Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-14

training in marble playing and other mat
ters. The public school was not so uni
versal then as II has more lately become.
and even where 1t was established, was OIL
low grade and narrow curriculum Al
the mid-esntury epoch OF which am
speaking IL was not an unfrequent CUSTOM
In the isolated families OF country gentle
men 10 procure the services of some neds-
ling collegiate as tutor to his young bar
barians. The privilege accorded to the
tutor of taking few ''select" day scho-
lars was supposed to have the double I'D
vantage OF helping to fiji the young peda-
gogue's pocket and OF bringing the desired
element of wholesome competition TO the
little school. These tutors were not al
ways in the highest sense OF the word,
educators; but what was lacking OF skill
in their conveyance Of Information was
often made I'D in conscientious severity
towards negligence or stupidity on the
part OF the pupils. For some biunder IN
scansicn. "whack" would come the merci-
less ruler on our open palms.
Crimes of constituting had penaites Oh
their own. L recall. not without a Sink
ing of the heart being kept IN io'
tbTee consecutive after schools for some
hopeless foundering among caesar '.ii',
tary routes. 1t was towards the END OK
MAYA not, UTOWSy, ikhtuhN
small square windows OF my prison-nouse
were stretched wide open upon blue
heaven and a green earth. Within was
silence. but for my own dismal droning'
and an occasional stern reprimand from
Mr.. s. who sat beside his desk, the EN-
bodiment. i'm my melancholy eyes, Oh
learning and OF tyranny. The only otner
sound df sound 1t could be called-so mo-
notonous was It. is seemed only part
Of the silence) was that of some diligent
bumblebee boring patiently away In the
soft wood of the window-sill From the
playground came the familiar calls,
ssyaunt everiesg "Vaunt ye pol5ance"
"Barley me everiesw and from time 10
time. as forfeit for some broken rule,
the terrible command to "knuckie down..
To the unregenerated masculine IL mas
been said that no employment Is or can
be complete without an inhering toucn OF
cruelty. hear again at this moment tne
sharp cry OF pain that followed the ce.e-
mony of 'knuckling down." as the tender
victim retired TO his place with pruiseu
and swollen knuckles.
Lenox G.. was the best player on our
ground. He was mildmannered. some
what "girlish' boy who Stunned wrang-
ling and dispute, and more often than not
would wink at some irregularrty IN an
antagonist though himself sternly scru-
pulous In observing the rules of the game
He was. moreover, sure shot from TOT
and seldom failed to plump the middle
man" at first GO" He was also the
best Latin and Greek scholar among u.s.
but poor at mathematics. His death from
diphtheria I'm 1863 robbed the world, possl-
bly,. of one of its few 'men Of culture.
Alex. T., on the other hand, who outstrip-
ped us all at algebra, was most inaccu-
rate marble-player His tor always pe-
came entangled in the ring, he forgot 10
claim his "everies." and his weak efforts
to "shoot out" under difficulties only add
ed TO the embarrassments Of his position.
He was easily exasperated, too, and. as
we maintained 'loved fight for It's own
sake" He, too, poor lad, has gone over
to the majority-"happy." ] trust, In th1t
"he died in battles splendor."