The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-02-12
Old Stone School House Reminis-
cenceS.
Communicated.

Communicated.
Beside yon struggling fence that skirts the way,
With blossomed furze, unproftably gay,
There in his noisy mansion, skilled to rule,
The country master taught his little school,"
The old school building recently stand
ing a mile east of Rising Sun and now re-
placed by frame structure, was probably
the oldest building of the kind in the
county, having been built about the year
1880, the site, which was at one time
surrounded by heavy timber, having been
donated for school purposes by Job
Haines, a member of the society of
Friends, who at the time owned large
tract of land called pheasant Meadows"
now comprising the farms of E. M Hunt,
Jefferson Haines and James E. Haines.
In the deed of conveyance then placed
on record it was stipulated that should
the building be unoccupied three consec-
utive years for school purposes that it
should revert back to the grantor or the
then owner. The old forest trees that
surrounded the building have long since
disappeared, while the school master and
his pupils of seventy years ago, with two
or three exceptions. have crossed the
Dark Valley. The old building was so
arranged inside that forty to fifty scholars
could be accommodated, owing to the
desks running around the walls and long
benches placed on each side of the stove
for the less advanced pupils. AS those
seated at the writing desks had their
backs to the teacher, it was convenient,
when he thought justice to the unruly
scholar required the use of the rod, which
in those days was part of a school mas
ter's outfit. Many of the small scholars
were then provided with paddles having
the letters of the alphabet pasted on one
side and words of two or three letters on
the other, while few were furnished
with primers.
Before the present school system went
into operation the school furniture at the
old house was of the cheapest kind, the
benches being constructed of oak slabs
with the bark side under, while the sawed
side was left to be worn smooth by the
traveller on the howery path to knowledge.
The first teaeher-or school master-re-
membered by the writer was Isaac Brown,
a man of more than ordinary ability as a
teacher, or school master, as they were
then called, who seemed to go upon the
maxim that to spare the rod was to spoil
the child Among the other teachers re-
membered we're Williams Mccullough,
Jesse Horton, John Brown, VIM. Hurst,
Edward Brumfeld, Eli Haines, Reuben
Reynolds and John D. McCutchen. Mr..
Haines was the father of L M. Haines.
now of the Elkton Bar. The first lady
teacher who taught at the old stone school
house was Miss Rachel Rogers, about the
year 1928; afterward Miss Sophia Janney,
Rachel Brown and Phebe Brown. In
those days females were thought by some
untitled for teachers for the reason that
they would be unable to keep order in the
schools which has since been changed
and we find female teachers in most of
our schools; the present teacher, Miss
Maude Thompson. of new No. I, having
taught in the old No. I for several terms.
Among those who received their rudi-
rnentary education at the old stone school
house were Nathan Covington Brooks,
late principal of the Baltimore Female
High School; DIR. John {. Reynolds,
surgeon in the U. S. Army, and others
who have creditably filled positions of
trust and honor in the county and State.
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