The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-10-04
A REMlNISCENCE.
Old Time School Days in the Country.
1uantt Journal.

forest OF oak trees near which TWO big
roads crossed at right angles. A "b'g
road is like an important street
through which all kinds Of vehicles
and travellers pass from morning till
night. The school was taught in a
large two story wooden house that be-
longed to the Masons and was called
the Hall The teacher was hand
some, good naturcd old bachelor whose
pupils included great many young
men and young ladies whose educa-
tion had been neglected during the
war between the south and tho north.
The schoolroom was long and wide
with many windows and two doors.
The younger children occupied one
end of the room and the grown-up
pupils the other in which were three
big wooden blackboards devoted TO
classes in higher mathematics. While
the teacher was listening to demon
stratlons and the solution of prob
lens near those blackboards, the chill
dren had no eyes Of authority to fear
and they could go to sleep, engage in
games with states and pencils, whis-
per to desk mates, and watch the wag-
ons and buggics on the way to or from
town.
Many Of the young men came to
school on horses or in buggies, and
everybody brought basket Of lunch
aud bottles of syrup and milk. School
lasted all day with short recess morn
ings and afternoons and two hours at
noon for dinner and play-time.
During the long noon time the boys
played town-ball, marbles, leap frog,
mumblc-peg and made swings by cut
ting big grape vine far enough from
the root to be easily held in the hands
while rInning or swinging clear of the
ground
The girls made playhouscs under
the trees by outlining rooms with rows
Of stones. They also made fire places
and chairs and visited from house to
house in the most ceremonious and
lady like way
Lessons were rccited in large classes
and many Of the small children could
spell better than grown boys, and the
lessons in the old Wcbstcr's blue
backed spcllcr were learned so thor
oughly that The teachers did not give
Il word until the long class had spelled
around at least once What fun to us
little ones who listened when the boys
and girls reached those long columns
of words ending in "tion' and "sion.
How they shouted out the big words
in breathiess haste and with Il trium-
pi;ant assurance on the last syllable
which sounded to US like "town- -shun'
and was beyond our mental grasp \
poor spellcr in country school could
not hide his shortcomings on paper
from his class mates, anda ny one who
always gravitatcd certainly toward the
foot of the class was piticd by some
and Gespiscd by others Reading was
not of much consequence and writing
was considered somewhat in the nature
Of luck or slight of hand, but children
who could not spell and learn arithmc-
tic were looked upon as monuments Of
stupidity. \ boy might have not the
faintcst idea of the real value Of
shilling, the length Of an Gil or the
weight of ounces and pounds in any
commodity but he must know ali tho
tables so as to recitc them at breath
less speed. The multiplication table
he must know all to pieces. forward,
backward and criss-cross.
| When school closed the spring term,
there was an examination by day
and an exhibition at night. An
immense irush-arbor Oh one side of
the Hail was rooted over with fragrant
pine boughs that made cool shade
for guests who sat on benches and
chairs to sec and hear the exercises.
The children were kept in tho hall all
the morning and the classes were
called out to recitc on the long plat
form beside the house, over which the
living green roof of leaves extended.
Benches and blaokboards were placed
against the side Of the building, and as
the teacher called the classes the
pupils fled solemnly out in view of tho
interested audience. Spelling, read
ing, grammar and arithmetic were
thoroughly investigated by commit
tee Of venerable citizens. do not
remember that any curiosity was ever
shown about geography or history in
that particular school. The teacher s