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Girls' Schools.--No. 2.

ademical Institute. She spends the first hour listlessly holding her slate, or using it for the

"Ye mak' it not what is she?' but what illegitimate purpose of caricaturing her teach

has she!"SCOTCH PROVERB.

er, waiting for him to come to her in turn, and show her how to do her sums, every one of which she has to have explained to her sepa rately, if she is the idle, incapable creature

many

IN the recently established schools for idiots, wise and practical methods of awakening and developing intellect have been applied with wonderful success in producing good results. If training can do so much for dark-est, ened and imperfect minds, what might it not do for healthy, active brains? The difference between the education in these schools and in

school-girls are.

I select from the low

because the exertions of an active-minded or ambitious girl, who advances in spite of the bad system, are not to be set down as a result of that system. A school should not only give opportunity to learn to those who are eager for it, but should force the idle and indifferent into the ranks of intelligence and progress.

the common ones is, that in the former the faculties themselves are attended to, and in the latter only the matter which the faculties are to act upon, i. e., the sciences, languages, etc. A teacher seems to say" So much Strong minds, notwithstanding the discour mathematics, history, and Latin is to be stow-aging school-system will find out methods of ed away somewhere, let me see if I can't self-culture. It is the weak who need traincram it into this lot of heads!" ing, and who invariably get it least.

Is not the art of study now taught in some After arithmetic, follow recitations in his such manner as this? The scholar is set to tory, grammar, geography, natural philoso the acquisition of some futile piece of knowl-phy, algebra,-pell-mell-a few pages of each. edge, the distances of the planets perhaps. The young miss, having probably counted the She has no motive for application but the fear paragraphs in each lesson, and learned only of punishment if she does not learn her task. the one or two which would be likely to come She takes her book home with her, according to her as she stands in the class, trusts to a to the school regulations, sits down to it, and favorable chance for an escape from detection, knowing that she has all evening before her, but if it comes-meets it with indifference. she reads a sentence-and tells a joke, reads It is only "missing a lesson." another-and listens to a song, reads a third -and is sent on an errand, and so on. In an hour or two the lesson is transferred to her memory, with a loose injunction to that faculty to keep it there-until after recitation hours the next day!

Thus a little interrupted, undirected practice is all that keeps attention and memory from dying of inanition.

These lessons "said," the writing hour ar rives, during which her languid fingers draw out distorted imitations of copper-plate. After five hours of tiresome confinement, without one moment of excited interest, the jaded girl drags herself home, eats a full dinner, and is immediately sent to the piano, where she plays with the keys, and disregards time, during the allotted hour or hours. Then per

The routine in girls' schools is often-gen-haps she is indulged with a walk in the street, erally I believe—pretty much as follows:

At nine o'clock the young lady, with a huge pile of tomes upon her arm, arrives at the Ac

the best part of the poor girl's day, but bad enough at that,—and then she has her supper. After it, in a parlor where older persons are

enjoying themselves, or in a nursery full of words is demeaned by being clothed in such playing children, she is compelled to sit down lusterless garbs as legality, respectability and again to her books, and dawdle over the ac-morality. But the danger is in the former quisition of her tasks for the morrow. And case. Men are more likely to clothe up a base

To heap up knowledge certain to be lost again, as you mothers know. How much of the school-lessons it cost you so much to get, do you retain ?

Call Things by Their Right Names.

66

for what does she undergo this slow torture? idea in shining words than to strip an honorable one of its time-sanctioned garments. How much mischief has been done to the plastic moral sentiment of communities by I calling sins and crimes, black as death and Fine method of training! And the glori- worthy of fallen spirits, mistakes and errors, ous results we see in the pale, weak, (mental- irregularities and derelictions. How many a ly and physically,) bedizened, fashionable | boy's moral sense has been blunted by learnmisses who crowd Chestnut street and Broad-ing to regard stubbornness and pride, idleness way. They learn but one lesson effectually, and prodigality, merely as unfortunate traits and that is, how to waste their time. And and silly habits. Our fathers used to get drunk, this habit, acquired by long years of school- and it was found to be a bad thing. Thereing, clings to them through their whole use- fore old America voted drunk a disgraceful less existence, unless the experience of after word, and a drunkard a miserable wretch. life cures them sharply. — A. L. O., in New Young America has found a new word. He York Independent. is no drunk-ard, - - not he, that would be a disgrace. Thereby he would lose caste; but he gets "tight," - tight as a mink" — and votes himself smart and respectable. There is one detestable hypocrite of a Low Dutch word which has done more than many are aware of to beguile and besot young men for the last few years. That word is "Schnapps." Men used to drink rum, gin and brandy, and guzzle ale and beer, and some do it now. But this is decidedly vulgar. Your young sprout of a clerk, apprentice or student, sips old Bourbon and takes " Schnapps" - miserable Wolf-ish synonym for poor gin. The man who invents a new word to cover up the deformity of an old evil, does a greater injury to his race than he who bolsters up sin, but calls it by its right name. spendthrifts and prodigals and debauchees. There are none now in the vocabulary of fashionable slang. They are all metamorphosed by a kind of euphemistic spell into fast young men. Your fast young man is "one of 'em,” he has "cut his eye teeth," in fine,, he is a "brick" -a "regular brick."

DR. SOUTH, I think it was, wrote four sermons, On the fatal imposture and force of words. It has occured to me that a little preaching at the present time upon the same subject might not be amiss. In some respects the words of the Latin author are true of us: "Nos vera rerum vocabula amisimus" -we have lost the true names of things. "What's in a name?" says some one. Very much :especially when the name is, in a great measure, to determine in the minds of men the character of the thing it represents. Trench has well said, "How immense is the difference as to the light in which we shall learn to

regard sin, according as we have been wont to designate it and to hear it designated, by a word which brings out its loathsomeness and deformity, or by one which conceals these." He might with almost eqnal propriety have said the same of honesty, virtue and religion. How the real vitalizing spirit of these noble

There used to be

Once piracy and buccaneering were considered criminal and visited with merited punishment, -now these same offenses claim immunity under the rather dubious garb of "fillibusterism.”

watched the first movement, and it seemed for a time not to be upwards, but parallel with the hills, and then to be gradually as cending. At length we slowly descended under the full morning sunlight to the village. It has long been known that Aaron Burr It was half past one as we walked through was an able, accomplished and dangerous the streets, but people seemed just as much man, and his countrymen had not fairly de-up and stirring as in the day. Children were cided in what catalogue to place him, wheth-playing in the street, and women sewing at er of her statesmen, her warriors, or her the windows, while many came to the doors reprobates; when lo, his apologizing biogra- to study the costume of our ladies. "Cerpher has found his exact status, and says "he tainly, nobody sleeps in Norway," we said.was a man and a-fillibuster." The true ety- Bruce's Norfolk. mology of this word is not yet determined. Certain it is, however, that it has been coined since the days of Walker!

Our colloquial and newspaper dialects are full of slang and cant phrases, which it is hoped for the welfare of our race, and the honor of our noble mother tongue, will never find a place in her Dictionaries and standard authors. Rather let us call things by their real names, in plain, unerring English, and then shall we know what we mean, and speak what we know.-N. H. Jour. of Education.

The Midnight Sun.

Telegram.

MUCH has been said of late concerning the origin of this word. The English seem to have thought that they had started a wonderful novelty, in the use of it since their war commenced in India. More lately, a Western origin has been attributed to it; and now in the Times of March 1, it is said to be found in a letter of Henry Ward Beecher, dated as early as 1853. If the credit of paternity for so useful a word is worth anything, it had better be laid at the right door. Five or six years ago, there was in the Boston Telegraph "Ir's just five minutes of twelve ! -we a communication from a correspondent proshan't see it. There it is above! See the line posing and recommending the adoption of the of sunshine come down the mountains! We word Telegram, to designate a Telegraphic shall have it soon!" There were a few mo- Despatch. He showed the propriety of its ments of doubt when the great orb burst derivation from the Latin, with the advansplendidly forth below the cloud. "The ris-tages of its brevity, and urged it upon the ing sun. The midnight sun." It was a public attention. Though followed by only splendid spectacle, the rays sparkling over a few individuals in this country, it seems to the beautiful Fiord, lighting up distant snowy have found its way across the Atlantic, and mountains, shining back from peak to peak having been there duly baptized as Simonfar away, and the whole sphere majestically Pure English, is, it seems, to go into the next rising and clearing away what a moment be- edition of Webster's Dictionary. fore had been the clouds of evening, but were now the mists of morning. The light, too, was a different one, at least to our imagination, purer, clearer, and fresher.

We

WHEN a man owns that he has been in the wrong, he is but telling you that he is wiser than he was.

FIRESIDE DEPARTMENT.

Our Enigma.

THIS is the first time, since we commenced giving our young friends an enigma each month, that we have received no answers.

For the Schoolmaster.

Sports at the old English Fairs.

THE boys who read THE SCHOOLMASTER Will be much amused at the account we are going to give of some of the customs and sports at the Fairs in England in former times. Besides Just think of it boys! No answers to the the common sports of wrestling, boxing, racenigma of ninety-four letters in the June num-ing, jumping, and cock-fighting, there were ber! And you, young misses, readers of other games that the men, women and boys THE SCHOOLMASTER, who have been accus- took delight in at the old country fairs in tomed to send in solutions with such surpris- England. We will describe some of them. ing promptness and regularity, some of them invariably coming the next day after the reception of THE SCHOOLMASTER, now, we have not heard from you!

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I became quite interested in this because of the difficulty in solving it, and thus joined a friend or two in persevering efforts to work it out. You see we have succeeded.

Respectfully yours,

T. JR."

In those days the people were robust and strong, and they were pleased with rough and severe sports. But they were such as must have afforded capital fun for the spectatorsespecially for the boys.

One of these rustic sports was: Climbing the greasy pole for a leg of bacon. On the top of a high small, greased pole a leg of bacon was stuck. Any one who could climb up and take off the bacon was to have it as his prize. This was a laughable sport. For a climber might, perhaps, get near the top of the pole and be able to hold himself there by both hands. But the moment he raised one hand

to unfasten the bacon, he would be almost sure to slide down again in pretty quick time, bearing all below him, who were foolish enough to climb after him, to the ground in a

heap.

Another of these sports was: The old women drinking hot tea for a pound of snuff. Whoever could drink the most and the hottest tea in one hour gained the prize.

Well, now, young friends, you see it can be done. So we will not give you an enigma this month, but give you another opportunity to "join a friend or two in persevering efforts," hoping you will say as our friend says, "You see we have succeeded." But just allow us to say to you that -"An ancient tow-ugliest face gained the prize. er in Asia Minor," should read "ancient town."

Another amusement was: Grinning through Several men would stand in a horse-collars. row, each holding a collar. Men and women as many as pleased to do so, would in turn look through the collars making up the worst faces they could. The one who made up the

Sometimes they had this game also: Thirty old women racing for a pound of tea. This

occasioned much merriment, and it was astonishing to see with what agility the old dames would run to obtain that they loved so much.

Another of these sports which must have created much mirth, was: Hunting the pig with a soaped tail. Grunter, with his tail well greased or soaped, was set off at the foot of a hill, and was quickly pursued by men and boys. Whoever caught him by the tail and could hold him still with that one hand for three minutes was to have the pig for his own. But it was rather slippery business to catch the smooth porker. For pigs then had the same obstinate nature that they inherit now, and on being pulled one way they strove to go in an opposite direction. If some lucky fellow happened to grasp the pig by the tail, it was next to impossible for him to keep his hold. Grunter would go forward if he was pulled back. Just so the pig of the London butcher did. The butcher laid a wager with

a waterman on the Thames that he would

goal, carried off the cheese. Sometimes one would jump so far as to lose his balance and fall, and his fall, like bricks in a row, would generally occasion the downfall of three or four others, to their great vexation, but to the supreme amusement of the spectators. But after a time some one being more expert or more lucky than the rest, would reach the bound and claim the prize.

Oxenbridge and Cannon were two noted fighters formerly in Wiltshire. Cannon, not daring to contend in a boxing match with Oxenbridge, challenged him to jump in sacks for a cheese. It was agreed that they were to jump over the course (which was five hundred yards long) three times. The first time Cannon fell, his opponent winning the race. The second time Oxenbridge fell and Cannon beat. The third time they kept a pretty even pace for about four hundred yards, when they bounded against each other and both fell. Then there was a dispute as to who was the victor. Oxenbridge wished to divide the

while disputing, Cannon got out of his sack and ran off with the cheese. Oxenbridge was soon after him. They soon set to at a boxing match. In two hours Cannon became the vic

make a pig run over one of the bridges quick-cheese. Cannon wanted to jump again. But er than the waterman could row his boat across the river. The bet was eagerly accepted by the waterman. When the signal for starting was given, the boatman began to row with all his might. But the butcher, catch-tor and carried off the cheese in triumph. ing hold of the tail of the pig, endeavored to pull him back, upon which grunter, true to his nature, pulled forward and in post-haste scampered over the bridge, pulling the butch-practiced in our day. er after him, who arrived on the opposite side before the poor waterman reached the bank.

We must speak of one more of the rustic sports at the old fairs in England: Jumping in sacks for a cheese. Ten or twelve of the best jumpers were chosen to contend for the prize. They were tied in long sacks or bags up to their necks, their heads only being out of the bags. They were to jump six hundred yards. The one who would first jump to the

These were the sports of rustic, uncultivatad people. It is well that they have passed away. They are too cruel or too coarse to be We should be glad that they have been given up just as the ancient gladiatorial fights have been. Perhaps we shall give the readers of THE SCHOOLMASTER an account some time of the ancient games and gladiatorial sports. But we should be glad that those games have passed away as well as those coarse sports of which we have given an account. It is right that all should have some amusements, particularly the young. But the sports should not be

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