Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott

(Can be used as a play.)

"The Red Schoolhouse will open for the fall term on September fifteenth. As a goodly number of pupils is desired, all receiving this are urged to search the highways and byways for others who may wish to attend. School will begin promptly at eight. As there will be a recess, all pupils should bring their dinners.
"SOLOMON WISEACRES, Pedagogue."

The coming of school-days, usually so much dreaded by young folks, was hailed with much delight by recipients of the above notice. On the appointed evening not only were there present the members of the society, but each one, heeding the injunction regarding the highways and byways, brought with him a friend. As the teacher had also found an extra pupil, there were just twenty-four in the party. The boys wore knee-trousers and the girls short skirts and pinafores, with their hair hanging down their backs in long braids or curls. All brought with them their dinners, packed in tin pails, in imitation of their country cousins.

The schoolhouse was a large new barn, the schoolroom being up-stairs in the hay-loft. Here were arranged two rows of benches, one for the girls and one for the boys; blackboards hung on the walls, and there was a plain wooden table in front for the teacher's desk. Standing behind this, the schoolmaster, birch rod in hand, and looking very wise in a pair of huge spectacles, received his pupils and registered their names in a large book before him. Among those enrolled were Alvira Sophronia Simmons, Malvina Jane Leggett, Serena Ann Wilkins, Patience Charity Gray, Nathan Bartholomew Brown, Ichabod Thompson and Abijah Larkins.

Each pupil before being assigned a seat was interrogated by the teacher somewhat as follows: In what state and country were you born? Do you know your letters? How far can you count? Who was the first man? Who built the ark? And so on until the teacher had acquainted himself with the limits of his pupils' ignorance.

When all were seated Teacher Wiseacres announced that school would open with singing. The pupils were thereupon thoroughly drilled in the scales and other exercises, the master severely reprimanding any who sang out of tune. The lesson concluded with songs usually sung at the club gatherings, after which a knot of blue ribbon was given the one who had sung best, and a red bow to the pupil considered second best.

During the course of this lesson, and also of those that followed, there were frequent interruptions caused by the refractory behavior of some of the pupils. Serena Ann Wilkins was caught eating an apple, and was made to stand up in front with a book on her head. Malvina Jane Leggett had to stand in the corner facing the wall for giggling; while, direst disgrace of all, Abijah Larkins was obliged to sit on the girls' side for drawing a caricature of the master on the blackboard.

After the singing-lesson small wooden slates (the old-fashioned kind bound in red cloth) were passed around and the following exercise in orthography given out: "It is an agreeable sight to witness the unparalleled embarrassment of a harassed peddler attempting to gauge the symmetry of a peeled onion which a sibyl has stabbed with a poniard." This task was accomplished with much puckering of eyebrows, and no one, it may be said, succeeded in writing all the words correctly.

The next lesson announced was reading, for which primers were distributed. These were small books with brown-paper covers, the lessons being tongue-twisters, beginning with such familiar ones as "She sells sea-shells," "Peter Piper," etc., and ending with this one of more recent date, taken from the Youth's Companion:

The class stood up in front and were made to toe the line drawn in chalk on the floor. The pupil at the head was called upon first, and read until a mistake sent him to the foot, when the one next to him took his place. The master not only continually urged his pupils to greater speed, but at the same time kept a sharp lookout, and gave many words of warning to any whose feet were out of order; and the frantic efforts of the pupils to obey instructions made the lesson one of the most laughable contests of the evening. It was continued until recess, the hour for refreshments.

The dinner-pails had been given for safekeeping into the hands of the teacher. Now, when they were returned, it was discovered that the boys had received those belonging to the girls and the girls those of the boys. There was a happy correspondence in this exchange; Ichabod Thompson receiving the pail of Patience Charity Gray and she receiving his, and so on. The pupils thus paired off were to share their dinners with each other. The master, who also brought his dinner, reserved for himself the pail of the girl pupil supposed to be his favorite.

There was great fun and laughter over the opening of the pails, for the aim had been not so much to bring a dainty luncheon as one that should be typical of the old-time district school. The following may be taken as a sample of the contents of one of the buckets: Bread and butter, doughnuts, apple turnover, spice-cake, cheese and one very large cucumber pickle. Apples were contributed by the teacher. Dinner over, the remainder of recess was spent in playing games. Skipping the rope was one of the pastimes, and hop-scotch, tag, and hide-and-go-seek were others.

School was resumed with a geography lesson, really a game played as follows: The teacher requested one of the pupils to give a geographical name, that of a country, city, river, etc. Others were then called upon at random to give names, each of which had to begin with the last letter of the one preceding it. Thus, if the first name given were Egypt, the next one must begin with the letter T, as Texas, while the one following this would begin with S, as St. Louis. Any one who failed to respond in the time allowed—half a minute—was dropped out of the class and the question passed on. The lesson was continued until there was but one left, who received the usual decoration.

The session closed with an old-fashioned spell-down, but before the class was dismissed the wearers of the ribbons were presented with prizes, these being small, daintily bound books. The others, that all might have a suitable reminder of the occasion, received book-shaped boxes of candy. This done, the bell was rung and school was closed.

This school party can be played in hall or church.