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CHAPTER III.
EDUCATION.
The whole of John Shoi?ner?s schoolhouse training was done in Xorth Carolina, the State of his birth. This was very meager, but it was sufficient, to lead him on to self-exertion toward a better preparation for life?s duties. This was at a time when his daily labors consumed the daylight hours, for the most part; and young John had to seek his improvement as best he could by artificial light, lie did not burn the midnight oil, as zealous scholars of this day and time do; but ofttimes he kept the wood fires burning brightly until long into the night, reading by lying on the floor, so that the light would shine on the book; or else he would burn a pine knot, and as long as it lasted he would delve deep into the mysteries of some book.
The first contrivance that lie used was a burning cloth in grease held in a mussel shell. Then came the ? tallow dip,? whereby a string was dipped in melted tallow and taken out to cool, and replaced again for several times until it had a thick coat of tallow on it, and then it was ready for lighting. Xext came the tallow molds, by which the candle was cast at one melting; and this was a great improvement, indeed. We next find our ancestors reading from a light made from a real lamp,
__yet a lamp so crude that the generation of to-day would
not recognize it. It was made out of sheet iron, in a