Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-09-02

Some of them were made by the slow
err process of dipping" Not every
family had set of candle moulds, and
to be invited in some evening for the
purpose of dipping taller
The candles carried to the ole
schoolhouse for the spelling matches
were set in a little pool of their owr
tallow which speedily CONCEALED and
held them firm on the window stills OF
on shingles thrust between the cracks
in the wall if the schoolhouse happen-
ed to be of logs. The spoilers having
been Chosen up" would range them
selves in two rows against the walls
facing each other, and the spectators
sat between on the rude seats. The
teacher would sometimes pronounce
the words with a candle in one hand
and the spelling book in the other A
curious method of spelling obtained in
some rural districts. Surprising the
word to have been preservation" the
speller would begin in this way:
"1'-r-e-s, pres, there's your pres;
e-r, er-there't your err; preser; va
va--there's your va; preserva: t-i-o-n
tion-there's your ton: preservation
When the word was a long one like
"unintelligibility" or "uncosnmunica-
bility," the spelling Of it was long
and bewildering process
It would have been a great breach
of good manners not to have asked
the visitors to "say a few words"
while any of the directors" or "com-
mitgeemen" who CHANGED to be pres
ent felt 1t their duty to respond to this
invitation. They usually began by re-
marking that they didn't know as
they had anything to say" but 1T
sometimes took them a quarter of an
hour to say it. I remember one
committeeman always counselled
us not to" soar up too high in our
ambitions, but to be content to keep
within our proper speer.' OF course
we were told by others that the presi-
dercy of the United States was with
in our grasp, and even the teachers
who thrashed us numerically for
slight causes We're referred to us as our
kind teachers
The rod was not spared in the early
schools in our country. Most of the
teachers We're in sympathy with one
who announced to his pupils on the
opening day of the school that he be-
lieved in corporal whaling" and that
they would feel the rod if they did
not walk chalk
The brutality of some of the teach
ers occasioned many fight between
them and the older boys. and the
teacher was sometimes barred out"
for an entire day. Sometimes the
teacher would be man of kindly and
gentle spirit, but the committeeman
were apt to regard muscular vigor as
an imperative requisite when engaging
teacher, and women were rarely em-
ployed,to teach the winter terms of the
school when the big boys were IN at
tendance.
Perhaps the old custom of passing
the water" still obtains In some. of our
district schools, but it is doubtful If
many of the pupils drink from gourd
as they did in the days of long ago.
For some reason the water pail was
never filled at the noon or recess in
ternlissions, but some one would be
sure to become dry" during the study
hours, and two of the boys would ca
gerly seek the privilege Of fetch
ing pail of water" with which
to assuage the supposed burning
thirst of the entire school. The well
might not be two hundred yards dis
tant, but somehow it took the boys
half an hour to get the pail Of water.
II visitors We're present it was regard
ed as courtesy to serve them first
when the water was passed" and it
was not uncommon for even visitor
to take sip or two of water from the
full dipper or gourd and then pour the
rest of the water back into the pail.
The teacher was always served after
the visitors, and recall one instance
Of a teacher who took a few sips of
water from afull tin dipper of huge
size, poured the rest of the water back
into the pail and then gave the un-
lucky wight who was passing the
water q resounding whack over the
head with the dipper, saying as he DID
SO:
That's for whispering before you
begun to pass the water"
Out of the little country school house
has grown an educational system in
our country second to none In any
other part of the world, and the "dees-
trict skule" played an honorable and
useful part in the education of the
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