Oglethorpe Echo, 12 January 1917
Uncle Joe Baughn in Reminiscent Mood Gives some interesting
Data as to Schools and Schooling a half Century ago

Contributed by: Troy Colquitt
<[email protected]>
(Posted with his permission)

Knowing the accelerated velocity of the present age I think it would not be amiss for me to give some of my reminescenses of the past in educational lines.

In 1846 there were two Randall brothers who taught school in the county, Ed at Indian Creek and Jim down in Goosepond, and they were giants in the line of Nero Pedagogues.  My friend B. V. Rains, deceased, always championed the cause of Ed and our friend Thos. D. Biggs of Jim, all knowing whereof we spake.

I will speak of the style of the country school house of those days.  They were built of logs, a stick and dirt chimney at one end and one log taken out of the other for light and ventilation.  I suppose that was the style generally for during the war my friend J. W. Wiggens, who was raised in North Carolina, on passing would sing out here is one of your “backwarmers,” a very appropriate  name.

I will say that Mrs. J. W. Tiller is the only one except myself living who went to school to Ed Randall.  In 1848 I went to William
Wray at Prospect school which stood then near Mr. Lee Callaway’s gin.  Mr. E. I. Reynolds and Bro. Wm. T. Howard and Capt. T. W. Dozier are all that I remember who are living.  While Mr. Wray was quite an improvement in many respects, especially in the line of the switch, he failed to impress ideas so that children could retain them.

Owing to having my foot cut I stopped on half way ground and went to an Irish lady who was teaching in a house vacated by Mr. Tipper, then owned by Judge S. R. Maxwell.  All her pupils were girls except six and all of them have passed over the river except John L. Stevens, now living in Texas.  I had a jolly good time and have pleasant recollections of Miss Charlotte Quinn, not withstanding her Catholic proclivities .

After a year’s work, in January 1850, I started to that noble Christian gentleman, Thos. Brittain Moss, who was far beyond the age as an instructor. He it was who taught me how to write 37½ under 100 and substract it.  He taught at Meson Academy in 1849 and continued until 1889.  Most of those of his pupils who went to him in ’50 and ’51 have gone to the silent beyond.  Those left to call his memory blessed are Capt. T. H. Dozier, of Athens;  Col. W. H. Sims (Tobe as we knew him) now of Birmingham, Ala;  Thomas D. Biggs, of Wilkes county;  Capt. H. W. Johnson, of Crawford; Chess Daniel, of near Crawford and possible Choang T. Boggs, of Arkansas.  There may be some others besides myself but it is rather difficult to remember the exact time.  Rev. Brittain Sanders, a superanuated Methodist minister living at Stone Mountain, was my schoolmate some of the earlier years.

In 1893 Mr. Moss published a list of all the pupils who attended his school from start to finish, but being in Texas I failed to take
care of the Echo.  Of course the text books of today are far more suited for the pupil to take in the knowledge of any branch of study, but even with Adaen’s Latin and Fisk’s Greek Grammer, Mr. Moss had some splendid linguests.  In any branch if the pupils failed it was not the fault of the teacher but his own.

In those days athletics were not so stressed much but town ball, bull pen and nearest neighbor were our principal winter games and marbles and knucks were summer games.  Base and foot ball were unknown.

Mr. Moss was a cultured gentleman, a good teacher and the result of his faithful and exemplary life will be determined when we assemble around the White Throne.
 
 

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