We knew that General Green“and Lord Cornwallis
64 lines✦
The whole country was in great anxiety and “bustle. Nothing was secure from the depredation of the tories,and of ‘bandits of thieves worse than they. My motherhad some valuable horses needed for the use of the farm,to secure which from being taken by scouting parties,she sent me with my two elder brothers to conceal themin a thicket of brushwood, not far distant from homey"This was to me, even then, a gloomy day. It was theday when Greenand Cornwallis met at Guilford Court-House, in North Carolina, about thirty miles distant fromus. We distinctly heard the roar of the artillery, andawfully feared the result. = cas The soldiers, when they returned home from their war-tour, brou oht back with them many vices almost unknownto us before ; as profane swearing, debauchery, drunk-enness, gambling, quarreling and fighting. For havingbeen soldiers, and having fought for liberty, they, wererespected and caressed by all. They gave the ton to igs? * + * a - BARTON W. STONE. 3 the neighborhood, and therefore their influence in de-moralizing society was very great. These vices soonbecame general, and almost honorable. Such are uni-versally the effects of war, than which a greater evilcannot assail and afflict a nation. . | In such society were my youthful days spent; but inthese vices I never participated. From my earliest re-collection I drank deeply into the spirit of liberty, andwas so warmed by the soul-inspiring draughts, that Icould not hear the name of British, or tories, without feel-ing a rush of blood through the whole system. Suchprejudices, formed in youth, are with difhculty ever re-moved. I confess their magic influence to this advancedday of my life, especially when the name tory is men-tioned—so many injuries, fresh in my recollection, at-tach to that name. I was early sent to school to a very tyrant of a teach-er, who seemed to take pleasure in whipping and abusinghis pupils for every trifling offence. I could learn no-thing through fearof him. When I was called on to recitemy lessons to him, I was so affected with fear and trem-bling, and so confused in mind, that I could say nothing.I remained with him but a few days, and was sent toanother teacher of a different temper, with whom I ac-quired with facility the first rudiments of an English ed-ucation, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Here I mustenter my protest against tyrannical and ill-disposed teach-ers. Such are a curse to any neighborhood in whichthey may teach. ‘Teachers should be the most patient,self-possessed, and reasonable of men; yet of such firm-ness as to secure authority and respect. The rodshould be rarely used—only in cases of necessity; and”then by the arm of mercy. He should act the part ofa kind father towards them as his children. Gain theirrespect and love, and they will delight in obedience,and rarely fail to learn the lessons given to them. Grammar, geography, and the branches of sciencenow taught in common schools, were then unknown, and not sought after. My old teacher, Robert W. So-ll 4
✦