The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-17
LOCKOUT on a SCHOOL MASTER.
Strike for Vacation Forty Years Ago on
Account Of Teachers Marriage.


Account OF . Teachers Marriage.
"The first strike ever heard OF occurred
| in my school," said an old time teacher
who gave up his profession many years
| ago. 1T happened forty years ago when
] was a country teacher in log school
house And it was all on account OF my
wedding.
II had won the sister Of one Of my pupils
boy who was the ringleader in all the
mischief concocted in the school. As the
day drew nigh when l was to become a
married man my prospective brother
in-law suggested that ] give a vacation OF
one week in consideration Of the event.
This declined to do.
THE day before the event l called the
roll Of my pupils, as was the rule, and al
though they were all present. not one
answered TO his name. My next rule was
to repeat the Lords Prayer. the pupils
repeating 1t with me. When I said the
prayer no one followed me.
"Then called for the first recitation. but
no one responded Other recitations were
called with similar results or to be more
accurate. without any results. l suspected,
Of course, the cause but the situation was
30 unusual that l was puzzled to know
just how to proceed.
Finally l dismissed the school until
the afternoon. l went to the farmhouse
where l boarded and got my noon meal.
and then walked back to the log hut.
when l arrived on the playground
not pupil was in sight. went to the
schoolhouse door and it was barred. tried
the windows and they were fastened; not a
sash could bulge.
II was nonpussed. retraced my steps
to the farmhouse and went to my quarters
there. TO begin preparation for the event
Of the following day.
Il had received, several days before. nv
wedding outfit from the nearby town. My
closet had been ransacked. My outfit
was gone. The people with whom boarded
had gone away that afternoon, and, like
all the good people of those blessed days
of honesty. they had left their doors
unlocked.
Il went to the barn to get my horse and
outfit and they were gone. 1t was ten
miles to the house Of my betrothed.
started to walk there. when l was over
taken by a neighbor, who invited me to
seat in his wagon, and in that wav I reached
the house of my future bride without hav-
ing had to walk all the way.
Il lost no time in notifying the young
lady Of the situation and asked for sh ort
postponement of the wedding. to which
she. OF course. consented. Then l Dor
rowed horse from her father and returnd
home. The people of the house had also
returned and were greatly concerned at
what told them.
.The next morning / went to the school
house as usual and it was still locked. Then
| wrote a notice and placed it on the door.
my wedding outfit and horse were returned
that night and no questions asked.
Then l stroled back to my quarters.
had my supper-there were no o'clock
dinners then-and went to my room. l
don't know when my wedding outfit was
returned. or by whom. but it was delivered
TO me the following morning, and my horse
was put in the barn.
"The wedding occurred that day, but
later than was first arranged. We had our
little honeymoon, and at the end of it We
returned and the day after I went to the
old schoolhouse. All the pupils were on
hand and they gave me a warm welcome
and many presents
-Not a word was ever said about the
strike. and when the time came. as it did
year later. for me to give up the school.
preparatory to going away, all OF my pupils
gathered about me and my wife, and some
we're in tears when parted from them
Some Of my pupils became prosperous
business men, and in several instances
when they had strikes among their en-
ployees, | was called in as an arbitrator.
and in every case the trouble was adjusted
satisfactorily to all concerned. My first
experience with strikers, think, aided me
In adjusting all difficulties that were brought
before me-"