Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1923-05-05

BeIated but Heartfelt Apprecia-
ton of True Friend.
Thirty Years of FoEgetfulness Partly
Atoned For by Real Tribute
Paid to Her Memory.


day a brief notice Of the death, in
the New England city where / spent
my bOyhOod, Of woman whom /
shall call Miss Robinson, since that
was not her name, Walter A. Dyer
writes IN Golfers Weekly. | had not
seen her-I suppose l had scarcely
thought Of her-for thirty-odd years.
Yet there was q time when that wom-
an and / came in daily contact with
each other, and l saw as much of her,
l think, as Of any member of my
family.
And as l read the modest obituary
it came over me that in forgetting
her / had sinned against the simplest
standards Of kindness and gratitude.
For / can realize now that in those
long-vanished days l was the cause
of bringing some shadows into her
life. If l brought also some little
sunshine, 1t was not because | intend
ed to do so, but because she had the
grace to find It, There were times.
| fear, when / made life about as hard
for her as l could without suffering
serious consequences. And / have let
these wiser years slip by without an
attempt at reparation.
She was not an angel; she was hui
man. And WEI think we were little
barbarians. Sometimes when She
tried to brighten things up bit we
said she was silly. There were morn
ings when we said she was cross
very likely she was. Who is never
cross? on the whole, / believe we
liked her, but not for worlds would
we have let her know it. / like her
now, but it is too late for her to
know.
/ have allowed myself to forget
many things that l should have re-
membered, but / can recall wildly
enough just how Miss Robinson
looked as she sat at her desk and
opened the morning session with the
simple religious exercises that were
then In vogue. Her sincerity showed
itself there. And l can still see her
as she arose and came down to stand
in front of her desk, her brow puck
cred with earnestness in her effort to
make us understand.
She was a good teacher, / think.
That Is, she was conscientious and in
teligent and eager to have US learn,
and l don't know that any teacher
can be much more than that
/ wonder what she got out of it all.
/ wonder what were her compensa-
lions for the nerve racking strain of
keeping order among thirty boys and
girls bent on mischief The salaries
paid to public-schoOl teachers are not
large today; they were much less
thirty years ago. And think / knew
that she was supporting her mother
with her slender income. / wonder If
there were some few pupils-among
the girls perhaps-who repaid her In
some measure for her labors by some
conscious or unconscious response of
mind or affections. / hope that others
! have proved Themselves less forgetful
and less ungratcful than !.
I do not so much blame that young
pagan who whispered and snickered
and threw spltballs and ratified the
windows and brought toads and snuff
into school His was but half
awakened conscience. He wrought
after the manner Of his kind He had
not looked into human hearts to
know them. The person | blame is
the so-called Christian gentleman
twenty, twenty-five, thirty years later,
who had walked out of that school
room with never a regretful backward
glance. and then forgot his teacher.
He should have known better.
] wish Ii might be that her sacrl
flee could he turned to some others
gain, that this confession of mine
these words of belated appreciation.
might quicken the memory Of some
other teachers pupils, might stir In
their hearts the thing that has stirred
in mine too late
Teacher. with the earnest frown
and the nervous little smile, I am
sorry. / am sorry for the mischief
did so long ago, when you We're
thirty and I was ten. l am sorry for
those innumerahle acts Of mine that
added to your full measure of bur
dens and worries I am Sorrler still
for my thirty-odd years Of silence.
But If | know you as I think do,
believe you will not withhold forgive
ness.
I would not lay a flower now on
your grave if I could. since l lost my
chance rs send a rose TO the living
shame would forbid, l can only hope
that YOU found others kinder than l.
ana that before you lay down for your
final rest. some Of those things for
which you Observation-Disclosures they
were-came into your life TO reward
you.