The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-08-19
"REMINISCENCES.

Major J. u. Tredwell made n suggestion
that a reunion of the middle-aged
men, and all other ages. presumably,
who at any time had been students un.
der the tuition of Prof j. j. StutZman,
be held in Somerset, a suggestion that
ought TO meet a hearty response from
the whole county. What grim and
grizzled lot Of old fellows they would
be, anyhow. A regiment or brigade OF
old soldiers would not be more so, and
indeed, many Somerset county soldiers,
perhaps a vast majority, were pupils al
one time or another, over whom Prof.
Stutzman supervised and advised.
Prof. StutZman has done more for the
cause of education, and has educated
more men i'm the active pursuits of life,
than any man in the county. There is
hardly town of any size in the eOun-
" where he has not taught, or, at
least, no town that does not contain
some pupil of his. The writer looks
back with grateful reverence and re-
membrance 10 the training he received
from Prof. Stutzman. He was COM
paratively young men then, just in the
prime of his vigorous manhood. He
had faculty of imparting knowledge
that no other man seemed to have, and
he was a dull scholar, indeed, who did
not improve under his kindly tuition
If boy wanted a book, of any
kind,-the school was in Centre
ville-frOm ROckwoOd-Mineral Point,
then, lS5S-Somerset, Meyersdale-
Meyers Mills then-or if the Professor
thought the boy needed the book, it
would be at the schOol-roOm in the
morning. Many times has the writer
known him to go 10 one Of these places
in the evening, and come back the
same night, or early enough in the
morning for the opening Of school.
He could be seen starting across the
the fields, if that seemed any nearer,
and, after striking into a kind of a
''dog trot," could easily travel at the
rate of four or five miles an hour. \
horse would have been a nuisance to
him; consequently he never rode one,
and the writer never heard any one say
he ever rode in a wagon or buggy with
any one.
There was a story going, years ago,
about some Of the Professors friends
prevailing on him one time to get a
horse and ride somewhere. He
mounted the horse, and rode to a place
where he had been in the habit of TAX
ing to the fields, when he jumped off
the horse, threw the rein over the
fence, "lit OUT on his 'dOg trot," and
never thought of the horse again.
Some one found it and sent il home to
its owner. He walked all over the
county during the time he was Coun-
ty superintendent, different times.
The writer remembers seeing him once
coming through the fields, towards the
school house in which he was teach
ing. The weather was cold, and deep
snow was on the ground. When he
came in the door, nothing but his su-
perior agility prevented him from fall
ing flat on the smooth floor, as the
ice had gathered on the heels of his
boots, and frozen, making it almost
impossible for him to keep his. feet.
He knew in a minute after he entered
the schOOl-rOOm, rs much about the
progress of the school as
some men would know in an hour.
He could tell by the order kept, and
the attention paid 10 their lessons and
the condition of the schOOl-room,
whether things were progressing salts
factorily. In case the school seemed
to be doing well, the Professors stay
would be short, otherwise he would
stay until recess, noon or evening, as
the case might be, when he would
kindly instruct the teacher, in a faith
erly manner, regarding his duties.
''SOme men are born great, some
greatness, and some have
greatness thrust upon them" a like
remark might be made i'm regard 10
any avocation, and particularly with
reference to Prof. Stutzman, who was
certainly born instructor of youthful
minds. His method of teaching
as any of his old students
will remember, was simple, but effee-
tive, plain, easily understood, and
never forgotten. And in arithmetic,
mental especially, he had a way of
the boys have the answer at
ends constantly, and no man
in Somerset county could cram boys
mind as full of geography as he, and
they never forgot it either.
1t seems but yesterday, when the
writer, a callOw yelIow-haired youth,
in company with Ross, Fisher, Potts,
Hanna, Scott, Griffith,
Bowlin, Knable, Liehliter
and scores of other callow boys, with
quite a sprinkliDg of young ladies, at
tended Prof. Stutzilan's school, and
recited in the old Lutheran church in
II is possible, probable,
indeed, so far as the writer knows, for
long years have passed since then, and
since he was in the village, that with
the exception of Mr.. William Flick,
Mr.. Reuben McNlillen and Mr.. VIII
liam Miller, none of the old citizens, of
that day, are living there now. Some
few have moved away, but more have
'joined the great majority DIR. Har-
ah, DIR. Walker, Mr.. Caldwell, Mr..
Mr.. Scott, Mr.. Dull, Mr..
VOught, Mr.. Miller, the elder, and
many more, have been sleeping their
last sleep for many years. The writer
them all, kindly, and the
interest most of them took i'm the wild
pranks of the boys. At the west end
end of town Mr.. Dnll owned a piece of
in which the boys used TO
have Indian war dances, and many
other athletic games. DIR. Tannehill,
with his rotund form, and his some
what barefoot" head, would look
little out of place coming rapidly
around cireumseribed ring, at the
other end of the ''whip-lashn in the