The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-02-22
SCHOOL DAYS
BEFORE THE WAR.
A Description of the Old
Time "District SCHOOL,
POPULAR SPORTS.
"Turning the Teacher Out" Remembered
Unpleasantlyo..Names OF Pu-
pills Recalled.


About the year 1855 the citizens of
Cross Hill built two brick academies,
one for boys and one for girls. The
schools were about Ia of q mile apart
and in sight. The school for many
years before that. date was located
near the branch from the present build
ing, near the Presbyterian Church, and
had been to some extent a denomina-
tional school. The Presbyterian preach
er for a number of years was the teach
er. Mr.. James Carter, q public spirited
citizen, was the contractor who built
the two academies. They were commo-
dious buildings and furnished with good
seats and writing desks. l mean they
were good for those days. The building
erected for boys is entirely gone now,
and the other one rs been enlarged
and improved and is now used as the
Cross Hill High School. 1t was an epoch
in the life of this %deponent, when a boy
OF about seven years, he donned his
satchel of books and with dinner in
hand, accompanied by an elder sis
ter, who attended the other school, he
left home for his first day at school. l
remember we'll the greeting l received.
When within a few rods of the school
house / heard the cry, new scholar! new
scholar!! and | did not know whether
it meant a pleasant reception or the re-
verse. | o found | was among my
friends however, and was duly installed
a pupil under the tutilage of the late
Capt. S. p. Boozer. Mr.. Boozer volun-
teered after this and served in the War
between the States andlost a leg in one
of the battles. He died some years ago
at Greenwood, SC. When Mr.. Boozer
gave up the school the boys gave him a
gold headed cane. / remember contri-
buting my dime for this purpose. AT
that time the martial spirit was in the
air and two flags were waving in the
breeze at old Cross Hill-one for Seces-
sion and the other for Cooperation.
The boys caught this spirit and with
their wooden guns would spend their
recess playing soldier. With quite a
number of the larger boys it soon be-
came a reality, and they left us for the
war, some Of them never to return. AT
that time the Cross Hill school had
quite a reputation and a number of
young people boarded in town and at
tended school. Among the boarding
pupils from a distance | remember Tom
Payne, Isaac Meek, Marion Proctor,
Fred Jeffries, Jno. Bullock, Robt. Bull
lock, Thomas Griffin, Sophie Jeffres,
Matte Game and others. In those days
it was not uncommon o pupils to walk
four miles to school. The Starnes boys
and their sister, Miss Alice, walked
from home. They lived near what is
called the Dry Fork plantation. When
Mr.. Boozer taught the boys, Col. John
w. Ferguson taught the girls, assisted
by Miss Eliza Pelote. There are a num-
Der of their pupils still neal the old
rendezvous, but the large majority are
gone, some to other homes and many
have crossed over the river. After Mr..
Boozer the school was taught by Mr..
Ballat, and then by Mr.. T. j. Griffin.
Mr.. Griffin had lost his left arm in bat
tie. 1t was during Mr.. Grifin's admin
istration had my first experience help
ing to turn out the teacher. The larger
boys arranged the plan, nailed up the
windows and barricaded the doors, and
when the teacher came demanded a va
cation. We soon found that our plans
would not work, and quite a number Of
the boys backed down and relented.
After keeping the teacher out most of
the day we surrendered and opened the
doors. l would rather not say what
then happened. If you can see Mat
Lowe, Car Rudd or Theodore Starnes
they can tell about it. Senator F.. P.
MCGOWAN was on the ground, as one of
the smaller boys. He no doubt remem-
bers about it. In those days we had to
speak one Friday and read compositions
the next. 1t was great trial to me to
get up and recite before the school, and
often a number Of visitors would be
present.
r.. b. Lindsay was one of our best
orators among the larger boys, and
always thought Bolton Chappell could
beat the smaller boys. The girls us
ually threw him more flowers when he
finished. In those days the school
would last all day, with morning and
afternoons recess, and two hours at
noon. When not soldering, our recess
would be taken up playing bull pen,
town ball, marbles and with the little
b~oys-knock over hats.
Ahp,f nnnn IN ,,nn, fLn rnloo1, .,,a,,ll