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ference in a distribution to the several towns If made in proportion to the population to be benefited (say between the ages of five and sixteen years) and although taken from the census of 1820. Since then the north part of the state has increased its population and wealth, whereas the south part, including the counties of Newport, Washington, and Bris tol, has probably not increased in the same ratio. Yet I would not have it understood that any rule of estimate, either of population or valuation, made several years ago, ought to be adhered to, but the population or valuation, at or near the time of making the distribution, ought to be the rule established."

now in the General Treasury, ten thousand dollars be set apart and exclusively appropriated, in the manner hereinafter mentioned, as a fund for the support of public schools, and to be denominated the school fund.

"Sec. 2. That the governor and secretary for the time being, be and are hereby consti tuted commissioners of said fund; whose duty it shall be to invest in bank stock of the banks of this state, the sum hereby appropri ated, together with the interest thereon as the same shall accrue, and such further appropri ations as the general assembly may hereafter make, or such donations as may be made by individuals or corporations, for the same pur

pose.

"Sec. 3. That said commissioners shall keep a regular account, in a book to be provided for that purpose, and to remain in the secretary's office, of all moneys by them re

"This [second] section compels the towns, to provide school houses, and to make taxes, &c., and they must swallow it, whether they like it or not it must go down, or they will not be entitled to any benefit from the appro-ceived, of whom, on what account, and how priation made by the state for the support of free schools. Now, sir, can any man in his right senses (I do not appeal to any one whose senses are inflated with vanity), suppose, for a moment, that the provisions of the first and second sections of this bill, are calculated to induce the people of this state to enter heart and soul into the support of free schools? I will leave the question for the advocates of this bill to answer.

invested, and report annually to the general assembly on the first Wednesday of May, or oftener if required, a particular statement and account of said fund, and their proceedings generally in relation to the same.

"Sec. 4. That the interest of said fund shall be applied to the support of public schools whenever the general assembly shall direct the same, and shall be distributed among the several towns in the state in pro portion to the free white population in each town between the ages of five and sixteen

“The other sections of the bill may be considered as necessary, with some few exceptions, for carrying into operation the provis-years." lon of the first and second. I will not, however, take up any more of the time of the house in considering this bill, but will proceed to the consideration of a substitute. I shall in due time move to amend the bill, by striking out the whole of it, after the enacting clause in the first section, with the view of substituting the following:

Sec. 1. Be it enacted, That of the money

"Sir, in concluding my remarks, I would say to those who are in favor of establishing free schools immediately, be patient a little while and you will have your wishes, whereas if you push the subject imprudently, defeat will follow as a matter of course."

LIGHT things will agitate little minds.

Hymn of the Marseillaise.

THE Marseillaise was inspired by genius, patriotism, youth, beauty, and champagne. Rouget de Lisle was an officer of the garrison at Strasburg, and a native of Mount Jura. He was an unknown poet and composer. He had a peasant friend named Dietrick, whose wife and daughters were the only critics and admirers of the soldier poet's song. One night he was at supper with his friend's family, and they had only coarse bread and slices of ham. Dietrick, looking sorrowfully at De Lisle, said, "Plenty is not our feast, but we have the courage of a soldier's heart; I have still one bottle left in the cellar - bring it, my daughter, and let us drink to liberty and our country!"

The young girl brought the bottle; it was soon exhausted, and De Lisle went staggering to bed. He could not sleep for the cold, but his heart was warm and full of the beating of genius and patriotism. Ile took a small clavicord and tried to compose a song: sometimes the words were composed firstsometimes the air. Directly he fell asleep over the instrument, and waking at daylight, wrote down what he had conceived in the delirium of the night. Then he waked the family, and sang his production: at first the woman turned pale, then wept, then burst forth in a cry of enthusiasm. It was the song of the nation and of terror.

Two months afterwards, Dietrick went to the scaffold listening to the self same music, composed under his own roof and under the Inspiration of his last bottle of wine. The people sang it everywhere; it flew from city to city, to every public orchestra. Marseilles adopted the song at the opening and close of its clubs, - hence the name, 66 Hymn of the Marseillaise." Then it sped all over France. They sung it in their houses, in public assem

blies, and in the stormy street convocation. De Lisle's mother heard it, and said to her son, "What is this revolutionary hynm, sung by bands of brigands, and with which your name is mingled" De Lisle heard it and shuddered as it sounded through the streets of Paris, rung from the Alpine passes, while he, a royalist, fled from the infuriated people, frenzied by his own words. France was a great amphitheater of anarchy and blood, and De Lisle's song was the battle cry.

There is no national air that will compare with the Marseillaise in sublimity and power; it embraces the soft cadences full of the peasant's home, and the stormy clangor of silver and steel when an empire is overthrown; it endears the memory of the wine dressers cottage, and makes the Frenchman in his exile, cry "La belle France!" forgetful of the torch, and sword, and guillotine, which have made his country a specter of blood in the eyes of the nations. Nor can the foreigner listen to it, sung by a company of exiles, or executed by a band of musicians, without feeling that it is the pibroch of battle and war.

MARSEILLES HYMN,

Ye sons of France, awake to glory!

Hark! hark, what myriads bid you rise! Your children, wives, and grandsires hoary, Behold their tears and hear their cries! Behold their tears and hear their cries! Shall hateful tyrants, mischiefs breeding, With hireling hosts, a ruffian band, Affright and desolate the land, While peace and liberty lie bleeding?

To arms! to arms, ye brave! Th' avenging sword unsheath! March on! march on! all hearts resolved On victory or death!

Now, now the dangerous storm is rolling,

Which treacherous kings confederate raise ; The dogs of war, let loose, are howling — And lo! our walls and cities blaze!

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For the Schoolmaster.
Phonetics and its Objectors.

Ar the teachers' institute which was appointed and superintended by our respected and efficient Commissioner of Public Schools, and ending on the 8th ultimo, the subject of phonetics was considered in the course of instructive lectures and drill exercises. Believing that our esteemed and edifying lecturer spoke in sincerity and unbiased by prejudice, we pen the following in a kindred spirit, not so much to extenuate his objections to the phonetic reform, or to advocate any "inovation," as to show the other side of the question. Judging, however, from the nature of his objections, we conclude that they were the result of a limited knowledge of the subjectWe reported his lecture, but as space will not admit of an elaborate reply, it is necessary to consider the principal parts of his remarks, which, being condensed, represent him to say, substantially, that

matter.

First. We should do away with silent letters, the keys to the origin of words; lose the history wrapped up in them and destroy their relationship to other languages, which is indicated by their orthography.

MANKIND are always happier for having been happy; so that if you make them happy now, you make them happy twenty years hence, by the memory of it. A childhood passed with a due mixture of rational indul- This will be considered as an etymological gence, under fond and wise parents, diffuses objection. It must be conceded that all primover the whole of life a feeling of calm pleas-itive languages were originally, more or less ure; and, in extreme old age, is the very last phonetic. If they had been constructed on a remembrance which time can erase from the purely phonetic basis their pronunciation mind of man. No enjoyment, however in- could be more easily determined now. The considerable, is confined to the present mo- labors of the etymologists are in vain, unless ment. A man is the happier for life, from they possess a knowledge of pronunciation, having made once an agreeable tour, or lived and as the science of etymology is founded for any length of time with pleasant people, upon the science of phonetics, it follows that or enjoyed any considerable interval of inno- phonetic spelling, instead of being a barrier cent pleasure; which contributes to render to the praiseworthy researches of etymologists, old men so inattentive to the scenes before is a sure and safe guide. them, and carries them back to a world that is past, and to scenes never to be renewed again. SYDNEY SMITH.

The crowning invention of human intellect is language, a collection of significant sounds which should be represented by significant

symbols. Until these sounds are known and Wheedon says, "Etymology is a luxury exhibited, their etymological changes can not for the few; phonotypy a necessity for the even become the subject of serious etymological investigation.

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Dr. Franklin pertinently said that " Ety mologies, at present, are very uncertain, and such as they are old books would still preserve, and we don't look to etymology for present meanings. If I call a man a nave or villain, he would hardly be satisfied with my telling him that one of the words originally signified only a lad or servant, and the other an under-plowman or an inhabitant of a village. It is from present usage only, the meanings of words are to be determined."

many."

Second. "We should have a southern, eastern, and western language; we could not use each others books, and the pronunciation would be fixed, because certain signs would stand for certain sounds."

In many words the short sound of o, in not, is made to have a distinct and different sound for the south, east and west. Had this letter, and all others of the same class, a character to represent its sound in one word, and another different sign to represent its sound in another and different word, it would be properly used. Therefore, it is easy to see that the very objection raised in the first two members of the accusation, are obviated by having one sign for one sound, no more, no less.

A phonetic representation of the elementary sounds in our language, or any other, would not tend to fix pronunciation, as that is an impossibility, for the English language has been changing and growing in strength and beauty, ever since its Saxon birth, and it will continue to do so, so long as it exists. Pho

If silent letters, in too many of our words, indicate their relationship to other languages, why don't the b in plumb, thumb, numb, dumb, and climb appear in the etymons of these words in other languages. The h, in rhyme, has caused some to refer this to the Greek, but it is the Anglo-Saxon, which means num-notypy would keep pace with the slow changes bers. Heteric spelling, not unfrequently, mis- in language and yet remain one and the same leads the etymologist, as in island, the s refers system. Its object is not, as many suppose, this word to the same origin as isle; namely, to change or interfere with language, but to the Latin insula, through the Italian insola, represent it correctly and scientifically. while it is in fact pure Anglo-Saxon, and means water-land. Bough and bow have the

same root.

That we have at present, a southern, eastern and western medley of dialects, which is growing no better; that this will be the case, To say that phonetic spelling often proves while based on our orthographic quagmire, a trustworthy guide to the roots of words is not one who is well read, or has visited difno utopian assertion. Ice, phonetically, is, ferent parts of the Union, will essay to palliagrees with the original Saxon is. Doubt, ate or ignore; and that this cacophonic lingo and all its derivatives, comes from the French will characterize our glorious language so long douté, therefore, the b is improper. Poultice, as no certain sign stands for one and the same from the Latin pultis, phonetically pultis. sound, is too evident. Whence are all our These examples might be increased. Dr. provincialisms which painfully remind one of

English shires? Do they not arise from different people assigning various powers to letters and combinations of letters to express simple articulate sounds? Books in phonetic dress would be read alike the world over. Third. "We have a large number of words which are spelled differently though pronounc ed alike. If we spell such as they are pronounced we should not know what they meant."

On the one hand, there is no need of this distinction, while on the other, there is great disadvantage, for, in the Romanic method, the spelling and pronunciation of every word in our language has to be mastered individually. If we speak of "Fannie dancing at a ball," or "Willie kicking at a ball," the italicized words, in letter and sound, are alike, the meaning is widely different, yet unmistakable. Who would think of stopping, while reading or speaking, to explain that the meaning was rite not write, or right, or Wright, and yet reader, would you not comprehend the meaning under all circumstances?

"Tis plain you would, and thus 'tis found You're guided by the sense and sound." This distinction, from spelling differently, is lost more on the ear of the hearer, where it is most needed, than on the eye of the speaker, who has the context before him. The orthoëpy of a word does not naturally indicate to the ear its Romanic orthography, a fortiori the eye is not benefited. By our factious orthography, we argue ad hominem, that confusion is produced; polynyms are as numerous as homonyms.

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"Or else be written down a fool,
By the great orthographic rule;

That, 'tis the spelling that gives the sense."
A rule of shallowest pretense."
And by the spelling, of course, we compre-
hend the stanza

"Of course a race course isn't coarse,
A fine is far from fine;
To see a sad sight, is to see

A noble pine tree pine."

In fine this fine homonymical objection vanishes into fine air.

Fourth. "All vast libraries would, in the course of a generation, be closed books. Our descendants would not be able to read them.

All the books in the Redwood Library would be locked up to future generations."

This, to those who are unfortunately not thoroughly acquainted with phonotypy and its mission, would appear to be a most formidable as well as an unanswerable objection. To render the vast amount of inestimable property in books, which adorn private, public, and national libraries, useless and obsolete, or by some "innovation" "lock up to future generations" the precious store of knowledge that in them is, would indeed, be wanton and preposterous. But, to suppose that phonotypy would cause this havoc, is a mere figment of a visionary imagination. knowledge of phonetic, and then of Romanic orthography, is now acquired in less than half the time it takes to learn the Romanic alone. Were it decreed by a higher law than of congress, the law of necessity, that from to-day forth, all books should be printed in phonetic orthography, not a single person would, from necessity, cease to be familiar with the print of the present day. Were our language ex

A

Mr. Pare, prepare to repair to the pear tree to pare a pear with a pair of schicsourrhce, is a sentence we must understand by its orthog-empt from change in orthography and proraphy,

nunciation, this book objection would be far more weighty against any reform in the mode

* Justified by schism, sieve, as, honour, myrrh, of representing it. But such as already anticipated is not the case.

sacrifice.

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