Connecticut western news., 1911-07-06
TEACHING 40 YEARS AGO
When Judge Roraback Ran The Old
 District School.

"hSI nOTdDdCk nan n6 OIO District School.
 Forty years ago last week The Con- necticut Western News was born. At that time the Connecticut Western Rail- road, which was named after this paper. was not completed, though it was then ill the finishing stages.
 While the road was in process of con- struction, the vocation of the school teacher in the district schools along the line was not happy one, though full of excitement and strenuosity. Foreign hcontractors, bosses and laborers, with their families, took up their residence in the neighborhood of the work, and the children, who were sent to the pub lie schools, managed to make life more or less miserable for the average school ma am. Miss Sarah Roraback, of the Canaan High School, had charge of the up stairs school during the early stages of the roads building at the old school house that stood beside the railroad, on Elm street, but which was afterward purchased by Frank VanDeusen and re- moved to Butchers Bridge. There were boys in the school older than the teacher big, husky, unruly youths, with no home bringing up, who considered it smart to defy and disobey the teacher and learn as little as possible. Miss Roraback preserved discipline much more effectively than most girl teachers could have done, but before the road was finished it was de- cided by the committee that the sItua- tion demanded "man.teacher, espec- ially for the winter term, when the school attendance was largely increased and older and bigger and worse boys were sent to school.
 The first man-teacher engaged was the present Supreme Court Justice, A. T. Roraback, who was at that time study ing law and preparing himself for bis future career. Practically his first move on taking charge at the beginning of the winter term, was to establish an under standing with the school, especially the unruly big fellows on the boys side of the room, and more especially the "bullIes" who had come with the inten- tion of running the school, teacher and all. Men grown, some of them were, and stout and muscular, some of them bigger and heavier than the teacher. These fellows were plainly informed by the new teacher that he had come there to run the school, and that he should at- tempt to run it if any pair halfdozen, or dozen of them thought they could take the job off his hands they were in- vited, then and there, to step right UT, one at a time or all in bunch, and have the matter settled once and for all. This challenge on the part of the. determined young school. master had just the effect that might have been expected. It won for him the wholesome respect of even the ''bullies," and it was a significant fact that those who had been the worst boys in the school gave him the least trouble. and though it was necessary, at times, to apply the switch, there was never any question as to who was in authority.
 While the rock cut back of the Eddy farm house was being blasted out for the railroad. the pupils were warned out of the school-house before every blast, as there was danger of the flying rocks crashing through the roof or sides of the building-indeed the roof of the school shed was smashed by a rock would have sunk ship, A few minutes before the blast, a man would approach the school house and blow a horn. That meant, get out at once, and there was no cere- mony about the exodus. If a class chanced to be in the midst of a recita- tion, that made no difference-every- body, including the teacher hurried out and ran eastward away from the danger zone. One morning the warning toot was heard, and the school-house emptied as usual. One of the "scholars,p Bert Hill, and kept on going after the blast had gone off and the danger was over. Late in the afternoon, about four hours after his start, he returned and entered the school-room. Teacher Roraback asked him where he had been and why he had been gone so long. Went up to East Canaan" he said. "I didn't pro- pose to stay here and get killed by a rock"
 Altogether there was more variety and excitement in those days, to give zest to the joy of school teaching.