Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

Mahone Bay, which still exists in manuscript form. Her daughter, Louise, seven
years old in the picture [and attending the new school] went on to Normal
College and taught at Mahone bay school in the late 1920s. Louise’s daughter,
Agnes [there is a photo of the two together on page 85] went on to become a
leading Mahone Bay student [including May Queen and regular school play
performer] in the late 1940s. She went on to marry Johnny Whynott [brother of
1940s Canadian boxing champ, Roger], long-time town councillor in the 1970s.
Agnes later became a teacher at the town school and the first female school
board member. These Bruhms really did sweep the school and community!
• Mr. Bissett served as Secretary of the 1916 and 1917 annual meetings. The
minutes are written and signed in his neat clear writing.
• No complaints about him appear in either record. He left, presumably for
greener pastures, in June 1917.
Gene Vernon Jacques Principal, 1917-21 “Mad Dog”
Contemporary accounts [the letters of Fred Mosher and the memory of Hope
Hyson-Bastin] tell of his unpopularity with the students. There may have
been some prejudice because of the French connection. But Fred Mosher,
consistently open minded and generous in his letters, refers to his sharp,
teasing, sense of humour. Fred [who had Mr.. Jacques as both principal and
classroom teacher in his grade 10 year, 1920-21] goes into specifics. They
touch on both attitude of both principal and student[s]:
German Remarks
‘ …The principal was “Mad Dog” Jacques. Why did the town bring a Frog as
principal..to teach us Ernsts, Hiltzs, Slauenwhites, Maders, Zincks, Smeltzers and
Zwickers etc etc…..
……Every day he would make cracks about all German people. And all I could see
was my self walking down the hall in 1914 with young Bruce Cameron and seeing
Bruce & George Veinot, Everett Wentzell and the Slauenwhite boy get on the train
and in a short time hearing they were all dead.
Clarence Bissett Principal, 1915-17 A Cape Bretoner!
The Progress Enterprise, Wednesday September 1st, page 4 announced his
coming: ‘Clarence Bissett of St.. Peter’s C.B. Arrived on Saturday to take up his
position as Principal of the school for the ensuing year…’
• It’s interesting to note that he was from Cape Breton. This was at a time
when locals were often given preference.
• He was thanked publicly for his hard work in supervising and coordinating
the School Rural Science Exhibition that September [see below]
• At the annual meeting of the trustees and ratepayers, March 5th 1917 he
was thanked on behalf of the boys hockey program:
‘It was then moved by Rev. Mr. Nelson and seconded by Mr. C.A. Lohnes [that man
again!] that a vote of thanks be tendered Principal C.W. Bissett for the interest
taken in the organization of the boys’ hockey team.
Personal Remarks
Jacques would see me coming to school thru Peter Westhaver’s pasture, and when
school would start he would say to the class, “I watched Fred coming to school
today, and climb the fence. I had to watch as when he reached the top of the fence I
was not sure if he would fall into the schoolyard or back into the pasture.”
A Student’s Revenge
But I evened things up outside the schoolroom. He was a good baseball pitcher and
was the town’s pitcher against other towns. He did as most pitchers, lean back on the
right leg and lift the left one high. This is when I got him. I would yell “You lift that
leg up just like a dog, but you must be careful should you lift it any higher, it might
get caught in a branch.” One day he threw a baseball right at me. But he missed.
Somehow I passed my provincial exams that year. And Mahone Bay threw him out
and gave us a local teacher, Emery Langille.’
In the above, Fred catches the passion and defiance and intolerance of youth.
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