Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-12-30

MISS NANCY FREY.
childhood, | was looking forward anx-
iously to the time when | could be a
teacher, and was always working with
that end in view. At last my hopes
were realized. At the age of eighteen
| began teaching. After teaching two
terms did not find it as attractive as
| had anticipated. In fact, home was
more attractive to me, from the fact, |
that, there was where father and
mother, brothers and sisters were |
laid down the work and did not take it
UP again for some years. This was
away back in the fifties
In 1868 l came with my parents to
Iowa. | was older now and was
brought face to face With the sterner
realities of life. l realized as l had
not done before, the necessity of do
ing something to support myself, as
well as to relieve my parents of the
burden which they had hitherto borne. |
again too up the work of teaching,
and as the years rolled by, learned
to love it, and to enter into the work
with greater earnestness. And now, |
after having taught eighty-seven
terms, or more than twenty solid years
of my life, my ardor has not in the |
least abated. Looking back over the
past, in imagination, I can see stand
ing out in bold relief, on memories |
tablet the pictures of the schoolhouses
of KeoluS county, having taught eigh- !
ty-three terms in that county alone |
They will ever be to me as so many
bright spots in the memory of the
past 1t is true that some of them did |
not possess a great amount of bright |
ness in themselves, had it not been for |
the bright and happy faces that greet
ed me each day.
1T is true that the life of teacher
IS not all sunshine, but at the same
time we may be the means of putting
some sunshine into the lives of others.
In my work as teacher have passed |
through various experiences. At one
time during my second term in Ohio,
when l dismissed school in the even
ing, | noticed dark cloud in the west |
that seemed to be moving very rapid |
ly. l sent the children out, telling
them to hurry home. | remained in |
the building for few minutes, then
started for home. Just as reached
the nearest house, the storm was up
on us. When the wind lulled we
looked out in the direction Of the
schoolhouse and saw only part of it |
standing. The entire roof together
with the rafters, were scattered over
the field back of the house. This was
on Friday, and by Tuesday morning
the house was repaired and ready for
school.
con another occasion when l dis
missed school in the evening, it was
raining and sleeting. The next morn
in5 it was showing hard, and by noon
the wind was blowing at a furious
rate. By 4 o'clock the snow was drift
ing terribly,-so much so that the
lanes were drifted nearly full The
parents came with teams to take their
children home. Each one invited me
to go home with them. l was so con
fident that the man where l was board
ing would come for me that refused
all their kind invitations. One man
told me not to start home alone, as ne
did not think it would be safe. l
promised him would not. The result
was l spent the entire night alone in
the schoolhouse without food or light
Fortunately, l had coal enough in the
house to last through the night. While
not in the least afraid, you may be
sure that | was glad when | saw the
first appearance of daylight stealing
above the eastern horizon
about 10 o'clock the next morning
the man came, hun ing for me- We
got home and | was ready for my din
ner. Imagine for a moment how you
would feel all alone in a dark school
house half q mile from any human
habitation, with a fierce storm raging
without, and then, think of me- II
shall always remember the 9th day
of December, 1904. I have no desire,
however, to have the thing repeated
Fellow teachers, let me say in con-
clusion, as I may never have the privi-
lege of standing before this associa-
ton again. that ours is high and no
Bile calling. second to none. In fact,
the true teacher should stand side by
side with the minister of the gospel
We are training the minds of the chill
dren and youth for future usefulness
We are character builders Let each
one strive to be a master builder, that
the structure will be perfect in every
respect. Whatever you do, try to be
true. Be true to yourselves, be true
to your pupils and be true to your
God And in after years
when time has fed.
And | am numbered with the dead,