The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-01-19
AN ANTE-BELLUM SCHOOL.
"reminiscences of Old Chinquapin
School in No. 2, Now Gar
many Academy.

lnhewed pine poles or logs; with a
stick and dirt chimney. The furni-
ture was in keeping with the exterior
|of the building, which had evidently
|stood for years. Here the writer at
tended his first school. He was then
just five years old. The slang term
Kid now applied to children had lot
then been coined, otherwise he would
have been called small Kid.
The teacher was Mr.. Matthias
Wicker, a tall mali with prominent
nose. He was fairly even tempered
though he had evidently forgotten
that he had once been boy himself.
The house had two doors and no
windows. Between the doors and
near the centre of the building, dur
ing the warm season, was the teach
er's throne. Mr.. W. was addicted
to the use of tobacco, and near where
he sat there was a small pool of am
beer on the floor I have seen more
4than one school house and more than
one church befouled with tobacco
juice, But We are improving in this
respect. Public sentiment crystalizes
slowly but I have no doubt that the
time will come when it will be con-
sidered indecorous and ,disreputable
to defile public building with to-
! bacco juice.
E. Mr.. W. died some years ago at
Prosperity from the effect Of rail-
road accident. He was good citiz-
en-.
The next teacher for Chiquapin
academy was Mr.. Pleasant, (his
8 Christian name has slipped nv mem
kory). The impression Of some of the
patrons was that he was yankee
though he was quite reticent about
his antecedents. He was man of
Bomess intelligence, but was withal im-
practical impulsive and utterly lack
ing in tact. Somehow Mr.. Pleasant
and Ichabod Crane are associated in
ny. mind, minus FFlinked sweetness
drawn OUT I never knew Mr..
pleasant to practice singing.
SIN those days there, were a good
many large boys and girls in school.
among the former this : year was
Wiley Hancock. One day Wiley's
class was reciting history and when
st came his turn to read some sentetn-
ces or a paragraph he did so as usu-
al. When he had finished reading
: his teacher roared "Read that
again. - Wiley obeyed and the Sec
5ond time the same premptory COM
nland was repeated and when it was
Ihurled at him the third time Wiley
:eoolly. replied "I'll not do it. This
was no sooner said than Mr.. Pleas
Cant jumped to his feet and vigorously
applied his switch to Wiley's back
and shoulders: This over Wiley took
his: hat. and struck a bee line for
home. In an incredibly short time
Mr.. Hancock was at the school house
door and invited the teacher outside
for an explanation, apology or some
thing else. But the latter said that
just then he had no particular busi-
ness outside the house and therefore
fdeelined to stir from his seat. Mr..
Hancock said that the skin VS.
broken on his sons face and it VS.
alleged that his teacher was respon-
sible for the wound. However, as
Mr.. Pleasant would not leave the
house. as a well bred man, he did not
stand outside and tongue lash him but
soon retired. There was saying
current among the big boys that
looking at pair Of shoes Mr.. Pleas
ant could not tell which was intend
"a for the right foot or vice versa.
Df :the truthfulness of this saying,
however, I can not vouch.
The next teacher who came 70
each the young idea how to shoot
vas Rev. Chas. Burnham. AS I re-
member he was native Of Charles
ION. He taught only a few months
Ind was succeeded by his sister, Miss
Carrie. I recall Mr. Burnham's s say
ng that he wished to visit Palestine
order to see the places where the
allowed feet Of the Master had
cessed the soil. At that time a Wis
to the Holy Land by an American
VAS almost unheard of-now 1t is
ute common.
Mr.. VIM. Werts was one OF the
batrons of the school, and while Miss
Burnham taught. married his second
life. She was daughter of Mr.:
h..,:o1 C,har I-bo E1-o1 naar Broad