Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-05-24
An extr.ct That Joys the Memory.


II you have never read Eugene Woods
"Back Home" you have not read all the
good books that this world affords. No
matter how far back In years that home
may be this book will take you there by
the shortest route and quicker than bird
ever few. Memory is fleet OF foot and
has wings that put the wireless out OF
commission. The subjects of Its seven
chapters are: The Old Red School
House, The Sabbath School, The Revoiv.
ing Year, The Swimming Hole, The
Firemen's Tournament, The Devouring
Element, Circus Day, The County FAR,
and Christmas Back Home. II you are
past middle life this extract will make
you think of things:
JOHN.
"If you would learn the secret OF our
nations greatness, take your stand some
winters morning just before nine
O'Clock, where you can overlook circle
of some two or three miles radius, the
center being the Old Red School House.
You will see little figures picking their
way along the miry roads or ploughing
through deep drifts, cutting across the
fields, all drawing to the school house,
Bub in his cow-hide boots, bis cap with
ear.laps, "a knitted comforter about his
neck, and his hands glowing in scarlet
mittens; and little Sis 10 thick shawl,
trudging along behind him, stepping in
bis tracks. They chirrup, Good morn
ing, Sir!" As far rs you can see them
you have to watch them, and something
rises in your throat. Lord, love 'em!
Lord, love the children! And then 1t
comes to you, and it makes you catch
YOUR breath to think of it, that every
two or three miles all over this land
wherever there are children at all, there
is the Old Red School House. At this
very hour living tide, upbearing the
hopes and prayers of God alone knows
how many loving hearts, the tide on
which all of our longed-for ships are to
come in. is setting to the school house.
Oh, what is martial glory, what is con.
quest of an empire, what Is state-craft
alongside of thisP Happy is the people
that is in such case!
"The city schools are now the pattern
for the country schools; but in my day,
although little they we're pouring the
new wine of frothing educational reform
into the old bottles, they had not quite
attained the full distention of the pres
ent We still had some kind of good
time, but nothing like the good times
they had out at the school near grand
pap's where sometimes visited. There
you could whisper. Yes, sir, you could
whisper. So long as you didn't talk
out loud, it was all right. And there
was no rising at the tap of the bell, fall
| ing in line and walking in lock.step.
Seemingly it never entered the heads OF
the school board that anybody would
ever be sent to state prison. They left
the scholars unprepared for any such
career. They have remedied all that in
city schools. Now, when boy grows
up and goes TO Sing Sing, he knows
exactly what to do and how to behave
1t all comes back to him.
"But what 1 call the finest part OF
going TO school In the country was, that
YOU didn't 90 home to dinner. Grand
ma had boy only a few years Older
than was, and when J. went visiting
she fixed US up 'piece'-they call II
luncheon now. What made this par.
ticular piece taste 80 wonderfully good
was that it was in a round bottomed
basket, woven of splints, dyed blue and
black and red, and all in such funny
pattern. 1t was an Indian basket.
~ was out at grandpap's one time
when they butchered. And, say! Did
your grandma ever roast pigs tails
in the ashes for your And-and the
crullers. No, I don't mean doughnuts
mean crullers, all twisted up. They
90 good with cider. Sometimes my
grandma cut out thin pallid little men OF
cruller dough, and dropped them into
the hot lard for my Uncle Jimmy and
me. And when she fished them out
they were all swelled up and pussy and
golden brown. And there was pie
Neither at the school incoming nor at the
table did one put q piece of pie upon 8
plate and haggle at it with fork. You
took the piece of pie in your hand and
pointed the sharp end toward you, and
gently crowded 1t into your face. II
didn't require much pressure either.
"Aud there were apples, real apples
| think they must make apples in fac
tories nowadays. They taste like 1t
These were real ones, picked off the
trees. Out at grandpap's they had Bell
flowers, and Winesaps, and Seek.no-fur
theirs, and, I think, Sheep-noses, and one
kind of apple that / can't find any more,
though have sought for it carefully
1t WAS the finest apple ever set tooth
in. 1t had sort of rollicking flavor, II
you know what l mean, and the name
of it was the Rambo. Dear me, how
good it was! think l would rather
have one right now than great riches
They had big red apple in those day:
that forget the name of. Oh, 1t was
whopper. You'd nibble at it, and nibble
at 1t before you coIld get purchase or
it. Then after you got your teeth in
you'd pull and pull, and all OF sudden
the apple would 60 took and your
head would fly back from the recoil, and
you had bite about the size of your
hand. You 'chomped' on 1t with your
cheek all bulged out, and blame neal
| ,o,,oale ~ tho tnina nf IN "