The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13
GLANCE BACKWARD AT
SCHOOLS OF THE BY-GONE.
BY REV. r.. II. WHITAKER.

! ter, bordered their way along roads
and lanes.
The fashion of studying aloud in
! schools, now SO curious to recall, did
not produce confusion which those
not accustomed to would suppose
The reader may not understand what
! the writer means by studying aloud"
! To get an idea of it, let the reader i'm
agine that school is in session and the
! pupils are studying. One is saying
a. b, C, anothe b-a ba; another bat
! bat, CAT cat; another bahia k-e-r
! baker; another studying the multiple
! cation table is singing out as fast as
| he can, five times one are five, five
! times two are ten; another studying
| geography is saying, North Carolina is
| bounded on the north by Virginia, on
the east by the Atlantic ocean, etc; an
other just learning to read is drawing
out IAN old man found a rude boy up
an apple-tree," another, studying de-
! hnit1onS, says, 'a-ceph-a-lOuS acepha-
| louS, without a head" another read
| ing in the New Testament makes him
self heard all over the house with
! And it came to pass in those days"
| time and in a loud voice is going over
his lesson. One going along the road
would hear the babel of voices long
before reaching the school house.
The teachers of these days couldn't
stand such noise as that; but to the
old-time teacher it was all right
There was one advantage in the
studying aloud" custom-children
had no time to laugh and talk, for the
teachers business was to keep his
eyes and ears open to see that every
wheel, SO 20 speak, was turning; or.
to change the metaphor, every pipe
was sending forth its notes.
The old-time teacher, added to his
other duties, had to make and mend
all the goose-quill pens. Therefore, he
had to keep a sharp knife, to do
which he usually carried small
milestone in his pocket; so, some
| times when not mending pen hear
ing Il lesson or whipping a boy, he
would be whetting his pen-knife.
The old-time teachers knife had a
blade kept sharp for cutting ana
trimming switches, for it must not
be supposed that an ordinary switch
lasted more than q week Frequently
new ones had to be procured every
day. Those school articles carried
, in the crown of the teachers hat like
the laws of the Modes and Persians,
We're very sacred and could not be
changed; so, whenever they said
whip" the whipping was sure to
come in. There was no Communication
Of punishment for, in the estimation
OF the d-timers-parents as well as
teachers-there was nothing equal to
first-class whipping, when a first
class whipping was merited by Il
scholars bad behaviour.
Some of the old-time teachers,
especially those teaching in towns
where switches were not easily pro-
cured, used the rule on the palms OF
the hands; some used their fists and
sometimes they'd kick a fellow An
old teacher to whom | went would
sometimes take Il great big fellow by
the collar. back him up against the
wall and bump his head. 1t doesn't
make (to us at leasD, any difference
how the old-time teacher managed
20 keep order i'm school-whether with
the rod, the rule, kicking or bump
ing, the fact cannot be gainSaid they
had better order in school than in
these days when childrens insolence
20 the teacher has to be put up with,
md endured because the parents, who
nave no government in their families,
ant bear the idea of having their lit
lie angels corrected by a teacher. |
vent to a home--I ought to say
nenagerie-wherc the dear little
angels were running things, not .
great while ago. I had not been in
he parlor ten minutes before one Of
he dearest and sweetest angels
'mama's pet"-came running in with
is little angelic fingers covered with
nolasses and dirt; and when mama
ried to take the little cherub out to
wash it's hands. it began IN Squall
worse thnn a hyena and kick worse
han a mule. then crawled under
able and pulled the toilet off as ii
vent under and broke some glass
ware; and all the mother did, while
he racket was going on, was to eX-
Jlain to me what a sweet little angel
was, but "the dear little fellow is
,ot at all we'll today" [ thought as |
watched the capers of that little
ngel," what a pity it was the old
ime teacher was not alive, with his
Docket-knife in good order for cutting
witches.
I'm an old-time teacher, but whip
ing had become Il little unpopular
before / began to teach. 1t was in
ull blast. however, when I was a
cholar and l am free to admit that !
ad great respect for the teachers
school articles; so great. l am proud
say he never had cause to try the
trength of his switch on my back.
Fiftyfour years ago / was teach
=, and some of the boys | taught. /
m proud to say, turned out well
made good citizens; some of them be-
anne office-h holders, and two or three
legislators. | had a switch and when
yer it was needed l used it.
Changing the subject, (for memory
alls up another thing connected with
ny school teaching days., I will close
W telling the reader that, somewhere
bout ffty-fiVe years ago. while teach
ng school on Lower Little River in
cumberland county, i attended a we'd
ling in Fayetteville, and, but for