Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-09-10

own Preside and he took absolute
! pleasure in imparting It to others
although for the smallest of pecuniary
compensation. He could teach the
rudiments of civil engineering with
only the paraphernalia of the schoo.
room, and to the young mariner he
could explain how to take latitude and
longitude at sea, and could doubtless
have sailed a vessel if necessity had
required.
Many of our most successful teach
ers came from Maine, where they had
| been educated in it's several colleges
! Among Others at one time, a son and
two daughters of "Camp-meeting
John Allen were teaching in the same
/ town.
/ With no helpful supervision, the
! teacher emphatically made the school
what it was. | well remember one
young collegian from the pine tree
| state, manly and magnetic, who by his
! enthusiasm kindled into activity the
dormant faculties of the school, and
in his few months service changed its
entire spirit. Having occasion to
! punish a scholar, he brought for the
first time a ferule into the school
room, and Immediately after using it
amazed us all by throwing it into the
stove, to show that he would never use
another in that school. And he never
did. The last year of my attending
school the teacher was young Maine
woman from Kent's Hill academy, who,
with high ideals, great energy, and up
todate methods of instruction. led her
scholars to take up new and advanced
studies, and to secure the best there
attainable in education and in the for
nation of character But not all
teachers were so inspiring nor so help
full
A teacher once engaged and time set
for the beginning of school-for the
winter term Invariably the Monday
succeeding Thanksgiving Day-prepar-
attons were made for the event. Some
of the women of the district, with the
older girls and boys, gathered at the
schoolhouse n clean the room, put
fuel. None of the scanty school
money was spent for janitor's work.
During the term the older boys took
turns in weekly opening and heating
the schoolhouse, the larger girls alter.
mating daily in sweeping the school.
room during the noon hour. Some
times the teacher boarded round"
but the practice was then being grad
ually abandoned.
The number of pupils at the smaller
schools was from fifteen to twenty. In
winter they would be of all ages,
from the child of four or five to the
stalwart youth of twenty. Such young
men were permitted to pursue the
studies they wished, or that fitted
their calling. With this evidently in
mind, Mr.. Joshua Sears, the million
aire Boston merchant, left legacy to
the school in his native village. stipu.
lating that the teachers employed in
the school should be able to instruc,
in navigation.
The school day was divided into two
sessions of three hours each, and on
Saturday there was half holiday:
this being usually modified by school
all day on alternate Saturdays. Exer-
ctses in the morning began by all those
who could do so reading a single verse
from the scripture. sometimes proceed
ed by prayer by the teacher. Where
the teachers habits were less de-
Nnfinna1 he
by singing a song, unaccompanied by
any musical instrument, the tune be-
ing pitched" by the teacher or one of
the better singers among the scholars.
No attempt was made to teach the
reading of music--a singing book being
seldom used-nor the correct forma-
ton of tones. but singing was intro
duced simply as cheerful and agree
able exercise, and was enjoyed by all
/ The younger children received in.
struction first, giving opportunity for
/ the older ones to prepare their lessons
Little ones four or five years old
would be taught the letters of the
alphabet or the rudiments of reading
then be seated until near the closing
/ hour, when the exercise would be re
pested, During the interim they sat
with nothing to do on benches so high
that their feet could not touch the
/ floor, and behind desks so far above
their heads that they could not see
over them-learning it is hoped, use,
full lessons in patience and in submis
sion, II nothing more.
( The branches studied were certainly
not confined to the proverbial three
RS. In addition to reading, writing
and mental and written arithmetic
spelling, geography and English gram.
mar were required. and algebra, the
higher mathematics and occasionally
, Latin and French were taken up IL the
teacher was equal to them. A series
of reading books were used, three or
four in number, graded to the require.
ments of the different classes. With
youthful facility these after with.
were memorixed, but no supplementary
reading matter was ever introduced
into the schoolroom, On leaving school
the pupil could have only a very