Abilene weekly reflector., 1902-08-07

United States history, and in which
she had to look sharp, or the older
boys who had figured clear through
"Ray's Higher Arithmetic for several
seasons would catch her in some mis-.
take. Miss Petrie was reasonably
conscientious, and being moderately
bright. her work was sufficiently sue.
cessful to assure her school in town
the next year. The town merchant
had been elected q member Of the
School Board. and be reasoned that II
the girl had q school In town she
would not only be able to pay the bill
old John owed him, but would see
the necessity Of so doing II she expect
ed to keep her place.
As a "city" teacher, Miss Petrie be-
gan better to realize the Importance
Of her calling. She still attended the
Normal because licenses we're iudis-
pensable, and she sat in the Institutes
while various county and state edu.
cational lights made diagrams Of
John is good" and subdivided the
mind into Intellect, Sensibilities, and
the VIII. And having acquired re-
markable facility IN computing the
capacity OF square cisterns, and in
tracing the wanderings Of . bushel Of
wheat over the universe, and her
labors in the school room (she had the
primary grade under the then prevail.
ling theory that that was the place to
"bresk in" new teachers) being limit
ed to teaching her pupils to print, to
count ten, to read at concert Pitch
from large chart, and to sing "by
ear" various simple and innocuous
melodies, her evenings and Sundays
were free for other smqsem'uts.
These were naturally very mild,
public opinion in Enterprise not
counteuanciug any great gayety on
the part of its educators. She could
not, therefore, play cards, but she
might go boat riding aud picnicking;
and attend Sunday school, where she
taught class; and prayer meeting,
and have beaux, Of whose calls the
} neighbors kept account with view
toward complaining to the trustees,
. il they seemed too frequent.
: Among these callers was the new
county superintendent an unmarried
e man Of middle age, attracted appar-
D emily by Miss Petrie's devotion to her
$ school work.
Miss Petrie, however, gave him lit
tie encouragement, although she ac'
! cepted his attentions at the Reading
, Circle, recently organized, and hac
. received from him, as presents, sew
eral volumes which the teachers o
Il the state had been ordered by th'
10 Board Of Education to "review."
: This book reviewing was regardt'
- by the State Board Of Education as
step forward, a progression towar'
higher ideals in the noble profession
= Of teaching, by taking which the can
> didate would be better fitted for lead
: ing the youth of the state into tn
broad fields OF literature. The appli
: cant for license was given the choic
:, - Of David Copperfeld, The Scarlet Lei
- :, ter, or Vanity Fair, and because re
=, viewing was heretofore unheard Of /
- - Enterprise and vicinity, the count
ii ii superintendent was soon overwhelme
N with bulky manuscripts in pale lni
in which the writer endeavored
condense the whole story into sever'
" thousand words, and failed ignomil
- iously, or bad copied several chapter
~ word for word and added the la
chapter, evidently trusting that II
'r superintendent would look only
the first page and the last. The Ii
stitute instructors who had dron'
,rp away heretofore for the week {
;s "John is good" now found new fle
,sr in talking on book reviews, and
he outlining the newly prescribed Rea
ing Circle work.
in This Reading Circle work, SO Mi
as. Petrie soon learned, was not compl
on sorry, but the teacher who took t
four years. course, passing each ye
no, the examinations, received diplor
The which exempted her forever from q
nor swering the questions on the Scien
ks OF Teaching, when passing the exa
Autt n