"Mrs. Page.--Sir Hugh, my husband says my son profits nothitng in the world at his book. I pray you ask him some questions in his accidence."
"Evans.--Come hither, William, hold up your head, come."
After the departure of our Connecticut teacher, Mr.Bates, papa resolved to carry on our education himself. We wereto rise by daylight, that he might pursue his accustomed rideover the fields after brcakfast. New writing-books were taken outand ruled, fresh quills laid by their side, our task carefullycommitted to memory, and we sat with a mixture of docility andcuriosity, to know how he would manage as a teacher. The firstthree days our lessons being on trodden ground, and ourselvesunder the impulse of novelty, we were very amiable, he verypaternal; on the fourth, John was turned out of the room, Richardwas pronounced a mule, and I went sobbing to mamma as if my heartwould break, while papa said he might be compelled to ditch ricefields, but he never would undertake to teach children again.
A slight constraint was thrown over the family for a day ortwo, but it soon wore off; and he returned to his good-nature.For three weeks we were as wild as fawns, until mamma's attentionwas attracted by my sun-burnt complexion, and my brothers' tornclothes.
"This will never answer," said she to papa."Look at Cornelia's face! It is as brown as a chinquapin.Richard has ruined his new suit, and John has cut his leg withthe carpenter's tools. I have half a mind to keep school for themmyself."
Papa gave a slight whistle, which seemed rather to stimulatethan check her resolution.
"Cornelia," said she, "go directly to yourbrothers, and prepare your books for to-morrow. I will teachyou."
The picture about to be presented is not overwrought. I amconfident of the sympathy of many a mother, whose finger has beenkept on a word in the dictionary so long a time, that her pupils,forgetting her vocation, have lounged through the firstinterruptions and finished with a frolic.
One would suppose that the retirement of a plantation was themost appropriate spot for a mother and her children to give andreceive instruction. Not so, for instead of a limited household,her dependents are increased to a number which would constitute avillage. She is obliged to listen to cases of grievance, is anurse to the sick, distributes the half-yearly clothing; indeed,the mere giving out of thread and needles is something of acharge on so large a scale. A planter's lady may seem indolent,because there are so many under her who perform trivial services,but the very circumstance of keeping so many menials in order isan arduous one, and the keys of her establishmentare a care of which a northern housekeeper knows nothing, andinclude a very extensive class of duties. Many fair and evenaristocratic girls, if we may use this phrase in our republicancountry, who grace a ball-room, or loll in a liveried carriage,may be seen with these steel talismans, presiding overstore-houses, and measuring with the accuracy andconscientiousness of a shopman, the daily allowance of thefamily; or cutting homespun suits, for days together, for theyoung and old slaves under their charge; while matrons, who wouldring a bell for their pocket-handkerchief to be brought to them,will act the part of a surgeon or physician, with a promptitudeand skill, which would excite astonishment in a stranger. Veryfrequently, slaves, like children, will only take medicine fromtheir superiors, and in this case the planter's wife or daughteris admirably fitted to aid them.
There are few establishments where all care and responsibilitydevolves on the master, and even then the superintendence of alarge domestic circle, and the rites of hospitality, demand solarge a portion of the mistress's time, as leaves her but littleopportunity for systematic teaching in her family. In this caseshe is wise to seek an efficient tutor, still appropriating thoseopportunities which perpetually arise under the same roof, toimprove their moral and religious culture, and cultivate thosesympathies which exalt these precious beings from children tofriends.
The young, conscientious, ardent mother must be taught this byexperience. She has a jealousy at first of any instruction thatshall come between their dawning minds and her own, and is onlytaught by the constantly thwarted recitation, that in thiscountry, at least, good housekeeping and good teaching cannot becombined.
But to return to my narrative. The morning after mamma'sorder, we assembled at ten o'clock. There was a littletrepidation in her manner, but we loved her too well to annoy herby noticing it. Her education had been confined to mererudiments, and her good sense led her only to conduct ourreading, writing, and spelling.
We stood in a line.
"Spell irrigate," said she. Just then thecoachman entered, and bowing, said, "Maussa send me for dekey for get four quart o'corn for him bay horse."
The key was given.
"Spell imitate," said mamma.
"We did not spell irrigate," we allexclaimed.
"Oh, no," said she, " irrigate."
By the time the two words were well through, Chloe, the mostrefined of our coloured circle, appeared.
"Will mistress please to medjure out somecalomel for Syphax, who is feverish and onrestless?"*
During mamma's visit to the doctor's shop, as themedicine-closet was called, we turned the inkstand over on hermahogany table, and wiped it up with our pocket-handkerchiefs. Itrequired some time to cleanse and arrange ourselves; and just aswe were seated and had advanced a little way on ourorthographical journey, maum Phillis entered with her usualdrawl, "Little maussa want for nurse, marm."
While this operation was going on, we gathered round mamma toplay bo-peep with the baby, until even she forgot our lessons. Atlength the little pet was dismissed with the white drops stillresting on his red lips, and our line was formed again.
Mamma's next interruption, after successfully issuing a fewwords, was to settle a quarrel between La Fayette and Venus, twolittle blackies, who were going through their daily drill, inlearning to rub the furniture, which with brushing flies at mealsconstitutes the first instruction for house servants. Theseimportant and classical personages rubbed about a stroke to theminute on each side of the cellaret, rolling up their eyes andmaking grimaces at each other. At this crisis they had laid claimto the same rubbing cloth; mamma stopped the dispute by orderingmy seamstress Flora, who was sewing for me, to apply the weightof her thimble, that long-known weapon of offence, as well asimplement of industry, to their organ of firmness.
"Spell accentuate," said mamma, whosefinger had slipped from the column.
"No, no, that is not the place," we exclaimed,rectitying the mistake.
"Spell irritate," said she, withadmirable coolness, and John fairly succeeded just as theoverseer's son, a sallow little boy with yellow hair, and bluehomespun dress, came in with his hat on, and kicking up one footfor manners, said, "Fayther says as how he wants masterRichard's horse to help tote some tetters** to t'otherfield."
This pretty piece of alliteration was complied with, aftersome remonstrance from brother Dick, and we finished our column.At this crisis, before we were fairly seated at writing, mammawas summoned to the hall to one of the field hands, who hadreceived an injury in the ancle from a hoe. Papa and the overseerbeing at a distance, she was obliged to superintend the wound. Weal1 followed her, La Fayette and Venus bringing up the rear. Sheinspected the sufferer's great foot, covered with blood andperspiration, superintended a bath, prepared a healingapplication, and bound it on with her own delicate hands, firstquietly tying a black apron over her white dress. Here was noshrinking, no hiding of the eyes, and while extracting someextraneous substance from tbe wound, her manner was as resoluteas it was gentle and consoling. This episode gave Richard anopportunity to unload his pockets of groundnuts, and treat ustherewith. We were again seated at our writing-books, and weregoing on swimmingly with "Avoid evil company,"when a little crow-minder, hoarse from his late occupation, camein with a basket of eggs, and said,
"Mammy Phillis send Missis some egg for buy, ma'am; sheain't so bery well, and ax for some 'baccer.' "
It took a little time to pay for the eggs and send to thestore-room for the Virginia-weed, of which opportunity we availedourselves to draw figures on our slates: mamma reproved us, andwe were resuming our duties, when the cook's son approached andsaid,
"Missis, Daddy Ajax say he been broke de axe, and ax mefor ax you for len him de new axe."
This made us shout out with laughter, and the business wasscarcely settled, when the dinner-horn sounded. That evening acarriage full of friends arrived from the city to pass a weekwith us, and thus ended mamma's experiment in teaching.
Our summers were usually passed at Springland, apine-settlement, where about twenty families resorted at thatseason of the year. We were fortunate to kind a French ladyalready engaged in teaching, from whom I took lessons on thepiano-forte and guitar. The summer passed swiftly away. Papa wasdelighted with my facility in French, in which my brothers werealso engaged, and we were happy to retain Madame d'Anville in ourown family, on our return to Roseland.
In the middle of November a stranger was announced to papa,and a young man of very prepossessing appearance entered with aletter. It proved to be from our teacher, Mr. Bates. The contentswere as follows:--
"Respected Sir.--I now sit down to write to you, toinform you that I am well, as also are Sir and Mar'm, my sisterNancy, and al1 the rest of our folks except aunt Patty, who isbut poorly, having attacks of the rheumatiz, and shortness ofbreath. I should add, that Mrs. Prudence Bates, (who afterthe regular publishment on thc church-doors for three Sundays,was united to me in the holy bands of wedlock, by our ministerMr. Ezekiel Duncan,) is in a good state of health, at thispresent, though her uncle, by her father's side, has been sick ofjaundice, a complaint that has been off and on with him for aconsiderable spell.
"The bearer of this epistle is Parson Duncan's son, byname Mr. Charles Duncan, a very likely young man, but poorly inhealth, and Dr. Hincks says, going down to Charleston may set himup. I have the candour to say, that I think him, on someaccounts, a more proper teacher than your humble servant, havingserved his time at a regular college edication.
"I have writ a much longer letter than I thought on, butsomehow it makes me chirpy to think of Roseland, though the youngfolks were obstreperous.
"Give my love nevertheless to them, and Miss Wilton, andall the little ones, as also I would not forget Daddy Jacque,whom I consider, notwithstanding his colour, as a veryrespectable person. I cannot say as much for Jim, who was aneternal thorn in my side, by reason of his quickness at mischief,and his slowness at waiting upon me; and I take this opportunityof testifying, that I believe if he had been in New England, hewould have had his deserts before this; but you Southern folks doput up with an unaccountable sight from niggers, and I hope Jimwill not be allowed his full tether, if so be Mr. Charles shouldtake my situation in your family. I often tell our folks how Iused to catch up a thing and do it rather than wait forhalf-a-dozen on 'em to take their own time. If I livedto the ageof Methusalem, I never could git that composed, quiet kind of wayyou Southern folks have of waiting on the niggers. I only wishthey could see aunt Patty move when the rheumatiz is off--if sheisn't spry, I don't know.
"Excuse all errors,
" Yours to serve,
"JOSEPH BATES."
I decteda gentle, half-comical smile on Mr.Duncan's mouth ashe raised his splendid eyes to papa, while delivering Mr. Bates'letter; but be soon walked to the window, and asked me somequestions about the Cherokee-rose hedge, and other objects inview, which were novelties to him. I felt instantly that he was agentleman, by the atmosphere of refinement which was thrown overhim. and I saw that papa sympathised with me, as with gracefulcourtesy he welcomed him to Roseland.--Southern Rose-bud.
* Uneasy.
** Potatoes.
From Harriet Martineau, Society in America, AppendixC - "Recollections of a Southern Matron." London:Saunders and Otley, 1837, pp. 325-333.
Forward to Society in America, Appendix D- "Public Education in the United States."
Back to Society in America, Appendix B -"General and State Finances."
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