, and so far as pulling ropes"
is concerned could give valuable infor-
| nation TO NJ. :. Quay. Though he is
accused of doing valuable work in this
line since, ne never did anything that
quite came up to the job he pat up on
his grandsirc, a about to be related.
Peter Weifey was a piols, venerable
old man, and went TO church on sun
day, the day after he had done his
ticket work Julius completed the first
part of mis- ticket work on Saturday
night, and the second part on Sunday.
Shortly after people had gone 10
church, he stealthiiy entered his grand
sire's window unobserved, took away
about two-thirds OF the tickets his
grandfather had placed in the drawer,
and placed in their stead fuil-bioOded
Republican tickets. Monday the Demo-
crats voted Republican tickets all day,
and although the district was Demo-
cratic under ordinary circumstances it
went Republican that time by an over
whelming majority. When the returns
came in, "Treachery ~ was the cry at
Democratic headquarters bat who was
the traitor? The grandsire teacher
was perpIeXed rs much as any of the
rest and he never discovered how the
ropes were pulled.
But the Nestor of Somerset county
pedagogues had yet To appear. There
had been many battles fought in Eu-
rope previous To the year 1895, but there
was no "Austerlitz" until Napoleon,
the greatest Captain of ali ages, as Il
military critic is pleased To call him,
came and threw existing tactics to the
wind and made his own rules Of war.
Graded in obscarity, reared in adj
versity, environed by obstacles which
others thought insurmountable, Jost
| ]. Stutzman became AT once the found
er and the promulgator of the princi-
piles of education as they exist in SOM
erset county to-day. He was born in
Brothersvalley township, on farm,
where, with the rest of the family lac
school advantages were denied him.
However, he learned to read; and
while turning the furrow he was
constantly studying, sometimes with a
| book in one hand while he was guild
| ing the plOw with the other. 1t was
but short time until his supremacy in
knowledge was conceded and he began
to think of making teaching his life
work His parents nj this time moved
| To Ohio, then the frontier of the west
ern settlements. There was little
chance for teacher in a country 50
| thinly settled a Ohio at that time, so
Stutzman found time to make love 10
IA beautiful woman of the Buckeye state
and got married. He at once discern
ed that Somerset county was the place
for him, and he Immediately returned
| to il and began his work. Not a year
had passed after he had opened his
school until his fame as teacher had
spread all over Somerset and Bedford
counties, and Allegany county, Mary
land. Besides having school num-
bering from eighty To one hundred pu-
pills. his house was filled with men who
had come to prepare for teaching, or
who wanted to fit themselves for the
study of the professions. The language,
ifsuch il may be called, of conversation
in Somerset county nj that time, was
Pennsylvania Dutch. Most of the citi-
zans could understand some English,
but very few could speak it. Stutzman
was the first teacher to insist that only
English should be spoken i'm the schools
or on the playground. This taboo of