The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-09-29
NUMBER 2l.
Burglars Crack the Safe in the Jefferson
Macaroni Factory Office But Get Little Cash
AS 1T WAS IN THE oLDEN TIME.
Interesting "Reminiscences of Schools In
The Early Days-Trials of Pioneer
'Pedagogues.

Times have changed nightly since
was boy. For instance, when l was q
boy we went to log school house In
Venango county, warmed by big stone
fireplace. The patrons OF the school
hauled the logs to the school house and
the teachers and scholars we're expected
to chop and split them up for fuel,
there being Lo coal to be had. In those
days the teacher was expected to earn
his money, which was raised by sub
scription. He would get to the school
house about daylight and build the fire
and then chop wood until about time
for the boys and girls to gather. He
was expected to keep school from nine
O'Clock in the morning until i've O'Clock
In the evening and there we're no vaca-
tions on Saturdays. The teacher
boarded around among the scholars,
taking turns OF week at place. Often
he had to sleep with one Of the boys.
taught few terms OF that sort of
school myself, as we'll as after ding as a
scholar. The way some of the boys 1
had to sleep with did kick me in the
stomach was caution.
The teacher in those days had to be
an athlete, too, II he held his job.
Young men IS, 10 and 20 years OF age
would come to school and unless the
teacher was able to handle them his
name was Dennis" Sometimes a hus-
ky young fellow of 1S or 10 would wear
the teacher out and then the latter
might as we'll resign.
There were not many female teachers
In those days. A woman teacher was
not considered physically able to teach
school. But remember one woman
teacher I had, and she was certainly a
success. She was a tolerably robust in
dividual, but thinking over the matter
now 1t seems to me that she depended
more on her "ssnd" than on her physiI
cal strength. Isuppose the boys didn't
fight as hard as they would have done
with man. At any rate she dressed
them up, both large and small, and did
It In great shape. Many time have
seen her call out boy taller than her.
self and the manner In which she would
dust the pants Of that young man was q
sight worth seeing. Once I saw boy
OF fifteen undertake to put up a fight.
She lit on him like hen on June bug.
Before he had time to put up his de-
fense she had his coat over his head
and he was yanked out on the floor.
She never gave him a second to gather
himself. That coat movement gave her
a great advantage and she kept It.
Then the way she warmed that young
man up-I recollect it as II it were but
yesterday (sixty-three years ago.) He
hung out for about two minutes and
then weakened and put up a howl for
mercy that might have been heard for
two blocks. We learned afterward the
boys father had put the boy up to make
the fight. The old man wanted to find
out how woman would behave under
such circumstances, he said. When be
learned that his boy had been whipped
good and plenty, he turned in and tan
ned the lad also.
The above teacher was Miss Ruth
Berguin, of Rockland, Pa. Her brother
John taught in Reynoldsville In the
eos.
There were a few things that the
school children Of those days had
drilled into them in way that they
never forgot, but the modern method
beats the old style too bad to talk about.
D. E. STANFORD.
ParIus. Pa.