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Unhappy and covetous are by no means altogether convertible

terms.

Populus mihi sibilat, at mihi plaudo
Ipse domi,

says the avaricious man in Horace, yet a word (miser) properly indicating woe and pity, has been foolishly bestowed on one who has no pity for himself, and who probably receives less from others than any other description of character in existence. Some of our old writers used the term more properly, as when Sydney says, "From my heart I wish that it may not prove some ominous token of misfortune to have met with such a miser as I am." (Arcadia, lib. ii.) Our quotation from Horace induces us to ask, looking at the original sense of the word "plausible" (fit to be applauded), whence it has gathered the signification of unsound and fictitious, to which it is now confined.

6

Are we to attribute it to malice or ignorance that all the offices (officia, services) which an "officious" man performs are considered as interfering or superfluous? Barrow treats the word more mildly"Every master would have his servants honest, diligent, and observant; every parent would have his children officious'* and grateful." (Sermon II.) The Latins rarely, if ever, used the word officious in the meddling;" though in some cases, as in that of “insolent” (from in, not, and soleo, to be accustomed), we may plead their precedent.

sense of "

We sometimes manage, by a mere change of number, to convey the feeling of scorn. The surprise of a foreigner, who has heard us speak in rapture of

"Raphael's grace, and the loved Guido's air,"

is doubtless great, when he finds that the s of our harmonious plural has hissed all the virtue out of these laudatives, and given us, in "airs and graces," terms of unmitigated contempt.

(To be continued.)

HINTS FOR THE SCHOOLROOM.

MUSIC, AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF EDUCATION.

Ir education, properly defined, be the development of the mind and character, and not the mere communication of knowledge, it follows, that whatever exerts the greatest influence on these, ought to be esteemed a most essential principle in every system of education. Now, if the universal consent of antiquity, and the experience and practicé of all nations, savage and civilized, have weight, there can be no doubt that music has a most potent and lasting influence on mind and morals. To prove this, we have only to consult the records of

* We suppose this would be called one of Barrow's latinisms. It might perhaps be considered as a defect that he occasionally endeavours to redeem a word in this way we are more inclined to view it as a correct and certainly a Christian use of language, and it will be seen that our diction will bear a little Christianizing. There is no single word in our language which can be used as a substitute for "officious " in its proper sense, of which it seems a pity to have deprived it.

nations, preserved to us in the pages of history, or brought to our knowledge by our extensive commercial intercourse.

There never was a people yet discovered, among whom music was not cultivated as a sacred art, and employed in the service of the Deity, as a means of edification,-of inspiring devotion, and elevating the affections. To go to the cradle, as it were, of human genius, the far-famed Egypt, whence the great Jewish lawgiver, and all the lawgivers of antiquity acquired so much wisdom, we read that music was so esteemed, nay revered by the Egyptians, that they confined the knowledge and practice of it entirely to the priesthood, lest it should be corrupted by profane usage, and, being corrupted, should demoralize the whole nation. And, as the Greeks derived much of their learning and refinement from the Egyptians, we find them equally impressed with the mysterious powers of music as a means of education. We are informed, that they wrote their laws, civil and sacred, in verse, and, that they might be the more deeply impressed on the minds of the multitude, they were proclaimed with music. Plato and Aristotle relate, that in their time all moral disquisitions, illustrious actions, and the praises of the gods, were written in poetry, and sung in public, and that, not for the amusement, but for the instruction of the people. In fact, it was the general opinion of the ancients, that the "concord of sweet sounds" was not only emblematic of the order and harmony which prevail in the natural world, but was productive of extraordinary effects on the morals and politics of a nation, and in domestic and social life. And this opinion has been corroborated by the greatest statesmen of modern times; the celebrated Lord Chatham once said, that he cared not who made the laws of a nation, provided he had the making of the national songs. And, indeed, the music of a nation tells more upon its character than the laws. There is in it some secret, fascinating spell, which captivates, controls, and harmonizes the roughest and most discordant natures, natures which laws can neither restrain nor amend. Illustrations of its more than magical influence are numberless. The classical student may relate some wonderful stories on this subject from antiquity; viz. how Pythocharis, with his flute, overcame the fierceness of ravenous wolves, which were on the point of devouring him; how wild boars and timid stags were entertained with a tune; and how dolphins have listened to a melodious voice. Also how, when Zethius and Amphion took Thebes, the stones in the city walls moved at the sound of the lyre which Mercury gave to Amphion; and how Jupiter, when he resolved to destroy Argus, with his hundred eyes, assigned the task to Mercury, who played so sweetly on his pipe, that he lulled all the eyes of the monster to sleep, and then lopped off his head with his crooked sword. "Sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy's child," says of Orpheus

"The poet

Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods,
Since nought so stockish, hard, and full of rage,

But music for the time doth change his nature."

But the ancients had a higher opinion still of this "art divine;" they attributed to it the healing powers of medicine.

We are told, that in the time of Athenæus, a grammarian of Egypt, a multitude of people at Thebes were cured of divers maladies by the flageolet. And Gellius assures us that that instrument was invaluable in cases of bites and stings. Martianus Capella says, that Asclepiades cured a deaf man by the sound of a trumpet, and that the Athenians could banish the fever by a song. And lastly, that Thales of Crete stayed the plague, and Xenocrates cured madness by music.

We have here, then, ample testimony to prove that music was considered by the ancients to possess a mysterious power. The experience of our forefathers confirms this. History records of our first Edward, that he cruelly massacred all the Welsh bards, because their national songs had such mighty influence on the national spirit as to render them invincible. And little do we reflect what an effect popular airs have upon the minds of the multitude. The influence which Dibdin's songs had in our navy, in nerving the spirits and elevating the character of our sailors, would seem as incredible as the tales of the ancients, were it not recent and well attested. And is martial music less effectual in the army in exhilarating the soldier and his steed? Why is it used there at all, but that it answers an important purpose? To close with instances; who has not read with delight of the soothing influence of the minstrel's lay on the habits of our rude and simple-minded forefathers,-how it refreshed the heart of the aged veteran, solaced the cares of the way-worn and disappointed, and recalled in advanced years the associations of childhood;

"For he would sing achievements high,
And circumstance of chivalry,
Till the traveller would stay,

Forgetful of the closing day."

Archdeacon Churton relates, that "Kings in Saxon times thought it a part of their state to entertain harpers at their courts, and that before the introduction of Christianity and letters, those who sung to the harp, called scalds or minstrels, were the only historians of the past, singing songs of the warlike deeds of their forefathers." He further remarks that, "Aldhelm, Abbot of Malmsbury, in the eighth century, finding that the half-barbarous country people, who came to hear divine service, were in a great hurry to return home, without paying much attention to the sermon, used to go and take his seat, with harp in hand, on the bridge over the Avon. Here a crowd soon gathered round him; and after he had indulged the common taste of singing some trifling song, by degrees drew them on to more serious matter, and succeeded at last in making them sing David's psalms to David's strings."

Such being the nature and power of music, it is easy to see how effective it may be made as a means of education. We find this remarkable testimony to its efficacy when thus employed in the Minutes of Council on Education, published some four years ago: "Scarcely any school visited in my district, in which music is taught successfully, fails to rise to considerable eminence in other respects. The schools at Longparish and Forton, where great attention is paid to this art, and where it proves a powerful means of attaching the scholars to the church, are excellent specimens of a strong

moral influence being exercised thereby. Our forefathers reckoned music among the seven liberal sciences, and I hope that we are making a considerable advance in the right direction in bringing back into our schools an art which, under proper direction, cultivates a certain delicacy of feeling and gentleness greatly needed by the children of the poor, making their tempers plastic, and contributing in various ways to harmony and order. Of course it must be under proper direction, 'For,' as Hooker observes, there is nothing more contagious and pestilent than some kinds of harmony, than some nothing more strong and potent unto good." Such is the opinion of a Government inspector. To this we may add the testimony of a Roman Catholic journal to the same effect: "We are surely more than justified in urging upon the clergy, and upon all on whom devolves the instruction of the young the folly of any theory of education which does not recognise the existence of the musical faculty in the human mind, and which, while it is especially framed with a view to fit the child for the occupations of his future natural life, neglects to teach him that blissful work which will constitute one of his ineffable joys before the throne of God for ever." "The priest who has the direction of a poor school, the father of a family, the president of a college, may be assured that he is conferring no trifling boon upon the children who are under his charge, if he fosters in them a love for sweet sounds, and has them taught to play or sing during the season of their childhood." "Everywhere the morals of a class improve when a proficiency in the musical art is acquired. It is the same in every rank of life. Dissipation vanishes before the sound of do, re, mi, fa; and people are content to sing when they would otherwise be in the public-house or at the gamingtable." It would appear, then, that music is an innocent recreation, within the reach of every one, and attended with little expense; also a promoter of virtue, harmony, cheerfulness, and courage; and a preventive of vice and immorality. As such it is not only a means of education, but it is also a means of grace. It is the only art which is spoken of as practised in Heaven; at the dawn of creation "the morning stars sung together, and the sons of God shouted for joy." Unlike other sciences its principles are interwoven with our nature, and, when once called into action and cultivated, it is never forgotten. That it is not a mere acquirement may be gathered from the fact that children, even in their earliest years, before they can speak distinctly, or can have acquired any knowledge, melodize the language of their amusements, and converse in song. And the songs of our early days leave a lasting impression on our memories-they continue to haunt us through life.

GENERAL EXAMINATION OF TRAINING SCHOOLS.

CHRISTMAS, 1850.
MALES.

CATECHISM, LITURGY AND CHURCH HISTORY.

SECTION I.-1. Write the answer to this question of the Catechism, and show how it is drawn from the Lord's Prayer: "What desirest thou of God in this Prayer?"

2. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the Forgiveness of Sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and the Life everlasting." Give scriptural authority for your belief in these

Articles of the Creed.

SECTION II.-1. Explain the following terms:-Creed, Liturgy, Litany, Psalter, Rubric, Versicles, Responses, Lessons, Collects.

2. What are the Creeds received by our Church, and on what authority? Under what circumstances were they severally compiled?

3. For what festivals are proper Psalms appointed? To what use was the Psalter applied by the Jews? Why do the Psalms follow the General Confession and Absolution, and precede the Collects and Prayers?

SECTION III.-1. Write down the first sentence from "The Exhortation," and prove it from Scripture.

2. What is the order of the Ecclesiastical Year? What events are commemorated on its great festivals, and how are they fixed?

3. Give some account of the history of the Prayer Book, and the Thirtynine Articles of Religion.

SECTION IV.-1. Give some account of the origin and institution of the Christian Church as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

2. Give some account of the persecutions of the Christians of the second century. What evidence do they afford of the truth of Christianity?

3. When, and under what circumstances, did the division of the Eastern and Western Churches take place?

SECTION V.-1. Who were the most illustrious fathers of the first two centuries? Give some account of one of them.

2. Give some account of the introduction of image worship, and of the councils by which it was, respectively, supported and condemned?

3. What authority of Scripture and of antiquity is there for the use, in the services of the Church, of a language understanded of the people? When, and for what assigned reason, were Latin services introduced in the Churches of Northern Europe?

SECTION VI.-1. What is the testimony borne to the piety of King Alfred?

2. Give some account, with dates, of the Waldenses, the Hussites, and of Wickliffe and his followers.

3. Relate, concisely, the principal events in the public life of Martin Luther, giving as many of the dates as you can.

4. How long did the Roman Catholic party remain in communion with the Church during the reign of Elizabeth, and under what circumstances did they separate from it?

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT,

SECTION I.—1. How would you organize a school of 60 children, from 7 to 13 years of age, supposing that you had a pupil teacher in his fourth year? Draw a plan of the school-room you would prefer, showing the arrangement of the classes, and the forms and desks. What part would you yourself take in the instruction of such a school, and what would you assign to your pupil teacher?

2. What different methods have been devised for organizing elementary schools? Illustrate your descriptions of these by diagrams, state which of them you yourself prefer, and the reasons for that preference.

3. What objects should specially be kept in view in the organization of a school? What are the advantages resulting from a good organization, and what are those elements of a school which no organization, however good, will secure.

SECTION II.-1. What expedients should be adopted to secure a regular attendance of the children in a school? What are those qualities of the master which are most likely to promote this regular attendance?

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