The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-05-10
A QUEER BRIDAL TOUR.
The Bride Educated Her PedagOgue
Groom as They Travelled
About the Country.

| y
good old days" when they shaped
and carved their own careers. The
one whose story follows has 6H lines
about himself in the congressional di-
rectory, says the Washington Star.
He was in his room the other night
reading Cesar's Commentaries when
interrupted by visitor, a politician.
When the business talk was over the
visitor went out and met an acquaint-
ance, to whom he said:
Il called on a Texas congressman
awhile ago and found him reading
Latin. l didn't know he was a college
man"
The visitors inference was cor
rect from where he stands. for he is
one of the present generation. But
30 years ago no one was suspected of
being college-bred simply because he
could translate Latin. The Texas rep
resentative of this story is not only
tolerably well up in classics. He is
so proficient in the higher branches of
mathematics that few college men
could puzzle him. He is a lawyer and
| was IL SOiNlCl III lllC ClNll wall
When he married 80 years ago, he
could read and write. Beyond that
he claimed nothing. He knew little
of the history of his country His
honeymoon journey was made in a
two-horse wagon from his home to
South Carolina to what was then a re-
mote settlement in Texas. He started
| Ao 10 e L.
his destination. which has been his
home ever since, on Christmas eve.
There were more Indians in the set
Element than whites. The rifle and
shotgun were as necessary as the
pillow.
After the young South Carolinan
had cast about for means of Iiveli-
hood, some of the neighbors suggest
ed that he take up school," That
was the way it was expressed then,
and the expression is adhered to still
in some parts of the south.
He went home and told his bride.
He knew she was capable of teaching,
and the proposition was made to her.
She dissented and told her husband to
accept. He realized his inability as an
instructor. His wife urged him to take
it. 81 will help you," she said
He became a backwoods pedagogue,
and the first few weeks had no trouble
in his work. His pupils were nearly
all of the kindergarten class, or would
be so considered at this time Later
older and more advanced pupils came
into the school, and the young peda-
gogue was troubled in mind. He
assigned the lessons for the advanced
pupils day ahead, and at night he,
with his wife's assistance, labored late
over the problems for the next day.
He heard these classes first while the
lessons were fresh in his mind.
But occasionally an overly smart
boy" as he said, would want to know
something l hadn't thought of, and
would be t1oored. But knew it would
never do to show my ignorance, and
that is where | learned my first lesson
IN whatever diplomacy | may have
L was always on the alert for the
smart scholar who knew more than I
knew, and when he asked me stump
er l had some excuse ready and put
him off until the next day. Then when
[ went home my wife and 1 would
tackle the smart boys poser, and
maybe we would work on it until
quite late. But we always mastered
it, and when | called school next day
l eXpatiated learnedly on the ques-
ton.
But to this there was a serious OBJ
lection, for my learned disquisition
nearly always aroused the latent Gu
riosity of some other boy, and he
would come at me With proposition
which l would have to sidetrack until
the next day.
preparing lessons in Texas in those
days had its dangers. The Indians did
their mischief most generally in the
night, and in consequence most whites
were afraid to have lighted candles.
Inc nights attracted the Indians. and
they would come and demand admit
lance. If the house was darkened
they were less liable to annoy. Many
a night my wife has darkened the
windows with what few clothes we
could spare and we prepared our les
son by the light in the fireplace"
In this way the young pedagogue
worked until by his own exertion and
the assistance of his wife he was fur
Their advanced than the average pub
lie school pupil of to-day in his third
year. In time he was ahead of his
pupils and no longer lodged problems
from one day until the next. He
studied law and was admitted to the
bar. He was successful. The civil
war interrupted him in his work. He
enlisted ms private in the confed-
crate cause.
He was reelected to the Fortv-
eigAth congress and reelected four
times in succession. Then he de-
clined, but two years later was elect
ed again, and has been reelected twice
| since.