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Show PASSING OF LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE IS CHRONICLED GOOD AND BAD OF EDUCATION IN THE OLD DAYS IS TOLD Time was, and not so long ago, when it was the boast of every political poli-tical orator that he had received his elementary aducation in the little, red, one-room schoolhouse. That "loast somehow bound him up with the -lain people. With neither boasting nor apology, but without hesitation, I readily admit that for the first seven years of rrty schooling, I sat in a one-room schoolhouse constructed of red brick. One looks back, without lack of appreciation, ap-preciation, but with some amusement. There were, for instance, the teachers. Some of them were women, but I 'ived in a district where the gang was altogether too rough for a woman to handle. There was that first teacher. Bill Jones. I remember two things, about Bill: He read Alger books and chewed tobacco. I wouldn't deprecate Bill's ability for the world. He knew the rules of English grammar and how to exact cube root equally well, which is more than I know to this day. No one could have started you better in the fundamentals. What was also of great importance was Bill's greatly-to-be-feared right arm. He could wield the hickory stick until un-til the blood ran down the subject's legs. The pupils in that one-room schoo' were often more amazing than the teachers. Things had to be pounded through some of their heads. I think I knew one chap who was in the 4th grade five years. When I passed through it he was twenty-one. Every afternoon when we "spelled down," he invariably went to the foot. It didn't bother him. He is now a fairly successful farmer. If a student was apt or had an inclination towards "book learning," he could advance very rapidly in a one-room school He naturally wasn't worked to death, and had time to hear the recitations and pick up knowledge from the classes class-es ahead of him. Every school, too, had a pretty good library, and spare moments could be very well occupied. I don't rememiber much that was distinctive dis-tinctive about the work except arithmetic. arith-metic. The outstanding emphasis there was put upon mental arithmetic Those 'district school teachers and their better pupils could solve more problems in their heads than can be solved by a modern comptometer. Psychologically, I suppose the whole thing was all off. It used to make me shiwer to see a boy licked until he squealed, before the whole room, but the ordeal kept me from dipping my best girl's pigtail in the ink unless I knew I could do it unseen. un-seen. One never went to school regularly. regu-larly. Furthermore, spring planting and fall harvesting always kept one out a couple of weeks. There was a lot of arbitrary discipline and in the regular curriculum little attention was paid to individuality. But to the good students was privately given every word of encouragement. Personally, Per-sonally, I never believed my individuality individu-ality was warped rduch in those seven years. There were a number of high spots in those early school days. Every morning we sang songs. We showed our patriotism by regularly shouting "America"; we recalled Garfield's death by singing "My Name is Charles Guiteau." We sang "The Boston Burglar," but also others less morbid, like "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Re-public." Now and then we had programs. pro-grams. One recited "Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight," or sang "When You and I were Young, Maggie," or debated on the proposition: "Resolved: "Re-solved: That the cow is a more useful animal than the horse." There were also spelling and ciphering matches. There was the noon hour when lunches were eaten, and you shared a choice piece of cake with the best girl. Later on we had a music teacher come once every week. I learned a lot about certain composers. Already the forces of deterioration were beginning be-ginning to set in; for lo, on day there came a county health nurse. The next day the local drug and department stores ran out of a stock of toothbrushes tooth-brushes which had been on the j shelves for years. j It's almost all gone now, at least : ! in the Broad Valley of Democracy. : i Instead of walking a mile or two at the eight o'clock bell of the little red Fc'ioolhojse. Mary and Johnnie now board a His which carries them to the consolidated school. One grade, and only one, is in a room. The teachers have all studied "Methods of Element:1 ry Education." Report cards have a rating ,for "Initiative," "Persistency," "Cooperation," and so on. And Mother American institution institu-tion is pa?.;ing. From 'New York' |