Pioneer Living: Education And Recreation (1970)

[Music] as Pioneer communities grew and prospered and the settlers realized that the first desperate struggle for survival was over thoughts and efforts turned to community buildings and projects to serve the educational and cultural needs of the people churches and schools were the first Community buildings erected and in many villages one building served as both church and school and occasionally one man was both Pastor and school Master to the children growing up in the early Villages and the surrounding Farms seed time and harvest time overshadowed formal classroom lessons everything that a child did from the time of rising at dawn to bedtime at sundown was an important part of his education every hand was needed at home at busy times of the year and the school year had to adjust to the needs of the [Music] land the schoolhouse was built with Community labor and materials and could be of logs planks stone or brick the large yard or common that surrounded the building rang with the shouts of the students at play a rope which hung through a hole in the ceiling rang the great Bell on the roof and called the children to classes they were usually two entrances one for the boys and one for the girls that opened into two small cloak rooms [Music] good Scholars considered it an honor to ring the bell refill the wood box fill the water pil or stoke the fire parents of the students supplied wood for the stove and lodgings for the teacher discipline was strict but teachers were poorly trained and had to use the Birch Rod often to keep the attention of their students they attempted to teach all ages and class classes in one room and many of the students were young adults when they finished their education slates and slate pencils were the standard writing equipment and every lesson was copied and memorized for every few minutes the students had to wipe off their slate in order to use it again teaching AIDS were scarce a few maps and books a globe a pointer or other articles that were available were used to illustrate [Music] lessons in the school ink and paper were in short supply only the senior students were given lessons in penmanship the teacher carefully distributed ink paper and the quill pens which were made from a feather with a sharpened tip when it was time to dismiss the students for the day homework was not assigned because the teacher was aware the children had many chores to keep them busy at home if a student had misbehaved during the day he might be given homework in this way his parents knew of his behavior lunches were packed in baskets or pales that were taken home to be refilled for the following day Recreation was simple and often spontaneous in a Pioneer community in an era when everyone of every age was affected by the success or failure of the Harvest the entire Community assisted with common needs and problems any project that required more than one set of hands became a bee [Music] bees were used for every type of work at every season of the year but the best loved bee among the women was for quilting quilts were devised originally because of grim economic need but they soon developed a social aspect as a young woman approached marriage her hope chest or doy chest was filled with the Linens that she would need in her new home these Linens were all made by hand as were coverlets and quilts when a quilt was ready to be finished six or seven guests were invited to a quilting [Music] bee to make the quilting easier and to strengthen the Stitches the thread was rubbed with beeswax before using the conversation of the Quilters ranged over the news of the countryside as their fingers darted up and down there was a good deal of friendly competition in workmanship and as the women talked they kept watch over their neighbor stitches mentally comparing them with their own the Quilters were invited for supper with the hostess but often some of them had to leave to hurry to their own homes to prepare supper for their families While others would remain until the quilt was finished [Music] The Village Post Office located in the General Store became a popular meeting place it was an excellent place to advertise and announcements of community activities line the walls socials were popular events for the whole family and every woman in the area spent several days preparing a gay decorated box or basket to take to it on the evening of the social it was packed with a tasty lunch along with a slip of paper containing the Maker's name and carried with great secrecy to the [Music] social when the women arrived all the boxes were placed together and the men were not allowed to examine them the evening usually began with dancing music could be provided by two or three musicians but usually a fiddler was persuaded to strike up a tune and a caller to sing or say the steps for country dancing or square dancing children learned these steps almost as soon as they could walk for everyone went to the dances including babies and children eight people were needed for each set or Square and if there weren't enough adults young people were pressed into the set and soon learned the intricate steps [Music] required when children became too tired to watch the dancing any longer they simply curled up among the coats and fell asleep after several hours of dancing the time finally arrived for the auction of the baskets and boxes an auctioner took over and the boxes were finally unwrapped and sold to the highest bidder because of the secrecy surrounding the owner of each box some surprises resulted when the buyer opened it and found the owner's name when all the boxes had been sold the couples paired off and ate the lunch together when they had finished eating it was time for everyone to return home on such occasions a young man might ask a girl if he might walk her home under the watchful eyes of rep parents [Music] a popular outing at any season of the year was a ride around the country roads on a sleigh or wagon covered with hay many friendships formed on these outings blossomed into marriage and when this happened the community again took an interest in the young couple they would be quietly married in their parents' home or in the home of the pastor and would go to live with their parents for it would be financially impossible for them to have a Home of Their [Music] Own one evening soon after the marriage their neighbors always tried to surprise them with a chivery waiting until they were sure the young couple were in bed and asleep they crept up on the house with all manner of pots kettles and other metal objects at a given signal the confusion of noise began and continued until the bride and groom got up and gave them some money or treat of some kind chives were the cause of much mert and the couple usually accepted the joke in good spirits well they realized their neighbors were carrying out an old tradition they were honored that their neighbors car enough about them to include them in their activities strong assurance that they would continue to be interested in their welfare as they became a part of the proud and enterprising [Music] community for