The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-01-11
CARLYLE AS A TUTOR.
AN AMUSING ANECDOTE OF THE
GREAT AND GLOOMY MAN,

He Had a Frown That Terrified and
"a Laugh That Startled His Pupils.
The Day the Donkey Came to School
Against His VIII.
A writer in The Scotsman has I'M
earthed an amusing anecdote of Thomas
Carlyle as a country dominic, " for
the accuracy of which he vouches. 1t
was told in 1853 by Cupar Fife law
yer and provost who had been one of
Carlyle's pupils at Kirkcaldy, to the
writer and Hugh Miller. The interest
of this gentleman's "reminiscences of
his schoolmaster was heightened by his
utter Inconsistencies that his old do
mimic was the Thomas Carlyle who was
then beginning to he known to fame
The old gentleman described the older
race of Scottish schoolmasters as always
during school hours wearing their hats
at least keeping their heads covered
and many of the boys, viewing the pc
culiar angle at which the hat stood up
on the head and how near it came TO the
eyebrows, could conjecture if the saw
age mood were to be that day predomi-
nant
but my teacher, " said the provost,
"a strict and gloomy disoiplinarian
with the name Of Carlyle, never wore
his hat in the school, and indeed his
brow was so overhung with dark threat
ening that no extra expression to alarm
rs was needed from his lum hat! He
did not thrash Us either very often or
very severely, but we had fear that,
if provoked, he would go great lengths
in punishment. / have seen his mere
scowl hush at once the whole school.
Hugh Miller here interposed by ask.
ing, ''Did your teacher ever burst into
a strange laugh in SCHOOL,
"That is very odd question. " re-
turned the provost. why do you ask?
But now that l remember, he had at
times a verv extraordinary laugh that
made us all stare. 1t had a train Of
queer chuckling which exploded in a
succession of loud and desp outlaws that
shook his whole body and displayed all
his teeth like the keys of piano. He
then clapped his hands on the book he
held against his knees Yet none of us
never knew at what he was laughing.
He bad grim smile in reproving pupils
and habit of tapping their heads with
his knuckles as he told them that the
heads would never be worth the price
of hats or the charge of barber, though
mammas and aunts had that morning
combed, kissed and blessed them, as il
they were teeming with the sublimest
inventions and designsH
The provost saw that Hugh Miller
and some other guests were listening
eagerly, and he proceeded:
lone morning, a few minutes before
the school hour, when most of the pu.
pills had arrived, and, as rain was fall
ing, they had gone into the school, a
donkey, which had broken loose from
its tether on grassy spot near, was en-
tering the playground. Bill Hood and l
were so far on our way, and Bill, who
was a stout and frolicsome lad-the
rlngleader in many sports and tricks
rushed to mount the animal and began
With desperate squirting the donkey
was induced to carry its rider over the
Threshold, and what a reception both
Of them got from the juvenile crowds
Bags of books were at once fastened tc
the tail and around the neck of the ass,
and SO busy wer8 Bill and half dozen.
companions in urging the animal to 8
cauter around the school and to ascend
the short stair of the masters desk that
they did not notice how time was speed.
ing, and before they could remove the
stranger Mr.. Carlyle appeared.
1--WE expected a tremendous explosions
of wrath, but he burst into a roar Of
laughter--suoh a roar, however, as, in.
stead Of tempting us to join in it, pro.
duced sudden and complete hush, and
that roar was renewed again and again
when the ass, withdrawing it's forefeet
from the first step of the desk stair and
turning round, took pace or two slow
ly toward the master as if to salute him.
That, exclaimed Carlyle, lis the
wisest and best scholar Kirkcaldy has
yet sent me. He is fit to be your teach
er. He tapped the donkey's head as he
was wont to do ours and said, There's
something here far more than in the
skulls of anv of his brethren before me,
though these skulls are patted in fond
admiration by papas and mammas, and
though that far grander headpiece meets
only with merciless blows
HE then gave some hard taps on
Bill Hoods head, and would not allow
him to dismount, but for penalty Or
dered him to ride up and down the
school for an hour, while those BOYS