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wagon there is a country boy, with short quaker-like dress, and especially his "Blue pants, a short jacket, and gray stockings, Yarn Stockings." But it soon appeared as whistling Yankee Doodle. On the Fourth of though he had been introduced upon this July he comes to town, and says he "means to have some fun." He has some spending money which he has earned by hard labor. When he gets home he tells his parents how he has enjoyed his visit to the city. He says he would like to live in the city very much, because he would have more sport; and, besides, he would like to go to the Public School. Some cold day in winter, perhaps his mothered in Paris with all the ardor of the most makes ginger-bread, and then in the evening, affectionate enthusiasm.

as they are all gathered around the fire, she hands them a piece of ginger-bread, and they all have a drink of cider, which is very pleasant to the taste, I am sure.-C. L., in New Brunswick (N. J.) Pub. School Journal.

The Blue Yarn Stockings.

FROM WEEMS' LIFE OF FRANKLIN.

WHEN Dr. Franklin was received at the

French court as American minister, he felt
some scruples of conscience in complying with
their fashions as to dress. "He hoped," he
said to the minister, "that as he was himself
a very plain man, and represented a plain re-
publican people, the king would indulge his
desire to appear at court in his usual dress.
Independent of this, the season of the
he said, rendered the change from warm yarn
stockings to fine silk, somewhat dangerous."
The French minister made him a bow, but
said that the fashion was too sacred a thing for
him to meddle with, but he would do himself
the honor to mention it to his Majesty.

year,

The king smiled, and returned word that Dr. Franklin was welcome to appear at court in any dress he pleased. In spite of that delicate respect for strangers, for which the French are so remarkable, the courtiers could not help staring, at first, at Dr. Franklin's

splendid theatre only to demonstrate that great genius, like true beauty, "needs not the foreign aid of ornament." The court was so dazzled with the brilliancy of his mind that they never looked at his stockings. And while many other ministers who figured in all the gaudy fashions of the day are now forgotten, the name of Dr. Franklin is still mention

Our Language.

THE Dublin University Magazine says:— Dictionary English is something very different not only from common colloquial English, but even from that of ordinary written composition. Instead of about 40,000 words, there is probably no single author in the language from whose works, however voluminous, so many as 10,000 words could be collected. Of

the 40,000 words there are certainly many more than one-half that are only employed, if they are ever employed at all, on the rarest occasions. We should any of us be surprised to find, if we counted them, with how small a number of words we manage to express all that we have to say either with our lips or even with the pen. Our common literary English probably hardly extends to 10,000 words, our common spoken English hardly to

5,000.

PUZZLE.-Here is an Arithmetical Puzzle, the solution of which we commend to the ingenuity of our readers :

If you take
Nine from six
Ten from nine
Fifty from forty
There will then six remain.

For the Schoolmaster.
The Deserted Mansion.

BY HESIL.

OLD Time who wanders o'er the earth
Has found these arches green;
And many a death and many a birth
These ancient walls have seen.
How mournfully the footstep falls
Within these ancient walls!

O, lone deserted heart of man,

What scenes of joy and pain
Have passed in thee since life began,
Ne'er to return again!

Oh! sad and solemn mem'ry calls
Her echoes from the naked walls!

The Undesirable Neighbor.--A Fable.

leaf; "lady-bugs, sitting in the rose's heart," and plain dressed ants, going by with a heavy grain of corn;" jumping, joyous grasshoppers, and dignified, motherly-looking beetles, were each and all alike greedily appropriated, and breakfasted and dined, and supped upon, by the insatiable Billy-till, at last, he came to be feared so much in that part of the forest, that when his faintest " peep " was heard in the distance, the worms and bugs, every mother's son of them, would retire with particularly hurried steps within the shadow of the nearest toad-stool, clover-blossom, or chickweed, till long after their marauding neighbor had disappeared among the plantain leaves.

But a day of vengeance was at hand, A hawk, who was a firm believer in circular justice, took up the matter one day, and the chicken also; and he who had picked up and devoured so many of his fellows, was himself also picked up and devoured.

REFLECTION. This chicken did not do as he would be done by.—Grace Greenwood's Little Pilgrim.

Anecdote of the Stork.

A GREAT many million years ago, there lived in the borders of a dark forest, a little chicken named Billy Bogles. He had yellow legs, and a yellow bill, like other little chickens, and said "peep, peep," in much the same way. Now, Billy, innocent as he looked, had some habits which made him very unpleasant company to certain of his fellow beings who also dwelt in the borders of the dark forest. Sometimes, when a gentlemanly young cricket had gone with his satin vest and best brown coat, to give a serenade to his beloved, just as his heart had begun to swell with self-satisfaction and affection, out would rush this monster chicken from behind some mullen stalk, and gobble down the unfortunate musician at one mouthful. If a plump, house-keeping spider spread her table with the finest damask, for the entertainment of a passing fly, ten to one if she could be permitted to serve at her own feast, before the dreadful Bogles would appear, and swallow both hostess and host. Snails, out for a leisurely morning walk; caterpillars, admiring the Make truth credible, and children will believe beauties of nature as seen from a mandrakeit; make goodness lovely, and they will love it.

THIS bird, after spending its summer in Europe, migrates in the fall to Africa or Asia. A Polish gentleman having caught a stork which lived upon his estate, put around its neck an iron collar, with these words on it: "This Stork comes from Poland," and then set it at liberty. The next year the stork came back again, with a gold collar on. The gentleman caught it again, and found on the collar, in the Hindoo language, “India sends back the Stork to the Poles, with gifts."PARLEY.

EDITOR'S DEPARTMENT.

WE would respectfully solicit from Rhode Island Teachers and others, items of educational intelligence, such as the appointment of teachers, removals, change of salaries, reports of school committees, &c.

Natural Philosophy.---Fire.

ON a cold day in January, we had occasion to ride with a friend some miles, in southern Massachusetts, to a railroad station. Our friend had business to transact with the station agent, and while he was engaged thus, we sat by the stove, endeavoring to gather up a sufficient quantity of caloric to defend us from the attacks of old Jack Frost on our journey homeward. The anthracite was under full headway, the hot air roaring up the funnel at the rate of 2.40, when we were aroused from a reverie by the following conversation, which took place among the by-sitters who were sharing with us the protection and comforts of the flaming carbon. The conversation is reported almost verbatim et literatim et "pronunciatim." It was committed to paper immediately after our arrival at a pen and ink station. For convenience we will designate our learned friend Philosopher and his companions Socri.

We fully agree with the remark of our friendon our relating the conversation, which we did immediately after getting comfortably seated in the sleigh, "homeward bound," that "Had the common school given that man half a chance, when he was a boy, he would have made a philosopher as is a philosopher.'"

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Socius A. Holding in his hand a friction match. "This is curus philosophy, that this match will give out fire."

a thing a great fire kindleth.

I believe that's right, aint it ?"

Socius B. "What's that. Fire cold? Philosopher. "Yes. "Tis of a cold natur, and I can prove it. Now, you take a cold flint, what's laid out in the snow all day, and strike it on that frozen iron rail, and it 'll strike fire. Don't that prove that fire's of a cold natur? Now the sun, that heats the earth so, is the coldest planet in the universe."

Socius C. "What! the sun cold, too? I don't believe that, any how."

Philosopher. "Well, 'tis; and I can prove that,

too."

Socius C. "I should like to hear the proof that the sun's cold. It never felt very cold to me." Philosopher. "Well, now you go up towards the sun, and you'd almost freeze. Go up a mile and it would be awful cold. guess two miles would freeze you stiff. There's Miss Johnson, what went up in a balloon, the first of anybody in this country. It was 38 years ago last 4th of July. Right in the middle of summer. She went right up out of sight, at Phiadelphia. I was there an' see'd her, and when she came down, over in the Jerseys, there was eye-sickles on the balloon. Then agin, the sun is millions and millions of miles nearer to us in the winter than in the summer. That's what makes it so cold! Now, don't that prove the sun to be the coldest planet in the universe."

Socius C. "Well, I don't know, I guess there is something in that, that's a fact." Philosopher. "Well, you can draw fire right out of ice!!"

Socius B. "I don't believe you can do that, any how." Philosopher. "Well, it's jest so, you can do it any time. That's the way fire was first discovered. It was in Austria, on the northwest coast. They took a clear piece of thin ice, and

Philosopher. "Yes, 'tis so. Behold how little held it up in the sun, and got it to a focus, and L-e-t's s-eee-lit a fire with it. You can do it, jest as easy, only get it to a focus. Now don't that prove fire to be of a cold natur. Ice, the coldest thing we know of, and the sun, the coldest planet in the universe, jest git the ice to a focus, and draw fire right out of it. Do you suppose you could, if fire war'nt of a cold natur ?"

Socius A. "Yes, I believe so-some how so. Behold how little a matter a great fire kindleth." Philosopher. "Well, there's something curus in the natur of fire. Now, fire in itself is the coldest thing we know of."

Dedication of a School House in Foster.

FOSTER, May 18th, 1858.

prayer. Previous to which he stated that he was present at the dedication of the old building, thirty-six years ago; that he preached the first sermon in it, and also the last. He closed his remarks by alluding to the advantages which the present generation enjoy for obtaining a good education.

YESTERDAY was a day of great interest to the friends of popular education in this town. District No. 18, in Foster, and half district in Glocester, have formed a joint district, having the local name of Mount Hygeia. This part of Fos- Mr. Kingsbury, the Commissioner of Public ter was the residence of the late Dr. Drown, by Schools, then addressed the audience. He paid whom the local name was given. It was here a well merited compliment to the building comalso that the Hon. Theodore Foster resided, from mittee, for the manner in which they had diswhom the town was named. This district have charged their duty, congratulated the district on just completed the repairs of their school house, possessing so excellent a place for the education which have for some time occupied the building of their children, spoke of the importance of a committee. These have been so thorough that wise economy in building school houses, dwelt nothing but the frame of the old building re- particularly upon the reasons which should inmains. Every thing without and within indi- duce tax-payers who have no children to edcates that it is really a new building. A glance ucate, to feel that a good school will contribute will be sufficient to show that it is one of the to their pecuniary interest, enumerated the remost tasteful, well-arranged and excellent build-quisites of a good school, and concluded by urgings of the kind in the state. Special pains have ing the people of that district if they would been taken by the committee, not only to have make the most of their present advantages, to the materials good, but also that they should be strive to be harmonious and united. put together in the most thorough and workmanMr. Colburn, the Principal of the State Norlike manner. The desks and chairs are made mal School, then addressed the audience. After somewhat after the pattern of Ross, whose school corroborating the remarks of the Commissioner, furniture is so widely known and used, though he proceeded to give an account of the school they are not made by him. The desks are cov-house of his boyhood. After several attempts ered with green enameled cloth, and so arranged that it can be easily replaced whenever it shall be so injured as to require it. The walls of the room are neatly papered, except that portion below the windows, which is painted in pannels. To those who are familiar with city prices, the whole cost of the school-house, together with the necessary out - buildings, is marvelously cheap. Indeed, in this respect, it will bear a most favorable comparison with any school house, either in the city or the country.

to make the old house answer by repairs, all of which failed to give satisfaction, and ended in the waste of money, the district erected a substantial and suitable house and furnished it in the best modern style. So great was the care taken to prevent it from being injured that the new house became evidently an economical operation. This description was bold, graphic and humorous-a style in which Mr. Colburn excelsand elicited from those who were present mani festations of pleasure. Many persons subseMonday was the day assigned for the dedica- quently remarked that had he known all the histion of this school house. Though the weather tory of the district, he could not have described was unfavorable, a considerable number of per- their house and all the circumstances attending sons was present, and the exercises, though they its last years, more perfectly. Mr. Colburn, afwere continued for about two hours, were sus- ter presenting several points of much practical tained by unfaltering attention till the close. value, closed his address by showing the great Elder Williams, a well known and highly esteem- advantages which arise from the frequent visitaed minister of the Free-Will Baptists, offered' tion of schools by parents and others.

A select choir were present and enlivened the exercises by two very appropriate pieces of music.

Annual Exhibition of the Providence
High School.

THE Annual Exhibition of the Providence High School occurred on Wednesday afternoon, The following was the order of exer

In closing this already extended notice, it is not inappropriate to add that this enterprise must necessarily have a very important influence May 5th. in elevating the standard of school houses in cises: this and the adjoining town; and it is not too much to hope that the influence may be felt throughout the State.

Y.

WE must again call upon our delinquent subscribers to pay the printer. Our bills are x+y, while our receipts are only x. We must therefore receive x, and not x—50, x—100, or —, which would be nearer the truth, x-200. We would also respectfully, but most earnestly and persistently request teachers and all friends of education (including all our friends) to exert themselves to increase the subscription list of the SCHOOLMASTER. Where is Fall River, R. I.? We have not yet heard from it.

One friend in the interior of Pennsylvania recently sent up nine subscribers; will not others "go and do likewise"? To-night we have received a subscription from Minnesota, a few days ago a gold dollar from California-so they come, but Rhode Island is not yet up to the mark.

COPY BOOKS.-Messrs. Potter, Hammond & Co. have now completed their admirable series of writing books, by the addition of two new numbers. No. 10 has copies in a large bold hand, suitable for Day Book and Ledger headings. No. 12 is a thorough, systematic treatise on Ornamental Penmanship. It is the most scientific book on this department of chirography that we have ever seen. We cheerfully commend these new books, and the entire series to the attention of teachers.

THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY for June has arrived. "Richer and more rich." The article on Letter Writing, and the Political article, are, according to our taste, delectable. The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table is always good.

SINGING.

Oratio Latina - -"De Socrate," J. M. Addeman,
Boys' Sen. Class-Classical Department.
A Man is known by his Metaphors, H. Angell,
Girls Sen. Class.

The Angel's Search, E. J. Sayles, Girls Senior
Class.

SINGING.

Oration -"Universal Peace," Henry Essex,
Boys' Sen. Class-English Department.
Oration - -"The Influence of the Orator," John
Tetlow, Boys' Sen. Class-Classical Dep't.

SINGING.

The Waste of Life, E. J. Waterman, Girls' Sen

ior Class.

Oration -"Characteristics of the Age," Wm. B.
Avery, Boys' Senior Class-English Dep't.

SINGING.

Oration -"Individual Greatness," John T.
Blake, Boys' Sen. Class-Classical Dep't.
Discussion -"Le Sainte Alliance des Peuples,"
Written by A. H. Childs and J. A Kimball,
Girls' Senior Class.

SINGING.

Oration" Influence of Literature on National
Character," Samuel A. Hazard, Boys' Sen-
ior Class-English Department.
Oration -"The Mechanic Arts," Wm. D. Mar-
tin, Boys' Senior Class-Eng. Department.

SINGING.

Poetical Patch-Work, E. O. Abbott and J. A.
Kimball, Girls' Sen. Class.
Young Ladies, H. A. Stowell, Girls' Sen. Class.
Oration" Incentives to Noble Action," T. F.
Brown, Boys' Sen. Class-Classical Dep't.

SINGING.

The Modern Poetess, A. Hale, Girls' Sen. Class.
Wither Away-In Memorium, M. W. Rhodes,

Girls' Sen. Class.

SINGING.

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