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An Old-Fashioned School

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long as four. My father often took us back and forth in his sleigh, and that was fine fun.

"I remember our coasting, and our sliding on the pond near the schoolhouse. When the bell rang at the end of the noon recess, we ran in and warmed ourselves around the great stove; and then, at a word from the master, we went to our desks and our books. "But we liked the spring and autumn months best. We had many games that you city children seldom play: prisoner's base, hare-and-hounds, pussy-wants-a-corner, and other old games that were brought over from England by our forefathers' children. We had long rambles through the woods and fields, and we learned many interesting things about the birds, the squirrels, the rabbits, and other shy creatures."

"What was the schoolhouse like?" said George.

"Not a bit like your fine, big school, my boy," said his grandfather. "It was not more than thirty feet long, I should think. It was very plain and simple, that old school. As you entered it, you saw along each side a row of desks and benches. At the farther end on a low platform were the teacher's desk and chair. In the middle of the room stood the great round stove, and at the rear, on either side of the door, were the rows of hooks where we hung our hats and coats. The boys sat on one side of the room, and the girls on the other side. without paint or varnish, were sat, two and two, on a wide bench with a back that you children would not think very comfortable. Sometimes a boy that couldn't keep from whispering was made to sit among the girls. This was a severe punishment for a bashful boy.

Our desks, made of smooth pine, wide enough for two. Thus we

"There were about thirty of us in our little one-room school. Some were tiny tots, learning their a b c's; and some were big boys studying Latin and geometry in order that they might enter college; but most of the pupils studied 'the three R's,' as they were called, that is, reading, writing, and "'rithmetic.'

F

We

"We used the old blue-back spelling book, written by Noah Webster, the dictionary man, in 1793; and we learned to spell from it quite as well, I think, as you and May spell now. worked hard at our arithmetic because the teacher said it would be valuable in business; and at our grammar, because he said it would help us to speak and write better. Perhaps he was right; I am not sure. But at any rate we learned to work; and I am sure that was good for us."

"But how did one man teach so many grades?" said May. "How did you all recite in the same room?" "That was easy," said her grandfather.

"While the teacher

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heard one class recite, the rest of us sat at our seats and studied, or pretended to."

"And how did the teacher keep order?" asked George.

"Well," said Mr. Lawrence, " there was a clump of young birch trees conveniently near the schoolhouse. When a boy persisted in making trouble, he was sent out to bring in a small branch from onę of those trees. Our teacher was a slender man, but he had a muscular arm; even the big boys respected him."

Writing a Letter

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"Do you mean," said May, "that he whipped the boys when they were bad?"

Mr. Lawrence's eyes twinkled. "I have sometimes thought," said he, "that our fine modern schools might be still better if they could be built near a clump of birch trees. What do you

think about it, George?"

Read this story aloud as though it were a real conversation. Criticise the reading for clearness and accuracy in pronunciation. Was the reading made interesting? Were the proper words emphasized? Did the reading indicate the paragraph divisions?

Where is your schoolhouse? How far do you live from it? How do you go to it? How long does it take you? What time must you be there? What is the opening exercise of the school? What lessons do you have? What lessons do you like best? Which are hardest? What games do you play? When is school dismissed? What do you do then?

77. WRITTEN LESSON

Write a letter describing a day at your school. Put in the date and salutation. Have some of the letters written on the blackboard. Criticise these. See that all the forms. of the letters are correct. Which are best? Why? Where are capitals used?

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In all writing there must be a margin on the left side of the page. Never begin writing at the edge of the paper. Notice how the pages of this book and other books are printed. When your letters are written perhaps some of the best of them can be addressed to children of your grade in some other school. They may like to reply, telling you of their school.

78. LANGUAGE LESSON

QUOTATION MARKS

In writing, when we give the exact words of another person, these are inclosed by quotation marks (" ").

George had often heard his father say, "Haste makes waste."

A direct quotation begins with a capital and is inclosed in quotation marks.

A quotation is usually separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.

When his father said, "It is time for school," he hurried upstairs to get his books.

In conversations, the words of each speaker are inclosed in quotation marks. Explain the use of quotation marks in the following sentences:

"I had a bad tumble on the icy hill," said George. "My books were scattered everywhere and my geography was torn.”

"Did you strap them tightly this morning?" asked his mother.

George shook his head. "No, I was in a hurry."

"You were in a hurry when you fell," said May. "Haste makes waste," said Mr. Lawrence.

What is a quotation? What are quotation marks? How are they made? Turn to Lesson 76, and explain the use of quotation marks there. Turn to Lesson 13, and explain the use of quotation marks in the fable, "The Danger of Talking Too Much."

Examine the quotation marks in Lesson 37. Explain their use in each instance.

Sif's Golden Hair

79. ORAL LESSON

SIF'S GOLDEN HAIR, A Northern Myth

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Among the Northern gods there was one who was really unfit to be a god and to live in the shining city of Asgard. This rascal was small and dark and ugly, and his name was Loki. Nothing could better show you how very mean Loki was than the story of Sif and her golden hair. Sif was the wife of the god of Thunder named Thor. She had beautiful long hair that fell over her shoulders like a shower of gold, and of this she was very proud. One day Sif fell asleep on the steps of Thor's palace, and while she lay there sleeping Loki stole up softly behind her and cut off her golden hair.

When Sif woke at last and saw what had happened, she began to cry bitterly, for her golden hair was the pride and joy of Thor, and she was afraid that he would never want to look at her again now that it was gone. She got up from the steps where she was sitting and went away to hide in the garden. When Thor came home, he looked for her all through the palace, and garden, and after a long time finally found poor Sif behind a stone, sobbing bitterly. When he heard her story, he tried to comfort her the best he could, but Sif continued weeping, and covered her shorn head with her arm.

"I know who did this shameful thing," cried Thor, wrathfully; "it was that mischief-maker Loki, but this time he shall pay dear for his wickedness." And he strode out of the palace with a look so threatening that even the gods might have trembled. before him. Now Loki was not expecting to be caught so soon, and he had not thought of seeking a hiding place; so when Thor came suddenly upon him he was too frightened to try to escape. He even forgot his ready lies, and when Thor shook him and threatened to kill him for his wicked act, he only begged for mercy and promised to restore her hair to Sif. Thor therefore

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