Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE OLD Tl sss Written for The Ste J 3?e1 A few days ago SQ elderly man, about 80 years old, was passing some modern Behool houses in an upcoun try town of South Carolina. The writer wai walking ?nd talking with him. He stopped, adjusted bis glass es and took a iook ai OBS of those three?story houses. After looking awhile he said: *'It was different when I began to go to Behool 69 years ego. I suppose you hays ?he desks, pictures, a li brary, bl?skbftar4s *nd all modera schcol furniture ia that house." Boing informed that he was correct, he said: "Well? the boya and. girls ought to learn faster and acquire much more knowledge now than they did in my time, but,somehow wo managed to get along in the old; doy's1 ', by main strength, without any aid from Out side sources. . But itis a long story and I wijl bave to polish up my mem ory a little so as to tell you a1! about sohools in Upper Carolina in the first half of tho last century." With that promise the old man was visited after be had polished his memory a little and he was requested to tell .. the Story of hts fir afc schools. He adjusted hi mo elf in his usual seat in thc corner of an open fire place, gav? the chunks a punch or two with an iron poker, and told about sohools in the olden days. He said in sub stance: "I must begin my tale a little be fore the beginning. When I woo a small boy I listened to many stories of Indians, tho .Kevolutionary w>r, the Regulators and the struggles and hardships of our people ia tho first two decades of tho century. There were very few well educated men in the country. Sonool teachers were a traveling set of men. : They would teaeb io_one place this year and in ?nnthes the next. There was one of these common teachers that made his impress os tho boys. They , called him Feodora!' Robinson. One leg was gone, whether lost in the war of ' 1776ci'.set Ms*'sc?so?wsjnovar kcew. He taught biasob?os to read and mi te, however, ?sid elderly men when. I was small had quito a respect 1? his memory*S; Withtic o2?s?ption a few Presby terian teachers who mi grated for Pennsylvania, or across the water, tho teachers were generally poorly instructedmen. About all j that was ; requirei^ of them was to write ? good hand ?uu $eaoh t^s spell ing book and 'fibers.' The .teacher who could hot write a plain hand and who could not.make ordinary calcula tions for his patrons ?nd neighbors was not desired/ ; Yon seo I am its? iog to g?? up to my first' /sensor ah a leaober? ?Tust give tao time to' think a little." ' \j?m After ho had taken a few turns about tho room,' punched; up his fire and lighted '/bia. pipev be settled again in bis socuBtomed seat.: He ' said:, ^ ' , , -^f "I think I had better toll you how ? Behool^ were "'got; up'When I was ? boy. carry around . his 'articles- to those who had ohi?dfen? ' This instrument stipulated tbat the teacher _ was to teaohsix crrtwelve months and tho price for each scholar was fixed in thc 'articles.*v The pries ranged Iron* $6 to $10-? year. \ ?fcV Jatter prieo.was eonsider^- pretity htgh. ^ When tt?i?re /??ere ; efcohgh,/ sig^^ io wai rant the ?, teach?lto;h?gi?/ work, the ?|y}^t? fixed, lt tho eeuool was for twelve time to begin.' You se$\*; year's ?ork could not be got ia" 12 months' nnless lbsschool began . the. first day ' ?f the. y??rv Besides the amount ' paid for eaoh^soholar, U demanding tha^tjnf^aObor 8b6? board around among the s^o?ar^ii?f? . he had ho borne " and ^ not <: a* ?fei I: ropm?^,;,V . "You-ought to have see? the 5ret ashool house I weat to! It was away Dick, ev*r '0 long ?go, abont. j&OS ? then' I''wM"'sJx,:ysars, old. -. Af wir>tho" . ; VMelaV'-^^ tad eaiectsd th* p1??s#? tho ^tmsei : -SJey set ??art ^riv^rra,, ?Vt"?. W?i^i? >Ho aies, ctti;?lo?. B|/.:?a?su;^ g llio house. jjfrlor ta ? that dato' dirt j i **** ****** ^ ttdfc n^M*> l:;The fcuil?a^^ ?'??*J? ootvfed [Mik bsrtrd?'sp?H. It?s? [ME SCHOOL ite by Capt. Charles as long as the boase vas wide. Of course they had no backs. The writing desk was a plank about 14 inches wide that rested in a slanting position on two or three etout pins in a log on the side of tho house. {iho log immediately above this plank was out out BO os to give light. The teach er had & split bottom chair and a small table about 2 by? feet on a pole reaching across the house and resting on the top logs were hooka raadc of small hickory switches about four feet long. Tho little end was tied around the pole, the hook, which was made by cutting off a limb and leaving three or fear 'Joches, held the dinner baskets and buckets. Such was the house and Ha furni ture. ; .' Q "My first teacher was a small, stooped man about 25- years old. If he bcd ever heard of any Wt books except Webster's blueback spelling book, PikVs and Qmilej'a arithme tic tho scholars never knew it. 80 far aa English grammar and geography were concerned, it is very doubtful whether ho had ever seen the books or not. The children began with the AB Os and kept through to the end of the book. When they finished they turned back to 'baker* and went over the same thing again and a?ain. About .'the third year they began to write. There were no copy books in that day. Ordinary cap paper was used. Copies were set by the teacher; Pens ma^a from goose quills were the only ones HESS, for steel pens had not come into use. M?stof the scholars urcd home made ink. Some of them during the summer would gather oak balls 63 they fell from tho trees and squeese out tho julee and by adding a little copperas make their ink. The school teacher was pen maker for the neighborhood. When hie turn came to stay all night at a house he was asked to make two.- or three pens for lamil vns?? "Your people now oall about six hours* school day and eight and nine months a school yea?; l?e* ia my day. The people then generally had their breakfast about oncrise. All lived in the country. There were no towns ia thai day. As econ sa break fast was over the children started to school. As'soon cs the toaoher ar* lived the work of the day began. He .taught without recess tilt 1% o'clock and then gave. two hours for dinner and",; play.: Af te? that rest ; 'books* was called out and ell assembl? for the long afternoon. Ko taro sd oat ia time, for the fartherest away to ?et home by sunset. Friday afternoon he would haye ? big spelling match, after -.fekSj? -hs}. ^vUid V^B ?KS *n nour' earlier thanvusual. Children spelled an'd mumbled aloud ' if they desired. There Were two 'spelling:' dailycoe just before noon and the other tho last thing in i!*s. ?fteraooa. Mf^fe Friday. ^ew;>wai;/ep??||ing B?ro?s|tjfo; ; bencV^that is, one of the long benches - waa placo i out in tho middle pf th e room and two pf?be boys would and place each On the p>op?r i; side of the bench/ Those captains'wore gen erally the :pporest a^eHers; inv the school. Tho icaoher would then ??ko his Webster and go through the whole f.tp^^:>*?o one inisfciug a word would drop cut. The sidos wero thinned j fast at' the start, but sometimes ibero for a long time, spelling every word correctly. Let mo say to^: young aol* le?a feUjo^^ ,np suefr'sp^ days, Thoy could be a tyok witb one oya olGaed, And it may bo an -ol? fogy notion of mine, but I have. a ;in^b^;pooto^nj^pf a.jpnjnj^^?^ t|oo Wben he does not .k?6^ how to Bpelitiell.; It is a great defeCW : - "When ? kiicher . contracted teach, a jp? the, anderste^ w's* that it wa* 12 ot1j^&OQihc.--*rher6 jityfc?o rvac??ons. Easter, .'Vthe te? ?f. M* -w*^ ,b*t&day were act observed., ^rougb winter an? summer the school wen* osu Tho o*>ly holiday enjoyed by the scholart wa* , the last week ejF the year; beginnt wi?h Christmas day. ?rm.-ZiC+r^^v . .; . -:.v- -. :-^-i^SSaE tho toaoher $ut.' The, larger, boys [^ifc*^*^ of &? teacher: ho vW$ j i?>u stern manner '??%t?;^||^e!^ ,??h*a ", the boys Would demand ;tk* holiday. /Of:'^tt^e;fe'*ojal?. ?:?S^^>Wft??*k?^ten? Jrfio*?* sf 'tbs ?im4W- Wheo the teamer would not snitfe^d?r, ;',after- d?.^:,.|^?Wsjiion; - mmmmmmSSt ed near atNaaud. He would mount that and defy the boys. But he would soon fall into their handa and rather than bo ducked in the spring branch would giy^ the holiday^ and a treat. The later ia the old day? con sisted c! a quart bpttle of whiskey. The acholara were ?il drawn up in line and the bottle passed from one to the other. Many of them would not taste it. Io latter years candy waa used instead of whiskey aa a treat. The pay of the teacher for bia year's work ranged from ?100 to $150. Of oourse he got his board free. That waa considered better that plowiog or hiring out to work for a farmer. "About 1840 there waa an improve ment in schools. Some fairly edwcat3 ed men were employed as the farmers began tc accumulate property. Tho advent of the Yankee schoolmaster gave a new impulse to our schools. Beaders, geographies, histories and ?vea Greek and Latia wes-o introduc ed. The writing of compositions ano! the makisg of speeehes followed. Then came the tea months' session for a year and an occasional holiday. More comfortable houses ware built and better furniture was used. . "Tho discipline io tho old timo schools was sot very rigid? Studying j nloudwfts a sort of safety valve by wbieb extra noise could escape. Tho teacher always had a well seasoned hickory switch close at han?l. When he saw a boy idle, without a word be would take up his switoh and throw it on tho floor at the boy's feet. Ho was told to pick it up and bring it to the teacher. If moro boys than one were noisy they wore all requested to take hold of the switoh and carry it to tho teacher's table. Sometimes an admonition only wa? given. Again the .switch was used, but not severely. "I noticed in your town tho other day that tho ooh claro wera well dressed and all wore shoes abd stock iago. There were no dioaer baskets. Then they had satchels or straps to hold their . many hooke together. When I began togo to.eshoo! the spelling book was left in tho school house. There was no need of a bag to ccurry books. Thea as to dross dur ing tho cummer th? boys under IB wore only -two garments? a shirt: ?ad trousers, or breeches as they celled them. By. the tims they wera 16 years old they put on shoes but with out .soaks' & the summer asdv they woro a coat. AU the garments wert fpme made, the mothers spinning and v; ?aVing the cloth. The small girls all went barefooted ia snmraer. The girls and boys had separate play grounds. The question of co-educa tion never oamo up theo. The large girls sod grown young men attended tho samo sohco? and I sever heard e! a Scandal. v "AH tha schools in Upper Caroline from 1800 to 1880 wert not taught by fuoh teachers aa described above, hut the majority were. While tho toaoh* ?rt knew little, the boys and girlt .ander them grew up to bp good mei and women. They laid tho founds i sion for ibo high schools and college t |wbioh followed. The 'old field teacher that boarded around and hac irjo %ime was an important factor ii the development of ijpui^* country ^.^V-^^VM?*' in mind that ihen rwere no papers, uo pictures,? ?p li praries, no; bookstores in tho*? das s The mail service wa* tuen, very pcm tand it required two-or three weeks for a paper to come : from Philadolphir or Washington to this Beotioo. Let :|0r:poist8ge'' was 25 cents and poatoffi cea were few.and far between. Tat iog it all in all, I think the boya and girla in my day and time and in the first years of the century did about' aa well aa' yonx finely dicssed fellows are now doing io th*?? f-Q.OOO Behool houses. "Tho 'rules* were very important in the primitive schools. Tho first Friday of the cession the teacher would form ail tho scholars in line and gravely and sternly read the 'rules.' These were like the ten commandments, mostly prohibitory. Do not throw atones, do not fight and quarrel, do not loiter on the way to and from sohool. One of the positive injunctions waa that the aoholar should wash his faso and hands, comb bia hair and present a neat appear ance. Another requirement waa that scholars ahould always be polite to persons met oh the way to and from school. These rules at first were read onoe a week. Later in the session it waa Aonoidered that once a meath waa often enough A Kew Wea In Bread. America is the native home of a large variety of breads-the adopted home of many other kinds, which have been brought over by the Ger* man, tho Swede, and the Russian. Rye bread, barley bread, whoat bread, corn bread->not to speak of the infin ity of "hot breads" known in this land o2 plenty and dyspepsia-all flourish here. But there ie really a novelty in bread on tho horizon, just the same. If it is euooessful, it will moao pros perity to many a farmer in the rioe belt, besides adding a new staple to our tables. Uncle 8am, in his Gov ernment crop reporter, thinks it im portant enough to discuss; and overy housekeeper trying to satisfy the changing appetites of a family, may be well interested, too. A new animal for meat purposes has long boen sighod for by every marketer who goes over beef, mutton, lamb, veal,, pork, poul try, backward and forward, year after year; and a new kind of brear*, is almost equally desirable. Bice bread is tbs new idea-or rath er, the mixturo of rico flour in whoat bread so as to produce a different bread from the ordinary. . As far baok as 1834 a French scientist submitted to the Academy of Medicino in Pori o a bread made of two parts rios flour, thirteen parts of water, and thirteen of ?heat flour, mixed with yeast, aalt oto. , as usual. A commission appointed to report ort ibis bread found that it was very palatable^ whiter than wheat en^ bread, and remained freak muoh longer. Whether the number thirteen was ? "hoodoo" or not, the new bread scheme ?rent no farther, however, at *t-_A A.?-; mat HUV. American enterprise bas revived this Frc nob idea. The lower grades of rough or broken ?ie?, siter tho full and pjrfeot grains have bean separated, have heretofore boan uced only ns "brewer's rioo" r.od far below the prias,of wheat. Yet this rough rico, ground up into flour, is light and pala table, and muoh whiter theo wheat flour* Tho groat probUm of esr Sour makers, so far, has been to get the nutritious parts of tbs wheat into the flour, and yet : not offend the con sumer, who 'foolishly i uar. ia on white fl )ur. ' By adding rice flo ur to a darker and more nutritious wheat flour than Americans generally'can be Induced to buy, a white flour can bc made, which is; both good to look at, and extremely ' nourishing. At the same time, such flour can be made more cheaply than. Fewer acres* lighter labor? lar ?mbinat?on secured with FAR! lizer proved perfect ky jtwenty o?d for every- stage ol j^nt gi vesting, and is suited to a grea corn* wheat to sma?i truck. \h every ton of Farsnm* Bone, insu ?h?ons ss4 ?n?ki?^ it famous as, ave ? marie? . rv OFTEE.CHOP tho best-or rather tho whitest whuat flo ar. A few rice mills ia Louisiana snd Texas are now "flouring the 'brewor's lice,' " and trying to introduoo it in the American market. Germany and Holland have been ueiog it for years in large quantities. It will make pan cakes, bread and oven pies, as well, apparently, as the ordinary pastry flour. It is certainly a temperanoe movemont to make ?ice into bread rather than beer; and it looks as if a novel and nutritious flour might soon take an important plaoe io the Amer* iaan ouiBine. New York Woman Drowned Three Chilien and Herself. Pall Uiver, Blass., Feb. 20.-The open door of a state room whioh had boon oooupied by a woman and three young eMldron on the trip of the Fall River Line eteamer Ply mouth, from New York to this oity, early today led to the discovery that Ure. John Wolters of Brooklyn, N. IT,, had taken the lives of her ihr co little cues and then her own. Mrs. Watter? apparently had thrown over board her two daughters and infant eon and then jumped after them. Investigation by tho sttaohes of the eteamer indicated that the tragedy occurred between midnight and 3:30 a. m., the faotiof the otate room being unoccupied having boen discovered just before the Plymouth made the Newport landing. The woman loft two notos addressed to her husband. In enc penciled cn the back of au en velope she begged forgiveness; in the other, written on wrapping paper, she Bald that she "had worried" until She feared insanity 'and could not bear to leave the ohildren. So mo ho ure after the arrival of the Plymouth at this port. Dwight Brady, GOD of Capt. Jam'J Brady, coll co tor of the port of Fall River, identified articles found in the state room as belonging to his sister, Mrs. Wetters, who apparently was coming to Fall River to visit her relatives. Mrs. Waitera was about 30 years Of age. Her children were*. Helen, aged 4; Dorothy, 2 yeare, and an infant son of ten months. New York, Feb. 20.-John W. Wetters is ssesager of the fire in surance bureau of the National AB? eooiation of Manufactur?la. Ho was prostrated when told of his wife's death. To a business assooiate, Mr. Wetters said that his wife had been subject to abort spells of insanity and that ehe epent sometime in e nani tar i um several yea? ago. Mr Wstters said hie wife's troubles were entirely imaginary and that their home life was always happy. Mr. Walters' mental affection, which, it waa thought, had been prac tically cured, toole the form of s desperate anxiety for hs? children. - Judge a man's charitableness by the way he sets when his . wife asks him for money. - If the world owed every man a living it would have been deolared bankrupt long ago. - It ie easier to induoe two hearts to beet as one than it xs to induce two mouths to eat. that woy. - When we think of the ease with which we deoeive others we should think of Unease with whioh others may deceive us. Hither ?pfcage geryUslcfe-a happy -one years " of great j owth from planting it diversity of crops, OOD, big "mealy" potatoes ? fe can not be produced with out a liberal amount of POTASH in the fertilizer-not less than ten per cent. It must be in the form of Sulphate of POTASH of highest quality. ?.Plant Food" and "Truck Farming" are two practical books which tell o? the successful growing of potatoes and the other garden truck-sent free to those who write us for them? Address, OBRMAN KALI WORKS. New York-M Nassau Street, er Atlanta. Gs.-22}? So. Broad Street. Now comes tho "Good Old Summer Time" when you want one of our. Up-to-Date VEHICLES for Pleasure. Carriages, Surreys, Paarten?, Buggies, Bun-a-Bouts, Buckboard, Traps, And in fact any thing yon need in the Vehicle line you will find at our Bo* S?itories. A fine line of HARNESS, SADDLE9, UMBRELLAS. CAN PY SHADES, DUSTERS, Ac i Call and examine for yourself, and if we cannot suit you it will be ott? fault Very truly, ERETWELL-HANKS 00., Anderson. 8. 0. How is a good time to buy a new Buggy and Harness, and we want you to look at our large stock of the latest and best up-to-date styles, and it will be no trouble for you te make a selection. Our work is all sold under guarantee. We hays extra bargains to offer, Give us a trial. Our prices are low and terms to snit. THE J. S. FOWLER COMPANY. P. 8.-We haye a few last Pail's Jobs to go at Goat, THE SOUTH'S GREATEST SYSTEM! Unexcelled Dining Car Service. Through. Pullman SleepinglCars on aU Brains, Convenient Schedules on all Local Trains. i i, - ? i : "WINTER TOURIST RATES ?re now In effect to all FJc?ida Pointe) For full information as to rates, routes, etc., COE s ult nearest Southe Raliway Ticket Agent, or . R. W. HUNT, Division Pastenger Agent, Charleston, 8. CL BROOKS M ORGAN, Ant Gen. Pas. Agent, Atlanta, Ga, ts ? m 1 cs Ss W SH S3 ?? Sa 3 m H fe o 0 g KW R fi < m I > O ONE CAB OF HOG FEED. cassa M f??* f Have just received one Car Load of HOG FEED (Shorts) at very close prices. Come beforethey aro sdi gone. Now is the time for throwing IJI^E ! Around yoar premises to prevent s case of fever or some otk t disease, that will cost yon very much moro than the price of a burrel of Limo (91.00.) We have ? fresh shipment in stock, tod will be glad to eend you. some* If von contemplate building A barn or Any* : other building* see us before buying your CEMENT and LUXE, TT. As we sell the very^estrqualities"only.* Mk m A.,mW a ' jm*- ?? ALUNULUOR A man thinks it ia when the matter of life insurance suggests itself-but cireninaUn* ces of late have shown how life hangs by a thread when war, flood, hurricane asd fire suddenly overtakes you, and the only way to be iure that your family ie protected in case of cala? iHy overtaking yon is to in? ; sure in a sohd Company life-- ; The Mutual Benefit Life Ins. Go* Drop in and see us About it M. m. MATT?SOK, al ? V.