Part 6 (1/2)
Thus, often, froly withered and dead, would unexpectedly blosso brilliancy and unprecedented attractiveness
CHAPTER IX
SUNLIGHT AND DARKNESS IN PALACE AND COTTAGE
My pupils at the reform school were from the dens and hovels of the Bowery, while those at S---- were from the palaces of Fifth Avenue; but to my utter astonishment, the children of the slums were morally and perhaps intellectually superior to those of the plutocrats I was occasionally the guest of both the poverty-stricken and the millionaire parents of my scholars, and I verily believe that I saw as much depravity and misery in the abodes of the rich as in those of the poor
On my arrival in Berkshi+re County, I found both of my employers were off on a spree, and that I was ordered to do the work of receiving and organizing One day, a princely equipage with liveried coachman and outrider halted at the schoolroom door, a ”bloated bondholder” and his wife, arrayed in purple, fine linen, and diamonds, pulled a flashi+ly appareled, humpbacked boy up to”There,” said the father, ”is my d---- d son, he drinks, swears, and breaks all the commandments every day
Take him, and send the bill to me” He handed me his card and away they went
This was not an isolated case I did my best for them; but they were satiated with luxury, hated books, and see but debauchery The very next day several of these scamps obtained permission to visit the cave in ”Bear Mountain,” where ice could be found throughout the year As they did not return on time, I went in search and found them all drunk They had no appreciation of the sun-kissed rand scenery awakened no responsive s aspirations; they were intent upon nothing but drowning their ignoble souls in the noxious fuon, drove them to their dormitory and put them to bed, lower than the beasts they seemed to be in their depravity; not all to be sure, for there were a few choice spirits like Julian Hawthorn, who followed to some extent the example of his illustrious father, and has won his spurs in literature
I found to ood ones; but that ood ones could not take the rottenness from even one of the bad
It seemed a hopeless task to endeavor to inspire such impoverished souls, and I retired in despair, to accept the principalshi+p of the ancient acadee
Here I met the children of the so-called middle class, the very bone and sinew of the Republic; here I was ulations of the public schools, I pursued the delightful avocation of a true educator E and duco is the etyies of the mind I had chemical and philosophical apparatus hich to perfor of the sciences, and all were intent upon acquiring thorough, practical education
When I saw their enthusias from want of physical exercise, at the tap of the bell, ould all rush out upon the beautiful ca faces and invigorated energies, they would follow me back to our studies, sometimes into the cheerful academy hall, sometimes under the shade of the noble oaks, where ould study botany close to nature's heart a of the tree-tops
We gaveample funds to decorate the walls of our hall orks of art; ent on rides together in barges, drank in long draughts of inspiration froy, practically, like, if not equal to Hugh Miller, aood, and here I should have remained; but the old unrest caer salary in teaching in my native county of Essex
As soon as I took coirls in B----, I realized how vast is the contrast between free and unrestricted educating, and the grind of cra to the ironclad rule of the public school syste that they really know nothing In proof of this, read these veritable specimens of definitions, written by public school children that very year in another school of this town
”Stability is the taking care of a stable”
”A mosquito is the child of black and white parents”
”Monastery is the place fordrunk”
”Expostulation is to have the smallpox”
”Cannible is two brothers who killed each other in the Bible”
”Anatomy is the human body, which consists of three parts, the head, the chist and the stummick The head contains the eyes and brains, if any; the chist contains the lungs and a piece of the liver The stummick is devoted to the bowels, of which there are five, a, e, i, o, u, and so to his ability to secure froe in exarew restless under the restraints imposed by a committee of incompetents; besides, the minister as chairman of the Board, considered a Unitarian to be an infidel, derew tired of his malicious peccadillos, and accepted a ”louder” call from that quaint tohere the historic Lloyd Ireson ”with his hord horrt was torrd and futhered und Korrid in a Kort by the wimmun o' Marrble ed”
Here I had one hundred boys in one rooet up muscle to lick the schoolmaster in winter They had been quite successful in this latter industry for several years in my school, and at once proceeded to try the sa, I was saluted with a volley of iced snow balls as hard as brickbats, and I at once reciprocated these favors by knocking down the leader, dragging hi, and when the vinegar-faced co their sons to dance to this same useful instrument
These owl-like worthies sat solely fowls they soested, that the first business in order was to throw me out theas they had so many ofhickory stick -elevator, I swung it fiercely close to their heads This was ained for, and the uproar pro tem subsided
This was the winter fa the severest snowstor-house, where reeable substitutes for iant ringleader of my assailants who had moved to baptize me by immersion in the icy waters of the harbor, hih a hole in the ice and was drowned The loss of their eneral soed to survive the fourteen weeks'