82. A Tutor and his Pupils
BY PHILIP FITHIAN(1773-1774)[253]
Monday, November 1. We began school. The
school consists of eight. Two of Mr. Carters sons, one
nephew, and five daughters. The eldest son is reading Sallust;
grammatical exercises, and Latin grammar. The second son
is reading English grammar, and reading English writing, and
ciphering in subtraction. The nephew is reading and writing
as above; and ciphering in reduction. The eldest daughter is
reading the Spectator, writing, and beginning to cipher. The
second is reading now out of the spelling-book, and beginning
to write. The next is reading in the spelling-book. The fourth
is spelling in the beginning of the spelling-book. And the last
is beginning her letters.
Thursday, November 25. Rode this morning to Richmond
Courthouse, where two horses ran for a purse of 500 pounds: besides
small bets almost innumerable. One of the horses belonged to Colonel
John Tayloe, and is called Yorick; the other to Dr. Flood, and is called
Gift. The Assembly was remarkably numerous; beyond my expectation and
exceedingly polite in general.[254] The
horses started precisely at five minutes after three; the course was
one mile in circumference, they performed the first round in
two minutes, the third in two minutes and a half. Yorick came
out the fifth time round about 40 rods ahead of Gift; both
horses, when the riders dismounted proved very lame; they
ran five miles, and carried 180 pounds.
Almost every lady wears a red cloak; and when they
ride out they tie a red handkerchief over their head and face,
so that when I first came into Virginia, I was distressed
whenever I saw a lady, for I thought she had the toothache.
The people are extremely hospitable, and very polite, both of
which are most certainly universal characteristics of the
gentlemen in Virginia. Some swear bitterly, but the practice
seems to be generally disapproved. I have heard that this
country is notorious for gaming; however that may be, I have
not seen a pack of cards, nor a die, since I left home, nor
gaming nor betting of any kind except at the Richmond-race.
Almost every gentleman of condition, keeps a chariot and
four; many drive with six horses. I observe that all the
merchants and shopkeepers in the sphere of my acquaintance
are young Scotchmen, several of whom I know. It has been
the custom heretofore to have all their tutors, and
schoolmasters from Scotland, tho' they begin to be willing to
employ their own countrymen.
In the evening Ben Carter and myself had a long dispute on the
practice of fighting. He thinks it best for two persons who have any
dispute to go out in good-humour and fight manfully, and says that they
will be sooner and longer friends than to brood and harbour malice. Mr.
Carter is practicing this evening on the guitar. He has here at home a
harpsichord, forte-piano, harmonica, guitar, violin, and
German flutes, and at Williamsburg, he has a good pipe
organ.
In the morning so soon as it is light a boy knocks at
my door to make a fire; after the fire is kindled, I rise which
now in the winter is commonly by seven, or a little after. By
the time I am drest the children commonly enter the
school-room, which is under the room I sleep in; I hear them
round one lesson, when the bell rings for eight o-clock (for
Mr. Carter has a large good bell which may be heard some
miles, and this is always rung at meal times ;) the children
then go out; and at half after eight the bell rings for
breakfast, we then repair to the dining-room; after breakfast,
which is generally about half after nine, we go into school,
and sit till twelve, when the bell rings, and they go out for
noon; the dinner-bell rings commonly about half after two,
often at three, but never before two. After dinner is over,
which in common, when we have no company, is about half
after three we go into school, and sit til the bell rings at five,
when they separate til the next morning. We go into supper
commonly about half after eight or at nine and I usually go
to bed between ten and eleven.
Saturday, December 18. After breakfast,
we all retired into the dancing room, and after the scholars
had their lesson singly round Mr. Christian, very politely,
requested me to step a minuet; I excused myself, however,
but signified my peculiar pleasure in the accuracy of their
performance. There were several minuets danced with great
ease and propriety; after which the whole company joined in
country-dances, and it was indeed beautiful to admiration, to
see such a number of young persons, set off by dress
to the best advantage, moving easily, to the sound of well performed
music, and with perfect regularity,
tho' apparently in the utmost disorder. The dance continued till two, we
dined at half after three. Soon after dinner we repaired to the
dancing-room
again; I observe in the course of the lessons, that Mr.
Christian is punctual, and rigid in his discipline, so strict
indeed that he struck two of the young Misses for a fault in
the course of their performance, even in the presence of the
mother of one of them! And he rebuked one of the young
fellows so highly as to tell him he must alter his manner,
which he had observed through the course of the dance, to be
insolent, and wanton, or else absent himself from the school.
I thought this a sharp reproof to a young gentleman of
seventeen, before a large number of ladies! Nothing is now to
be heard of in conversation, but the balls, the fox-hunts, the
fine entertainments, and the good fellowship, which are to be
exhibited at the approaching Christmas. Mr. Goodlet was
barred out of his school last Monday by his scholars, for
Christmas holidays, which are to continue till twelfth-day;
but my scholars are of a more quiet nature, and have
consented to have four or five days now, and to have their full
holiday in May next, when I propose by the permission of
Providence to go home, where I hope to see the good and
benevolent Laura.
When the candles were lighted, we all repaired, for the last
time, into the dancing-room; first each couple danced a minuet; then all
joined as before in the country dances, these continued till half after
seven when at the proposal of several, we played Button, to get pawns
for redemption; here I could join with them, and indeed it was carried
on with sprightliness, and decency; in the course of redeeming my pawns
I had several kisses of the ladies! Half after eight we were rung in to
supper. The room looked luminous and splendid; four very large candles
burning on
the table where we supped; three others in different parts of
the room; a gay, sociable assembly, and four well instructed
waiters! So soon as we rose from supper, the company
formed into a semicircle round the fire, and Mr. Lee, by the
voice of the Company was chosen Pope, and the rest of the
company were appointed Friars, in the Play called "Break
the Pope's Neck." Here we had great diversion in the
respective judgments upon offenders, but we were all
dismissed by ten, and retired to our several rooms.
Saturday, December 25. I was waked this morning by guns
fired all round the house. The morning is stormy, the wind at south east
and it rains hard. Nelson the boy who makes my fire, blacks my shoes,
does errands, &c. was early in my room. He made me a vast fire,
blacked my shoes, set my room in order, and wished me a joyful
Christmas, for which I gave him half a
bit.[255] Soon after he left the room and
before I was drest, the fellow who makes the fire in our school room,
dressed very neatly in green, but almost drunk, entered my chamber with
three or four profound bows, and made me the same salutation; I gave him
a bit, and dismissed him as soon as possible. Soon after my clothes and
linen were sent in with a message for a Christmas box, as they call it;
I sent the poor slave a hit, and my thanks. I was obliged for want of
small change, to put off for some days the barber who shaves and dresses
me.
There were at table Mrs. Carter and her five daughters that
are at school with me Miss Priscilla, Nancy, Fanny, Betsy,
and Harriot, five as beautiful delicate, well-instructed
children as I have ever known! Ben is abroad; Bob and Harry
are out.
Ben, the eldest, is a youth of genius: of warm impetuous
disposition; desirous of acquiring knowledge, docile, vastly
inquisitive and curious in mercantile, and mechanical
matters, very fond of horses and takes great pleasure in
exercising them.
Bob, the other brother, is by no means destitute of capacity.
He is extremely volatile and unsettled in his temper, which
makes it almost wholly impossible to fix him for any time to
the same thing, on which account he has made but very little
advancement in any one branch of study, and this is
attributed to barrenness of genius. He is slovenly, clumsy,
very fond of shooting, of dogs, and of horses, but a very stiff
rider, good natured, pleased with the society of persons much
below his family, and estate and tho' quick and wrathful in
his temper, yet he is soon moderated, and easily subdued.
Harry, the nephew, is rather sullen in his make. He is
obstinate, tho' steady, and makes a slow uniform advance in
his learning, he is vastly kind to me, but in particular to my
horse.
Miss Priscilla, the eldest daughter, about 16 years old, is
steady, studious, docile, quick of apprehension, and makes good progress
in what she undertakes; she is small of her age, has a mild winning
presence, a sweet obliging temper, never swears, which is here a
distinguished virtue, dances finely, plays well on keyed instruments,
and is on the whole in the first class of the female sex.
Nancy, the second, is not without some few of those qualities
which are by some (I think with great ill-nature, and with little or no
truth) said to belong intirely to the fair sex. I mean great curiosity,
eagerness for superiority, and or in friendship, but
bitterness and rage where there is enmity. She is not constant
in her disposition, nor diligent nor attentive to her business.
But she has her excellencies; she is cheerful, tender in her
temper, easily
managed by perswasion, and is never without what seems to
have been a common gift of Heaven to the fair-sex, readiness
of expression!
Fanny, the next, is in her person, according to my
judgment the flower of the family. She has a strong
resemblance to her Mamma, who is an elegant, beautiful
woman. Miss Fanny seems to have a remarkable
sedateness, and simplicity in her countenance, which is
always rather cheerful than melancholy; she has nothing with
which we can find fault in her person, but has something in
the features of her face which insensibly pleases us, and
always when she is in sight draws our attention, and much the
more because there seems to be for every agreeable feature a
corresponding action which improves and adorns it.
Betsy, the next, is young, quiet, and obedient.
Harriet is bold, fearless, noisy and lawless; always
merry, almost never displeased; she seems to have a heart
easily moved by the force of music; she has learned many
tunes and can strike any note, or succession of notes perfectly
with the flute or harpsichord, and is never wearied with the
sound of music either vocal or instrumental.
These are the persons who are at present under my direction,
and whose general character I have very imperfectly
attempted to describe.
[[253]]
Fithian was a graduate of Princeton College who
went down to Virginia to be the tutor of the children of the wealthy
Carter family, at their estate called Nomini Hall.
[[254]]
Horse races were the favorite amusement of the
time in the southern colonies, and were usually followed by a ball
called the Assembly.
[[255]]
Half a bit = about ten cents.