MEMORIES OF THE 



house, and our clothes were good, durable and warm, if not 

 particularly handsome. Dresses and other garments were also 

 made for the girls from the same material or something lighter. 

 A favorite brand of cloth with mother was what she called 

 "hard times," from which was made all kinds of every-day 

 clothing. It was coarse and stout, and would last longer 

 between a boy and the snow-crust than any other fabric used. 

 Overcoats were not thought necessary for boys until they were 

 well grown, and my first dress overcoat, costing six dollars, of 

 which I was very proud, came from a ready-made stock. ''Store 

 clothes " gave a boy airs, but the creases had to be ironed out 

 of the pants before he would be seen in them. 



THE DISTRICT SCHOOL 



So much has been written and said upon the district school 

 as an educator and its results in making the character of the 

 American people, that I need say little upon that head. I shall 

 simply give my memories of the methods used and events hap- 

 pening in the old home school from 1843 to 1859. The plan 

 then followed was a good one, and, in my opinion, much super- 

 ior to the common-school educational system now in force. 



The system I refer to was that of the old town superintend- 

 ent, operated under the rate-bill rule, or, later, what was known 

 as the state-aid or free-school system. The town superintend- 

 ent was always one of the best educated and most practical 

 teachers in the town. He examined and licensed teachers, vis- 

 ited the schools two or three times each term, and, by personal 



100 



