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ties which shall adopt a liberal policy, and wont to be used only as a substantive, and thus carry out the design of the law. always meant something appropriated by let

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A bill embracing these features is now pre-ters patent; but in the Augustan age of Gilparing, and I have no doubt that it will pass fillan and Tupper, it seems bad breeding to and become a law during the next session of use the words clear, plain, evident, intelligiour legislature. Hon. J. B. Mallard, chairman ble, open- we must say patent, if you please, of the committee on education in the senate, instead. I feel confident,' thunders one genis the leading man in the movement, and is tleman, who is denouncing the Pope in Exeeminently qualified to take the direction of ter Hall, that this utterly abominable priestthe work. He has made himself thoroughly craft must be patent to you all.' My Luds,' acquainted with the educational systems of says another (Mr. Slipslop, Q. C.), 'that the other states, and knows what are the wants last witness called has disgracefully perjured and hindrances in his own state. He will un- himself must be patent to everybody present in this court." Have faith in this sublime doubtedly receive the appointment of superintendent, as we have no other man in the truth, my beloved brethren,' snuffles the Honstate so well qualified for the service. orable and Very Reverend Somebody, in his most sonorous cadence, the road to eternal life is patent to you all.' Some The jury retired for some half hour or so, to deliberate upon their verdict.' Here is a vicious sense in which to use the word 'some' it makes flat nonsense of it. Why not say, "The jury retired for half an hour or thereabouts ;' or, For about an hour? Yet these learned pundits, these ripe scholars, would laugh consumedly if they heard any man say that The judge retired to drink some sherry or so,' or that The foreman of the jury came into court and delivered some verdict or so.' 'Our own correspondents' in the daily public prints have been at a great feast of languages and stolen the scraps. Critical severity, therefore, on these points, cannot be pushed

Introducing the system thus gradually will be a slow process, but it will be a natural growth of public sentiment, and will therefore be more likely to have a healthy progress, and permanent character.

I hope soon to be able to tell you that we are carrying on successfully our work of educational reform.

I remain, as ever, my dear Schoolmaster,
Yours, very truly,

Corrupt English.

M.

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to an excess."

H. B. MAYNARD, of Kendalls Mill, Maine, agent, advertises in the Gospel Banner for two

“I should like to see a tribunal established at Westminster," says a correspondent of a literary journal, "for the trial of those who assail and batter the Queen's good English. With such a man as the late Sir Philip Francis on the judgment seat, we should fill all the state prisons during Hilary term. I mention two more of the most recent improve-male teachers for the coming winter, who can ments in the language of Old England, for the making of which platform orators and the daily newspaper press cannot be too much complimented. Patent A word, in the dark age of William Shakspeare, that was

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"teach" as well as "keep" school. He adds in postscript, "No person who wears a shawl, spectacles, or walks with a cane, need apply, as sufficient instruction from that class has already been had."

FIRESIDE DEPARTMENT. what they have said to incur or escape the

Brown Bread.

I am a Yankee, born 'mong the rye and corn,
Of the Eastern States, 'tis said;
And a tribute I'll pay, in a rhyming way,
To their loaves of good brown bread.

I've lived, at best, six years in the West,
Where wheat is used instead,

But in all my round, I've seldom found
A loaf of good brown bread.

Since I have roamed to my boyhood's home,
The rocks and hills I dread;

Yet, in spite of that, I'm growing fat,
Every day, on good brown bread.

You still may make white bread and cake,
By style and fancy led,

But, I will tell you, sir, that I prefer
A loaf of good brown bread.

- New England Farmer.

C. E. E.

The Cook Who Doesn't Like Peas.

A GAME FOR THE CHILDREN.

THE leader of the game puts the following question to the assembled players in succession :

penalties. It depends upon a play of words. The cook not liking "P's," the players must avoid giving an answer in which that letter occurs. As the same proposition must not be repeated twice, those even who are in the plot are sometimes entrapped; the answer they had resolved on being forestalled by another player, they have no time for consideration.

Object Lesson.---No. 1.

THE TABLE CLOTH.

IN a valuable little book, re-published in this country by Gould & Lincoln, Boston, entitled "Pleasant Pages for Young People," we find a series of OBJECT LESSONS, a few of which we intend to present from time to time to the readers of THE SCHOOOMASTER.

Lucy. I do not know anything about Object Lessons. Mamma, what are they?

Mamma. First, - To teach you to observe minutely. More than half the knowledge which men possess, they get by carefully noticing things.

W. That is easy; we are to use our eyes,

"My cook doesn't like peas; what shall we I suppose. give her to eat?"

A player suggests "turnips," "potatoes," "a piece of bread," "chops," "a penny roll," "pork," &c.

To all these, the questioner replies "She doesn't like them (or it) - pay a forfeit." Another proposes "carrots," "dry bread," "beef," "mutton," &c., the answer to any of which is

"That will suit her," and the questioner pays a forfeit.

M. Yes, and other organs also; you do not observe sounds with your eyes. W. No; I use my ears.

M.

And how do you notice different scents? W. I observe them with my nose.

M. And the differences in taste between the taste of milk, and milk and water, for instance?

W. I find that out with my tongue. M. And if you want to know whether your plate is hot or cold?

W. I can tell that by feeling.

If only two or three are in the secret, the game proceeds for some time to the intense mystification of the players, who have no idea with.

M.

So you have several organs to observe

W. Yes; organs for seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling, — there are five.

M. They are called the five senses. These senses are, all day long, bringing some knowledge or other to your mind. The Object Lessons will lead you to use them more carefully and slowly, and afterwards to form words for expressing your observations with exact

ness.

M. Quite right Ion. Now move your finger from that corner to Lucy's corner, without taking it off the cloth, and you will find that it may travel to her in four directions. I. I can move my finger along this edge, or the other-in two directions.

W. That is another part — the edge. The cloth has corners and edges - two parts. I. Or, instead of going round the edges, I

In the course of time you will learn many move my finger across the face of the cloth things. You will have to look at two or

three objects together, and to notice in what they are alike, and in what they differ to compare them as we say. Then you will learn to find out the reason why they differ to reflect; and when you can observe, compare, and reflect carefully, you shall learn to arrange your objects in classes.

W. Oh, I do not understand that at all, mamma! Please, where is an object to begin with?

M. There are plenty of objects everywhere. Here on the breakfast table is a good stock of lessons. The piece of bread and butter you are eating you have never noticed it half enough.

L. And the milk and egg.

M. Yes; we will talk about the bread, butter, sugar, milk, the egg, the salt, coffee, papa's cocoa, the boiling water, bacon, knife and fork, plate, tea-cup, spoon, coffee-pot, the table-cloth, and the mats: one object every Thursday morning at breakfast-time. We shall not have time for a long lesson

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to Lucy.

M. Do not say "the cloth's face," say surface. Your finger may travel in another way across the under surface that will make four directions.

W. Ah, then, the cloth has four parts the edges, corners, upper surface, and under surface. And I see another! In what part is the urn placed?

Ada. In the middle; that is another part. L. Here is another part, which I made myself - the "hem” round it.

I. And then you made some stitches, they must be parts of the cloth.

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W. Very well. It has a border - that is a part.

I. Oh! oh! I am so pleased, I have found thousands of parts all at once. Look! while I pull out some in this place, where it is "unraveled." They are little threads or "ravelings."

M. They are called fibers properly.

I. Where do the fibers come from, mam

ma?

M. They grow in the fields. In Yorkshire, Ireland, and Flanders, you may see fields covered with plants, bearing a pretty blue

flower they are called flax plants. After the flowers are dead, the plants are pulled up. The seeds are then beaten out; the stalks are soaked in water, and dried, and beaten, and combed, and bleached, and so on, until they become bundles of fibers fit to make into a table-cloth.

L. What is done with the seeds?

M. They are sold to the chemists, and others, and are called linseed.

W. So my linseed-tea, and the table-cloth come from the same plant.

L. And the linseed-oil which Jane rubs the furniture with.

M. Goods made from flax-plant are called "linen" goods. They are manufactured in Leeds, Dundee, Dunfermline, and the north of Ireland. You may look for these places on the map. Come, Willie, see if your eyes are any better now. Can you tell me the parts of the table-cloth?

cided that she must be expelled. She got no good herself, and her bad example injured the others; it would be better that she should be dismissed. He called Jane to him one afternoon, and gravely told her his intention of sending her away.

"I

"I don't care," said Jane, angrily. hate the school, and I shall be glad to go!" He endeavored to reason with her upon the ingratitude and sinfulness of her conduct. As he was speaking, one of the teachers, whom we will designate Miss Gray, came very near them to fetch a book which she wanted. Of course she did not pass without Jane's quick eyes seeing her. The girl's sullen demeanor instantly changed. A fresh thought seemed to strike her, and looking up at the master, she said, hastily, "Well, I'll promise to be a better girl if you'll put me in Miss Gray's class."

"How will that make you a better girl,

W. Yes, mamma, I can see them now. Jane?" May I make up the lesson about it?

OBJECT LESSON NUMBER ONE. THE TABLE

--

CLOTH.

"I don't know, sir. But I like her, and I'll do what she tells me."

"And why do you like Miss Gray, Jane?" "Because she's the first teacher that's ever She helped me to get my of a knot this morning, when I wanted to undo them because it was

(1) Our Table-cloth is a piece of linen with four edges four corners -an Under Sur-spoke kind to me. face, Upper Surface - Middle, Hem, Stitches, bonnet-strings out Pattern, Border, and Fibers.

(2) The linen is procured from the stalk of the flax-plant, which is grown in Yorkshire, Ireland, Flanders, &c.

·

so hot; and she was so pleasant over it. She smiled and said, It only wants a little patience, Jane. Oh, she is such a nice lady! (3) Table-cloths are made at Leeds, Dun- If you would only let me get into her class!" dee, Dunfermline, &c.

The Wonderful Key.

JANE was the most tiresome and wayward child in her school. She quarreled with her companions, disobeyed her teachers, and behaved improperly. No one could manage her. The more she was scolded and punished, the worse she became. At length the master de

The result was that Jane went into Miss Gray's class, where she soon fulfilled the promise she had made of becoming a better girl. She grew so tractable, and industrious, and obliging, that every body in the school, the grave master not excepted, was perfectly astonished. "We must learn your secret," say they to Miss Gray.

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ened Jane's heart. She loved her teacher; and from loving her teacher, she learned to love her Saviour. Years have rolled away since then; Miss Gray has finished her labors, and entered into her rest; and Janethe once troublesome, self-willed, unmanageable school-girl- is now the active and devoted wife of a faithful home missionary, winning the affections of children by the same irresistible charm which early attracted her

own.

Take encouragement, dear teacher, and resolve to make use of this magic key. Cultivate an affectionate attractiveness of manner. Strive to be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves :" for in a world like ours, where sin has planted not only sadness but suspicion in the mind, and natural pride and independence guard with careful jealousy the portals of the heart, it needs a tender and considerate touch to elicit another's confidence and sympathy. "He that winneth souls is wise." Let your children feel that you really love them, and they will soon reciprocate your love; and when you have secured their warm affections, you have accomplished much. For there is little hope of our doing the young any permanent good, unless we have first found out the way to reach their hearts; and this is one reason, we are inclined to think, why our teaching so often fails - it emanates rather from a mind imbued with a sense of duty, than gushes forth from a heart overflowing with love. Our pupils recognize us as their teachers: but do they look upon us as their friends?

--

"Mother," said a Sunday scholar one day to his mother, "I don't like my new teacher half so well as my old one."

"Why not, Robert? Isn't he as clever ?" "Oh, yes, mother; he talks much grander than Mr. B- used to do, and he seems to

know all that is in the Bible; but somehow I don't get so interested in what he teaches us, and I don't feel so inclined to mind it." "How is that, Robert?"

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Why, mother, he never looks a bit pleasant at us, and he never says a word to us except about our lessons. I'm sure I could never tell him if I was in any sort of trouble, for I don't think he understands just how boys like us feel; but I could have gone to Mr. B- if I had wanted to, as easy as I could go to you, mother: he was a real gentleman, Mr. B- was, mother; but for all that he was the best friend I ever had. I wish he would come back again."

It is very evident that Robert's old teacher had got hold of the right key. - Christian Treasury.

Anecdote of Nathaniel Bowditch.

THE following anecdote, which we find in the biography of this eminent mathematician and teacher of navigation - himself entirely a self-taught man - was translated by Rev. Mr. Young from the Correspondance Astronomique of Baron Zach, a very distinguished European astronomer :

"The Baron is relating the sensation caused at Genoa by the arrival there, in 1817, of that splendid packet, the Cleopatra's Barge, owned by George Crowninshield, Esq., of Salem. He says that he went on board with all the world," and it happened," to use his own words, "that, on inquiring after my friends and correspondents at Philadelphia and Boston, I mentioned, among others, the name of Mr. Bowditch. He is a friend of our family and our neighbor at Salem,' replied the captain, - a smart, little, old man; and that young man whom you see there, my son, was his pupil; in fact, it is he, and not myself, who navigates the ship. Question him a little, and see if he has learnt anything.' Our

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