volves some of the principles least understood, and most difficult of application.

"Happily, however, the employment of a common school teacher offers peculiar means and opportunities for self-improvement. The mind, when urged by strong necessity, learns something of its own resources; for it there exerts its powers. By practice a teacher perstruction and discipline, and his circumstances render valuable those which prove successful, True, under the various embarrassments around him, he usually makes much less progress than we could desire; but every improvement introduced by an independent exercise of reason and resolution, whatever benefit it may confer upon the school, proves doubly useful to the teacher. It helps to mature his character, and lays at least one solid stone in his own education, in a firm position and a strong cement."

"Let the occupations of men be considered, let an estimate be formed of the difficulties to be encountered, even in the practice of the learned professions; and I am persuaded that they will be found beset by few sources of perceives the tendency of certain principles of inplexity as great as those which embarrass the common school teacher. If the business of governing men proves harassing and painful, it is to be remembered that the teacher participates similar trials: for he is obliged to govern, without directions from a superior, without written laws prescribed by higher authority, and to a great extent, without many precedents known or acknowledged.

THE SCHOOL ROOM.

"Do men of the most thorough education usually find themselves unable to communicate well the knowledge they have acquired; and do they sometimes shrink from an examination into the state of their minds? The common school "Give to your children a neat and cleanly and teacher must daily submit to what they regard tasteful school-room, and they will feel a motive as peculiarly difficult or irksome. to cultivate, not only in the room, but in them"Do parents seek excuses to avoid the train-selves, neatness and order and decorum; while, ing of their children; and under the gaze of pa- at the same time, the acquisition of knowledge rential love, sometimes pay large sums to becomes associated in their minds with all that teachers, to relieve themselves of their toilsome which is pure and lovely and agreeable. Instead duties? The schoolmaster or mistress daily of this, the associations are too often with a bows to the yoke from which they are glad to painful confinement on a narrow board; within obtain exemption, and receives in addition a low and ragged and discolored walls; amidst load which would crush almost any other mem- nauseous vapors, exhaled from three or four ber of the community. If we compare the task of score pairs of lungs; surrounded with dirty and a common school teacher with that of a profes- mutilated benches, with tattered quills and sheets sor or tutor of a college, whatever may have and cores and paper scraps, and things unnamabeen the labor and self-denial of the course ble, strewed along the aisles and floor. And which has prepared the latter for his station, who would expect, in such a place, the cultiva. we shall find that he is free from many of the tion of those habits of neatness and decorum, most serious embarrassments of the former.which you would cherish in your child as his There is no variety of studies and recitations to chief ornaments? habits, in connection with be attended to in rapid succession; there is no which, a cultivated mind shall yield you grategreat diversity of ages, habits or circumstances ful fruit at the lips of your child, which shall to be considered in the management of the in- be like apples of gold in pictures of silver; but dividuals composing his class, the application to without which, the highest attainment in intelbe made of the principles of government and in- lectual knowledge will become as a jewel of gold struction is not embarrassed by an endless com- in a swine's snout." plication.

"But look at the teacher of a common school in our country, such as he is found in the great majority of cases, surrounded by thirty or forty children, he has a dozen different branches to teach, some to all, others to a portion of his pupils. His first task, that of classification, calls for some of those powers which would be demanded of one who should undertake to yoke to the plough, the harrow and the cart, a herd of all kinds of cattle driven together at hazard in a village pound,

"And what unnecessary difficulties are thrown in the way, by the indifference of superintendents and parents! Hear the complaints of an insufficient supply of books, bad rooms, furniture and arrangements, and the long list of evils which the teacher learns to appreciate by too real experience! Then consider the poor preparation with which some thirty or forty thousand new teachers annually embark in their toilsome business! Out of the sight and hearing of improvements, and far beyond the sphere of discussion and enquiry, they had little to encourage the exercise of their minds in investigating principles, much less do they receive light or direction in views not their own.

[From the Boston Post.] THE CHILDREN OF ENGLAND.

We have been surfeited until the heart sick

of juvenile depravity is early contamination from the association of the sexes. The outskirts of the town are absolutely polluted by this abomi. nation."

Such is a sample the most decent-of two

more than

ens with accounts of the disgraced, suffering columns of such statistics! Sheffield, Wolver condition of the working population of Greathampton, Willenhall, Wednesfield, Darlston, Britain. From the agricultural, manufacturing, are then dwelt upon. At the latter place, evidence stated that there were one thousand men and mining districts comes the same general rewho did not know their own names but only port-poverty, misery, crime and ignorance, in appalling statistics. The disgusting details their nicknames." Then follow Bilston where spread abroad concerning the factories and colthe girls" drive coal carts, ride astride upon leries, excited every where a shudder. These horses, drink, swear, fight, smoke, whistle, "the disdetails are not confined to such individual in-sing, and care for nobody;" Sedgely, stances as may be found in every country; they apply to whole districts, to whole classes; the number whose condition is thus characterized are thousands-yea, millions. Another exhibit of the same general character has been recently made by Lord Ashley, in a speech in the House of Commons. It is upon the state of the children of England. Not the state of the children of the favored population-of the few hundred thousand of the nobility or wealthy classes; but the state of the children of the toiling mass of millions-the men who create the wealth, fight the battles, and support the splendor of Great Britain. This speech is important in its character. It is a matter-of-fact speech. Its details concerning children will vie with the same sort of details we have had of men and women; they are made up of information from authentic sources-from reports of commissions instituted for inquiry, of sheriffs, of police officers, of overseers of houses of correction, of clergymen, of justices, and from other sources.

ven.

trict of female blacksmiths"-as loathsome in
habits as in details already given; Warrington,
the district of the potteries, where
3-4ths of the persons cannot read or write;"
Nottingham, where it is stated, "immorality
prevails to an awful extent;"-in all these de
tails, similar to those we have quoted, are gi-
But Lord Ashley is more general still: he
says" this state of things, prevailed more or
less throughout the whole kingdom." There is
evidence, direct, that it runs over the coal and
iron fields of Britain and Wales. From the east
of Scotland, the evidence was as follows: "The
condition of the lower classes is daily becoming
worse in regard to education." Of North Wales
it is said: "Not one collier boy in ten can read
so as to comprehend what he reads." Of South
Wales: Many are almost in a state of barba-
rism. Religious and moral training are out of
bounds by saying that not one grown male or
the question. I should certainly be within
female in fifty can read." Of the West of Scot-
land: A large portion of the colliery and iron-
work hands are living in an utterly depraved
state."

But we find the whole summed up in a observation are unequalled." He believes" that letter from a person "whose opportunities of the middle-aged and rising generation" are worse and more debased than any previous generation for the last three hundred years."

After stating some general statistics, not very definite, in which the number of children without daily instruction in England and Wales is set down at about one million, Lord Ashley goes into details. By such means, he arrives at a correct view of the nature of the "vast uncultivated waste" that is spread over the country. He begins with the police returns of Manchester. In six months, up to July, 1842, there were taken After such details of early depravity, Lord into custody 8,341 persons: males, 5,810; fe- Ashley passes to the evidences in his possession 2,531. Of those who could neither read nor respecting drunkenness. These consist of the write, there were 3,098 males; females, 1,519; common, but too true, statistics of the effects of total 4,617. Of these 2,360 were between 15 and this habit in bringing upon a community wretch20 years of age, and 665 between 10 and 15. edness and ruin; in filling lunatic asylums, jails, The number of beer houses, (769,) brothels, houses of correction, and prisons with inmates. thieves, and other houses is then given. Similar Their only variation is, that children are the statistics, also, are given respecting Birmingham subjects of his terrible story, rather than men. and Leeds. In the latter case, Lord Ashley goes He then dwells upon the effects of such debaseinto details-loathsome enough. In this town, ment upon the mental organization and mental "the early periods of life furnish the greater capacities of the children. Of course, it deteri portion of criminals." Setting aside early drun-orates the former, and weakens the latter. His kenness, thieving and ignorance, we find statements that seem hardly credible concerning early prostitution. This is promoted by the multitude of beer-houses, which have apartments in the upper stories devoted to the purpose. One of the police officers says, "there are many beershops which are frequented by boys only, as early as thirteen years of age. The girls are, many of them, loose in their conduct, and accompany the boys." Mr. Rayner, superintendent of the police, says: Lads from 12 to 14 years of age constantly frequent beer-houses, and even at that age have their girls with them." We give but one more extract. It is from a clergyman. He says, The most revolting feature

conclusion is as follows: "The criminal tables

and criminal statements furnish evidence that the evil was deep-rooted and increasing, and that, if something were not done, twenty years would not elapse before there would be a general convulsion, or displacement of society."

ON IRREGULAR ATTENDANCE.

greatly promoted, by a more regular attendance The improvement of the schools would be on the part of pupils. Irregularity in this respect, the frequent absence of several scholars for half a day, a day, or a week, is a grievous evil to a school in every way. It breaks up the effec

our age, who dare run counter to popular error. We despise the man who is such a cringing slave, as to submit to the tyrannical and demora lizing influence of corrupt and erroneous public opinion.

CONQUER WITH KINDNESS.

"That

tive drill. It makes chasms in classes, gaps in recitations, fatal to a uniform and orderly progress. At examination, the teacher finds, to his mortification and discouragement, that his exertions, for a whole quarter, to make a class do credit to itself and to him, are balked by the falterings and haltings of every fourth or fifth mem ber, whose frequent absence has been permitted or required by his parent or guardian. The If you would have friends, you must show finest array is thus disordered and utterly dis-yourself friendly. I once had a neighbor, who located. The whole school is encumbered and though a clever man, came to me one hayday retarded in its progress by these unfortunate and said, "Squire White, I want you to come stragglers, harrassing its rear and dragging at and get your geese away." "Why," said I, its skirts. Unfortunate, we say, for very often "what are my geese doing?" "They pick my it is far from being the poor child's fault that pigs ears when they are eating, and drive them he connot dress into line and expedite instead of away, and I will not have it." "What can I hindering the march. Such irregularity is very do?" said I. "You must yoke them." bad for the child. The continuity of study and I have not time to do now," said I. "I do not discipline is broken up to him. He may catch see but they must run." If you do not take a little of the knowledge that is afloat in the care of them, I shall; what do you say, Squire school, but his mind will not be trained, he will White?" "I cannot take care of them now, not be educated. There are some studies in but I will pay you for all damages." "Well," which the loss of here and there a lesson is equi- said he, you will find that a hard thing I valent to the loss of the whole. The missing guess.' So off he went, and I heard a terrible links vitiate the whole chain; the dropped stitch- squalling among the geese. The next news es spoil the whole web. It is not to be expected from the geese was, that three of them were that every child in town, between the ages of missing: My children went and found them five and sixteen, can attend school the whole terribly mangled and dead, and thrown into the year through. Circumstances forbid it in some bushes. 'Now," said I, "all keep still and let cases. We only say, while he does attend, let me punish him." In a few days the man's hogs him attend constantly, and lose not a day nor broke into my corn; I saw them but let them an hour, but from extremest necessity. So long remain a long time. At last I drove them all as he is a member of the school, let him attend out, and picked up the corn they had torn down with as scrupulous punctuality and constancy as and fed them with it in the road. By this time if he existed for no other object, every thing the man came in great haste after them.else giving way to that. There is no doubt" Have you seen any thing of my hogs?" said that four months of steady, unbroken attendance he. 'Yes, you will find them yonder, eating is worth more to a child's mind and education, some corn which they tore down in my field." than eight months scattered along at irregular" In your field?" Yes," "said I, "hogs love intervals through the year. This subject de- corn you know, they were made to eat."serves the most serious consideration of our ci- "How much mischief have they done?" tizens. not much," said I. Well, off he went to look, and estimated the damage at a bushel and a half of corn. "O, no," said I, “it can't be.” "Yes," said he, and I will pay you every cent of damage." "No," I replied, "you shall pay nothing. My geese have been a great trouble to you." The man blushed, and went home. The next winter when he came to settle, he determined to pay me for my corn."No," said I, "I shall take nothing.'

PUBLIC OPINION.

66

66

Nothing is more tyrannical, and detrimental to Republican institutions and good order in society than public opinion, when not regulated by the light of reason and truth. Many men bow to its yoke, for the sake of some petty favor from the hands of the public; or for the sake of the emoluments of some petty office. Some After some talk, we parted; and in a day or submit themselves wholly to its slavish influence two I met him in the road, and fell into converfor the sake of a little wordly honor-and they sation in the most friendly manner. But when sacrifice truth, honesty and all convictions of I started on, he seemed loath to move, and I conscience for the sake of being called honorable paused. For a moment both of us were silent. men. Such a slavish submission to public opi-At last he said, "I have something laboring in nion is, indeed, deplorable; especially, in a free my mind. Those geese. I killed three of your and civilized country. geese, and shall never rest till you know how I feel. I am sorry." And the tears came in his eyes. "O well," said I, never mind, I suppose my geese were provoking."

We think it proper to give a due respect to public opinion, so long as it does not conflict with the eternal principles of truth, honesty and justice. An intelligent and independent man will never yield to public opinion, contrary to his own convictions of right. This is the true principle; that man should ever be governed by the dictates of his own conscience. If public opinion sanctions any thing which is wrong, no man should yield to its influence, but raise his voice against it forever. He should exercise his own judgment, and be governed by it in al! his acts and dealings with mankind. We rejoice, that there are some generous spirits of

I never took any thing of him for it; but whenever my cattle broke into his field after this, he seemed glad, because he could show how patient he could be.

Now conquer yourself, and you can conquer with kindness where you can conquer in no other way.-Vermont Chronicle.

Books are the best property of the rich; think what they are to the poor who really love them.

66

Youth's Miscellany.

SET ABOUT IT.

Maurice, my boy!" said uncle Oliver, in lively humor; " Maurice, my boy! when a thing is to be done, set about it at once: to expect that things will be done of themselves is out of the question. Put a joint down to the fire, and it will roast; put a potatoe in the pot, and it will boil; put a cake in the oven, and it will bake; but if none of these things are done you must be content to go without your dinner.

'He that a growing oak would get,
An acorn in the ground must set.'

"Take my word for it, that talking, intending, and determining, will never do without act ing. You may talk about putting down the joint, you may intend to put potatoes in the pot, and you may determine to put a cake in the oven; but if you stop short of really doing what is to be done, you may just as well have not thought about the matter.

'He that a growing oak would get,

An acorn in the ground must set.' "The housekeeper's book says, that a cook must catch his hare before he roasts it; and in like manner we must obtain our acorn before we can set it in the ground. Now by the same rule young people must get knowledge before they know how to act properly; and when it is obtained, then comes the principal thing, after all, and that is to turn it to good account. The acorn that is kept up by you, and not planted, will never grow; and knowledge, neglected, will be equally useless.

"If what I have said is unwise, pay no further attention to it; but if, on the contrary, you consider it to be reasonable and right, why, then, put it in practice. Be not content with talking about it, intending to do it, or even with determining that it shall be done; but set about it in right earnest, remembering what I have already told you twice over,

'He that a growing oak would get,
An acorn in the ground mast set.'

Uncle Oliver.

"THE TALKING CHIP."

In the erection of this chapel, on Hervey Island, a circumstance occurred which will give a striking idea of the feelings of an untaught people when observing, for the first time, the effects of written communications. As I had come to the work one morning without my square, I took a chip, and with a piece of charcoal wrote upon it a request that Mrs. Williams would send me that article. I called a chief, who was superintending his portion of the work, "Where would be the use of the farmer look. and said to him, 'Friend, take this: go to our ing forward to the time when he should reap house and give it to Mrs. Williams.' He was a and mow, were he not diligent to plough and singular looking man, remarkably quick in his sow? There is much difference in people in movements, and had been a great warrior; but this respect: one man dies of thirst, while ano-in one of the numeroas battles he had fought he ther digs himself a well of water. Look around had lost an eye, and giving me an inexpressible you, then, and waste no time in dreaming about look with the other, he said, 'Take that! she things: set about them in good earnest, remem- will call me a fool, and scold me if I carry bering what I said before,a chip to her.' 'No,' I replied, she will not: take it and go immediately; I am in haste.'Perceiving me to be in earnest, he took it, and asked, What must I say?! I replied, "You have nothing to say; the chip will say all I wish." With a look of astonishment and contempt, he held up the piece of wood, and said, 'How can this speak? has this a mouth? I desired him to take it immediately, and not to spend so much time in talking about it. On arriving at the house he gave the chip to Mrs. Williams, who read it, threw it away, and went to the tool chest, whither the chief, resolving to see the result of this mysterious proceeding, closely followed. On receiving the square from her, he said, 'Stay, daughter, how do you know that this is what Mr. Williams wants? Why,' she replied, ' did you not bring me a chip just now? Yes,' said the astonished warrior,' but I did not hear it say any thing.' If you did not, I did,' was the reply, for it made known to me what he wanted, and all you have to do is to return with it as quickly as possible.' With this the chief leaped out of the house; and catching up the mysterious piece of wood, he ran through the settlement, the chip in one hand and the square in the other, holding them up as high as his arms would reach, and shouting as he went, See the wisdom of those English people they can make chips talk! they can make chips talk! On giving me the square, he wished to know how it was possible thus to converse with persons at a distance. I gave him all the explanation in my power; but it was "A drunkard cannot recommend sobriety, a a circumstance involved in so much mystery, that highwayman honesty, or an idle man diligence, he actually tied a string to the chip, hung it round with a good grace, because they do not practice his neck, and wore it for some time. During sethese qualities themselves; nor can you, reason- veral following days we frequently saw him ably, require others to be forgiving, kind-heart- surrounded by a crowd, who were listening with ed, and peaceable, while you indulge in bitter-intense interest while he narrated the wonders ness, ill-nature, and strife. which this chip had performed "

"Now, then, to the point! If you wish a growing oak, you must both get and set your acorn; and if you wish to live a useful, peaceful, and happy life, you must learn lessons of knowledge, wisdom, and piety, and put them in practice also.

"Do you wish others to forgive you when you have injured them; forgive those then who have injured you:-this is the most likely way of bringing about the thing you desire. Do you wish others to behave kindly to you, set them the example by behaving kindly to them; there is no doubt of your being successful. Do you wish all the world to be at peace with you; be yourself at peace, then, with all the worldThis way of bringing about things is the surest of any yet discovered; and if it should not answer, it is not at all likely that any other way

will.

A NEEDLE MANUFACTORY.

to do an evil deed, however advantageous it
may appear, is to deceive yourself.
There are but very few schoolboys who do
not remember the lines-

"When house and land are gone and spent,
Then learning is most excellent,"

consists in the good use to which it is applied; if you judge otherwise, you deceive yourselves.

Be not deceived in thinking that money can make you happy, though this is one of the most common errors prevailing in the world. No, no: money is an admirable thing in good hands, and enables many to do much good: but, though your paths were paved with bright guineas, you might still be as unhappy as misery could make you.

Among the curious things I was permitted to examine at Haverstraw, nothing awakened so much interest as the machinery for making needles. Let every good housewife rejoice with me. We are no longer to be dependent on foreign countries for an article of such primary necessi--but forget not, that the excellency of learning ty as needles. This, I am told, is the first at tempt of the kind in America, and now is almost perfected. I saw needles in various stages of the processes by which they are made from the wire, prepared on the same premises, and was surprised at the facility afforded by the curious machinery which human ingenuity has invented to lessen the manual labor, and multiply the results of the numerous operations. The wire is first cut into lengths, which will make two needles each. The depressions where the eyes are to be made, and where the grooves are found in the finished article, are stamped in both needles by a single stroke of a machine, with which a single hand can turn off 30,000 in a day. It is then turned over to a boy, who, with another machine, punches the eyes, and again another separates the two needles, and smoothes away any irregularities left or made by the former processes. But the eye of the needle is still rough, and must be bored by another process, which leaves it so smooth as not to cut the thread. After this, a man grinds a handful at a time on a common grindstone, hold ing them in his left hand and giving them a perpetual rotary motion with the right, so that when the operation is finished, they must be round as well as sharp. They are now to be

case hardened," and finally burnished, all of which is done by simple processes, in which immense numbers can be subjected to the operation at the same time.-Dr. Bond's letters from Rockland.

DO NOT DECEIVE YOURSELF.

There are few people who knowingly deceive themselves; but a great many who deceive them. selves without knowing it. I hope, my boys, that you will do neither the one nor the other.

Perhaps we never deceive ourselves more than when we endeavor to deceive others. The boy who thinks that he cheats his master by repeating his old lesson instead of learning a new one, or by getting another boy to do his task for him, is cheating himself much more than his master; and this he will find on some future day.

He who cheats another out of a trifle, is not aware that he is cheating himself of a thing of great importance, and that is, the consciousness of his own integrity. Why, this is a jewel in a man's bosom that all the roguery in the world can never obtain, so that the man who acts dishonestly is deceiving himself.

Jonathan Wild, even from his earliest years, was so clever in deceiving others, that he was more than a match for those with whom he associated. He continued to deceive all through his life; but, alas! no one was half so much de ceived as himself; for he cheated himself out of all the comforts that an honest man enjoys, and endured the evils that a dishonest man has to suffer; a prison and a gallows were his reward. Lay it down, my boys, as a standing rule, that

Deceive not yourselves in depending on reputation: inestimable as it is, it hangs on the frail thread of human opinion; and the breath of calumny may blow it away forever.

Esteem and honor your friends; but run not into the error of depending upon them: rather think how you can serve them, than how you can be served by them.

Do not deceive yourselves in believing, that should you deprive yourselves by folly, or be deprived by misfortunes, of your possessions, the many you now call your friends would cling around you: if you think this, you are sadly de ceived indeed. No, no: though a few might be found at your side, the many would know you no more.

A ship was stemming the ocean tide,
And O how gallantly did she ride!
A storm came on; it was sad to see:
And she rolled a wreck on the fathomless sea.

Her mariners left her one by one

In that season of peril, almost alone;
But a few there were who endur'd the blast,
Aud succor'd her in her distress to the last.

She righted again, and she brav'd the tide :
And, O how gallantly did she ride!

It was strange to see, while she stemm'd the main,
How her mariners all came back again!

While ocean winds her canvass swell,
That ship of the terrible storm shall tell;
And her log-book the names of the crew shall bear,
Who abandon'd her not in her hour of despair.

I hope, my boys, that I am not deceiving my. self, in thinking that you will remember what I say to you. What! shall Uncle Newbury give you all his maxims in vain? Never, never let it be said that you neglected the admonitions of an old man who was warmly interested in your welfare. Remember that I am not a crusty crabstick of an old fellow, that would fright away mirth and pleasure; but, on the contrary, one who delights to see youth, and innocence, and happiness, go hand in hand through the world.

But now, my boys, comes my most important charge on the maxim-" Do not deceive yourselves." You may deceive yourselves, and all around you, a thousand and a thousand times in worldly affairs, and yet find opportunities to atone for your errors: but, my dear boys, do not deceive yourselves in reference to eternity. Eternity! words are not yet formed that can fully explain all that it involves: but enough that it contains never-ending joy, and never-ending