The American Missionary — Volume 43, No. 10, October, 1889 — John Shaqi
The American Missionary — Volume 43, No. 10, October, 1889Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 43, No. 10, October, 1889
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
Our school refuses none on account of age. Pupils are there, from the
little three-year-old who attends the "Kinny-garten," as they call it,
to those who are forty and fifty years old. I have been exceedingly
interested in one woman who is now attending school in the primary room.
She said to me: "I done sent my daughters through school and now I
thought I would try and get a little education myself."
One of the good brothers well expressed this idea of sacrifice on the
part of the parents for the education of their children when he said, "I
only wants to be a stepping-stone for my children. If I can help them to
rise higher than I have got, that is all I ask."
One poor woman told me she spent less than a dollar per week for
provisions for a family of eight persons in order to save money to keep
her children in school.
The oldest pupil in my school, a man over thirty years of age, said to
me one day, "I wish I could have gone to school when I was young, for as
a fellow grows older, his remembrance comes shorter."
* * * * *
OUR YOUNG FOLKS.
Two little girls, about eight and nine years old, have just been to my
room. The older one said, "This yere chile wants a dress to wear to
Sunday-school to-morrow, and her ma says if it don't fit she can cut it
off and make it over." I found among the contents of the last barrel a
pretty blue gingham that fitted. I am sure the one who sent the dress
would have felt happy if she could have seen the glad look of the child
as she received it. I found the older little girl was not attending any
day-school, and when I asked her what she did to help at home, she
replied, "I don't do nothing, but stay at home and tote wood and notice
the house."
The children may be interested in a question asked by a little girl in
the third grade. She said, "My pa wants I should ask you whether the
children of Israel, that Moses led out of Egypt, were black people, or
white people?"
I have been teaching nearly six weeks. The house is a cheap frame one
with a fire-place at one end. It is supplied with five benches, two
desks and a blackboard. On those small benches twenty-five or more
children must be seated. It is hard to keep them busy, as very few have
the books which they need. Many are just learning to read, and some of
these are making excellent progress.
At first it seemed as though the scholars would fight on the least
provocation. If there had not been a few who had attended another of our
schools, I do not know what I should have done, but those few did not
fight. Their deportment in the school-room was also good. Now there is
scarcely any fighting. At first several brought tobacco to school, but
it was not allowed to be used, and so is not brought now.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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