The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-17
SOME OF THE TRIALS
OLA COUNTRY TEACHER.

, not queneh the fame of her enthusi-
asm. The weeks and months that fol-
lowed were times that tried the teach
er's soul. Each day brought its rasp-
ing complaint from an angered parent
or its kind 90 fatherly talk from an
ignorant trustee. some country squire,
for whom the wonder grew, that one
small head should carry all she knew"
Day by day these obstacles weakened
the strength that she had believed in
domitable. and clouded with doubt the
theories to which she had given her
heart and soul II was this opposition.
cumulative and almost crushing, that
made her half believe that reforms are
useless. Was IL worth while TO strive
in the face Of all this?
Yes. miss. we'll have them panes o.
glass mended bimeby, but, ontel we
do whyn't you stuff 'em with paper
or somepn? Blackboards? What do
yer want with them? Amt the chillun
got states? Germs? What are they?
Wal, when / was In school / used q
slate, and / amt at all unhealthy, am
1? You been gittin' too many highfa-
lutin' notions in youth head, girl. AL
this here talk of yours about raisiu
the tax rate for schoolin' may do for
city folks, but out here in the country,
with the cron crop a failure and not
mon half a crop Of cotton in sight, it
won't do ter talk that er way. A
literary? Wal, you just learn the chill
lun to read and write and cipher, and
you'll suit us all right. You just recol-
lect that what was good enough fer
their fathers is plenty good enough for
their chillun."
Worn out with useless striving, she
repeatedly asked herself, lis it worth
while? How can the children feel in
terested in their work when they hear
their fathers say You boys amt got
no time to keep the roads clean, OF all
your teacher kin larn you is to bring
a lot of trash from the woods and
plant IL round the school, and hoe up
the school yard. you might jest as well
STAY at home and learn to hoe from
men who've been hoein' cotton all their
lives. stead of from a girl with year
or two of fancy schoolin'." And the
mothers were about as kindly disposed
towards the innovations.
One day was more trying than any
that had gone before. An indignant
mother paid the teacher a visit. Look
here, eff you amt got nothin' better to
do with your time than to make doll
rags and playhouses, tell fairy tales
and mess with paints and flowers, my
child's got somep'n better to do with
hers. She amt got all her life to go
to school: I'm sendin her here ter get
some larnin', and you are just playin'
with her. Why she's most forgot how
ter say her A b C's In the right order.
nice lot o. good yo' schoolin' did
you. Here we are payin' you to learn
our chillun. and I'm thinking twenty
seven dollars month is mighty good
wedges fer maxim doll rags"
Heart-sick and discouraged, she left
the little school house. From her very
soul came fierce, wild questionings.
Why preach to little-minded people the
gospel OF higher education when all
they see Is a higher tax rate? Why
strive vainly TO stress character
growth? Why not teach with the sole
purpose of storing youthful memories
with knowledge of the A B Cs, the
multiplication table. the states and cap
itals and other all-important subjects?
Why not assist learning with hickory
stick II parents so desire?