Page:Sketches of representative women of New England.djvu/152

Rh seven children, four of whom grew to adult age. The two now living are Isaac, fifth, and Martin.

Lavina A., the subject of this sketch, born May 20, 1836, and named for her mother, was the youngest child. It was a very small bit of humanity, weighing less than six pounds, whose eyes then opened to earth life. The baby seemed healthy, but endowed with a frail- ness of organization that caused frequent ill turns. The family doctor was an uncle, much loved by the little niece, who always remem- bered his look of surpri.'^e, when, with his finger on the little wrist, he said, "Child, will you never have any pulse?" At the age of thirteen she was sent to Wheaton Female Seminary, to be fitted for teaching. Her eyes soon gave out, and, in place of pursuing the course of study anticipated, she began to teach a school two miles from home in order " to have an object that would make long walks each day a neces- sity."

In this way years passed, the winters spent at Partridge Academy in Duxbury and Hano- ver Academy, and other months spent in teaching. Pembroke, Scituate, Hanover, East Bridgewater, and Abington were the towns where she is still remembered as a teacher who not only disapproved of corporal punishment, but succeeded in controlling even the most un- ruly members of what were known as " hard schools," doing this by the use of moral suasion joined to a personal magnetism that made friends of those who came to make mischief, but remained to become helpful scholars. It was the habit of this teacher to join in the games and sports of the pupils. Many will never forget one summer da}', when, the rain having poured for hours, and the sun just struggled out, the door of the school-room was softly opened, and the three committee-men stood amazed to find the teacher with eyes blinded and a brisk game of blind man's buff in active progress. A sudden hush, and "O teacher, the conmiittee are here," brought the game to a close and the blinder from her eyes. She simply said, "Now recess is over, let the committee see that we can work as well as play." In later years this same physician, the late Asa Millett, M.D., recalled an incident that showed her to be resourceful under diffi- culties, as when being "examined" to take a school. She had gone through the ordeal on one occasion with doubtful success, and felt in despair of the result, when physiology was introduced, and Dr. Millett said: "I think we need not ask many more questions. Miss Hatch, suppose one of your boys at play should sever the jugular vein, what would you do first?" "Send for the doctor" came like a flash from her lips, as her eyes met his; and both indulged in a laugh that was a contrast to the look of dignified displeasure of the two ministers who had hardly approved the sudden close of the examination. "So true it is," she used to say, "when wisdom leaves me, wit saves."

At the close of three years of what she called her model school, in Abington, she gave up teaching to take charge of a brother's home and care for a motherless niece and nephew. Later she adopted the children, and was a mother to them. In the early sixties we find her in the old country home, teaching a private school, helping an invalid mother, doing a share of the cooking and the other housework, caring for the little ones, and performing the duties of the postmistress of East Pembroke, all in the same day. In these years she wrote much for the Student and Srhoolmate, a monthly magazine, which ended its existence when the Boston fire in 1872 swept out the building where it was published. Stories, poems, dia- logues, puzzles, prepared by her in odd minutes, appeared over the name of "Eben."

When the Massachusetts Society for Preven- tion of Cruelty to Animals was formed. Miss Hatch was the first agent who answered its call for help. Taking Plymouth County as her field of labor, she spent much time in ob- taining subscribers to the paper. Our Dumb Aninialif, and members for the society, her mother becoming the first life member on her list. A few years later Mrs. Hatch made her daughter a life member also. Joining a lodge of the Sons of Temperance, Miss Hatch was an active member, in the frequent absences of the regular chaplain taking his place, conducting the initiatory exercises as well as the usual opening services. While the Civil War was in progress, a local society was formed to co-