A new history of Texas for schools : also for general reading and for teachers preparing themselves for examination Page: 102 of 412
View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
86
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.
at once opened a school, and soon had forty pupils, the most of
whom were boys. He told us he had never taught brighter or better
children, they seemed so anxious to learn and improve every moment
of time. Mr. Pilgrim also organized a Sunday school, and this, too,
was a great success, until some trouble arose between a few of the
settlers and some Mexicans; the Mexicans, much out of humor,
came to San Felipe to settle the matter, and Austin, fearing they
would report to the authorities that he was violating the law (for,
you probably know, we are not by law allowed to teach or believe
the Protestant religion, though really I don't believe the officers
care), thought best to close the Sunday school. By the way, Mr. Pil-
grim knows Mrs. Josiah H. Bell, whom you admired so much when
you met her in Kentucky just before she married and came to Texas.
Mr. Pilgrim visited Mr. and Mrs. Bell not long since, and in telling
us of their home, he said:
"I met Josiah H. Bell on his way to his home in Columbia, and
from him I received a cordial invitation to accompany him home. I
cheerfully accepted, and the next night was spent with his family. Mr.
Bell is an estimable gentleman, a pure patriot, of stern, unyielding in-
tegrity: he has endured the privations, toils, and hardships incident to
the settlement of a new country, and knows well how to sympathize
with others in like circumstances. He told me he had gone thirty
miles and packed corn horseback to feed his family; had taken his
rifle in the morning and gone in search of a deer, knowing, if suc-
cessful, they would have meat, if not, they must all do without; but
seldom did his trusty rifle fail him or his family suffer. They are
now living in comparative affluence, with an interesting family of
children. Mrs. Bell is one of the noblest women I ever knew in any
country; though living in the wilds of Texas, her intelligence, good
taste, and polished manners would grace the most refined circles of
New York or Philadelphia. Her house is a welcome home to every
stranger, where the hungry are fed, the naked clad, the sick nursed
with that tenderness and sympathy which removes many a dark
cloud from the brow of sorrow, and causes the lonely wanderer to
feel less acutely the absence of home and relatives."
How often do we attend church? Don't be too shocked when I
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Pennybacker, Anna J. Hardwicke. A new history of Texas for schools : also for general reading and for teachers preparing themselves for examination, book, 1895; Palestine, Tex.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2388/m1/102/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.