Evening journal., 1908-11-14
THE DISTRICT SCHOOL
OF SIXTY YEARS AGO
Article No. SO.


said TO me a few weeks ago. we are
reading your letters with some degree
of interest, but you ~. too slow. We
think you ought TO be getting out Of
the Neck and farther this way, where
we know something about things. I
have left the Neck and am into Black
bird school district where / first to1-
died along through snow and slush be-
hind my half uncle, three miles to
school to John Y. Canuch. in the old
school house near Black Mill, in lS41.
And there are so many fond recollec-
tions about that section tlIa | feel
constrained to linger tor a short time
before Passing, But please have pa
tience, ter new hope has warmed my
bosom for making better headway in
the near future.
For the sight of a new printing press
with a capacity Of $4,000 copies per
hour moving smoothly, but rapidly along
in actual service at THE JOURNAL
Office at Fourth and Shipley streets, in
Wilmington, works as an inspiration.
/ have hopes Of getting in more than
one letter a week and shall soon be
able to reach Middletown and Odessa,
where l asked to be excused a few
weeks while / went down into the Neck.
Blackbird though blamed for pulling
corn,
Shall not be of every glory shorn,
He's a pretty trim fellow and scars so
high
And makes sometimes a reed bird pie.
There is an old story that at an
earlier date than my recollections that
certain old sea pirate called BLACK
Beard" came ashore and buried his
plunder of gold and silver in the banks
of Blackbird creek, some where be-
tween the new bridge at Weldon's
Landing and the bridge that crosses
the head Of the creek at Blackbird, and
that it is from this incident that Black
bird derives its name. Somehow it got
changed from BLACK Beard" to Black
bird This may be a revelation to
the latter generations, but in old times,
before / was born, it was a subject of
ghosts and ghost stories, for l have
heard my parents tell of such things to
the great amusement of us children.
Once my grandfather, with the as
sistance of my father, who lived on
the old Gumbush farm, put up a job
on old Uncle James Moore, who was
chum of my fathers.
When they were young men and
afterward brothers n-law, Uncle
Jimmie" was afraid of ghosts when he
was young and my grandfather knew
it, and Jimmie" as they called him,
came to visit them and to stay all night
my grandfather put my father up to
having some fun with him. So after
night came on, my father excused him
self from the visitor. under the pretense
of going to one of the neighbors on
an errand but instead dressed himself
in disguise and wrapped a sheet around
him to appear at the front door later
on. While grandfather engaged the
rest of the family seated around the
big back log fire. with a ghost story TO
prepare their visitor for the climax on
the principal of talk about old scratch
and his imps will appear, and it seemed
to work that way that time, being pre-
arranged for the occasion.
So shortly the llnack came at the
door, but no one of the family knew Of
the prank that was to be played, but
the two, and the rest of the family
were about as susceptible to a good
scare as the young man. When the
knock came, Jimmie" was nearest the
door, and the old gentleman, said,
Jimmie just open that door please"
which request he compiled with. on
doing so. he was pretty badly fright
ened at the sight that met his gaze.
Jimmie" retreated post haste, and the
rest of the family screamed. The
ghost entered, and the family scatter
ed, but the ghost seemed to be pay
ing the most attention to Jimmie, %
who had made a stand and brought an
end to the fun by getting hold of a
chair and was about to bring it down
on the head of that ghost. with con-
siderable emphasis, when the old gem
tleman to save his boy from getting
hurt, said, don't strike Jimmie" it's no
body but eddie, (his name was Gideon)
and the laugh was on them. Oaly about
ten years ago, when Uncle Jimmie
was in his ninety third year he told that
yarn at my house. If / were to under
take TO give all the stories like this
that I know, that occurred in ole
Blackbird District, THE JOURNAL
would set down on me hard. so / viii
have to omit some of them and pass on
In those days boys did not fnlsl
their schooling at 16 years. Having I,
work on the farm through all tn,
working months they could go t
school only about three or four month,
at most. Consequently. the young mei
went to school till they were of ag,
and sometimes longer. A country dis
trict school was generally crowded
with young men i'm winter time, and OF
Christmas eve they would go early fl
the morning. long before the teache
would get there. and fasten him out
, When the teacher came they gave hin
, to understand that they wanted a trea
there, and a promise to give then
olidays through Christmas week. Whei
the teacher made much objection 4
complying with their wishes. they ais
gave him to understand that he ha,
his choice to acquiese or take a rid
on a rail. They chimed in with tn
music and danced. as the boys fid
4 died, to save any extra trouble. Read
write and cipher were the principa
4 studies. Grammar or geography wa
r the exception. There were long hig
r desks round the sides of the schoc
S room for the large boys and a hollo,
{ square formed of small benches with
out any backs or rests Of any sort 70
the small children. They had to 81
there day in, and day out, withou
much variation.
If boy misbehaved, he was pun
ished with a CAD or switch, and some
times pretty large boys got chastiset
Town or corner ball was the chic
amusement or recreation for the moo