We have purchased a Brice furnace and placed it in our kitchen cellar. It warms our dining room and the meeting room immediately above it. It works admirably and enables us to economise our expenses for fuel.
Another economizer we have introduced is a hay, straw and fodder cutter We can cut an immense amount of fodder in one short winter day. The cutter is run by our portable steam engine.
Our school is still in full blast and we recently had a very pleasant spelling exercise. Two hundred of the most audacious murderers or the king's English in the shape of words, spelled in any way except apparently the correct one, were selected from lessons previously gone over by the class, given out, spelled to the school. These were required to be copied on the slates as spelled. A limited time was allowed the pupils to look over the words, after which all slates were cleaned and manuscripts surrendered Then the words were once more dictated and the class came off with the following grades: Maggie McCullough, 100; Addie Macy, 100; Nellie McCullough, 97 ½; Mollie McCullough, 99; Missouri Masters, 96; Albert C. Rockwell, 93 ½; Eunice Masters, 93 ½; Robert Moore, 90; Max Goepper, 70.
1 fear I shall have to desist from teaching on account of ill health. If any good lady teacher could be found who might feel disposed to become a member of our society I am certain I could furnish her with cosy, comfortable quarters as teacher of our school, where she would not be overrun with scholars nor tormented with rebellion and insubordination. Our scholars are all amiable and inclined to good behavior as well as interested in study.
We are still making the best as well as the most elegant broom manufactured in the country and if the Gazette will visit us, we would be pleased to make it a present of one of our nicest.
O. C. Hampton