Year: 1877

articles are in all cases original compost ions. and the copies we give are verba- 4im

 Caroline Roberts, the. writer of .sMy Log Cabin School-honse. was born at Vernon Mills, Va, in 1856, and was ta- ken to Alexandria in 1872, where she att tended school for four months. In 1873 l and 1874. she taught primary school of which her essay is an account, thus ob- taining the money to attend the Hamp- ton Institute which she entered in 1875. She completes har course this year. with credit to herself and to the entire satis- faction of her teachers. Being of an ear nest and persevering nature, she has paid her own way through Hampton, and by her goodwill and ladY-like bearing. she has gained the love and the respect of all who knew her.

 1 :.Mz Loo CABIN SCHOOL HOUSE" '"-BY CARO- | LINE ROBERTS. ssI was only IT years old, when on a | pleasant September morning, l left home to begin my first experiment in school teaching 100 miles away in the mountains of Virginia. had been fortunate to get school, and I amused myself while rid ing in the cars, with imagining how nlce- l ly I should arrange everything and how we'll I-should succeed. I had written for, some one to meet me, but when l arrived at the station, I did not sec any one who | seemed to have come for me. left my baggage at the depot and went to an old colored woman's house and told her who I was and what had come for. She sad, T heard that there was a lady coming up in this part of the country to teach. and are you the one. honey? Il told her sup posed so. Then said she, if you are the one we have been looking for. this is not the place for you to stop; it is ten miles from here.' This was my first surprise. l '.While was sitting there talking, two colored men came to the fence and called Aunt Fanny, and asked her If she had seen anything of their new teacher. She told them yes, and that was there. They came in and introduced themselves, and said that they were not able to get there by the time the cars did. but that was not the worst of it; they did not bring wag on to carry me or my trunk. asked them why they did not. They said they had none themselves, and that the white peo- pie would not lend them any because l was colored. There was but one way for me to get there and that was to walk the 1 ten miles. never had tried to walk so I far before. but plucked up all my cour- age and reslved to make the best of every 1 thing. At ten o'clock at night I. arrived, tired enough at my new home, and found a nice supper and very comfortable place prepared for me to sleep.

 ''rhe next day but one. had to go be- fore-the Superintendent but he lived about l fifteen miles from where I was stopping. l easily succeeded in getting two horses one for myself, and one for the young man who offered to guide me. We reached the Superintendent's office, and found he was not there. so we sat and waited for him. He came in short time, and when heard his foot-step in the hall, [ I trembled for fear of the coming exami- nation. But when he came in, he talked so kindly that all my fears were removed.

 Perhaps yon would like. to know what my examination was: He a,ked ma what a fraction is and to write my name. Af- ter that, sat waiting for the next ques- ton, when he handed me my certificate, and said had passed satisfactory exam nation. l was very much surprised to hear that had passed any. ''This was on Wednesday, and my school was not to begin till Monday. spent the time in visiting the parents, and got the most of them to consent to let their chil. dren come to school.

 Sunday came, I went to church, and looked over the little building with inter- est, for that was to be my school house. It was small log cabin, just n the edge of pine grove, beside the main road; it faced directly east, and right in front of the door was large pine tree. The build ing was made wholly of logs,l the chinks | were filled in with rocks and mortar, the roof was nicely shingled, and there were three windows, one on one side, and two on the other. The floor was pretty good, but the seats were miserable mere boards nailed on to blocks. The greatest fault. however, was that it was too small. Their minister was from a neighboring planta- 1 ton; he could read, but he was very little above, his congregation.

 "On Monday morning, about half past eight o'clock, I went down to the school house, and to my surprise found 15 or 20 children gathered around the door. cal- led them in and gave them seats, then read chapter from the Bible to them. Thus began my first teaching in my little log cabin schooi-house. When had ex- amihed all my pupils, found that all but three would go into the A B C class, though some of them had been going a whole term before. Within two months my school had increased to 45 pu- pills. #f

 My work was difficult and fatiguing, but the spirit of teaching grew upon me. It was encouraging to go to the school house at half past eight and find the most of the children there with Q nice fire, and the schoolhouse just as neat and clean as could be- every one trying to see which could do the most to please me. Their kindness, obedience and anxiety to learn, l won my whole heart.

 ''There was more work to be done than | could do in school hours, but could not bear the idea of sending any of the little ones home. who wanted so much to learn to read. There was but one way for me to manage it, and that was to put all the. children who lived long way off in the same class. I let them recite first, and when four o'clock came, dismissed them; even then it would be dark before some of them could get home. Then af ter four would have to hear three or four classesTecite. They were quite vii Hing to stay and their parents were willing to let them.

 | .I did not keep the children confined to their lesson books; sometimes told them stories. and every Friday afternoon used to read to them, one week story for the larger pupils, and the next one for the smaller children; but all seemed to en- Hoy one as much as they did the other. Il When first began to teach in this school very large holes in the sides of the walls, and the window frames were all broken out, and there were scarcely any seats. There was no seat at all for me; but one of the neighbors let me have chair. I

 had neither desk nor table, but where

 there IS will there is way, and it was not long before had some very comfort- q able seats made with backs to them.

 told the childrens' parents and the church Fl H