The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-10-04
A REMlNlSCkNCE.
Old Time School Days in the Country.
4tlanta Journal.

| q country sch00l tnaC sIoou III d Sio"
forest Of oak trees near which two big
roads crossed at right angles. A big
road is like an important stree
through which all kinds of vehicles
aud travellers pass from morning til
night. The school was taught IN 3
large two story wooden house that be
longed to the Masons and was callec
the Hall. The teacher was a hand
some, good-natured old bachelor whose
pupils included great maLy young
men and young ladies whose educa
ton had been neglected during tht
war between the south and the north
The schoolroom was long and wide
with many windows and two doors
The younger children occupied one
end of the room and .he grown-uE
pupils the other in which were three
big wooden blackboards devoted tc
classes in higher mathematics. While
the teacher was listening to demon
stratlons and the solution OF proc
lens near those blackboards, the chill
dren had no eyes Of authority to fear
and they could go to sleep, engage IN
names with states and pencils, whis.
per to desk-mates, and watch the wag-
ons and buggies 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 llday 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, ap.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 running or swinging clear OF the
ground.
The girls made play-houses 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-likc 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 speller were learned so thor
oughly that The teachers did not give
a 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 breathless haste and with a trium-
plant 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 Che
foot Of the class was pitied by some
and despiscd by others. Reading was
not of much consequence and writing
vas considered somewhat in the nature
of luck or slight Of hand, but children
who could not spell and learn arlthme-
tic were looked upon as monuments OF
stupidity. \ boy might have not the
faiutest idea of the real value OF q
shilling, the length of an ell or the
weight Of ounces and pounds in any
commodity but he must know all the
tables so rs 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 vas an examination by day
aud az exhibition at night. An
immense rush-arbor Oil one side OF
the Hail Was rooted over with fragrant
pine boughs that made a cool shade
for guests who sat on benches and
chairs to sec and hear the exercises.
The children were kept in the hall al
the morning aud the classes wcre
called out to recitc on the long plat
form beside the house, over which tho
living green roof Of leaves extended
Benches and blackboards were placed
| against the side of the building, and as
the teacher called the classes the
pupils 6led solemnly out in view of the
interested audience. Spelling, read
ing, grammar and arithmetic were
thoroughly investigated by a commit
tee of venerable citizens. do moi
remember that any curiosity was cve1
shown about geography or history il