10 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



to-day, for they were just coming into existence. I 

 recall that we children, upon hearing of a free school in 

 a neighboring village, decided that it must be a very 

 fine thing, for what else could a free school be than one 

 in which the scholars were free to whisper to their heart's 

 content? The teachers, in too many cases, seemed to be 

 chosen because of their lack of fitness for any other 

 calling. The one concerning whom I have perhaps the 

 earliest recollection was a man who distiiigiiishcd him- 

 self by having a large family of boys named in order 

 after the presidents, as far as the United States had at 

 that time progressed in the matter of presidents, and who 

 extinguished himself by fallir.g in a well o::e day when 

 he was drunk. 



But with the advent of free schools came rapi 1 im- 

 provement, and I made fair progress in the rudiments^ 

 even though the advancement of each prpil w?s entirely 

 independent of that of every other. Indeed, there was- 

 no such thing as a class in arithmetic. Each one did his 

 "sums" on his slate, and submitted them to the "master"" 

 for approval, the master doing such sums as were beyond 

 the ability of the pupil, in some c?ses a m.ore advanced' 

 pupil doing this work in phce of the te-^cher. Tom Cole- 

 was a beneficiary of mine, and everv time I did a sum 

 for him he gave me an apple. I do not recall that I 

 lacked for apples, and apples then ?nd there were worth 

 12 1/^ cents a bushel. 



PARENTS. 



When ten years old I sufifered a loss in the dcnth of 

 mv fpther, the greatness of which loss I was at that time- 

 too young fully to realize. He was an elder in the Pres- 

 byterian church, but for one of those days very tolerant 

 of the views of others. He was most lovable in charac- 

 ter, and the wnsh has been with me all through my life 

 that I might be as good a man as my father. I think 

 he was chiefly of English extraction, although his ances- 

 tors had for many generations lived in this country. His- 



