Cora B. Darling was born in 1861, the first year of our horrible Civil War. In 1877, as a young lady of 17, Miss Cora started teaching in the Postville Schools. I imagine it was very hard for her just starting out as a young teacher in Primary School to go through two very difficult periods of dreaded diseases in Postville -- the one in 1877, when for over six months the dreaded disease of diptheria took the lives of some 70 young children before it let up. It was quite likely that a dozen or so of these young children who died might have been in her class, being at the right age of 5 or 6. There were a lot of vacant chairs.

The following articles appeared in the Postville Review, under the simple heading 'Deaths':

Five days little Annie suffered from the terrible disease with which the community has become all too familiar, when the welcome messenger came to bear her disembodied spirit to the Angel World. Realizing that death was near she said, "then I'll go to be an Angel", which though is the mother's only comfort.

Ida was the joy and pride of her parents, and loved by all that knew her, thoughtful and careful beyond her years. three days of suffering brought her to the final scene, which was a touching one, as she folded her arms about the neck of her parents, brother and sister to speak a few good bye words, saying she was willing to die and trust in the Savior of whom she had learned in the Sunday School.

Five days Addie endured untold suffering, and welcomed the relief that came. Her faith was a childlike faith in Jesus as the Shepherd of the Lambs of the upper fold.

With Sarah the disease had spent its force, and the death of her sister seemed to hard a shock for her reduced system to endure and death came suddenly when she was hoping as she said, "soon be wll to help mother". Her unselfish nature led her t think more of other's comfort than of her own. A favorite with the whole family, her loss will be deeply felt.

Postville Review - 1878:

Miss Cora Darling will commence a two months term of select school in the basement of the Baptist church on Monday, June 24th, 1878. Terms per scholar, $1.50 for the term. Postville parents may be assured that the interests will be carefully looked after, and carefully guarded, both in school and out. The room is well ventilated and will be col and pleasant during the warm weather.

Miss Cora Darling and her young friend Master Johnnie Mott went by horse and buggy to Luana and heard Miss Susan B. Anthony deliver her celebrated lecture, "Woman Wants Bread, Not the Ballot" before the Luana Literary Society. Everyone, including the Postville people were well pleased as Susan B. tarried overnight at our Postville Hotel.

In the late 1890's the other dreaded disease occurred when scarlet fever claimed many young lives. Even Dr. Flynn, one of Postville's doctors lost his whole young family of four. Miss Cora also contracted the disease.

The most important school book of the day were the good old McGuffy Readers. They were the backbone of the good old 3 R's -- those were the days when you had to stand in front of the class to recite, and do your work on the blackboard. McGuffy Readers were loaded with stories, readin', writin', 'rithmetic problems and plenty of poems. The Readers were first published in 1871 and continued for a long time in our schools.

Postville Review, 1894:

Country school teachers are warned to be on guard against a couple of smooth grafters who are working the country near here with the proposition to give the teachers a membership in a reading club and furnish them with ten books and a curse of study. The expense is $10.50 and notes are taken which in turn are turned over to the local bankers at a discount and the books fail to put in an appearance. In one Iowa county 250 teachers were caught in the swindle. Postville Teachers Beware!!

(Date unknown)

Cora B. Darling, Postville Primary teacher gives the following reminiscences of young John R. Mott's life as a schoolboy: "In actual school life, John was a very serious boy. I recall him standing up by the big map reciting the history lesson and tracing the events on the map. He was at that time great on maps." "There was a marshy place in town in which were clumps of firm grass on which one could stand, with water surrounding him. John named these different clumps by the different continents and he, for instance, would be in Australia, while Will Darling, my brother, would be in South America, and John would organize their jumping from one country to another."

Some of the stories told by Cora, about dealing with her young pupils:

She helped the primary pupil get his overshoes on, tugging and shoving and sighing until finally they were firmly on and in place. that's when the young one said: "Those are not my overshoes." So Miss Darling tugged and shoved and sighed until the overshoes came off, and only then did she ask: "Whose overshoes are they?" And the student replied "My brothers. Mamma couldn't find mine this morning."

She was illustrating the use of the different words in sentences. The word 'defeat' was brought up and she asked the class to make a sentence containing the word. The young hopefuls were stumped for a moment when little Johnnie saved the day with this sentence: Tight shoes hurt defeat!

She asked the pupils what was the meaning of the word 'tantalize'? "Please marm," spoke up a little lad, "it means a curcus procession passin' a schoolhouse and the scholars are not allowed to look out."

She was trying to impress upon her pupils minds that Columbus discovered American in 1492, so she said: "Now John, to make you remember the date when Columbus discovered America, I will make it in a rhyme so you won't forget it. ..... Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492!"
"Now, can you rmember that?"
"Yes ma'am," replied John.
The next day he came to school and Miss Darling said, "John, when did Columbus discover America?"
The reply ...."Columbus sailed the dark blue sea, in 1493!"

A little boy said to his school teacher, "I don't want to scare you, but my papa told me if I don't get some better grades in school somebody is going to be spanked."

Postville Review, 1898:

It is not believed that there is a better primary teacher in this or any other state than Miss Cora Darling. For years she has made a study of the child mind, and she knows it by heart. She rules her ladies and gentlemen by a sceptor stronger than the rod or the sword -- the all powerful law of love. And no general, not even Napoleon, ever had better soldiers, or more devoted to their commander. The order was absolutely perfect, not one of the scholars having been spoken to for whispering or any other violations. These children of all nationalities and languages, coming here at five or six years of age, from all classes of homes, it is no light matter to learn their dispositions and needs and get them in line like one common family, with the desire to obey and to drink from the funtain of knowledge. From their little addresses, it is very plain that they were being taught patriotism and maxims that must be of value to them through life, if they will only heed them. It is good seed sown on fertile soil, and let us hope that in the coming time, no noxious weeds will crowd out the fruitage that should come from such careful and painstaking planting by and by.

Miss Cora wrote in the Postville Review:

We were considered grownup if we could kill a chicken, boil the water, scald the chicken, pick the feathers, get the pin feathers out and proceed to cut up the chicken. Finally you washed it. I felt I was grown-up when I could do this.

Postville Review, 1908 .... by editor Burt Tuttle:

Hurrah for Postville!
The school board has placed "bubblers" in each room of the school, and that it is a great improvement over the former method of everybody drinkning from the same cup, no one will deny, and the board is to be complimented for taking this step in the health of your children and my children. It is now up to the town council to, go thou, and do likewise with the citys public drinking fountain, or else admit they don't care a hoot about Postville's public health, as does the Postville School Board. The public has a right to drink water, but not from a tin cup, that is used by everyone, including Dirty Tom, Clean Dick and Diseased Harry.

Stan Schroeder reminisces:

"I had the pleasure of having Miss Cora B. Darling as my first grade teacher. she was at the twilight of her long career. We were taught patriotism and discipline ..... and love. I remember when entering the Freshman class in High School, the words my Dad said to me: "If you ever get into trouble in school and go down to the principals office for a lickin', you'll get another one twice as hard, in the good old woodshed at home!" "But Alas! the good old woodsheds have gone the way of progress, along with the paddlings!"

Miss Cora B. Darling taught in Postville for over 50 years. She was a lady who was loved by both young and old. She became a truly remarkable woman, and a dedicated teacher. It was very fitting that the elementary school in Postville be called Cora B. Darling Elementary School.
Miss Cora died in Postville in 1944. Cora, her mother and father, are buried side by side under two beautiful evergreens in the Postville cemetery. The simple headstone reads:

DARLING
Cora B.
1861-1944

- published on the Allamakee co. IAGenWeb with the generous permission of Stan Schroeder
- original transcripts provided by Stan Schroeder & transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall

Continue on to the next program

Back to the Pale Past Index

Return to 'other history' index