One morning early in October, having finished her household duties,
she repaired to the schoolroom for the day. Florence was already at
her post, though suffering from violent nervous headache. Mary seated
herself with her back to the door, and called one of her classes.
Arithmetic it proved; and if the spirits of the departed were
ever allowed to return in vindication of their works, the ghost
of Pythagoras would certainly have disturbed the equanimity of
the "muchachos," who so obstinately refused the assistance and
co-operation of his rules and tables. In vain she strove to impress on
one that 2 from 8 left 6. Like the little girl that Wordsworth met, he
persisted "it was seven." Despairing at last, she remanded the class
to their seats. Anxious to facilitate the progress of her pupils, Mary
spared no pains to make perspicuous what to them appeared obscure. The
little savages could not, or would net understand that the earth
was like a ball, and not only turned upon its own axis, but made
the entire circumference of the sun. A pair of globes could not be
procured, and she taxed her ingenuity for a substitute. Selecting two
apples, one enormous, the other medium size, she carefully introduced
a reed through the center of the smaller apple, thus causing it to
revolve on its axis. Calling up the tyros in geography, she took the
smallest, or "Earth," as she designated it, and while causing it to
perform the diurnal motion, she carried it slowly round the larger, or
"Sun," as she termed it; thus illustrating the combined movements of
our globe. Even the dullest could not fail to comprehend; and well
satisfied with the result of her experiment, she carefully put her
planets by in one corner of the schoolroom, and proceeded with her
questions. The imperfect recitation finished, Mary glanced across
the room, hoping her cousin's patience was not so tried, and some
brilliant coruscations in that direction fixed her attention. Florence
had dropped her aching head on the desk in front, shading her eyes
with her hand; before her, in dark array, stood some half dozen
small boys just beginning to spell. Each held a book containing
illustrations of various well-known articles and animals, having the
name beneath.
"U-r-n--teapot." Elliot Carlton, whose seat was near, gave a
suppressed giggle. Florence looked around inquiringly, then dropt her
head again on her hand, bidding the boy "spell on."
"S-t-a-g--goat." Elliot crammed his handkerchief into his mouth, and
Mary smiled.
"W-i-g--curly head." Florence was effectually roused this time by a
shout of laughter from Elliot, in which he was joined by Mary, and Dr.
Bryant, who had just entered and was standing in such a position that
no one had perceived him.
"Really, Miss Hamilton, I must congratulate you on the extraordinary
progress your pupils make; I was not aware that you cultivated their
powers of comparison in connection with the rudiments of orthoepy,"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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