Ihe RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
721 
The Public School 
O N a bank, along the head waters of the San¬ 
dusky River, in Crawford County, Ohio, stood 
a frame sclioolliouse. The writer was pupil and 
teacher during the sixties, and knows its history, 
ns well as the history of fully 100 who sat in the 
plain walnut desks. They all turned out common 
people, the best in the land. School kept three 
months in Winter and three in Summer, and the 
most forward of it, or of like schools, were the 
teachers. A “man” teacher got $35 a month for 
Winter and a “girl” teacher about half that for 
Summer. 
Three farmer-directors engaged the teacher, 
hired some one to pile a nice lot of wood in the 
yard, got a new pail if the old one had fallen during 
vacation, bought a new broom, a tin cup and a 
bunch of lump chalk or crayons. The district was 
two miles square, or 2,560 acres of cleared land and 
virgin forest, and Ohio was full of such divisions. 
The parents and teachers had a well-defined idea of 
the kind of education needed to fix the children for 
good citizens, and that is exactly what they got. 
Attendance numbered about 50 in Winter. The girls 
helped make apple butter, and dried apples and 
pumpkins enough for a year, and the boys finished 
cribbing the corn and got some wood up, when all 
started the first day with merry hearts. The Sum¬ 
mer pupils were youngsters, too little 
to help much at home, and they had a 
fine show to learn and play during the 
Summer days. 
School opened with Bible reading 
every morning, and every desk had 
one or more. Sometimes the teacher 
read, again it was “verse about,” 
while again it was in concert. McGuf- 
fe.v’s reading books were in all the 
schools and they stood next the Bible 
to influence habits of thought and in¬ 
culcate morality. The interest of the 
pupils was great enough to prompt 
them to run over the chapter and les¬ 
sons for the next day by the light of a 
candle or “fat lamp,” and every morn¬ 
ing there was a hustle to get the chores 
done, get the dinner up, fill all pockets 
with apples and hurry back to the com¬ 
rades of past lessons. The girls may 
have had aims, but we know the boys 
did. The writer’s was to own a good 
farm with a red barn, and every time 
the crop drowned on part of the 
swamp “40,” or when our head was 
bumped in the log stable it emphasized 
it. Some set their heads for farm 
hands, railroading, and two chaps 
meant to be bankers. We all arrived. 
I wish some one would tell me what 
aims the boys have now. 
It is now 54 years since I “kept” 
our school and most of the comrades 
of the seats, the ball ground, singing 
schools and debates are gone, but I 
defy any school I know to produce 
their equals. Deceased President 
Harding got his start over the line 
from my school of 1870 and 1871, a school that cost 
about $180 a year, just $1 less than the school tax 
we paid last year to bring up boys with no aim, no 
industry and no thrift. All these good Ohio men 
and women were an annual expense to the tax¬ 
payers of about $5 a year each. You know what 
they cost now and looking at many acquaintances 
who are high school graduates and some who went 
through college, I see they have a poor view of life. 
Most of the latter are total failures. 
How fortunate that old generation that went to 
those way-back schools was, in those days when 
self-reliance, self-denial, thrift, industry and mor¬ 
ality were taught. That was before the day of pol¬ 
itics, graft, pull, athletics, college aspirations and 
artificial culture; before the days of physical direc¬ 
tors. That was the time when the teacher knew 
how to explain, 
“Life is real, life is earnest, 
And the grave is not its goal; 
Dust thou art, to dust returnest, 
Was not written of the soul.” 
Forces have worked to eliminate all such printing 
and it is slush fairy stories, and literature which 
will not require nor provoke thought. The youths 
of America are hampered so that designing men may 
control them, and the evidences of crime and low 
commercial morality show their success. Now 
when a few parents have at last awakened to the 
progressive destruction of the American public 
school, all the politicians fall on them. Also, they 
are aided and abetted by many who should know 
better. w. w. Reynolds. 
Angora Goats for Clearing Bush Land 
On page 394 W. F. H. tells of using a bunch of An¬ 
gora goats in clearing up a piece of scrub land. Many 
of us would like to know more about this. How much 
wool or hair do these goats shear, and what is it worth? 
Is there any sale for the goats? Is their flesh good to 
eat? Are they actually capable of clearing up such 
land? t o. k. J. 
OR brushing, one will do as much execution as 
another, although I believe the bucks and weth¬ 
ers a little more active. The clip of hair this year 
has not yet been sold, but it is far superior to qual¬ 
ity of that of a year ago when I bought the goats. 
This is due to the better care and good grazing 
ground. I believe the buck this year should clip 
about 10 lbs. of hair, and average 6 to 8 in. in length. 
Trice will vary from 30c to $1.25 per lb., according 
to quality and staple, but there are goats whose clip 
is sold at several hundred dollars, being the very 
long staple. Of course you know the hair of Angora 
goats is made into mohair materials, and meets with 
ready sale in Boston. The flesh I have not tasted. 
I understand by some it is considered finer than 
sheep meat. 
The Spring kids are all rugged and growing nicely. 
The man from whom I bought some of the goats ad¬ 
vised at the time he never sold any weaned kids for 
less than $20 each; always had call for more than 
he could furnish. 
My experience is that the goats have more than 
carried their expense this past year, cleaning up the 
brush without one cent of expenditure on my part. 
The firewood I gave for the cutting. The goats are 
now reducing the land to an excellent pasture for 
other stock. During the drought of last Summer 
they went into the low ground and ate up the bog 
growth; seemed to thrive on it. My goats are at 
Stone Ridge, N. Y., which is situated 10 miles from 
Kingston, on the Ellenville road. I should be glad 
to have any of your readers stop and inspect the 
goats and the work they have accomplished. In this 
instance, seeing is certainly believing. The goats 
have greatly exceeded my expectations, but a good 
fence is vitally necessary, and a woven wire fence 
can be purchased at 35 cents per rod. The posts can 
be cut out of the brush lots. w. f. hasbrouck. 
The Farmer’s Bulletin Board 
USINESSLIKE ADVERTISING.—In the busi¬ 
ness world, millions of dollars are spent an¬ 
nually for advertising. We who till the soil are in 
business, and to obtain the best results we should 
adopt up-to-date business methods. The greatest of 
these is advertising. As a rule the press is the best 
agency through which we can express our wants to 
the public, but of late years the bulletin board at 
the roadside has been used extensively on all well- 
traveled highways The automobiles which carry an 
endless stream of people past our dwellings, makes 
this a most successful method of advertising. Many 
farmers could improve their methods along this 
line. They are too timid or careless in placing their 
signs. Ofttimes their lettering is at fault. Be ag¬ 
gressive. Place your board right out where the pub¬ 
lic is forced to read. Have the lettering large 
enough so one passing in an auto can read as he 
rides. Have the message brief and to the point, as 
much lettering is confusing and may mean the loss 
of customers. Simply the name of the article for 
sale is enough, although at times the price also can 
be used to good advantage. 
A SWINGING SIGN.—In placing our board, we 
set an upright in the ground as near the road as we 
deemed safe. From this an arm projects toward 
the road, on the underside of which were two screw- 
hooks ; two screw-eyes on the edge of the black¬ 
board slip into the hooks, allowing one to place or 
remove the board at will. The sign swings crosswise 
of the road and has the same lettering on both sides, 
so we get the public coming and going. We also use 
small blackboards, placed several rods each side of 
our marketing place, on which is print¬ 
ed the name of the article we are sell¬ 
ing, and an arrow pointing in the di¬ 
rection of the selling stand. For sev¬ 
eral years we have sold our crop of 
peaches at the roadside, securing a bet¬ 
ter price than we could in any other 
manner. We believe our success large¬ 
ly due to the bulletin board. 
A HOUSEHOLD BLACKBOARD. — 
There is one phase of the blackboard 
which we have found very helpful. 
When making our board for the road¬ 
side we also constructed one for the 
household. We have it fastened to the 
wall in the kitchen, with chalk handy, 
and find it a help in many ways. Our 
child, going to school, has used it for 
several years, writing sentences, spell¬ 
ing words, working problems, and 
drawing. We also find it helpful to the 
elders. When a new word comes up, 
we place it on the board, marking the 
correct pronunciation, and by leaving 
it there some time, it becomes a part of 
our vocabulary. When settling with 
the egg merchant or in other business 
dealings at the house, figuring on the 
blackboard places it where both parties 
to the transaction can see and criticize. 
If the wife and I are called from home 
unexpectedly, Ave write on the board so 
that other members of the family, com 
ing before our return, may read and 
understand the situation. Paint suit¬ 
able for blackboards may be purchased 
at the store, but of late we have been 
using a preparation for which I will 
give the recipe. It is much cheaper and 
gives good satisfaction. Glue, four ounces; flour of 
emery, three ounces; lampblack enough to give it a 
suitable color. Dissolve the glue in three pints of 
warm water, add other ingredients and stir thor¬ 
oughly. Apply with a woolen cloth. About three 
coats will be required. For lettering, Avhiting is bet¬ 
ter than chalk, and more lasting, but can be washed 
off when no longer required. Mix the whiting with 
water so as to form a thin paste, using a small brush 
with which to do your lettering. Every farmer liv¬ 
ing on a well-traveled road should have a bul¬ 
letin board. The cost is trifling, the returns are 
great. , e. h. lawson. 
Onions for Sets 
How and when should I sow onions seed to get 
onion sets? How are the sets cared for through the 
Winter, and what kind would you use for market? 
Glen Campbell, Pa. a. s. d. 
Sow seed as soon as the ground is fit to work. 
They bulb better early; if sown later in season are 
apt to make a lot of scallions. Sow about one ounce 
of seed to about 75 ft. After pulling and drying 
put in corncrib or place where they can get plenty 
of air, (do not top them) in flats about four inches 
deep. In December remove flats to a cool dry cellar. 
In South Jersey they let them remain in corncrib 
all Winter, but I have had better success in keep¬ 
ing them where they do not freeze. I like South- 
port Yellow Globe or Yellow Danvers, wm. Perkins. 
W. W. Reynolds, tlie friend of sheep, whose stirring articles have done so much 
for farmers. 
