The Canton times., 1902-03-21

ly engaged in setting traps to catch
the people. But this is the shadowy
side of politics and I won't ruminate
any further about it.
If the ground was dry enough I
would work some in the garden, and
not brood over things that will soon
pass away. / thought that spring
had come two weeks ago, and I ex-
claimed: Hail, gentle spring. But
she didn't hail-she only sleeted--
and they say that old winter is lin
gering in her lap-the old rascal. He
ought to be ashamed of himself. My
best relief and comfort is to play
with the grandchildren. Our little
girl of five has had her little feel
ings hurt, and is very indignant at
what her Cousin Will said. She told
me about it: Grandpa, told Cousin
Will that when he got to be man
and I got to be young lady, he must
marry me, and what do you think
he said?" 81 don't know. What did
he say?" ''Why, he said he would
see about it. Wasn't that mean? He
ought to be glad to marry me. If
he don't mind, 1 will marry my
Cousin Ralph; and then l reckon he
won't see about it. He's mean, amt
he, grandpa?" Another little chap
was saying his prayers the other
night and prayed for God to bless
grandma and grandpa and Aunt Mary
and Cousin John and several others,
and then he said: That's all, Lord.
Amt that all, papa?' "No, you didn't
pray for your Cousin Jenny" 'No,
papa, / won't pray for her, she's
mean. / wish God would send cow
ones are away to school now, and feel
their consequence. I'm taking more
interest in our precinct school than
l ever did. Our 12-year-old, who
lives with us, is absorbed in her stud
les, and loves her books and her
teacher, and is proud when she gets
marked perfect or away up in the
nineties. Of course l help her with
her sums every night, for some of
them are very hard, and sorter
strain my old mind. There are SO
pupils in her grade (the sixth), and
yesterday 46 of them had the sums
done correctly, and when the teach
er asked those who had no help to
hold their hands up not a hand was
held up. They all had help. That
makes Al teachers for one grade, and
l am pleased to be one of them.
wish that the school teachers of
these children could realize how
much influence they have over their
pupils. The teacher can make the
school life of a pupil pleasant or mis-
cradle, and | am glad to believe that
our teachers are kind and conscien-
tious. | have several grandchildren
there, and / take note of their prog
ress. The days of old 1sham are lost.
The old man was a stern and rigid
disciplinaran. He wore slippers in
the school room, and sometimes
would slip up behind boy who was
making horses or dogs on his slate
and would suddenly mash the boys
face down on the slate and rub the
pictures out with his nose. He used
to have fights with the big boys, and
loved to maui obedience into their re-
bellious souls. And there was Beman
and Judge Warner and my father and
William H. Seward all Yankees, who
had to subdue the big boys by hard
fighting, and if a teacher couldn't
whip boy and subdue him he was
turned off as incompetent. My opin-
ion is that l got most too many
when l was a school boy.
| still remember how John Norton
me on boil and bursted it,
and ran home yelling and my moth
er cried as she doctored it up and
my father made me go back But
John Norton was a good teacher, and
he had hard time with jim Wilson
and jim Craig and Jim Wardlaw and
my brother Jim and Jim Alexander,
the doctor who died last fall in At
anta, and several other Jims. l
never knew boy named Jim who
wasn't devilish at school Verify
there is something in name, and
now Jim Smith is going to run for
governor. Better not tell a lie on
aim; he would jump over 40 desks to
whip a man. BILL ARP.