Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== A Memoir of the Late William Hodge, Sen. Bigelow Bros., Buffalo, N.Y. - 1885 (122-137) EARLY RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND SUNDAY SCHOOLS SCHOOLHOUSES AND TEACHERS COLD SPRING DISTRICT, (No. 2) -------- I here add to the account given at pages 94-100, of my schools and teachers, a full list, from my own remembrance and from information which I have collected, of the teachers of School No. 2 (3 and 16)—or the " Cold Spring District," to the year 1846. The first name to record is that of a Mr. STURGEON, who taught in the log school-house mentioned at page 94, which stood on farm-lot No. 33, about opposite where Bryant street enters Main. This was previous to 1809. His suc- cessor was Dr. ABRAM TOURTELOT, who took the school in 1809. He was a pioneer resident here, well educated for his profession; but, as was often necessary in those days, to procure means of support, added to his practice the honorable vocation of a school-teacher. I do not know whence he came; but doubtless, like all the teachers of that day who were not natives here, he originated "down east." I do not remember him as my teacher, but I know from the statements of my uncle, BENJAMIN HODGE, Jr., that I attended his school when I was but five years of age. My uncle has told me that the boys then had to pick up armfuls of small wood and sticks, to make and keep the school fire. My aunt. Miss SABRINA ABBOTT, was the next teacher, in 1810, in a log house standing four or five rods from the road, opposite the Cold Spring, where Ferry street now is. The ground there was low and flat, and often the way from the road to the house was very wet, and logs having the upper side hewn flat, were laid over this space to walk on. Miss ABBOTT came from Richfield, N.Y., in 1807 or -8, living with her sister, my mother. She was married in 1811, to EBENEZER HOWES, and was left a widow the next year, — continuing then in my father's family for twenty years or more, till her son had grown to manhood. They then went to Monroe, Mich., where he opened a store, and soon after married. He continued eight or ten years in mercantile business. But his wife, and a few years later he himself, died; and his mother closed up his business and came back to Buffalo, making her home again in my father's family till after the death of my father and mother in 1848 and 1868, respectively. She died in 1876, aged eighty-seven years; -being the last survivor of the ten children, five sons and five daughters, of my grandfather, DANIEL ABBOTT. The next school-house to be mentioned, is a log one on lot 39, about where Puffer street enters the east side of Main, which stood ten or fifteen rods from the road, and to which I have already twice referred. I remember going and coming as a scholar there, and having, in a wet time, to climb along a rail fence on my way to and from school, —walking on the big logs which lay at the bottom. In 1811 the teacher there was Miss HULL. I am quite sure she was a resident of the town, if not the neighborhood. My uncles, BENJAMIN HODGE, Jr., and VELORUS HODGE, were among the scholars there. Next I remember attending a school kept in a double log house on lot 30, already mentioned, about where St. Paul street is located. A family named SEAVER lived in the north room, the school occupying the south end of the building. I think that this was in 1811 or -12, but I do not remember the teacher's name. I do not know when our school district was organized; but the first school I remember as being kept on the "old schoolhouse lot," now occupied by Police Station No. 6, at the northeast corner of farm lot No. 58, was then under the care of Mr. EATON (to whom I have referred at page 112), in the year 1812. I think that the school district was organized at about this time. In the summer of 1813 Miss POLLY LAY was the teacher here, about whom I remember little except the name. WILLIAM COGSWELL taught this school in the winter of 1812-13. I remember him very distinctly as a middle-aged man, and a good teacher, who governed his scholars well, and was greatly liked by them. I know nothing of his history. The next summer, 1813, our teacher was Miss JEWETT, concerning whom I can give no information. I am quite sure that in the winter of 1813-14, in the wartime, and after Buffalo was burned, no school was maintained here. Of perhaps twelve families which returned that winter, only two, I think, were from our neighborhood, — those of Major FREDERICK MILLER and WILLIAM HODGE, Sen. Before continuing my list of teachers I will here give an account of the purchase of a school lot, and some general facts as to the school-house, and the school life of those days. After the organization of our school district, the trustees, in 1814 or -15, purchased a school-house lot. The District, as first organized, included lot No. 50, commonly called the "WALDEN Hill" farm lot. Beginning in the easterly line of the "Mile Strip," at the south- west corner of that lot, the south line then ran east to Main street, then north to the center of the present High street, which it followed till it struck the farm lot next to, and east of, Jefferson street; thence south, so as to include this lot; thence east to the line run- ning north and south between the lots of ranges 8 and 7. now the line of Moselle street; thence north on that line till it struck the "CHAPIN road;" thence west on the dividing line between the CHAPIN and GRANGER farms, as far as the "Mile Strip," and thence south on the easterly line of the "Mile Strip" to the southwest corner of the WALDEN farm, the place of beginning. At that time there was but one family in the District, on the Cayuga road, now Best street, —that of ROBERT REYNOLDS, living on the south side of the junction of what are now Best and Genesee streets. The latter was then laid out only west of Main street; East Genesee street being opened, I think, between 1825 and 1830. There were but two families on what was then the "ADAMS" road (now discontinued), —those of JOSEPH ADAMS and WILLIAM LONG. On the "CHAPIN" road, south side, was ROSWELL HOSFORD (his place having afterwards been the LONGNECKER farm and being now Prof. WEST'S); and there were no more families in the district except those on the Main road from "Flint Hill" to "WALDEN Hill." For a school lot, the Trustees took a bond or contract of DANIEL LEWIS, dated November i8, 1816, to deed, from lot 58, a piece sixty feet square, "beginning eighteen rods from a certain road laid to Black Rock" (now Utica street); the deed to be executed on or before May 14, 1821; and the price being one hundred and twenty dollars. December 13, 1818, GILMAN FOLSOM assumed this obligation; and in 1823 SELDEN DAVIS took it, with this change; —he was to deed a piece of land on the northeast corner of the same lot, 58, sixty feet deep, the front measure not being given; but the understanding was, I re- member, that the piece was to be larger than the one first agreed upon, in consideration of its being taken from the lower corner instead of from the center of the farm lot. On this corner, then, it was, that the small log house stood, in which our district school had for several years been already kept, and which was large enough for our needs in those times. And here, after it was burned, as I shall presently relate, the new "plank" school-house to be soon described, was built. In summer there were then from fifteen to twenty scholars; in winter, more, —the "grown-up" boys and girls then having time to attend. This school-house was about 18 by 24 feet in size, with three windows of 7x9 glass. The floor was of wide boards, broad enough, at least, to admit of a good deal of shrinking; and not being matched, the cracks between them became quite large, and many of the boards were loose. Free circulation was thus given for wind which blew in underneath. As for the side walls, to put the house in condition for winter, mortar was used to make the "chinking" between the logs all tight, where it had been dug out by the mischievous scholars. Overhead were the round, naked beams which supported the roof-boards, there being no chamber-room. In the fire-place, which was without "jambs," we could burn wood of any length up to eight feet. The writing-desk was a board set lengthwise along the wall, slanting downwards towards the center of the room, the upper edge being fastened to the logs. The seats running in front of and parallel with this, were pine slabs with legs set in, and without backs; —a second (or front) row of lower seats being added to accommodate the smaller children. The front door, the only door in the building, had a great, old- fashioned lock, set in a block of wood, and fastened to the door on the inside, with large screws. It was furnished with a big iron key which, each day at the closing of the school, in winter-time, was given to one of the large boys, who " took their turns" in making the fires in the morning. The teacher's "stand" was a little one, having a small drawer with a lock and key, for "valuables." These private premises sometimes, however, suffered depredations at the scholars' hands, when the key was lost. An important part of school-keeping, in those days, was the admin- istration of punishment. The rod and ferule were freely used; some teachers preferring one, and some the other. I often saw the green "birch" rod applied pretty severely to the backs and shoulders of boys, when quite a sensation would be made among the scholars. My own punishments, I am glad to say, were limited to a tap or two of the ferule, on a single occasion, which hurt nothing except my "feelings." Sometimes, when the whip was not at hand, or was too dry, a large boy was sent out to cut and bring in some birch rods. The teacher, select- ing a couple, ran them into the hot ashes, under the "forestick," in order to make them more pliable and tough; then, requiring the boy to take off his coat, gave him several "cuts" with the green rod over his shoulders and back, which frequently brought him to the floor, and forced him to beg for mercy. The marks of these blows would be visi- ble for some days. Few, however, seemed to require this, I think, most unreasonable and unwise treatment. Other modes of punishment were practiced (not always fully effectual) as for instance, in the case of a certain couple of offending lads, six or seven years of age. To punish the one most guilty, a loose floor-board was raised, and he was put down through the opening. On the board the other lad was required to stand, and there to remain until the under one was thought to be sufficiently punished. The upper boy was then sent to his seat, the board raised, and the little rogue underneath called to, to "come out," —but no boy appeared, or answered. The culprit had been too "sharp" for that teacher, having, soon after he was imprisoned, crawled out and scam- pered home. This boy, I may add, was he who afterwards became Hon. HENRY H. HAWKINS of Silver Creek, N.Y., the other was my own younger brother, PHILANDER, —both now deceased. I here resume my notices of the teachers of our District school. After the War, in the winters of 1815-16 and 1816-17, HENRY LOVEJOY was our teacher. He had kept the school, also (if any one had, which is doubtful), in the summer of 1815. HENRY LOVEJOY'S mother, it was (the widow of JOSHUA LOVEJOY), who, in the burning of Buffalo, had been killed by the Indians, in her own house, her body being burned with it. The son gathered her charred bones together, and brought them, wrapped in a newspaper, to my father's house. By application to study he had acquired as good a "common school education" as the times would allow, and turned his attention to the art of surveying, in which he became proficient. He continued its practice, as his business, in Buffalo, to the end of his long life. No man knew better than he, the original boundaries of our city lots, and of the farms adjoining. Indeed, in later years, in cases where the old land-marks were not to be found, he would sometimes trust too much to his own knowledge, to satisfy some, for, standing at a corner, and "sighting" in different directions with his eye, he would strike his hickory compass-staff into the ground, saying, "That is near enough for all practical purposes." In the winter of 1816-17, the teacher was Mr. FULLER. I remember him well, as a good teacher whom the scholars liked; but I can give no further account of him. The next winter, 1817-18, WILLIAM GODFREY, a man in middle life, kept our school. Like his predecessor, he was a good teacher. He probably came to us from "down east." About the middle of May, 1818, David REMINGTON took the school, and taught it one quarter. His "pay" was by agreement with the trustees, thirty dollars for the term, and besides, one dollar and fifty cents per week, for thirteen weeks, as allowance in consideration of his "boarding himself." I can give the names of the heads of families whose children during this quarter attended our school. They are as follows: DAVID HENNION, CHARLES H. AVERILL, SHADRACH REMINGTON (father of the teacher), DANIEL LEWIS, WILLIAM HODGE, SACKET DODGE, Mrs. BALCH, ALVAN DODGE, STEPHEN PATCH, STEPHEN ALLEN, JOHN MCCOLLISTER, DAVID REESE, LYMAN PERSONS, JOSEPH ADAMS, ZERAH AVERILL, DANIEL WILBER, SETH GRANGER. The school-bill bears date July 15, 1818, and is in the handwriting of Mr. REMINGTON, who was a beautiful penman. Mr. REMINGTON'S mother was a sister of ERASTUS GRANGER, SETH GRANGER and Mrs. OLIVER FORWARD. He married Miss Esther Low, and with her for several years did missionary work among the Indians. BENJAMIN HODGE, Jr., who came from Otsego county with his father in 1806, became our teacher in 1819. He had several years before "gradu- ated" at the first district school here organized, thus "finishing his education." He was elected clerk of the district at its organization, and held the office about twenty-five years, —being re-elected annually, until the district came under the laws of the City Corpor- ation. He continued to reside here, and held several offices, civil and military. His death occurred June 8, 1868, when he was seventy-one years of age. In 1820 CALVIN ELY taught our winter school. He was a young man, well qualified for the work. His father, a retired Congregational minister, moved from Connecticut and settled in this town in 1818, residing on Niagara street, near Prospect Hill. His family consisted of his wife, five sons and four daughters, all of whom had received a good education, superior, indeed, to that of most of the families in our vicinity. All these sons and daughters became teachers in our district or public schools; some of them continuing such for several years. The youngest daughter taught the school which was maintained in connection with the county poor-house, then situated at the junction of North and York streets; contracting, in this occupation, the disease of which she died. The family subsequently removed to that part of the town of Amherst, which has since taken the name of Cheektowaga. The only survivors are STERLING, residing in the city, and SELDEN, at Cheektowaga. CALVIN died about eight years ago. Most of the sons have held town or county offices, SELDEN having been at one time super- intendent of the city schools. Of our next teacher through the year 1821 and the winter and spring of 1822, LOT STODDARD, I have written at length in an article given above, at pages 94-97; but I here add, that while Mr. STODDARD was teacher in the latter part of the winter of 1821-22, an event occurred long to be remembered by those then attending the school, —namely, the destruction of our log school-house by fire. In ordinarily cold winter weather, it was impossible to keep the school-room comfortable. Most of the time, in school-hours, there would be a number of the scholars standing around the great log fire, to warm themselves; the teacher letting them "take turns," six or eight at a time. After a succession of cold days, and of not very good fires, the large boys took turns at making the fire in the morning (the older girls taking their turns at noon in sweeping the school-room floor). We had no cover for our wood; —a wood-shed or any shelter for wood was never thought of, for a school-house, and such a thing was hardly known to exist in the town. So, sometimes, when the fire refused to burn well, one of the larger boys was sent out with an axe, to make a raid on a dry fence-rail, cut it up, and split it fine enough to start up the lazy, smoking fire. But one cold afternoon, before school was dismissed, ASAHEL BILL, one of the oldest scholars, was directed to make the fire next morning, and was cautioned by the teacher to make a "good one." In reply he said he would, adding, that he would make "a snorter." And he did, and a "roarer," too. He came early in the morning, before breakfast, and made the fire, and when we came "to school," our old, cold, dusty and dirty schoolhouse was in flames, and past saving. But Mr. STODDARD was sufficient for any emergency. So, the south end of the double log- house, on the GRANGER lot. No. 59, now Spring Abbey, was secured, and after one or two days spent by the teacher and some of the larger boys in fitting it up, the school went on as usual through the winter and spring. But another school-house was to be built, and WILLIAM T. MILLER, ALVAN DODGE and WILLIAM HODGE, Sen., trustees, taking the matter in hand, made preparations for building; and our ox-team was brought into requisition to haul logs to GRANGER'S saw-mill to be made into lumber for the purpose, the writer driving the team. Meanwhile, in the summer of 1822, our school was taught by Miss MARY STANLEY COTTON, who came into this neighborhood with her father's family, from Massachusetts, in 1811. The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. COTTON, three sons and three daughters; but of them all Miss MARY only, whom I have mentioned, is now living. Mrs. COTTON was left a widow in 1812. She did not marry again, and none of the children were ever married. Miss COTTON was a well educated young lady, and a good teacher; and this was not the only time in which she was employed in our summer school. We hurried forward the building of the new school-house, which was what is termed a plank-house, clap-boarded. In this we had, when finished, a box stove instead of a fire-place. So much was done by way of improvement for the comfort of smaller scholars, that board backs were made for their seats, while the older scholars had at least the comfort of resting their backs sometimes against the edge of their writing board. The school-house was finished, and the winter of 1822-23 had come. Of our teacher that winter, MILLARD FILLMORE, I have already written at length, pages 97-99, and need add nothing further here, only repeating what I have before said, that this term completed my own school-days. In the spring of 1823, Mr. FILLMORE having finished his term as school-teacher, a supply was needed. Schoolmasters were not "abroad" in such plenty, then, that it was always easy to get one when re- quired. In such cases a teacher was procured from our own neighbor- hood, and in this instance BENJAMIN HODGE, Jr., was again called to serve. In the winter of 1823 -24 Mr. L. FISKE became the teacher of our district school. He was an Englishman, a man who moved about the world "to see what he could see." He was lame, and had a crippled hand. I believe he taught well, but have no special recollection of him. In the summer of the year 1824, Miss SARAH REMINGTON, a sister of DAVID REMINGTON, was the teacher. She was a very modest, ladylike girl, and was called to this station more than once. It appears that a Mr. GRIFFIN taught here in the winter of 1824-25. I have no further information concerning him. The summer-school this year was taught by Miss MARCIA ABBA COTTON, a young sister of MARY S. COTTON, living in the district. She was a perfect lady and good teacher. She continued teaching in different districts quite a length of time, and SLibsecjuently taught a private school many years, until her death, which was occasioned by fatigue, and a severe cold, which settled on her lungs. In 1825-26 CHARLES TAINTOR taught our school, "boarding 'round." He was a well-educated young man, and taught well. He subsequently married Miss CATHARINE MUSIER, and was one of the first settlers on Delaware street, above North. Their children were six in number, of whom four were within a few years, and I think still are, living; one in China in the employ of the government of that country, the other three brothers in New York City. All were most enterprising young men. In the summer of 1826, Miss MARY S. COTTON again taught our dis- trict school. The male teachers in 1827 and 1828 were AI BARNEY and A. N. FILLMORE. I am not sure but that both were law students, and form- erly from Clarence in this county. The lady teachers in these two years were Mrs. CLARISSA AYLESWORTH, a daughter of BENJAMIN HODGE, Sen., and Miss SARAH REMINGTON, already mentioned. For the winter of 1828-29 PhILANDER HODGE, a son of WILLIAM HODGE, Sen., had been engaged as our teacher. He had been in school at Hart- wick, N.Y., for several terms, and after finishing his studies there, returned home and accepted an engagement from our school trustees. After teaching the school several weeks, however, he gave it up, to take a position, which he had for some time desired to obtain, in a broker's or exchange office, in the village, aud the school was for several days without a teacher. At the urgent request of WILLIAM T. MILLER, WILLIAM HODGE, Jr., an elder brother of PHILANDER, took the position, to hold it for a few days, till a regular teacher could be obtained. He did so, and the result was that he continued in that work during the winter and spring. His ability for teaching was not of course great, his early education having been in "log colleges" and his graduation from the little plank school-house so lately built; and it should be added, his associations having been close all his life thus far, with the native inhabitants of the country, the Seneca Indians. However, his application to study had thus been very "close" —being confined to little log houses, and three or four months in the year. This teacher boarded at home, in his father's family, and if his scholars improved in studies, that winter, as much as the teacher did, which, I think, was the case, they could have had no reason to complain. In the summer of 1829, Mrs. SABRINA HOWES (who, as Miss SABRINA ABBOTT, had taught the school in 1810) again became the teacher. I need only refer here to my notice of her life given above. In the winter of 1830, CHARLES B. FIELD was the teacher. I am not sure but that he was also one of the schoolmasters "abroad." Though a worthy man and good teacher, I can only give him this brief notice. In the summer of this year, 1830, Miss HARRIS conducted the school. She was a young lady from the City of New York, highly educated, very lady-like in appearance, above the average of young ladies. She made her home with a family of her acquaintance in the village, but "boarded 'round," while teaching our school. In 1830, JAMES N. GRANGER, a son of Judge ERASTUS GRANGER, taught the winter school. He was "to the manor born," was liberally educated, and well qualified to teach. He studied for the ministry, became a Baptist minister; married Miss ANNA DAVIS, in Connecticut, and was settled as pastor of a congregation in Providence, R. I. His death occurred in 1856. The summer school of 1831 was taught by a cousin of JAMES N. GRANGER, Miss HARRIET MARIA GRANGER, who was also "to the manor born," as born and brought up in our school district. The winter school of 1831-32 was commenced by WILLIAM HISSEY, an Englishman, who taught but a part of the season; and it was continued till spring by JONATHAN WAYNE DODGE, a young man " to the manor born," who had a few years before graduated at this same district school. The summer school of 1832 was taught by Miss VIETZ, who was suc- ceeded in the winter of 1832-33 by GEORGE W. COTTON, whose sister, MARY STANLEY COTTON, in the summer of 1833 took the school for a third time; GEORGE W. COTTON again teaching in the winter, 1833-34, and, I believe, Miss BURCHARD in the summer, —GEORGE W. COTTON still again taking the winter school in 1834-35, and Miss Bailey the summer school in 1835. In 1836, the year of the great financial crash, when nearly all were in debt and unable to pay debts, and it was well said that "everybody owed everybody more than anybody was worth," I find no record as to the teachers in our school. In 1836-37, WILLIAM D. HATCH taught our winter school. I think he was from the town of Aurora, in this county. Miss NORTON and Miss MARY CRONYN were the teachers in the summer of 1837. The next winter, 1837-38, CHARLES B. COOK, of whom I remember no- thing, was our teacher, and Miss POTTER had the summer school, CHARLES B. COOK taking the school again the following winter, 1838-39. In the spring of 1839 WILLIAM T. MILLER and WILLIAM HODGE, Sen., trustees, engaged Miss CORDELIA A. HODGE, a daughter of LORIN HODGE and sister of Mrs. WM. HODGE, Jr., to teach the summer school at two dollars per week, boarding at home. She had received as good a common- school education as Western New York at that time afforded, and in her childhood had traveled, with her father's family, over our western lakes, and resided several years in a western territory, among the Indians, becoming able to speak their language quite fluently. She and her sisters had also adopted the native costume —short dresses, leg- gings or pantalettes, and deer-skin moccasins, elaborately worked with beads and porcupine quills. For some sufificient reason, however, per- haps from native delicacy, they did not wear so many silver brooches as was customary among the Indians. In dancing which was much prac- ticed among the Indians, these young ladies became quite proficient. Miss Hodge was to commence teaching after a delay of one week from the engagement. Before the end of the week, a lady friend of hers, Miss MARY ATKINS, had come from her home, in Jefferson, Ashtabula county, Ohio, where Miss HODGE had formerly resided, desiring to take a school. To accommodate her, her friend willingly gave up our school to her care, starting a select school, of her own, which she continued through the warm season of the year, with profit and success. Miss ATKINS was one of the best educated ladies who ever taught our district school. Since teaching here she taught in various places, with success -in Olean, N.Y., in Oberlin O., and in California, where she conducted a school on her own account, for eight years. Thence she went to Japan and China, but in one or two years returned to this country, and soon after sailed for Europe. After her return, she again taught in Oberlin. While there she married a lawyer - Mr LYNCH - and left immediately for New Orleans, where she has since, for most of the time, resided. Mr. LYNCH was one of the Centennial Commissioners of 1876, and after spending the season in duties at the great Exhibition, they returned to their home in New Orleans. In 1839-40 ISAAC F. BRYANT worthily and successfully filled the position of teacher of our winter school, his father having moved into our neighborhood about the year 1829. The summer following. Miss HOSFORD again taught the summer school, and the winter school of 1840-41 was under the care of DAVID GALUSHA. Of him I have no remem- brance, nor any record of the teachers for the following summer, the winter of •41 and '42, or the summer of '4- In the autumn of that year SAMUEL SLADE became our teacher, continuing such during all of 1843-44 and -45, and leaving us in the spring of 1846. Mr. SLADE writes to me of himself, and the school, thus: "I commenced my labors as teacher in this district in the autumn of 1842. The school was opened in the old wooden structure (built, as I was informed, in very early days) and was continued for one week, then removed to a building belonging to the BARRS or the BARR estate, and standing south of the hotel. In the meantime the old house was removed on to the adjoining lot, preparatory to the erection of a new building on its site. At the beginning of the third week we were back in the old school-house, and labor in the construction of the new one had commenced. The winter was an unusually severe one, but the new build- ing was finished and ready for occupancy early in March. Dedicatory services were held on Sunday evening, and a very eloquent and appro- priate sermon was delivered by the Rev. Mr. HOPKINS of the First Presbyterian Church. The shade trees, some of which are still in the yard and flourishing, and one of which is nearly or quite two and one- half feet in diameter, were planted in the spring of 1843." My chief purpose being to write of matters relating only to our early history, I will not here continue the account of our "Cold Spring School District" any further. I close this paper with a few general observations. School-teachers, in the olden time, especially in our newly set- tled country, were looked upon as somewhat above the ordinary classes of the people. All labor in our country is honorable — but that of the teacher being of the head rather than the hands, commanded in early times a higher respect and price as well. The common laborer received ten or twelve dollars and board for twenty-six days' work, which num- ber was and now is required to make a month. The schoolteacher re- ceived from twelve to twenty dollars and board, and was required to teach only six hours each working day. He was also permitted to close his school in the middle of the afternoon, on each Saturday, to give the scholars a little time to play, and get their chores done up for the Sabbath, while the common laborer was required to work from sun- rise to sundown, every working day. The permission given by the trustees to close the school in the middle of every Saturday afternoon grew into the practice of dis- missing at noon, and finally of not keeping at all on Saturdays. As a general thing, male teachers were expected to collect their money from those whose children attended the school, making out their bills pro rata, according to the number of days of schooling afforded. This collecting was a pretty slow, and sometimes a very perplexing job, and is presumed to have brought into existence one of the verses of an old song, which in our younger days we used to hear sung, and in which there is much truth. Two or three of the verses I can recall, thus: HARD TIMES. "The carpenter tells you he'll build you a house. At two dollars a day, or by job; —not a mouse Shall it harbor, he'll make it so tight and so snug:— Neither he nor his 'prentice will half earn their grog, These hard times. "The hostler will give your horse plenty of hay. And when your back's turned he will take it away; For oats will give chaff, and for wheat will give bran. While the landlord declares there's no honester man. These hard times. "The schoolmaster rages for want of more pay. He declares he will have it, or else go away; Half of his time he goes strutting about; Four weeks make a month, and the Saturdays out These hard times." ===========================================================================