inflict upon it the further curse of severity or unkindness? Perhaps the child has been badly governed, at home, or at some previous school; has suffered under the cruelty of rigor, or the cruelty of indulgence. Can a humane and just teacher say, that this calamity shall be the very means of bringing down upon it another calamity? Rather, with every benevolent mind, does not this constitute the highest claim to compassion? It should inspire greater tenderness. It is the title to good will, not a forfeiture of it.

'The motive of interest, also, coincides with the motive of duty. If the teacher truly consults his own ease and comfort, he will treat the less amiable children, in his school, with great kindness and regard; because, by this course of conduct, he will save himself from a vast amount of labor and vexation, in the end. When he knows that wounds actually exist, the true question of policy, with him, is, whether it is better, even for himself, to inflame and aggravate, or to sooth and heal, them. At a Common School Convention in Hampden County, we heard the Rev. Dr. Cooley relate an anecdote, strikingly illustrative of this principle. He said, that, many years ago, a young man went into a district, to keep school, and, before he had been there a week, many persons came to see him, and kindly told him, that there was one boy in the school, whom it would be necessary to whip, every day; leading him to infer, that such was the custom of the school, and that the inference of injustice towards the boy would be drawn, whenever he should escape, not when he should suffer. The teacher saw the affair in a different light. He treated the boy with signal kindness and attention. At first, this novel course seemed to bewilder him. He could not divine its meaning. But, when the persevering kindness of the teacher begot a kindred sentiment of kindness in the pupil, his very nature seemed transformed. Old impulses died. A new creation of motives supplied their place. Never was there a more diligent, obedient, and successful pupil; and, now, said the reverend gentleman, in concluding his narrative, that boy is the Chief Justice of a neighboring State. The relator of this story, though he modestly kept back the fact, was himself the actor. If the Romans justly bestowed a civic crown upon a soldier, who had saved the life of a fellow-soldier, in battle, what honors are too great for the teacher, who has thus rescued a child from ruin?

'One great error, in the management of untoward children, consists in expecting too much from them, at once, and immediately. Time is an important element in the process of weakening and subduing bad principles of action, as well as in the growing and strengthening of good ones. All actions proceed from some internal faculty or propensity; and it is not in accordance with the course of Nature, to expect that an overgrown and over-active propensity can be reduced to its natural size and vigor, in a day. Whenever a child has yielded to an impulse to do wrong, but has been induced, by expostulation or discipline, to do right, the peculiar circumstances, under which he was tempted to the wrong, should be avoided, if possible, until the resolution to do right has had time to be confirmed; that is, those faculties or sentiments of his nature, from whose ascendency we hope improvement and reform, must have time to grow, and to become superior to their antagonists, if we expect they will prevail over them. Our views, on this point, will be best illustrated by an example.

'In an American note to the translation of an excellent French work, by Madame Necker de Saussure, entitled "Progressive Education," there is the following story:

"Mrs. L. was teaching her little daughter, between two and three years old, to count upon her fingers. The child went on, very well, to ten; here she stopped. The mother said 'ten,' and added, 'you must remember next time; it is the little finger, and when you call the one before it nine, you will then think of ten.' The process of counting was recommenced, but, having said nine, the child laughed, and affected ignorance. The mother began to look serious, and said, 'ten,' which the child repeated several times, successively, after her. But, so often as the counting was renewed, the child stopped at 'ten,' waiting for her mother to tell her. At first, the mother thought she might have forgotten, but, being at length convinced that she was obstinate, she began to treat her with severity; telling her, in the first place, that she should punish her, if she refused to call the ten when she came to it, and at length seating her, in disgrace, at a distance from herself. After a long course of discipline, varied in different ways, the little girl, who had maintained perfect self-command, said, 'I will be good, I will count ten.' She then began, and when she came to this number, as if making a violent effort to conquer herself, she said 'ten,' and burst into a violent fit of weeping. Her mother soothed her, and told her how much better it was to be obedient than to be wilful, and how she had been pained, to be obliged to punish her. She then required, that she should repeat the counting, many times, in order to confirm her obedience. Soon after, the child's aunt, Mrs. W., entered the room, and her mother desired, that she would show her aunt how many she could count. The child began; but, when she had said nine, her face reddened, and her countenance expressed the same determination, as she had before shown. 'What is the next, mamma?' said she. Her aunt, who understood the case, said, 'Come with me,' and took the child into her apartment; considering, very properly, that the last offence was towards herself. Several hours of probation did the little creature suffer, before she would again yield. Yet she was calm, very polite, and obedient in most other things."

'Here, is the case of a little girl, "between two and three years old,” learning to count ten, on her fingers. In most things, she is "calm, very polite, and obedient;" and in counting, she prospers very well, until she comes to the number ten. Being told what that is, and that the little finger is to be called ten, the counting is recommenced; but, after having said, nine, she laughs, and affects ignorance." The mother now "looks serious," and soon "threatens severity." "After a long course of discipline, varied in different ways," continues the story, "the little girl says, 'I will be good, I will count ten.'" She then begins, and when she comes to this number, as if making a violent effort to conquer herself, she says "ten," and bursts into a violent fit of weeping. Her mother soothes her, tells her how much better it is to be obedient than to be wilful," &c., and the counting is then repeated, successfully, many times. So far, we do not feel much disposed to find fault with the management of this little girl, "between two and three years old;" although, as the omission to say ten, in the course of the counting, originated, on the part of the child, in mere playfulness, it is not difficult to say, who brought on the quarrel.—

But, whoever was first in fault, nothing could stand better, than the case did, at that point. The little child had repeated, and had resolved to obey, and, what was still harder, she had declared her resolution, and, like a noble little heroine, had addressed herself to the work, and, when she came to the crisis, she made a violent effort, and triumphed ;-undoubtedly putting forth as high an act of moral courage, as old Archbishop Cranmer did, when he thrust his right hand into the flames, because it had signed the recantation;-so great an effort, indeed, that, from the exhaustion of the struggle and the joy of success, she burst into a "violent fit of weeping." But the aunt, "who understood the case," then entered the room, and the child was required, again, immediately, to count ten, in the aunt's presence; that is, after yielding the point of independence to her mother, alone, she was subjected to the humiliation of repeating the act, in the presence of another. Here, was a concerted preparation, even of more trying circumstances, than those under which the original offence (if it was one) had been committed; and the child, who had just summoned all her affection and sense of duty, and exerted them to the utmost, was commanded, in this state of exhaustion, to repeat the act, which had been so difficult, before; and, because she did not do it, she was taken from the room, and made to "suffer hours of probation." In our view this course was about as wise, as it would be to twist and pull a broken bone, which had not been reset more than three minutes, by way of seeing if it had not become strong, as soon as it was splintered. Doubtless, if the second counting had been postponed until the next day; until the feeling, which had prompted the original opposition, had subsided; until the child had realized, in full, the pleasures, which followed obedience, and a restoration to the mother's affection, it would then have been, not only unresistingly, but joyfully done.'

Are not great mistakes committed in the government of children, by acting upon the supposition, that they can grow strong in virtuous resolutions, in a single day? This, it is true, would save the teacher all further trouble. But, if all our active affections, whether good or bad, are the result of growth, then opportunity must be allowed for the seeds to germinate, after they have been sown. Every body knows, how tenacious of life the Lombardy poplar is. Its twigs, cut off and stuck into a sandbank, will throw off roots, and grow. We once knew a boy, who cut off a great number of these twigs, and set them out in the garden, that they might grow and form an arbor,-but, every morning, for a fortnight, he regularly pulled them all up, to see if the roots had started. At the end of the fortnight, he gave up, in despair; and so did the twigs. The boy's conduct is necessarily imitated by all those parents and teachers, who think they can take out a wrong inclination from a child's mind, and substitute a right one, by a single act, just as they can take one weight from a scale, and supply its place with another. If, however, all good purposes in the mind are the result of growth, the seed must first be sown, and then all those circumstances attended to, which will warm, and foster, and nourish it.'

'We have space and time, at present, but for one more idea. No parent or teacher should ever issue a command, without the highest degree of certainty, that it will be obeyed. To command a child to do, or to abstain from doing, what, under the circumstances, he will probably refuse to do, or to abstain from doing, is as false to duty, as it would be in a general

to engage, voluntarily, in a battle, when he was exposed to certain defeat. In directing a child to carry a burden, we consider his age, his size, his strength. None but a tyrant would command him to bear a weight, beneath which he could not stand. This principle applies to moral efforts, with far greater force, than it does to physical. Where the moral sense is weak, and the selfish propensities strong, we must begin, in regard to the former, with the lightest conceivable duties. Present no temptation to the child, which he has not strength to overcome. Let the temptation be increased, only as the power of resistance is strengthened. In this way, the capacity of a child to resist only the weakest seductions may grow, until his soul is clad in moral mail against the most powerful temptations. But, alas! who, in the present state of the public mind, on the subject of education, has wisdom and skill, sufficient for these things?" [Common School Journal.

DOMESTIC HAPPINESS.

AH! what so refreshing, so soothing, so satisfying, as the placid joys of home!

See the traveller; does duty call him for a season to leave his beloved circle! The image of his earthly happiness continues vivid in his remembrance, it quickens him to diligence, it makes him hail the hour which sees his purpose accomplished, and his face turned toward home; it communes with him as he journeys, and he hears the promise which causes him to hope, "Thou shalt know also, that the tabernacle shall be in peace, and thou shalt visit thy tabernacle, and not sin." O! the joyful re-union of a divided family; the pleasures of renewed interview and conversation after days of absence.

Behold the man of science; he drops the laborious and painful research, closes his volume, smooths his wrinkled brow, leaves his study, and unbending himself, stoops to the capacities, yields to the wishes, and mingles with the diversions of his children.

"He will not blush that hath a father's heart,

To take in childish play, a childish part,

But bends his sturdy neck, to play the toy,
That youth takes pleasure in, to please his boy."

Take the man of trade; what reconciles him to the toil of business? What enables him to endure the fastidiousness and impertinence of customers? What rewards him for so many hours of tedious confinement? By-and-by the season of intercourse will arrive; he will behold the desire of his eyes and the children of his love, for whom he resigns his ease; and in their welfare and smiles he will find his recompense.

Yonder comes the laborer; he has borne the burden and the heat of the day; the descending sun has released him of his toil; and he is hastening home to enjoy repose. Half way down the lane, by the side of which stands his cottage, his children run to meet him. One he carries and one he leads. The companion of his humble life is ready to furnish him with his plain repast. See his toil-worn countenance assume an air of cheerfulness! his hardships are forgotten; fatigue vanishes; he eats and is satisfied. The evening fair, he walks with uncovered head around his garden, enters again, and retires to rest! and, "the rest of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much." Inhabitants of this lowly dwelling! who can be indifferent to thy comfort? Peace be to this house!—[Rev. W. Jay.

EDITOR'S TABLE.

The New Year.-The annual return of the New Year has been consecrated for ages as the season of Christian gratulation, the interchange of kind affections and glad feelings, when all unite in the expression of hopes and pleasures, which this auspicious day never fails to inspire. It may not inaptly be regarded as an eminence in the journey of life, from which the traveller commands a full view of the past and beholds as if at a great distance, the future, dimly shadowed in vague glimmerings and uncertainties. Human life is full of incidents, now gilded with pleasures, now fretted and saddened by trials, and these scenes are so constantly alternating that all things seem ever on the change. The new year in the midst of these vicissitudes and mutations comes in with joy on its wing for the care worn, and with mirth and pastime for the young and the old alike— at its approach sorrow seems to give way to the smile and grief to be soothed in the bright hopes which encompass the dawn of the year.

In the spirit of the season, so congenial to our Beloved Order, we wish our Brethren one and all, a happy New Year, health and prosperity, and a long life of usefulness to their country and themselves.

The New Year.-We have the most abundant cause of thanksgiving and self-gratulation as an Order in the retrospect which our past career affords. Some four and twenty years ago, a few valued Brethren in the city of Baltimore formed a small detachment, pledged to go forth as the champions of a universal charity. It was a small, but determined band, with nerves strung to the sacred cause of Benevolence. How have they maintained the pledge, how have they fought the good fight? Let the great national army which is now enrolled under the broad banner of Friendship, Love and Truth, respond to this interrogatory. Let the altars which emit their incense to the Heavens from the granite hills of the East to the sunny plains of the South-let the temples whose walls re-echo with the sounds of hearts made glad, from the fertile regions of the South to the rolling waters of the Mississippi, utter the full and thrilling response. The time has been when the achievment of such a moral triumph as our Beloved Order exhibits in its origin, progress and present elevated position, could alone have been the reward with which the mighty influence of power and high place could invest the effort-but the tens of thousands of votaries of Odd-Fellowship now banded together in indissoluble bonds of union