On Saturdays we used to "speak pieces." Our favorites were some spirited lyric, like "Scots Wha Hae" or Pierpont's "Stand, the ground's your own, my braves," "The boy stood on the burning deck," and "Bernardo del Carpio." Sometimes, though not often, some comic piece was chosen, like Jack Downing's "Tax on Old Bachelors." Those who fitted for college added Latin and Greek to these studies.

The children were sent to school earlier than is the present fashion, and had long school hours and few vacations.
There were four vacations in the year, of a week each, and three days at Thanksgiving time.

Little account was made of Christmas.

The fashion of Christmas presents was almost wholly unknown.

The boys used to be allowed to go out of school to study in the warm summer days, and would find some place in a field, and sometimes up in the belfry of the little schoolhouse.