OLD HOMESTEAD 



advance and improve themselves did so rapidly, and his teach- 

 ing was the base and foundation of the education of scores of 

 excellent teachers who later graduated from that district school. 



Another teacher of marked ability and striking eccentricities 

 was Mills Wilcox, oldest son of Elder Wilcox. He taught the 

 school the very last term that I remember to have attended. 

 He had received an academic and, I believe, a college educa- 

 tion, had been West and had the fever and ague, but for some 

 reason was home and took the school for the winter. He was 

 entirely different from the two other teachers described, but had 

 an advanced lot of scholars who were very anxious to take ad- 

 vantage of his ability and extensive knowledge. He also had 

 no government. None was required, for if the little boys made 

 too much noise, some of the older scholars checked them. 

 There were no rules against whispering, or leaving your seat, or 

 going out, or doing anything else in or about the school-house. 

 He assumed that such things only would be done as were right 

 and actually necessary, and he was not disappointed in his 

 assumption. 



He taught all the common English branches and, in addition, 

 algebra, geometry, astronomy and Latin. He was a superior 

 teacher in reading and elocution. His health was poor, and 

 occasionally the shakes would get him, and he would leave the 

 school-house and go to father's house, where my mother would 

 give him a big dose of ginger tea and put him to bed for an hour 

 or two. He would then come back all right, except a little pale. 

 While he was gone the school was turned over to some of the 

 big girls or boys to run, and no advantage was taken of his ab- 

 sence. 



He was never very particular about a few minutes before nine 

 or after four. All there was of it, the work had to be done and 



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