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EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION 5

mates until the first log school house some two
miles away was erected the second year after
locating upon the claim. These brawny 'skin-
aways', as their parents called them, were
sturdy little chaps, fleet, expert with bow and
arrow, could climb like squirrels and skip like
fauns.''

School facilities are described as "meager"
in those early days when competent teachers
were very rare. "The first teacher in our
locality was Eobert Miller, a man of but little
education, but a kind, patient and lovable per-
son who made the old log school house with its
homely benches, big wide fireplace and greased
paper windows seem like a palace for its
twenty odd girls and boys gathered daily for
instruction under its clapboard roof. That
white oak ridge where the homely school house
stood is sacred still in my memory. The ele-
mentary spelling book which I carried to and
from this, my Alma Mater, was obtained at
Bloomfield from John A. Lucas, the pioneer
merchant, in exchange for a coon skin which I
carried to him. That blessed old school book
opened first to me the door that leads to the
republic of letters. If it could possibly now be
found I would treasure it and hand it down to
my children. The Friday afternoons we all
stood and spelled down were great clays and
stimulated the youthful ambition to blood heat.



	EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION 5 mates until the first log school house some two miles away was erected the second year after locating upon the claim. These brawny 'skin- aways', as their parents called them, were sturdy little chaps, fleet, expert with bow and arrow, could climb like squirrels and skip like fauns.'' School facilities are described as "meager" in those early days when competent teachers were very rare. "The first teacher in our locality was Eobert Miller, a man of but little education, but a kind, patient and lovable per- son who made the old log school house with its homely benches, big wide fireplace and greased paper windows seem like a palace for its twenty odd girls and boys gathered daily for instruction under its clapboard roof. That white oak ridge where the homely school house stood is sacred still in my memory. The ele- mentary spelling book which I carried to and from this, my Alma Mater, was obtained at Bloomfield from John A. Lucas, the pioneer merchant, in exchange for a coon skin which I carried to him. That blessed old school book opened first to me the door that leads to the republic of letters. If it could possibly now be found I would treasure it and hand it down to my children. The Friday afternoons we all stood and spelled down were great clays and stimulated the youthful ambition to blood heat.