The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-04-06
DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE.
A Glimpse at the Earlier Half OF the
Last Century.
WRITTEN BY UNCLE" JAKE MILLER.
Tells OF the Schools In His Boyhood Days
and Weaves in Many Things Of In.
terest in his Auto. biography.


ing late yeats written out a
sketch of their lives for publlca-
ton IN the News, l have conclud-
ed to try it too, and give some
idea of how people got along in
my early days and up to this
time.
was born at Sheppardstown,
Virginia, September 20, 1877
My father and mother moved
from Sheppardstown to Burnt
Cabins IN 1881. My father was
blacks NTH, and carried on that
business at the Cabins for eight
years. At that time there were
no free schools, but IN 1885 the
free school system was establish
ed, and | went to the first one in
the county-then Bedford coun.
ty. Old Mr.. William Pymm
taught the first school at the Cab
ms. The school was taught in a
little old building just close to
Mr.. Charles McGehee's house.
Mr.. Pymm owned the school
house, and he also owned and liv-
! ed i'm the brick house across the
street from the school house,
Doth of which are there yet.
At that time, and for mum Der
of years after, there was no
County superintendent. The d.
rectors examined the teachers,
and some of them could not
write. | never knew any one to
apply for school but that ne got
it. For a number of years there
was only a three-months school
term, and they taught every 9th.
er Saturday. Boys that were
working, like myself, would be
kept at home to cut wood and dc
other work, and would lose SIX
days out of the three months
but l would hardly give my bit
of learning for some of those who
go seven months.
Children labored under great
disadvantages at school them
Each scholar would be called up
to reclte his lesson by himself.
Cobb's spelling book and the Tes.
lament We're the principal books
for small scholars, and Pixies,
and Smlley's, arithmetlcS were
used some. Girls dld not study
arithmetic. | do not know whet,i-
er the directors thought they
would get too smart or not tat
any rate the girls never studied
1t while | went to school.
Mr.. johnson Netf was my sec
ond teacher at the Cabins, in ,le
same old house; IL you would
happen To do something wrong,
you might look out for a good
licking, and if you went home
and told your parents, you would
get another. | tell you we kept
mig hty quiet at home about get
ting a licking. The parents did
not run to the directors and have
the teachers brought up for triaI
in those days. The houses were
all built of logs, and they would
get sash made Sxl0 and just one
glass wide, cut out a place be
tween two logs and mt the sash
in, having 1t nearly the whole
length of the building on botf
sides and one end and then they
would bore holes in the logs ant
drive wooden pins in and lay {
board on for a writing desk, ant
: have slab seats with legs driver
in with the bark on.
Well, when we boys and girls
would be sitting along close to
. gether, with our backs to tn,
teacher, trying to write, if ont
happened to slip line or two Il
his best girl, and the teacher
would see you, he would com,
: along with long rod and fetch !
| across your back, and sometimes
: lick a dozen for what one wa,
guilty of,-but we would nevel
squeal. People were all content
! ed and happy.
) We lived at Burnt Cabins eigh
: years and then my father move,
to the pike to what is known a
/ the David Mann place. We live,
(. there first under Walkers heirs
and then for some years unde