Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1917-07-04
Our Lady Teachers.

There is no class OF society that
commends themselves to our sincere
admiration more than the young
ladies who go out into various parts
of strange countries to teach school.
1t takes a high order of courage;
and it is beautiful to see the young
lady as she brushes with basty steps
the dew from her grassy path as
she crosses the lonely hills to the
plain country school house-you
may talk about your high schools
with grand buildings and costly ap-
pliances, or the d~ignifed campus
of the colleges, but for utility and
practical good among the multitude
of the lowly and plain folks, the
young lady i'll the lonely old-feld
school house, tops the list. We can
see her as she packs her trunk and
leaves her home with the tear drop
on her lash, going out amongst
strangers in a strange land, and
she goes alone too, with simple
trusting faith in humanity, and it
can be said of her, in her sweet in
nocent youth, when the star of
childhood still fingers In the rosy
orient of her young w%omanhood.
Il know not where His islands lift,
Their frounded palms IN air,
1 only know l cannot drift,
Beyond His love and care"
As the water fowl feels as he
lifts his wings up in the cold and
murky sea air to 60 far south to
the sunny land Of his winter home.
Our young lady friend has much
to endure-often bad food, uncom-
Portable houses; Guncongenial COM
Epanions, long walks in the cold and
rain, the task of training hard.
headed childrens=and to endure the
Fnnkind criticism of unreasonable
parents, who expect the teacher to
take a natural born fool child and
make a Solomon of him.
Brt what a noble life this is!
We can see the lady taking the
candle of knowledge. into all. the
dark places. ofthe country to light
up an ignorant neck of the back
woods. She is truly walking the
path of duty and useful service,
where there is really more happi-
ness. Some one has truly said.
"That happiness is a wayside flow
er that grows alongside of the path
of duty" and if one makes a spe-
ciaEtask Of seeking happiness, it
will prove a veritable will. o'-the
wisp or like finding the end:of the
rainbow, she eludes yoh every
time.
oh, how wretched is that useless
girl, who belongs to the idle rich
class, or what is worse the idle poor,
and. has some one even to, put
her clothes on her, who is! wearing
herself out trying to get more out
ufilife,t than there is in it, as Byron
says, who gets into the scar and
yellow leaf, and becomes worn out
With the dizziness of society. Of all
the women in my acquaintance the
most contemplate is the one who
Fspehds:bsr whole time on: dress,S.a
mere milliner's model, with about
as much heart, and not as much
utility ,-asa wax woman model in
the from: window Of & df5-goods
store, and what a slave to the dry
merchant is the poor husband
of such a walking fashion model.
But those girls who 60 out into
strapgeslands and !? do useful service
In teaching the4. young idea how to
shoot, deserve the profound admi-
ration of the country. These la
dies Lot only teach the day schools,
but they usually help in the Sunday
tschonl.GuEk.of The too.
In fact we could get along without
the high schools, though it would
be unfortunate. We could get along
without the colleges, but the one
necessary need in the country is
the old-held school, both because it
gives any one enough learning to
go on if he wants to do so. And
because there are so many country
people, and the country people are
the producers of the nation. | take
off my hat to the young lady school
teacher in the old-tield school house.
and say greetings. All over the
land in and about the towns you
see large majestic school buildings.
but they are not turning out such