tion or articulation. It will train the organs to from a kind of pedantic and measured formality the habit of doing every sound well, and will in speech, that seems to measure off letters and tend therefore to introduce into all other work words and sentences by the yard, and count the done the same orderly and excellent habits. yards as a dry-goods clerk measures off calico. The habit of doing one thing well can not fail to Nothing is more ludicrous, and often disgustmake its impress on the whole character, and ing, than the formality of the mere scholar, who on the habit of doing every other thing. And must at all times and on all subjects, speak as the very form and manner of our speaking must, if he had been brought up on the long words inasmuch as it connects itself with everything and sonorous sentences of Dr. Johnson, and we do in public, and with almost of all we could not talk in any other way than on stilts. think in private, have a still greater influence on Such an one was the Professor in an eastern everything else. college, who once fell overboard from a boat, "Will-notand exclaimed as he rose :

I

3. Then what an elegant accomplishment is it to speak well; Mr. Everett - perhaps the some — individual-person-have-the-conto-me-a-rope." best speaker of the English language both in descension — to extend · public and private - once said if his daughter Now, I do not mean any thing of this sort. could have but one of two things, a habit of only mean that we teachers ought to compel our correct reading, or grace in playing the piano- pupils to speak with an accuracy and a grace, forte, he would much prefer that she should that shall seem natural, and at the same time speak and read correctly and gracefully the that shall be forcible and convey every idea and English language, than to have her an accomsound clearly, and without pedantry. This must plished singer and performer on the pianoforte. be attended to in the recitation room and in the And he certainly did not over-estimate the acplay ground, at school and at home. And if complishment of which this article treats. But we can make our scholars accurate in the lanone can never learn to speak well, that is to guage they employ, we shall have done much to pronounce the letters properly, with distinct- make them both polite and honest-two things ness and grace, in the national and not in a pro- not inconsistent, but almost mutually dependent vincial manner, and to give due emphasis and and inseparable. force to every word and idea, unless he does SCHOOL ANEcdote. - The worthy gentleman this, not occasionally merely, but always and who rules the rising generation of boys in a everywhere. He must speak carefully in his certain town in Tennessee, had occasion recently conversation in the family, on the street, in the to correct a little fellow named Johnny. Now, social circle, and especially in the recitation Johnny got into a fit of what is called "sulks," And if the teacher permits his scholar because he was whipped, and in order to conto go over his recitations in a careless manner, vince him that he was justly and necessarily

room.

as to the mere sounds of letters and tones of voice, he is doing a great injury, first to the scholarly habits, and second, and even worse, though indirectly, to his moral and social character and habits.

66

punished, his teacher had recourse to the following argument: Well, Johnny, suppose you were riding a big horse to water, and had a keen switch in your hand, and all at once the horse were to stop and refuse to go any further, Let every teacher, therefore, who would do what would you do?" Johnny stifled his sobs his whole duty, and who would have that whole for a moment, and looking up through his tears, duty become both larger and easier every day, replied, "I'd cluck to him, sir." "But, Johngive much of his attention to this matter of cor- ny, suppose he wouldn't go for your clucking, rect and distinct, clear and forcible utterance; what would you do then?" "I'd get down let him insist that each pupil shall make every and lead him, sir." "And what if he were word and letter a living voice, like the song of obstinate and would not let you lead him?” the blue-bird in spring, and not confused and .. Why, I'd take off his bridle and turn him unintelligible murmurs, like the rush of water loose, and walk home, sir." "You may go after a winter torrent. And let him not forget and take your seat, Johnny." Johnny could that this accuracy and distinctness is not a beau- not be made to see the necessity for using the ty merely it is a necessity as well as a grace, switch.

and is really the finishing polish of all noble

scholarship.

EXTRAVAGANCE and improvidence end at the

It must however be carefully distinguished prison door.-FRANKLIN.

For the Schoolmaster.

Let Us Pray.

FROM THE FRENCH OF JULES DE KESS EQUIER.

To count on human joy is vain;
In this world sad or bright,
Our sorrows fall like summer rain,

Our joys are few and light.

More mourn than feast-imposture jeers
And mocks the Prophet's words,
More tombs than cradles meet us here,
More flies than summer birds.

Day after day, our joys grow less,
All that we work for dies;
In vain we wish for happiness,
We touch it and it flies.

We wish that from the common sluice
The rainbow's light would glow;
We wish from citrons, orange juice,
From thorns that flowers would grow.

We wish upon a stormless sea
To sail with rudder lost;
We wish the martyr's victory
Without the martyr's cross.

We wish that on our lifted brow
A star would sit in light,
And that the lightning's fitful glow,
Would show the port in sight.

We wish-oh! folly worse than vain;
We wish-but is it wise?
Pray-mortals! when the knees are bent
Perhaps the soul may rise.

Pray, pray and ask His healing grace
For wounds the soul has known;
Hope has the nearest, dearest place
Before His holy throne.

M. C. P.

The Ragged Schools of Edinburgh.

What comes after the bath? Some of you are,
I dare say, Scotchmen, and will understand me.
They get a grand breakfast of porridge and milk.
Then comes prayer, and a portion of the Scripture
is read; then the work of the school begins, and
occupies four hours of the day; the children learn
to read, and to write, and to cipher; and they
learn carpentering, and box-making, and shoe-
making. They come to us at half-past seven in
the morning, and at half-past seven at night we
take off their school dress and give them back
their rags, and they go home-and the rags are
not worth pawning. We never keep a child from
home unless the house is an infamous den of in-
iquity or the parents cruel; we know that in the
bosom of the child, worthless as the parents may
be, God has planted a link of affection, and what
we want to do is to improve and strengthen that
tie; and we have known instances where these
poor children have even carried salvation to their
homes. But all this, ladies and gentlemen, re-
quires expense; we must feed and we must clothe
them; it entails the expense of teaching and of
housing a few of them; and I say that they de-
serves this fostering care-they deserve the most
fostering protection and help of the government.

"You will very naturally say, 'You have told us what these ragged boys do in school; now tell us what they do out of school.' 'Well, they just get on as well out of school as they do in-they get on in a way that we never expected.' When they were getting up banquets to the soldiers of the Crimea, and to all the grand members of Parliament, we thought we'd give a banquet to our ragged bairns, who had fought as great a battle All as any Crimean soldier, and far harder too. of a sudden the thing was resolved on; all of a sudden the thing was done. We liave them, you know-these ragged school scholars that were— cutting down the forests in America; we have A conference was recently held in Birming them herding sheep in Australia; we have them ham, Eng., in connection with that branch of re- in the navy; and-what d'ye think?-there was form which contemplates the education of the an odd thing in this way-we had a competition neglected and destitute children of Great Britain. among boys in the navy, and the ragged school At this meeting, Dr. Guthrie gave the following boys carried off the highest prize. We have them graphic description of the Edinburgh Ragged in the army, too. Just the other day I had in my drawing-room one of my ragged school scholars. What was he doing there?' you ask. "The children come at seven in morning-and Well, he was just standing beside a very pretty come in rags and not in decent clothes, for that girl dressed like a duchess, with an enormous wouldn't do; they would go to the pawn shop too crinoline, and all that. There he was; on his soon. The first thing they do is to strip-not to breast he carried three medals. He had fought be thrashed, but washed; and we have a long the battles of his country in the Crimea; he had bath, as long as this gallery, and we make them gone up the deadly march to Lucknow, and resmarch along it as slow as it were a funeral, and cued the women and the children and our soldiers the consequence is that they get, what many peo-there-and I was proud of my ragged school-boy ple are fools enough not to get, a delightful bath. when I saw him with his honors.

Schools and their friends :

A SCENE IN A RAGGED SCHOOL.

"One dollar," said Ben, "is as low as I can live by."

"Well, as I said, we resolved to give a banquet. Ben did his prettiest, and wheeled them up to We furnished one of our best rooms, and had it the old man's counting-room. Old Girard probrilliant with gas, and laurel, and ivy, and the nounced them first rate, and demanded the coral-headed holly-and the quantity of tea and price. toast! It isn't to be told. We just sent away through Edinburgh, and in a day we got one hundred and fifty, all doing for themselves. I was Cheap enough-make out your bill." master of the ceremonies. So I heard a great The bill was made out, and old Stephen setrush of feet-I was standing at the door, you tled it with a check of $20,000, which he acknow, to receive my company-and I could not companied with this little moral, to the effect believe my eyes when I saw the succession of that Benjamin now had a trade, which he could good-looking, respectable young men, and the fall back on in case he did not succeed in busisuccession of comely, virtuous-looking happy ness.

A girl came up smiling, and she

་་

James Ferguson.---No. 3.

"DURING the time I was at Sir James's hos

young women. said, 'You will remember me, Dr. Guthrie; this is my man'-and then a great, big, honest-looking, burly fellow came up, and he said, 'You will remember me, Doctor; this is my wife.' pitable house, his sister, the honorable lady And they filled that room. I never saw a more Dipple, came there on a visit, and Sir James inrespectable company. And how they laughed troduced me to her.

She asked me whether I

and sung; and we prayed, too-we prayed, and could draw patterns for needle-work on aprons we gave them good advice. I never spent a hap- and gowns. On showing me some, I undertook pier night-no, not in the greatest, noblest house the work, and drew several for her; some of I ever was in-than I spent when I entertained my Ragged School children."

Anecdote.

which were copied from her patterns: the rest I did according to my own fancy. On this, I was sent for by other ladies in the country; and began to think myself growing very rich by the money I got for such drawings, out of which I had the pleasure of occasionally supplying

STEPHEN GIRARD, the Frenchman who founded the institution in Philadelphia which bears the wants of my poor father. his name, had a favorite clerk, and he always "Yet, all this while, I could not leave off said he "intended to do well by Ben Lippin- star-gazing in the night, and taking the places cott." So when Ben got to be twenty-one, he of the planets among the stars, by my aboveexpected to hear Mr. Girard say something of mentioned thread. By this, I could observe his future prospects, and perhaps lend a helping how the planets changed their places among the hand in starting him in the world. But the old stars, and delineated their paths on the celestial fox carefully avoided the subject. Ben mustermap, which I had copied from the above-mened courage. tioned celestial globe. By observing what constellations the ecliptic passed through in the map, and comparing these with the starry hea ven, I was so impressed as sometimes to imagine that I saw the ecliptic in the heavens, among the stars, like a broad circular road for the sun's apparent course; and fancied the paths of the planets to resemble the narrow ruts made by cart-wheels, sometimes on one side of a plain road, and sometimes on the other crossing the road at small angles, but never going far from either side of it.

"I suppose I am now free, sir," said he, "and I thought I would say something to you as to my future course. What do you think I had better do?"

"Yes, yes, I know you are," said the old millionaire," and my advice is that you learn the cooper's trade."

This application of ice nearly froze Ben out, but recovering his equilibrium, he said if Mr. Girard was in earnest, he would do so.

"I am in earnest," he replied.

Ben forthwith sought the best cooper in Spring "Sir James's house was full of pictures and Garden, became an apprentice, and in due time prints, several of which I copied with pen and could make as good a barrel as the best. He ink: this made him think I might become a announced to old Stephen that he had gradua-painter.

ted, and was ready to set up business. The old "Lady Dipple had been but a few weeks man seemed gratified, and immediately ordered there, when William Baird, Esq. of Auchmedthree of the best barrels he could turn out. den, came on a visit: he was the husband of

one of that lady's daughters; and I found him him seven years, and my friends would maintain very ingenious and communicative. He invited me all that time; but this was too much for me me to go to his house and stay some time with to desire them to do, nor did I choose to serve him, telling me that I should have free access so long. I was then recommended to other to his library, which was a very large one, and painters, but they would do nothing without that he would furnish me with all sorts of im- money: so I was quite at a loss what to do. plements for drawing. I went thither and staid "In a few days after this, I received a letter about eight months; but was disappointed in of recommendation from my good friend squire finding no books of astronomy in his library, Baird, to the Rev. Dr. Robert Keith, at Edinexcept what was in the two volumes of Harris's burgh, to whom I gave an account of my bad Lexicon Technicum, although there were many success among the painters there. He told me books on geography and other sciences. Seve- that if I would copy from nature, I might do ral of these were in Latin, and more in French, without their assistance, as all the rules for which being languages that I did not under- drawing signified but very little when one came stand, I had recourse to him for what I wanted to draw from the life; and by what he had seen to know of these subjects, which he cheerfully of my drawings brought from the north, he read to me; and it was as easy for him, at sight, judged I might succeed very well in drawing to read English from a Greek, Latin or French pictures from the lite, in India ink, on vellum. book, as from an English one. He furnished He then sat to me for his own picture, and sent me with pencils and India ink, showing me how me with it, and a letter of recommendation, to to draw with them: and although he had but the right honorable the lady Jane Douglas, at an indifferent hand at that work, yet he was a Merchiston-house, near Edinburgh. Both the very acute judge, and consequently a very fit marchioness and lady Jane behaved to me in the person for showing me how to correct my own most friendly manner, on Dr. Keith's account, work. He was the first who ever sat to me for and sat for their pictures, telling me at the same a picture: and I found it was much easier to that I was in the very room in which lord Napier draw from life, than from any picture whatever; invented the logarithms; and that if I thought as nature was more striking than any imitation it would inspire me, I should always have the of it. same room whenever I came to Merchiston. I

66

Lady Dipple came to his house in about staid there several days, and drew several pichalf a year after I went thither; and as they tures of lady Jane, of whom it was hard to say, thought I had a genius for painting, they conwhether the greatness of her beauty, or the sulted together about what might be the best goodness of her temper and disposition, was the way to put me forward. Mr. Baird thought it most predominant. She sent these pictures to would be no difficult matter to make a collec- ladies of her acquaintance, in order to recomtion for me among the neighboring gentlemen, mend me to them; by which means I soon had to put me to a painter at Edinburgh; but he as much business as I could possibly manage, found, upon trial, that nothing worth the while so as not only to put a good deal of money in could be done among them; and as to himself, my own pocket, but also to spare what was he could not do much that way, because he had sufficient to help to supply my father and mother but a small estate, and a very numerous family. in their old age. Thus a business was proviLady Dipple then told me that she was go-dentially put into my hands, which I followed ing to Edinburgh next spring, and that if I for six-and-twenty years. would go thither, she would give me a year's Lady Dipple, being a woman of the strictbed and board at her house gratis; and make est piety, kept a watchful eye on me at first; all the interest she could for me among her ac- and made me give her an exact account at night quaintance there. I thankfully accepted of her of what families I had been in throughout the kind offer; and instead of giving me one year, day, and of the money I had received. she gave me two. I carried with me a recom- took the money each night, desiring I would mendation from the lord Pitsligo, a near neigh- keep an account of what I had put into her bor of squire Baird's, to Mr. John Alexander, hands; telling me, that I should duly have out a painter in Edinburgh, who allowed me to pass of it what I wanted for clothes, and to send to an hour every day at his house, for a month, to my father. But in less than half a year, she copy from his drawings; and said he would told me that she would thenceforth trust me teach me to paint in oil-colors, if I would serve with being my own banker; for she had made

She

a good deal of private inquiry, how I had be

For the Schoolmaster.

haved when I was out of her sight through the Dedicatory Lines found in the Album of a day, and was satisfied with my conduct.

Friend.

Forever blank.

During my two years' stay at Edinburgh, I THIS book is like a child of guileless mind, somehow took a violent inclination to study Its pages all are pure; though of a kind anatomy, surgery and physic, all from reading Which may be made to utter indiscreetly, of books, and conversing with gentlemen on Or taught to wear and bear a lie out neatly, these subjects, which, for that time, put all While each should speak a language rare and frank, thoughts of astronomy out of my mind; and Or else remain, as now, a speechless blank ; — I had no inclination to become acquainted with any one there who taught either mathematics or Ye who are asked to pay a tribute here, astronomy; for nothing would serve me but to Say "yes" with trembling, execute with fear; be a doctor. At the end of the second year I For words are worthless where unfitly spoken, left Edinburgh, and went to see my father, And nothing serves the purpose of a token, thinking myself tolerably well qualified to be a If there be wanting, on the donor's part, physician in that part of the country; and I The fervent impulse of an honest heart; A manly heart. carried a good deal of medicines, plasters, pills, &c., thither; but to my mortification, I soon My fellow writers, I would caution you found that all my medical theories and study Against attempting what you cannot do. were of little use in practice. And then, find- Stand not upon the order of the measure, ing that very few paid me for the medicines they In which you fain would offer up your treasure, had, and that I was far from being so successful If this must compromise the matron as I could wish, I quite left off that business, And charge the Muses with a bill of woes ;Disgraceful woes. and began to think of taking to the more sure one of drawing pictures again. For this pur-And furthermore: Take nothing out of books, pose I went to Inverness, where I had eight Which furnish, only, others' thoughts and looks. months' business. Here you are asked to stamp your own reflection, Which cannot burn nor breathe in a selection, However worthy it may be to stand Among the records of its author's hand; –

His tutored hand.

-

Now, little book, upon thy mission fly,

prose

Thy bidding spur some laggard on to duty,
Thy presence comfort thy possessor's days,
And fill to memory a cup of praise; -
Of happy praise.

"When I was there, I began to think of astronomy again, and was heartily sorry for having quite neglected it at Edinburgh, where I might have improved my knowledge by conversing with those who were able to assist me. I began to compare the ecliptic with its twelve And be thou filled with thoughts that shall not die; signs, through which the sun goes in twelve Thy guileless innocence protect thy beauty, months, to the circle of twelve hours on the dial plate of a watch the hour-hand to the sun, and the minute hand to the moon, moving in the ecliptic, the one always overtaking the other at a place forwarder than it did at their How THE EARTH AND JUPITER WHIRL.last conjunction before. On this, I contrived While the orbital velocity of Jupiter is 700,000 and finished a scheme on paper, for showing the miles per day, 30,000 per hour, 500 per minute, motions and places of the sun and moon in the and 8 per second! a speed sixty times greater ecliptic on each day of the year, perpetually; than that of a cannon ball- the orbital velocity and consequently, the days of all the new and of our little planet, the earth, is 1,653,268 miles full moons.

per day, 69,890 per hour, 1,148 per minute, and 19.1 per second. In short, the orbital velocity of the smaller and centripetal planets is far greater than that of the larger and more centrifugal, although their rotary velocities are the reverse, the enormous circumference of Jupiter completing its revolution pretty nearly three times during the twenty-four hours' rotation of our little sphere; so that Jupiter's day and night are only between four and five hours each in length.