TEACHING IN VACATIONS

Before Thanksgiving the exhibition of the literary societies arrived. But far more important was the following vacation of six weeks which could be extended to twelve by teachers of the winter schools. At first work lost in college during those second six weeks was merely a misfortune; later it had to be made up which was more of a misfortune. Teaching was amazingly popular and some times more than half of a class would be away especially in sophomore or junior year. It was discouraged except for necessity; but as it was known that some members of the faculty thought highly of a term of teaching as part of an education "necessity" gave rise to a special doctrine of relativity. Whittier's sketch in Snow Bound of the Dartmouth schoolmaster is vivid for certain cases. The pay was from forty to sixty dollars a month for a twelve weeks' school. The maximum sum was unusual and to be hoped for only by those teachers who could give evidence of successful experience. The teacher paid his own expenses for transportation and board except that in some cases he "boarded round" as part of his pay; and thus his hosts paid their school taxes. Teachers who boarded round could not look a hog in the face for five years. Experiences were different. Not every one "His winter task a pastime made." The lads were generally ready to fall in with the ways of the community to which they went—join the choir, play the kissing games and tell all the stories they knew even classical ones; and if fighting was necessary to hold their job they could put up a determined fight backed by the. people who wanted school kept, if the teacher could keep it. And most of them could. Now and then some guide of youth would come back to college early and gradually the story would get around that he had been put out into the snow and the door had been shut against him. I knew several smooth-faced lads with no reputation as fighters who when the emergency came arose smilingly and did'more damage than they had intended. A tall fellow dared to take an especially tough school "on the Cape" where young fishermen who were laid off for the winter amused themselves by breaking up the school. He took four boxing gloves along and anticipated any difficulties by a match with the best representative they could select. A risk, but he taught the school. Later he gave boxing lessons by request which may have made trouble for the teacher of the next year. A small student who had no right to conceal such splendid muscles under his well-worn coat good-naturedly engaged in a wrestling match with his biggest pupil and threw him so easily and so many times that it did not seem worth while to bother the teacher in school. As he had good brains also he received in his teaching engagements the highest pay reported.