Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

The winter vacations were made very long, quite the length of the winter schools in Maine, and I taught school each winter at least eight weeks. The stipend was quite small, but it gave aid to expenditures during the rest of the year. I am glad to say, in advice to any young college student who desires to know how best to spend his college vacations, that these winter school teachings were the very best part of my education. In the day school there were spelling classes, and there were two evening classes in the week especially so devoted. Many of these evening classes were given up to competitive spelling,--that is, all the young people in the vicinage came together and competed for prizes for proficiency in spelling. The master gave out the words from the spelling-book, or from any other book he chose, the hard words being always picked out and put to the pupils of the evening classes. Thus the master of necessity became of the highest proficiency, and, like Lady Byron's governess, “by teaching learned to spell.”

In the hundreds of scholars under my care, all diversities of human nature were exhibited, and from the model I learned the man. I say, therefore, to the students of this generation, that they might far better spend their winter vacations in teaching school than their summer vacations in waiting on flirts at some fashionable summer resort. I do not admire that arrangement of college vacations which enables such employment to be followed. Better return to the old one.

In the third school year, I gave much more attention to the studies of the college course. They were more congenial. The text-book, Wayland's Moral Science, interested me, and in my final examination of the book, I was enabled to recite thirteen pages verbatim. Wayland's Political Economy taught me to be a free trader, as do all such college text-books teach students. These doctrinal teachings would be perfect did all nations stand, in all respects, upon a complete level; but as they do not, the teachings applied to statesmanship are as useless as they are vicious.

I have the very highest respect for the learned professors of colleges. But when they go out to talk on politics, they always remind me of a recluse old maid lecturing on how to bring up children.