The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-24
In Good old Days School Children
Seemed To Haze More Fun Than NozU
Slate Pencil Observation-Disclosures and Bags Now Work
Art-Recess Scarcely Long Enough For Games-Much
More Red Tape Than Formerly
BY DOLLY DALRYMPLE.

water, and to the slate rusty old sponge
was tied securely, or sometimes loose
and roaming around aimlessly upon the
desk. Whenever the teacher was partic-
ularly anxious for silence, the slate alb
lutions would begin. and such a scrub
bling and energetic cleaning up you never
heard. The children who had forgotten
their apparatus would whisper: Nellie,
lend me your tomato can when you get
through or, Please, Mamie, let ME use
your sponge and all sorts of questions
which In those days. when pedagogy and
psychology were not as popular as now
little heed was paid to these sibilant re-
quests
'Of course not" I suggested. Nothing
short of sticking tack in the teach
er's chair or a pin on your deskmate's
back or splitting a bottle of ink on a
playmate's brand new pinafore, would
bring forth real punishment
1.-THE slate pencil was always the ex-
cuse for leaving the room when some
other little boy or girl you particularly
liked did So said my friend. You'd
begin to sharpen the pencil and make
a squeaky noise like a street roller or
benzine buggy and permission was
hastily granted and out the culprit went,
much to her delight
And to think nowadays one rarely
sees slate or pencil / said. Instead
pads and lead pencils are seen in the
up-to-date schools and the tomato can
of soapy water and the good old sponge
are reduced to state of innocuous des-
uetude.
''One thing that | should miss terri
bly, nowadays" said my companion,
would be the long delightful recess which
/ used to enjoy so much. We had from
10 to 1880 in the morning what we called
little recess and then dinner recess
which lasted one hour and half. School
was resumed at 2 and then there was
another little recess at $50. Instead
of rushing through as they do now and
letting out school, as we used to say, by
o'clock, we stayed until 1880 and then
hated to CO."
Children are not punished nowadays
as they used to be at school, either l
laughingly said.
II should say not" said my friend.
Spare the rod and spoil the child
was indeed a wise old saw then and the
Ounce stool in my time was one OF the
dominant features of school punishment.
Mercy, how the boys did hate 1t and
as for a girl-well. she felt simply dis
+. graced at having to occupy it,
Now children are made to memorize
| great pages of verse and are given 80
! many dement's for bad conduct" 1 re-
! Piled and the old fashioned way of
| making the girls sit in the boys row,
| to their outward embarrassment but
sometimes to their inward delight. is en-
| tirely out of style"
| Il do not doubt in the least" said my
| elderly friend as we terminated our lit
| tie conversation. that the modern school
| is far better equipped and much more
| thorough than those in my day and time,
| but of one thing I am perfectly certain.
| and that is, If I started all over again
| I should want my slate and slate PEN
| ell and the opportunities they gave for
house cleaning. and the good old hour
and a half recess, and the bewildered
! look upon the face Of the teacher who
| gave us up as hopeless job but
which would come out all right In the
| end, and tho many other sweet remin-
! iscences that con1ure in my heart Of by
gone school days"