Year: 1861

II was many SCoiS a6O ti"I Noih


menced keeping school. l had gradu-


ated at an academy of some note, and was


pretty well posted up in those branches


of education which were introduced into


our common schools and when the COM


mittee came TO examine me, could see


that they were very forcibly impressed


by the ease with which | answered all


their questions. In short | knew about


everything that was set down in the books


which had studied, for ! happened to


possess one of those wonderful reteutive


memories that fastens surely upon what


ever comes once within its grasp. /


imagined, and so did the committee i'm


ague, that | was eminently qualified for


the post to which | aspired. But as /


look back now upon the events of those


years, see where | greatly erred. !


can see where made great mistakes,


and where most wofully lacked in quail


ifcation and l write this little chapter


of recollections for the benefit Of those


who may be just entering upon the duties


of teacher.


When commenced my first school


land the same ideas had governed me


for long time alterwards) ! looked upon


the children before me as so many little


individuals whom ] had got to fill with


learning, They were, to my mind, so


many human vessels, which had got to be
filled up with the waters of education
and my only ideas of capacity were of
size and age In my class of ten scholars
which were to recite from the mental
arithmetic, and the members of which
were nearly the same age, | considered
that each individual must hold the same
amount of mathematical food, and digest
1t equally with the rest. And thus |
commenced my school. ! knew what
was written in the books, and was to
teach it to the children before me. had
learned it all, and believed they could.
AT least, if they did not, l meant that it
should be do fault Of mine.


In my first class in arithmetic were two
boys, whom | have selected to figure in
this sketch. take them because their
subsequent career affords a striking eX-
ample OF the facts ! wish to present. ] (.
shall not tell you their names, for they
are both living, and are worthy, honor
able men. shall tell you that they
were Luke Weston and James Shute.
Luke was rather heavily built, with a
large, full head, dark, grey eye; dark
brown hair; and inclined to be slow and
dreamy when called upon to work with
his mind. He could work fast enough
out OF doors, when the play hours came,
and when the free air and vigorous exer-
else sent the copious blood bounding
through his veins but in the school room
over his books, be was quite another
character.


James Sbute, on the other hand, was
light of frame; with a small compact
head hair Of a faxen hue; light blue
eyes; and possessed an organization
highly nervous and sensitive. He cared
but little for the rough sports out of doors
seeming rather to prefer his books and
perfect himself in his lessons. ! did not
make any account OF these physical pc
culiarities at the time, for thought moth
ing of them, and cared nothing for them
but | remember them well enough now.


Luke and James were in the same
classes, in all the branches which they
studied, and the few months difference
in their ages were in favor Of the former,
he being a little the eldest. In short |
discovered that Luke Weston did not
learn his lessons well. He blundered
in his arithmetic, and stumbled lamely
over his spelling lessons. As | look back
now | can rewember that he used to be-
tray a deep interest in some portions of
philosophy; and that, when the subject
interested him, he read with feeling not
excelled by any scholar in the school,
But cared little for this at the time. l
looked upon the black board as the grand
field of scholastic display; the spelling
book came next and next came Lindley
Murray's old calfbound grammar,with its
intricate maze of Orthography, Etymol-
ogy, Syntax, and Prosody. These were
my educational deities, before which
every intellect must bow, and from the
inspiration of which every intellect must
be filed.


James Shute became my favorite schol
ar. He worked over his slate with an
assiduity which was untiring, and felt
a pride in exhibiting his powers to my
Upon the black board he could
perform wonders for one so young. In
reduction in fractions, simple and COM