The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-01-19

there has scarcely been preaching
there in score Of years. This ought
not so to be. 1t Was also while Miss
Burnham taught that Mr.. Daniel
Buzhardt was keeper Of the home.
During his incumbency his wife. Mrs.
Hannah league, died Of fever. Next
morning when school opend the
teacher referred to the occurrence
and commented upon the sadness
Of her death in the prime of life and
in the midst Of her usefulness. The
emotions Of Miss Venie Thompson
were 50 stirred by the teacher $ re-
marks that when called to recIte she
could not proceed. Miss B;'nham
afterwards married Rev. J. A. Porter,
who survived her, and died only a
few weeks ago at a great age.
Mr.. Jno. Ferguson succeeded Miss
Burnham as teach. When we return
ed to school we found that the goats
had been going to school during the
! Christmas holidays and lodging in
! the school house.
Mr. Ferguson Was very llthe and
slender with dark eyes and hair. He
was smaller than a good many Of his
pupils. As I remember he was educat-
| ed at the South Carolina college and
was competent teacher. He was
very stern man and rarely or never
laughed during school hours or at
noon. One Of his expressions which
I had not heard before was: u
mean what I say, and say what l
mean.'' One morning when school
was opened he remarked for the en-
couragement of his pupils that he
had headache and would as leave
take it ont in whipping as not. As a
matter Of fact, however, he used the
rod less than almost any OF our
teachers. While he taught Kay and
Aaron Burton boarded at Mr.. Burda
Boozer's and attended our school.
While Mr.. Ferguson taught for us
the old school house was abandoned
and a frame house was built in the
rear Of where Unity church now
stands. The lot Oh which the house
was erected was given by Mr.. Gar
many. There is an old building there
now, but it stands at right angle to
the original building. I saw Mr..
Ferguson some years ago in the court
house at Newberry. He was law
yer then and had grown very much IN
eirth in the meantime.
Mr.. Ephriam Williams was another
teacher of this school. He was a
capable instructor and an upright
man but teaching seemed to be oner-
Gus to him. He seemed not to have
Sufficient patience to make teaching
enjoyable to him.
Rev. Leland Murphy also taught
this school for a few months. He
was a kind-hearted sympathetic man.
One Of his small pupils was reeiting
in the blue-back speller and read this
sentence: "We ought not to take
much snuff Mr.. Murphy immed-
lately amended and said: "We ought
not to use any," One cold day he
instructed the writer to take the axe
and knock some knots from a pine
log that lay not far from the house.
When the fire began to blaze and
roar he said: "That was we'll done,
10, very we'll done.' Mr.. Murphy
also had view Of humor in his make
up that would come to the surface
on occasions. He said that he could
not bear to whip little girls but ne
would not mind to try mis- hand upon
| a boy if he did kick at him every
time he was struck. Then the time
arrived for the grammar class to re-
cite he would sometimes call out:
"Come on with your gray mare.
| I think he did not discipline any pu-
pil while he taught. Mr.. Murphy
wrote a poor hand and joke used
to be told at his expense to the effect
that having lost sermon that he had
prepared and finding it he could not
read the manuscript. He moved to
Tennessee very soon after the close
of the war.
Mr.. Hsary Wilson was our last
teacher be1> p the war broke out. He
was a compa4 5n for the boys at
! noon. He was Of medium size, had
brown eyes and a soft voice like
woman's. He had long straight
whiskers that would lie on his should
ers when he would run. His dinner
bucket was made to order. fitted to
his side and suspended from the
,.bo,, 11or,