Rural School Leaflet 1023 



District 7, Town of Hounsfield, Jefferson County- 

 Dear Mr. Tuttle: Watertown, New York, February 26, 1914 



I read your leaflet and like it very much. I am in the ninth grade and 

 am fourteen years old. My favorite studies are German and algebra. 

 My teacher's name is Isabel McAvoy. We like her very much. She lets 

 us bring cats and dogs or anything we like to school. 



Three of us boys are building a house in the woods just back of the 

 schoolhouse. In this we are going to make maple sugar and sell it. The 

 house is made from old boards which we got from an old barn. It is about 

 nine feet square and seven feet high. The teacher gave its fifty cents, 

 and we are going to get tar paper with it for the roof. We have the door 

 on the south and a sort of little porch, so when it rains we can boil sirup 

 under that. There are about fifteen maple trees near it. Another l>oy 

 and I are going to stay there most of the time. We build on our house 

 noons. When it is time for us to come the teacher calls us from the fence. 



Our school is the best country school and yard in the county. It has 

 twenty-seven trees in the yard. The well and flagpole are in front of 

 the schoolhouse about three rods from the building. There are 191,440 

 square feet in the yard. 



I have a dog, five cats, bantams, a colt, cows, and a pig. My father 

 has a big farm and has all kinds of animals. He always teaches me to 

 be kind to them. He gave me a cow when I was six years old, and her 

 calves have always been mine. Last fall one cow died. I sold two and 

 have one left. The colt is three years old. She can trot very fast and 

 I was offered $175 for her when she was a year and a half old, but I thought 

 I might as well have a good horse as my father. He laughs and says he 

 will beat me in a race some day, but I don't think he will. My chores 

 are to take care of the horses, of which there are five. I like to do this. 



Well, as this is my first letter I will close, but will write again and tell 

 you about sugaring and other things. 



Your friend, 



NEWMAN J. HAMBURG 



Editors' note. — Newman has written a good letter, full of things to 

 think about. He loves the country, likes his school life and his home life, 

 and finds plenty of interesting and useful things to do in both school and 

 home. His favorite studies are those that very often are troublesome. 

 He is using his recess to help build a shanty near the school where he and 

 his friends can have some outdoor experiences. Boys like such things. 

 He is proud of his school, and no doubt helps to keep it neat and attractive. 

 At home Newman has a real part in the farm life, does his share of the 

 work, and has been rewarded for his faithfulness by having animals given 

 him to bring up for himself. 



