BIO: W. W. Osborne, Tillard Pen Pictures, 1911, Blair County, PA Contributed April 2003 for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _________________________________________ Pen Pictures of Friends and Reminiscent Sketches By J. N. Tillard Altoona, PA: William F. Gable & Co., Mirror Press, 1911 PROF. W. W. OSBORNE Has Taught Three Generations Prof. W. W. Osborne, Kindly, Firm and Tactful, is The Grand Old Man of Pedagogues in This Vicinity IT not often happens that three generations of children receive their education at the hands of the same teacher in the public schools, but the grand children of men who sat on the inverted slab benches and peeked through the chicks between the logs at the old school house at Greenwood in the days when Professor W. W. Osborne wielded the birch are now in the primary and intermediate grades in the Jefferson School; where the venerable master still holds sway. Harking back to the spring time days of long ago when the "big boys" of the old Hamilton School were having their pulses thrilled and their martial ardor aroused by the drumsticks in the hands of "Bub" Wayne and were affixing their signatures to the muster rolls of the captain's company, the figure of the stalwart "master," framed in the doorway of the old school, looking out over the sunlit hills, still forms a picture in memory's eye. In the full force of his young manhood, his rugged face even then bore the kindly, whimsical expression that ever attracted children, and the twinkle in his eye was still there when the lines of his mouth grew grim as he was about to sit in judgment or impose penalties upon some juvenile culprit. The "ungraded" schools of that day in Logan Township were of such a character as to demand the widest versatility in the pedagogue. From far and near, from scattered farms and log houses on the mountain side, of all sizes and ages, the pupils came gathering in. But they did not all arrive at the same time. Their matriculation was contingent upon innumerable conditions. When the "master" rang the bell for "books" on some late September day, the small urchins of the community who were not able to help with the fall seeding, or perform many of the innumerable chores of the farm, responded to the call. There might be a fair sprinkling of grown-ups of the female gender, but, after the boys went to the army, their sisters stepped into their places and did their best to keep up the food supply of the country. However, by the time the first snow fell the little school room was usually packed by a heterogeneous array of seekers after knowledge. To classify and arrange in some sort of order this collection of diversified talent, was a task of no mean order. The conditions were certainly not ideal for "teaching the young idea how to shoot," and it is to the everlasting credit of Professor Osborne and his immediate successors at that school that many of its graduates are at the forefront of the business life of this city, having had no other educational advantages in a regular way. Those of them who read this article will doubtless heartily endorse any encomium that may be pronounced upon their old teachers. In those days the birch or witch hazel rod was considered a very essential part of the equipment of the school room. The Spartan youth who could endure, without visible emotion, the severest application of this incentive to learning was regarded as the hero of the hour. It sometimes happened that a boy with no particular claim to brilliancy of intellect chose to try his chances on achieving a reputation by provoking a physical contest with the teacher. He never tried it the second time with Professor Osborne. The school term only lasted six months and there was no gymnasium connected with it, but the "master" had other methods of preventing his muscles from becoming flabby. While he usually taught a summer term of what he denominated "subscription school" he did other things. In those days of scarcity of farm labor, he was known from one end of the valley to the other, as one of the champion "cradlers" in the harvest field. In was the splendid physique that acquired that has enabled him to come to this half century of school room wear and tear with apparently undiminished vigor. He possessed in large degree the power so essential to his profession, of adapting his methods to the needs of the individual. The shy, backward child was encouraged and inspired by his kindly smile, friendly attitude and luminous explanations. The forward were restrained; the idle galvanized into life, and the erratic set in straight paths. His humor was infectious. While never boisterous or sarcastic, his ready wit relieved strained situations and illuminated dark places. Sometimes it stopped whining. A boy somewhat given to complaining of ill-usage on the part of his schoolmates, while at the same time provoking their attacks, complained to the teacher for the third or fourth time in one morning that the boys were calling him "Shockins"; the nickname being occasioned by a sheaf of wiry, sunburned hair that stood out in all directions from his cranium. The professor surveyed for a moment the urchin at his knees, while a whimsical smile spread over his face, and then said: "Well, `Shockins,' go to your seat and get your hair cut." The petulent frown on the face of the lad changed to a sickly grin as he headed for his seat and there were no more complaints of the sort for some time. Genius such as his could not long be confined to such narrow bounds and he presently found a position in the schools of this city and he has been here ever since. Like the great leader of the Israelites, "his eye is not dim, nor his natural force abated," and not content with his regular term, he proposes, as usual, to teach a summer term in the Penn School during the coming vacation. #