Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-06
SCHOOL DsEs IN OLD DIXIE.
Aunt Texas Tells MNov~ Tho
Teacher 0s,, turned

Aunt Texas Tells HSNoxx rh ATT.
Teacher Osut.v
She was the queerest, qNAainto,,-,oo
little old woman. and eveS vhoa,,
passed through the waiting N, .,
big dry-goods shop stopped in thS mir
day haste to take look at her and%
hurried on smiling. She wore one
those stiff black silks such as were IN
style fifty years ago, and 1t was made
with very full skirt and spencer
waist. The sleeves dropped from the
shoulders and a mink tippet. very
skimey, fell back, disclosing her brooch,
miniature of a young men set in a
wreath of hair. As for her bonnet, II
was one of the old-time straw scoops
with a tail of black silk and black silk
strings. Her actions were as funny as
her appearance, and the gray corkscrew
curls shook and shook as she laughed
and laughed all to herself. After awhile
two younger women joined her and one
Of them said. Aunt Texas, do you feel
rested YETI"
mot quite. my dear" she answered,
going into another fit Of laughter. You
see I'm an old woman. and this rush
bewiders me. I've been living here
thirty years the last day of this year,
and. / haven't got used 10 1t yet But
l think I'll be able to move back South
next year. ! will II the publishers take
M. book. You see. can't get ahead just
writing little sketches for the maya
zines and papers. but L think they'll take
the book. It's very good thing" and
again she began to laugh.
Whatever is the matter with you,
Aunt Texas?" asked one of the young
women, with "A touch of impotence.
People will think you are crazy"
HER ADVICE.
IL can't help it. I've been so amused.
Two girls sat down on the couch by me
for awhile. and they were perfectly
furious so they said. because every
school in New York and Brooklyn would
close on Friday except theirs-the Brook
lyn High School-and that they would
have to go right up to Wednesday. They
gave their teachers fits, and what do you
suppose | did? l advised them TO turn
the teachers out They stared at me-
one put her finger to her head signih-
cantly. winked at the other, and both
got up an scutted off as hard as they
could tear. Poor dearsi they don't know
what fun II Is to turn a teacher out.
We always did so at Christmas time I'm
the South; but, dear me, that was nearly
three quarters OF a century ago, and ]
was very small girl. The conditions
surrounding the schools are very different
to-day. Then the teacher was engaged
for a year OF 3G5 days, and II he lost one
from any cause he had TO make II up.
BOARDED ROUND.
IF he took up a six months school
he understood that he had 10 teach
twenty-six weeks. In those days the
teacher was generally single man, and
patrons and pupils looked up to him as
Ia haa
among his scholars, going TO one house
tonight and to another tomorrow night,
and his dinner was put up in the Il pail
with the childrens, and he always took
dinner with those scholars at whose house
he had spent the previous night. In get
ting up school the teacher would write
his article stating what he would teach.
and the price. and the patrons would
sign their names to this document, with
the number OF scholars they would send
and pay for The price was from s. to s.
a year for each pupil. The teacher who
received Sl50 at the end OF the year was
considered very fortunate, for that was
about SIS more than he could make on a
farm.
"The schools we're mixed, the larger
pupns being from IS to q years or age. |
Such a thing as recess, much less hoi-
DAYS was unknown, and the master
took in school as soon as he arrived IN
the morning which In the summer was
often as early as o'clock. | went TO
school with 5-year-old boy, VINO 1
walked five miles. and was always on /
hand by until cold weather set In, ana
then the little fellow did not get there
until S. lie IS now the honored presi-
dent OF a big. southern bank. The school
Of
furnished with slab benches for the
scholars, and a pine table and split
bottom chair for the teacher. There
were no desks. and the only use the mas
ter had for his table was for the pupils .
10 lay their quill-pens on TO be mend
ed and for him TO write copies on. We
had no copy-boois, but half quir-
OF foolscap paper stitched, did Just as
well. When copy-books' were called for
there was a great splutteration. The
writing-bench or desk was a slab or 4
plank resting on pins on the side OF the /
log wall, and the pupils sat on a long +
bench by this 10 make their straight
marks or 'pot-hooks.' The light came
in through an opening above the writ
ine-slab, which was made by leaving
out one log az the top Of the wall
and | can see the beams now they
fell on some Of the maxims set for copies.
CALL BOOKS"
'''rhe pupils remained oG The hard.
slab benches from the time school 4
opened until noon. when playtime was
given for two hours. Then the teacher
would go 70 the door and call 'Booksr
as loud as she could and In they would
rush. but always before taking up books
again they would 20 10 the spring
branch near by and wash their hands.
That was as much "A part OF the curri-
cuium as was Wepster's blue-back SPELL
ing-book. which was the only one that
the smaller children had. The larger
scholars had perhaps. some sort a
reading book. Smtiey's or Pixies arith-
metic. and a slate That was the entire
stock OF textbooks IN the majority OF
the schools in the Piedmont section In
the old days"
But. you started to tel about how the |