Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1925-01-24

i
mer resident and teacher of this city,
known to many as "Miss Maggie
Webb" She married P. C. Fossett,
once connected with the Democrat as
directly descended. Both are well-re
membered, and no doubt this commu
nication from "Miss Maggie" will be
read with interest.-Ed.l
Dear Mr.. Editor:
Another year has rolled around,
and | want the Worcester Democrat
again. | suppose I'd better be send
ing you the money for it, so here it
is. Almost every time the paper ar
rives Pm made to remember a remark
my mother often made, which was
this: "Well, l know l can't live much
longer for everyone l ever knew any
where near my own age is dying"
And while it seems that way to me,
and while there are not many left
that were in Pocomoke City when l
came to Philadelphia, As years ago, |
have many younger relatives and
friends there that Pm still interested
in. And so often there are articles in
the paper that bring back memories
of my school days there. And one
of these, was an account of the death
Of DR.. Joseph Mills.
He was the third teacher l ever
had, and I always thought great
deal of him. He was always so kind
to me. His death caused me to think
over the many kind teachers had.
The first, was the Rev. William Will
kinson.
I was a mighty little kid then, my
father had just died and we were liv-
ing at my grandmother's, about a mile
in the country. Mother took me each
morning and came for me afteS
school. I took my lunch in little bas-
ket, left it with Mrs. Sturgis, Johns
mother, across from the old school
house, and went there at noon and
ate it.
My mother had taught me at home
to spell and read little, and the first
word I had to spell and define, was,
"Bib, a child's apron" and l was
ready to burst with pride, when Mr..
Wilkinson smiled and patted me on
the head, and said "That's right"
do not remember that 1 ever had
any trouble with my lessons until l
had to translate Latin. Then the
girls, chiefly, Minnie, Dickinson, help
ed me out. And I, in return would
help them with their compositions.
Second teacher was Miss Nettie
Clayville. l liked her, but one day a
bottle of ink was upset by larger
and older girl, and as it was nearer
me Miss Nettie thought I did it and
l was whipped in my hand with the
ferule, because l hadn't the courage
to make a scene. And good many
things in my life happening that way
ever since. But never forgot it, and
years after when Miss Nettie had be-
come Mrs. Bevans and I was grown
up and she was a close -neighbor,
told her the whole circumstances; and
she said when circumstances pointed
SO plainly to a thing, we often had to
take the punishment, and then after
long talk she asked me if l had ever
read and thought much about Ger
tain part of the 9th chapter of Ro-
mans, where it says: "The children be-
ing not born, neither having done
anything good or bad, etc., and ends
by saying, Jacob l loved, but Esau I
hated" l had not up to this time re-
membered ever having read it, altho
think 1 had read the Bible as much
as most young people, and l had Ger
tainly committed great deal of it to
memory.
For the truth of this, ask Mr.. Theo.
Richards, if he is still living, for
think he was one of the heads of the
NJ. P School that used to give me
whole cards of tickets for reciting
chapters in the Bible, without. taking
the trouble to cut them apart. But
did not at that time know about that
chapter. 1t was the first time l had
thought about it, but it was not the
last, but l don't know any more "a
bout it now, than l did then.
After Mrs. John Bevans and l had
talked about some time she made al
most the same remark that occurs in
"Scarmouche" where Andre Louis
said to Lee La Tour, Cali things con-
sidered, Pm being forced to the con-
clusion that it is impossible to blame
anyone for anything in this world,
Our destiny seems to be marked out
for u.s." Many times I've felt the
same when I've known of good people
falling into temptation that everyone
trusted. It's a mystery, my friends,
it's mystery!