School Wasn't Canceled for Bad Weather in 1882: A story from one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books proves we've all gone soft

The following comes from an article written by Eleanor Barkhorn that was recently published on the internet in the news magazine The Atlantic.
Many times previously I have linked history-oriented news stories in this blog, but after a while the links no longer work and the story is lost, so I have decided to print this particular article here with all credit going to the author and giving a link to the home page of the source, in this case (as mentioned) The Atlantic in hopes this will be acceptable.
With the extreme cold and snow we in the upper Midwest and eastern/New England United States have been having here in this winter of 2014, I feel this is a very timely story:

~ Record-low temperatures caused by the Polar Vortex have forced schools across the country to close this week. Weather-related school cancellations tend to raise anxieties about whether we're a nation of wimps. In response to this latest round of school closings, a Virginia mom sighed, "Hasn’t anyone heard of gloves, scarf and a hat when it’s cold?? Just bundle up—people do it all over the world. We are such wimps to cancel school."

A story about a teacher assigned to a one-room schoolhouse in South Dakota in the 1880s will confirm suspicions that America has gone soft when it comes to dealing with the cold. The story is from “These Happy Golden Years,” the second-to-last book in Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved "Little House" series about growing up on the American frontier. It describes the protagonist, a 15-year-old teacher named Laura, traveling a half a mile in the snow to get to school: 

There had been a snowstorm in the night. She had to break her path to the schoolhouse again. The early sunshine was faintly pink on miles of pure snow and every little shadow was thin blue. As Laura plunged and plowed through the soft drifts, she saw Clarence breaking a path for Tommy and Ruby behind him. They floundered to the school-shanty's door at the same time.

Little Ruby was covered from head to foot with snow, even her hood and her braids were snowy. Laura brushed her and told her to keep her wraps on until the room was warmer. Clarence put more coal on the fire while Laura shook her own wraps and swept the snow through the cracks between the floorboards. The sunshine streaming through the window made the shanty look warm, but it was colder than outdoors. But soon the good stove's warmth made their breaths invisible; it was nine o'clock, and Laura said, "School will come to order."

The first thing to point out is that there is no pause between "There had been a snowstorm in the night" and "She had to break her path to the schoolhouse again." No moment to wonder whether school would be called off, whether she'd be able to spend the day at home by the fire. School was happening.

And then there's the description of the journey itself: Laura and her students didn't have the benefit of snowplows or sidewalk salt to clear their path to school the morning after a storm. They had to break their own ways through untouched snow. And when they arrived at school, what did they find? A room that was even colder than the frigid outdoors.

What happened next is equally surprising to a modern reader. Two students came in a few minutes after Laura called class to order. She had to decide whether to penalize them for being tardy:

Martha and Charles came in panting, three minutes late. Laura did not want to mark them tardy; they had to break their path, the whole mile. A few steps in deep snow are easy, and fun, but breaking a path is work that grows harder with every step. For a moment Laura thought of excusing Martha and Charles, this one time. But that would not be honest. No excuse could change the fact; they were tardy.

"I am sorry I must mark you tardy," she said. "But you may come to the stove and get warm before you take your seat."

Martha and Charlie were three measly minutes late after walking a whole mile through deep snow. But even these heart-wrenching circumstances weren't enough to turn this young teacher from her commitment to honesty. She marked them tardy.

Finally we get to yet another remarkable part of the story: the students' reaction to Laura's decision. 

"We're sorry, Miss Ingalls," Martha said. "We didn't know it would take so long."

"Breaking a path is hard work, I know," said Laura, and suddenly she and Martha were smiling to each other, a friendly smile that made Laura feel as if teaching school were easy.

Martha didn't throw a fit at being marked tardy. She simply apologized. In fact, Wilder seems to imply that this episode made Martha like her teacher more. Notice the description of the student and teacher smiling at one another, and Laura's subsequent determination that teaching school was "easy."

It's important to recognize that the "Little House" books were written decades after the events that they describe. As author Wendy McClure, who wrote a book about the series, put in an interview a few years ago, "You have to admit that the Little House books are constructed, and there were definite artistic decisions and efforts to portray things a certain way, and leave out other things." Anyone with a grandparent who reminisces about walking five miles to school, uphill both ways, knows that people sometimes exaggerate the hardships they faced in their youth. Still, we can trust the basic facts about life a century and a half ago: School was open, even the day after a snowstorm. Getting to school was very difficult without the technologies we have now. School was cold once you got there. And, yes, by comparison, today we're all wimps.~

Eleanor Barkhorn

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And here is an addendum concerning the above article from historian Melanie Stringer:  

Interesting but entirely inaccurate, I'm afraid. Schools DID close when weather was particularly challenging, and people were well aware of the very real and lingering dangers of frostbite. If anything, school districts and teachers were used to, and in fact expected, students not attending regularly when their presence and or labor was required at home.
As for using Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels to support the argument, the author (of the article) conveniently ignored the sixth book in the series, “The Long Winter,” which, like all in Wilder's Little House series, includes many historic events as well as fictional embellishments or omissions to tell an interesting story. “The Long Winter” tells of the notorious Hard Winter of 1880-1881, and in Wilder's telling, school that year was closed long before Christmas with the intention that it would not reopen until the next train could come through with coal and other dwindling supplies for the fledgling town. The next train did not get through until the blizzards stopped and the weather warmed enough to clear the tracks again-- in MAY. See chapter 15, "No Trains:"
'Slowly Pa grew warm and without saying anything more he sat down by the window to read the Chicago Inter-Ocean that had come in the last mail. 'By the way,' he said, looking up, 'school is closed until coal comes.'
If a fictional series written by an iconic and beloved author is to be used to support one's nonsensical and ill-informed statement regarding the supposed history of social behavior in America, it would serve such a commentator well to read the whole series and note the discrepancies with their own argument before citing it as a "source."

Ms. Stringer does a first-person history program as an adult Laura Wilder. She is also a social historian who has studied a great many aspects of Westward Expansion, American migration patterns, cultural and regional practices, education, and occupational opportunities from settlement to c. 1960 for over two decades. She portrays the historical person of Wilder and not the fictional character.

As I try to give factual information on social history in Passion for the Past, I felt it was important to include Ms. Stringer’s comments in this posting. Ms. Stringer and I have been in contact and she has noted to me that her commentary here is directed at the original author of this article and not me.

By the way, if you are interested in a typical school day during the late 19th century, check this posting out that I wrote not too long ago:
The World of 19th Century Rural Michigan Teachers

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A Future Time Travel Excursion to the Colonies

So, here I am, on my colonial kick once again, but this just may be the year I will finally get some colonial-era clothing, circa 1770.
No, no, no, I'm not leaving the Civil War period - I love the mid-19th century - but there's always been something about the Founding Fathers generation that has intrigued me. Also, there is not too much of a call for Rev War/Colonial reenacting around these parts (Detroit area) except for a few events here and there.

But how cool to have a set of clothing of that era so I can take part in a timeline or any of the smaller events that do take place every-so-often such as when Historic Fort Wayne has their RevWar/ Colonial Days in the summer.
And I can also throw the clothing on and go to Greenfield Village on the 4th of July if I choose to do so. How fun would that be?
(That's a picture of the 1760 Daggett House with period dress presenters at Greenfield Village on the left. Click the picture to enlarge).
You see, even though I am an avid Civil War era living historian, I also have a love for our colonial past, and that passion comes around every-so-often and hits me like a Mack truck, saying, "Come back to me!".
And it always seems to hit me hardest in the cold months of January.
Part of the reason, I believe, is because during this gray, cold, harsh time of year we enjoy watching the movies we received for Christmas or maybe bought with a gift card. And many of these movies, as you may well guess, are historical in nature. A couple of years ago we watched a historical drama DVD mini-series suggested by my good friend Mary (from the blog 'An Historical Lady') called "The Awakening Land" about the founding of a frontier Ohio town. Though it's not really colonial - the story line takes place during the first decade of the 19th century - it's close enough to have a residual overflow of the 18th century. The clothing leaves a bit to be desired but the story was very good.
Last year we watched the John Adams HBO mini-series. This is probably my favorite movie of all time, for it depicts in great detail the most active period in our county's beginnings, from the Boston Massacre to the founding of this great Nation. And they do a terrific job in the overall colonial feel (Read HERE for my review on "John Adams").

A historic scene with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin from the HBO mini-series "John Adams"

This year it was a mini-series from 1984 called George Washington. Here was something that took me totally by surprise - it is an amazing series that I found to be very accurate. In 12 hours it covered Washington's life from being a young man through his 'adventures' in the French & Indian War, the Revolutionary War, his role as the 1st president of the United States and his controversies in that position (the Jay Treaty, for example) and then back to private citizen. I have to say it did an excellent job depicting the colonial/Rev War era, both in war and at home.
I've also been watching the 'in between' non-mini-series colonial movies over the past six months or so: "April Morning," "The Crossing," "A More Perfect Union," and even "Last of the Mohicans" - all very well done.

This "April Morning" scene is showing the famous April 19, 1775 "Shot heard 'round the world" event, signalling the start of the American Revolution.

For Christmas I not only received the wonderful George Washington set mentioned above but also a book entitled "My Dearest Friend - Letters of Abigail and John Adams."
To read their writings of the current events of their time as it happened is fascinating to say the least. Here is where one can read first-hand accounts of the Boston Tea Party, Washington's reception, the small pox outbreak, the Revolutionary War, as well as of their everyday lives. I especially loved reading their reactions to the Declaration of Independence:
From John Adams to Abigail Adams: July 3, 1776
"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by Solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade with shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost US to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not."

I have to say this book has opened my eyes to the world of our colonial fore-fathers as much as any other and I feel it can help greatly when I do venture out in the style of 1770. 
That being said, my next step is to get some period colonial-era clothing, something along the lines of what I see Paul Revere wearing in this famous painting of him from 1770 (see photo of the painting below).
I cannot afford to go all out like some folks think I should. I can only afford the basics: breeches, socks, waistcoat, shirt, and tricorn hat. Maybe shoes (if not, my mid-19th century civilian shoes will have to work until I can get me some), and maybe a coat, though coats are outrageously expensive.
So for this year I hope to be dressed similar to my friend Paul. And if anyone says anything about it, they can take it up with him.

John Singleton Copley - Portrait of Paul Revere. c. 1768–70

As noted, this painting was done by John Singleton Copley (1738 - 1815), an American artist who painted portraits of people who lived in colonial New England. The thing about Copley’s works is how he showed, in particular, the middle-class subjects of his time. His paintings were innovative in their tendency to depict artifacts relating to these individuals' lives, as does this one of Paul Revere and his tea pot. 

As for dressing my wife - and even the youngest of our four kids - in appropriate colonial clothing, well, that will be a little while before she - and they - will be able to join me, for it's going to take some doing to get them 1770's clothing. We have all intentions to do so, but one step at a time.
My two oldest sons, by the way, are very excited about doing military in the RevWar, especially now knowing they are a direct descendent  of one who fought in it. Yes, my wife has joined the Daughters of the American Revolution and my sons are in the process of becoming members of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Yeah, I certainly am proud!

Abigail Adams and the Adams' children (from the HBO mini-series "John Adams")

I've never hidden my love for the colonial era, and at the bottom of this article are links to some of the postings I've written over the past few years pertaining to that so-important time in our nation's history. I would love to see reenactments of this period make a come back, and I feel now is a great time for this to happen, for, due to the political climate of our modern times, many people are delving back in hopes of finding the truth of our Nation's beginnings and what our Founding Fathers wanted for this new country.
And that's a good thing because there are many revisionists out there who claim to speak authoritatively of what these original American Patriots had hoped to accomplish for this country's future in a lame attempt to excuse the modern political turmoil.
But for those of us who study the politics of the time know that we also must study the social character of the people of the time as well, and it's then and there that we can find the answers - the true answers - to the questions of our nation's history.

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And here are a few links to other postings that can accent today's read:

In the Good Old Colony Days
Faces of History: Original Photographs of Revolutionary War Vets
With Liberty and Justice For All: The Fight for Independence at the Henry Ford Museum
Reenacting Early American History

Oh! And by the way, did you know I have a Table of Contents links page? Yep, I do, and with a click of the mouse it can take you to many of the postings in Passion for the Past. Just click the link!

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