USA > Illinois > Illinois in the fifties; or, A decade of development, 1851-1860 > Part 7
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Later the structure was enclosed, shingled and floored, but here, for want of money, the work halted. Mean- while, a summer term was taught within its walls. For- tunately a man moved into the community who had some ready money and generously offered to advance the sum needed to finish the building. The offer was accepted and then plasterers, finishers and painters completed the work. Thus, finished from foundation to fcof-tree, the structure was taken over by the district
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103
The "Three R's" and Some More
and, for more than a half-century thereafter, served the people as an eligible schoolhouse. In its early years it was called "The Academy", and indeed, by this name it continued to be known while children grew from infancy to adult life. Something more than a hundred pupils attended the school in this building, and these were in charge of a gentleman principal and a lady assistant. In addition to the seven branches re- quired by law, namely, reading, writing, arithmetic (the three R's), spelling, history, geography and gram- mar, Latin, algebra, chemistry and philosophy (phys- ics) were taught. Unfortunately there were no chemi- cals and no apparatus to demonstrate the work in chem- istry and physics. Nevertheless not a few of the more important rudiments of these sciences were someway worked into the nascent and always receptive minds of these students.
"Olmstead's Natural Philosophy" was the text book used in physics, and among other things it delineated the wonderful working of Morse's electric telegraph ; the great power of Watt's low-pressure engine and the remarkable motor capabilities of Stevenson's locomotive.
Silliman's work on Chemistry was in our hands and its opening sentence, "An Experiment is a question ad- dressed to nature" will never be erased from Memory's tablet as long as reason keeps its throne.
We used Ray's Arithmetic, and who that studied this, can ever forget the problem: "The hour and minute hands of a clock are together at noon. When will they be together again?" And further, who can forget how he puzzled his brain over it?
One of the important factors in the schools of that day was Webster's Elementary Spelling Book. Who
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The "Blue-Backed" Speller
that ever saw it can forget its two blue backs between which intervened a narrow band of red! On one of its front pages was some sort of seer or prophet, leading a child with one hand and pointing with the other to a supposed temple of fame situated on an almost inacces- sible rocky eminence. Then followed a b, abs; then in perpendicular columns, its, words of two syllables ac- cented on, the first; others, two-syllables, accented on the second and so on up to "im-ma-te-ri-al-i-ty", a word of seven syllables that was the delight of the bright girl as she spelled and pronounced each syllable sepa- rately. Toward the end of the speller was a picture of good, old dog Tray who was so unfortunate as to fall into bad company and in consequence became the recipient of numerous kicks and cuffs. There was also the fable that illustrated the supreme importance of knowing "whose ox had been gored". Next came the picture of the old man chiding and throwing grass at the boys who were up in his apple tree helping them- selves to the fruit; and their taunting words and teas- ing pantomime that finally prompted the owner to pick up some large pebbles and say: "If neither words nor threats will bring you down, I will see what effect stones will have." Of course the young thieves came down and took to their heels.
How faithful the brain cells have been in keeping an imperishable record of the old-time Spelling Bees! Not infrequently these were held on long winter evenings at the schoolhouse and were attended by all ages and all classes. Two persons, known to be good spellers, would "choose-up", that is, select persons to spell on their side, and when these had taken their places, two long rows would face each other in standing position.
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Pocahontas School House ("Academy"), where (in the 50's). author obtained his preliminary education. (Courtesy Dr. D. R Wilkins)
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Youthful Ciceros
The words would be "given out", or pronounced, by the teacher and in turn given to an individual on one side, and next on the other, and when a word was mis- spelled, the person missing it would sit down and for * the time be "out of the game", so to speak. Who does not remember the modest, quiet girl who, as someone said, had "swallowed" the spelling book and in eonse- quenee spelled down the whole school and, indeed, all competitors.
Not infrequently on Friday afternoons the whole school would have a spelling bee. At other times on Friday afternoons there would be deelamations and compositions, participated in by all the older pupils. Webster's speeches afforded favorite selections, espe- cially his reply to Hayne and his John Adams speech, beginning : "Sink or swim, live or die, survive or per- ish, I give my heart and hand to this vote." Other favorites were Reenzi's address to the Romans, ending with : "Rouse, ye Romans! Rouse, ye slaves!" stirring words that gave opportunity for the school's champion deelaimer to show his ability at its best. A few of the boys declaimed well and creditably, but the majority made sorry work of it. Most of them were at a loss what to do with their hands and not a few would recite a few words of the piece chosen, hesitate, stammer, for- get and sit down.
The compositions were, for the most part, crude and insipid and some were purloined. Now and then there would be one that gave promise of future ability to write. "Spring" and "Things I Like to See", were favorite topies for the girls' compositions. One pupil of German parentage, whose people lived on a neighbor- ing farm, wrote a composition "On a Mule", the first
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McGuffy's Readers
words of which were: "A mule is better than a horse. In fact a mule is the best horse we've got. One reason is, a mule hardly ever dies. I never knew one to die in my life !"
We used the McGuffy Readers-the MeGuffy Readers newly minted. That is to say, when they had but re- cently come from the brain and hand of their author and compiler, and were not edited, re-edited, amended and worked over by aliens as we have them today. As all know, hash is never equal to a fresh beefsteak. Who that grew up with these readers in his hand can ever . forget the two brothers at Christmas time, one of whom was provident and carefully untied the cord about his presents and put it in his pocket, while the other ent and threw away the string about his packages. A little later the improvident brother was chagrined when he saw his brother take from his pocket a cord and use it for a top-string, while for want of one his own top could not be used. Some one has said that this story so impressed its lesson upon the rising generation that much string of questionable value was saved, at the cost of much time of unquestionable value. However, . the lesson inculeated was a valuable one in various ways.
Then there was somebody's graphic description of the burning at Rome of the great Amphitheater and the consequent eseape of hundreds of ferocious wild beasts.
Then there was that old-time exhortation in verse :
"If at first you don't succeed, Try, try, try again ! Time will bring you your reward," etc.
I attended school in "The Academy" from the time
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Some Faithful Instructors
of its completion till the breaking out of the Civil War; and when it had faithfully served the community for a half-century I had the pleasure of attending a celebra- tion held under its roof in commemoration of this fact. · I owe no little to the schools of my village, taught in this so-called "Academy". I also owe much to the teach- ers who taught within its walls. Among these I recall one by the name of Green who encouraged me to study and get an education; and whose delight was to call attention to the merits of the various writers whose con- tributions could be found in the advanced Reader. An- other one of my teachers was Charles W. Johnson, my cousin, and ten years my senior, who later was a good soldier and officer in the Civil War. His son, the Hon. Albert Johnson, now represents the Third District of the State of Washington in Congress.
CHAPTER XI.
IN AND ABOUT AN ILLINOIS CORNFIELD IN THE FIFTIES. 1
Welcome weelfare of husbands at the plow.
-Gwin Douglas.
The green-haired maze, her silken tresses laid In soft luxuriance on her harsh brocade. -Oliver Wendell Holmes.
The beginning of the second half of the Nineteenth Century found much of what is today the middle West not yet brought under cultivation -- especially was this true of Illinois, then known as the "Prairie State".
The first plowing of the sod, ordinarily referred to as "breaking prairie", was in its way an arduous un- dertaking, and the usual outfit for this was a large, strong plow drawn by oxen. Immediately in front of the point of the plow was a coulter, a strong piece of iron securely fastened to the beam and provided with a sharp cutting edge, which divided the sod turned over from that remaining. As a result of this arrange- ment, the turned-over sod was of a uniform width and thickness. Six yoke of oxen not infrequently comprised the propelling power of one of these plows which opened a furrow two feet or more in width, and cut roots, and any ordinary obstruction, with the utmost facility. This plow, like all others of its time, had handles, but in addition was attached by its beam to a pair of low wheels which held it steady and kept it from turning ·over.
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Breaking Prairie
The man who drove the oxen, the ox-driver, was a unique character. He was coarse, rough, had a loud voice and could "swear by note" when the emergency seemed to demand it. He carried a long, heavy ox- whip, the insignia, as it were, of his calling. It was made of twisted raw-hide, in its thickest part was an inch in diameter, and was attached to a long handle made from a small, growing hickory upon which the bark remained. This whip he was fond of flourishing and craeking with a sharp report, and meantime any laggard in the team was sure to get from it a prompt stroke. For each of his oxen he had names and when they were pulling the plow he was constantly directing this one, correcting that one, and chiding the other. It was "Gee, Buck!" "Haw, Bright!" "Git up, Baldy!" "What are you doing there, Spot!" and so on till none were slighted either with voice or whip- `lash.
Oxen are slow, patient, easily satisfied creatures and they contributed much towards the convenience and comfort of the pioneer. Furthermore they were a minimum in the way of expense and trouble; putting a yoke on their necks of mornings was the work of a moment, and as little time was needed to remove it at night; and water to drink and grass to eat was all they required till the coming of another morning found them ready, willing and able to patiently labor and plod one more day for man, the master.
When the prairie sod was turned over in the spring it was at once planted in corn. This was usually done with a hoe (sometimes with an ax), and as the growing crop required, and received no cultivation, it was known :as "sod-corn".
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Springs and Early Settlers
Not unfrequently prairie breaking occurred later and in this event the newly turned over ground would be sown to fall wheat, and a good erop under such cir- cumstances could nearly always be depended upon.
The year following the first turning over the virgin prairie, it could be plowed with two horses and an ordinary breaking-plow and planted to any crop de- sired; nevertheless, it was sometimes two or three years before the last remains of the prairie sod would dis- appear.
In pioneer days the wooded sections of the "Prairie State" were the first to attract settlers. The water- courses were fringed with timber that grew heavy near the streams but became lighter as the prairie was ap- proached, and when the latter was reached ended in a serubby undergrowth of stunted hickories, scrub oaks, crab-apple bushes, hazel-brush and briars.
The point where timber and prairie met was ever a variable one, a sort of irregular shore-line that jutted out here in a little peninsula, and reeeding yonder, left a large open space in which the swaying prairie grass seemed like waves in a small bay.
The earlier settlements were for the most part made in the southern sections of Illinois and here the new- comer, nearly always from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina or Virginia, invariably located upon a run- ning stream and, furthermore, if practicable, built his rude cabin convenient to a spring of water.
But as there were not springs enough to go round, the near vicinity of one of these was often denied to him who came later. In the majority of cases, how- ever, the early settler was so wedded to this form of water-supply that he would carry water, or rather have
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Destroying Homes
some female member of his family carry it, up hills and across hollows from an indifferent spring a half- mile or more distant, rather than sink a well in his door-yard where, in most cases, inexhaustible supplies . of the purest water could be had by digging a few feet.
After a time a chain of farms stretched along the timber's edge and thus it happened that the corn-fields upon these earlier settled farms would upon one side encroach upon the woods and present the feature of a timber farm, while the other would extend out in the prairie and have all the characteristics of the latter.
In early spring all the working force of the farm was utilized for getting in and caring for the growing corn-crop. As soon as frost was out of the ground, usually from the first to the middle of April, plowing · began. This first plowing, or "breaking-up", was done with a team of horses or yoke of oxen, and as the ground had not been disturbed since the previous season, it was firm enough to make the plow "scour" nicely and open up a long straight furrow, from which the bright mould-board rolled up and turned to one side the rich, loose soil of the great corn-growing state.
As the whole field was turned up from four to eight inches deep, it followed that nearly everything in the vegetable or animal way that had here a home was either destroyed or seriously disturbed by the plow- share. Quails, prairie chickens, and other species of birds that build their nests on the ground had these broken up and destroyed utterly. Gophers, ground- squirrels, moles, and various species of field-mice that find homes by burrowing in the ground, had their domi- ciles suddenly invaded and rudely torn asunder by the plow, just as lordly man sometimes has his more pre-
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Strange But True
tentious dwelling ruined or wiped out of existence by the all-devastating cyclone.
Sometimes snakes' eggs, irregular in outline and re- pulsive in appearance, were turned up with the fresh earth. Various kinds of snakes were seen; now it was a black and yellow "garter" snake, next a blue "racer", and then a blacksnake, and occasionally a rattlesnake with its beautifully mottled surface, ever busy rattles, and broad, flat head and open mouth with venomous, protruding tongue, and wicked-looking jaws, studded with poisonous fangs.
One day, with several boys near my own age, I was, plowing corn, when one of us killed a striped snake that seemed to be unduly large around. Supposing it had swallowed a toad that might yet be alive we con- cluded to cut the snake open and give any living thing within it its liberty. So we opened up the snake, but instead of finding the expected toad, we found a great number of little snakes. Being curious to know just how many there were we counted them, and they num- bered seventy-six! I related this circumstance to a Naturalist, not long since, and from him I learned that this species of snake does not propagate by means of eggs, but brings forth its young alive.
By and by the steady-going plow made the whole field black with the newly upturned soil; and next har- rows were put on to further pulverize the surface. Then with one horse and a small "diamond" plow the field was laid off one way into furrows, three and one- half feet apart. These furrows when intersected by others at right angles, served to indicate where hills of corn were to be planted, thus insuring corn rows in two directions. Three to five grains were put in a hill,
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"From Sun-up Till Sun-down"
and this-"dropping eorn"-was usually done by boys and often by girls. These became quite expert in this work, often putting the corn in place as fast as a rap- idly walking horse, with a plow behind him, would mark out the furrow. Following the dropper was a second plow that covered the eorn lightly. In from one to two weeks the round, green, sharp-pointed, hail-like shoots of corn would be seen pushing through the ground. When the corn reached the height of two or three inches it was cultivated with little "diamond" plows, but the dirt was thrown from, not towards the young plants. Warm showers in May and June and hot nights in the latter month caused the young erop to grow fast, and six weeks after planting the corn was "knee-high", standing about eighteen inches in the rows.
The cultivation of the growing erop was pushed with great energy, as had been the preparation of the ground in early spring, and later the planting. The field was reached a little after "sun-up", while yet the sun was a elearly-defined round ball upon which the eye eould rest steadily. As yet the great fires of day had not long been glowing, the huge bellows of nature was work- ing slowly, the orb just above the eastern horizon was only at a "red heat", but an hour or two later would come "white heat" with its dazzling brillianey, when no eye could dwell upon it.
In the early morning beads of dew sparkled from every blade of grass. At the upper end of each stalk of growing eorn its spreading leaves came together in such a way as to form a large, open-mouthed funnel. at the bottom of which was a little fountain of water, which the converging, trough-like leaves had distilled
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114
A Bloodless Battle-Line
from the night's dews, and now it was gently passing down to the very heart and center of the growing plant.
The rows of corn, often straight as arrows, stretched across the fields in lines of beautiful green. Up one side of a row and down on the other went the plow, the stalks of corn now strong enough to bear the dirt which the little diamond rolled up and threw against them vigorously.
Upon the western side of the field was the open prai- rie, upon which horses and cattle roamed at large, and ate of the vigorous, nutritious prairie grass as freely as was breathed the fresh, pure air all about. Far to the west, across the broad, expansive prairie, could just be seen the timber-line, along which the smoke from half a dozen chimneys told where were the links in an- other chain of pioneer farms,-farms whose owners came to the new land of promise to better their for- tunes, but firm in the frith that no place was perfeet whose location was not convenient to a ereek and the indispensable spring of water.
Touching, or rather pressing strongly against the eastern aspeet of the corn-field, was the timber. For the forest seemed to resist stontly the proffered neigh- borhood of the corn-field, and beat back vigorously the encroachments of the plow: showing its defiance by crossing the barrier set up between wild and cultivated nature, and filling the fence-corners next the field with a dense tangle of briars, wild vines, and undergrowth, while crowding against the fence on the other side was a perfect jungle of stunted, but stout forest trees, crab- apple bushes, thorns and brush, all twisted and matted together into a veritable snarl by vines erossing and cris-crossing in every direction.
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A Harvest of Promise
At one point in the crooked rail-fence, a young hick- ory had grown through a crevice, and after a while, waxing strong, had straightened up and thrown the rails above to one side, thus showing its defiance of all such barriers, and readiness, if needs be, to bear them away on its stout young back.
By the early days of August, shrub, briar, bush and vine had run such wild vegetable riot that all about the fence seemed but an unsightly waste of plant life. Meanwhile, the growing corn had attained to superb beauty. Crowned with a rich, golden-yellow tassel and clothed in long, deep green leaves, that grew in gentle curves and swayed to and fro gently and softly rustled in every passing breeze, each stalk stood tall, almost stately, and already laden with its harvest of promise- a large succulent roasting-ear whose tip was trimmed with a soft, delicate silken tuft that curled over and hung down gracefully.
Upon the growing maize the faithful farmer looked with ever increasing interest. He saw "the little ger- minating seeds, just thrusting their pale heads up through the soil. He saw the clustering green shoots- numerous in the sign of plenty-all crowding together and clamoring for light and air, and room. He saw the prevailing of the tall and strong upthrusting stalks after the way of life; saw the others dwarf and whiten. and yet cling on at the base of the bolder stem-para- sites, worthless, yet existing, after the way of life.
"He saw the great central stalks spring boldly up, so swiftly that it almost seemed possible to count the successive leaps of progress. He saw the beckoning banners of the pale tassels bursting out atop of the stalk, token of fecundity and of the future. He caught
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"I Will Feed Ye All"
the wide-driven pollen as it whitened upon the earth, borne by the parent West Wind, mother of increase. He saw the thickening of the green leaf at the base, its swelling, its growth and expansion, till the indefi- nite enlargement showed at length the incipient ear.
"He noted the faint brown ends of the sweetly-en- veloping silk of the ear, pale-green and soft underneath the sheltering and protecting husk. He found the sweet and milk-white tender kernels, row upon row, forming rapidly beneath the husk, and saw at length the hardening and darkening of the husk at its free end, which told that man might pluck and eat.
"And then he saw the fading of the tassels, the dark- ling of the silk and the crinkling of the blades; and there borne on the strong parent stem, he noted how many full-rowed cars, protected by their shucks and heralded by the tassels and the blades: 'Come, come ye, all ye people ! Enter in, for I will feed ye all !' "* .
From the time I was twelve till I reached the age of eighteen years I spent the warmer months on the farm where the work was hard and the hours long, so long, indeed, that no record was kept of them. "Sun- up till sun-down" was the rule, and following this through the month of June kept me in the corn-field behind the plow something like fifteen hours. Rather hard on a growing boy, but I lived through it.
Looking back at my boy-experience on the farm, from the view-point of many years after, I can but regard it with satisfaction; for it brought me in touch with nature as nothing else would; and enabled me to learn something of animal life and vegetable life as nothing else could.
*Emerson Hough.
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Prairie Plow and Ox-Yokes. (See page 108). (Loaned by O. W. Converse, Springfield, Ill.)
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Iron Kettle, Ash Hopper and Soap Barrel. (See page 22). (Loaned by O. W. Converse, Springfield, Ill.)
CHAPTER XII. BOOKS, PERIODICALS AND OTHER READING MATTER IN THE FIFTIES.
"If I should pray for a taste which might stand me in stead under every variety of circumstances, and be a source of hap- piness and cheerfulness through life, and shield against ills, however things might go amiss and the world frown upon me, it would be a taste for reading .- Sir John Herschell.
And as for me, though I konne but lyte, And bokes for to rede I do delyte, And to give I feyth and ful credence, And it my herte have in reverence, So hertely thet there is game noon, That for my bokes maketh me to goom, . . -Chaucer. A blessing on the printer's art! Books are the mentors of the heart. -Mrs. Hale.
Books were few and of these found in the homes a considerable proportion were of a religious nature. Of these last some were devoted to biblical history and other to Bible characters. Then there was Daubigne's Ilistory of the Reformation, Fox's Book of Martyrs, the Lives of the Apostles, Josephus, and others of a like nature. It was not uncommon to find the life of some noted preacher such as John Wesley, Lorenzo Dow, or Whitfield, and maybe a copy of The Pilgrim's Progress. Religious books, controversial in character, were favor- ites with some. Of books secular in nature may be
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The Almanac
named Rollin's Ancient History, Hume's History of England, and Weem's Life of George Washington.
But in few homes were there books enough to fill a two-foot shelf, and in many instances all that would be found would be the Bible and an Almanac; the latter, truth compels me to say, was in too many cases more often consulted than the former. Almanacs were put out by patent medieine houses and very naturally were mainly devoted to exploiting their remedies. Most peo- ple swallowed the medicines no less than the reeom- mendations that went with them, often miraculous in both claims and promises. These remedies were ree- ommended for substantially every disease and the ac- counts published of their magical cures were convineing to many. There was no voice raised to controvert these ridiculous elaims and the result was the patent medi- cine man had things his own way. In the Almanac there was always a calendar, and for almost every day there was a prediction made relative to what the weather would be. That these predictions were the baldest guess-work the reader ean well imagine. To be sure the Almanac seer or prophet kept within eer- tain bounds, as for illustration he would predict very .cold weather in January, snow and ice in February, alternate freezing and thawing in March, frequent show- ers in April, many bright days in May, warm weather in June, hot, dry weather in July and August, light frost in September, Indian summer in October and killing frosts in November, and snow, ice and eold weather in December. Ridiculous as it now seems, when the farmers were burdened with too much rain or the crops were suffering from too little, honest tillers of the soil, otherwise sensible, would in all seriousness
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