Here is a precious treasure A thousand dollar bill! NOTE.-Child erases cipher to the left. Oh, what a pity that he has got I had a thousand dollars, Another cipher saw him go And followed at his heels, (Erases another cipher.) (Erases another cipher.) He did it, "just for fun," So ciphers are no small account [Sometimes begin with A's sometimes with B's sometimes call the roll backwards.] A writer in Intelligence offers the following plan for the preliminary work of the day. First there should always be a morning song. In city or country this is possible; it is not the new song that is sung with the most spirit, but an occasional new song serves to keep the whole list fresh and desirable There is nothing which brings a school into a harmonious unit so quickly as music. And when we think of the varied circumstances of the homes from which our pupils come, we know there is need of help to attune thier spirits to the work of the school room. The Lord's prayer may be repeated in concert, teacher may reverently repeat it. or the She may read a single sentiment from the Bible, as "For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." Quotations from the sayings of Benj. Franklin or one or two of Washington's Rules of Conduct may be recited each morning. When the study of history is persued in connection with the study of the French and Indian War, for a few mornings have quotations from Evangeline. With the study of the settlement of New England, select quotations from Miles Standish. With these there should always run quotations of current events. Especially in country schools for older pupils the practice of keeping up with the times is most important. A clean paper, containing well digested, well arranged items should be accessible to all. If enough copies of one paper, as THE WEEK'S CURRENT, can be taken by the pupils it is a great help for the school. Celebrations of the birthdays of authors and statesmen may be made in the morning exercises consisting of a short sketch of the life given orally, or a quotation from their sayings. THE BROOKLET. The brooklet came from the mountain, And sang the bard of old, Running with the feet of silver Over the sands of gold. Far away in the briny ocean. There rolled a turbulent wave; And the brooklet has found the billow, -Virginia School Journal. "Germany can claim the distinction of having the best schools; not because some of the schools there are better than some elsewhere; not because of the superiority of a few teachers, but because she recognizes in her laws the fact that the education of youth calls for thorough preparation on part of the teacher, and declares that no school of any kind, elementary or second.ry, public or private, shall be taught by a teacher who has not such preparation.”—Public School Journal. BE IN TIME. Be in time for every call; If your teachers only find, Never linger ere you start; In the morning, up and on, Those who aim at something great Be in time. Life with all is but a school; We must work with plan and rule, With some noble end in view, Ever steady, earnest, true; Be in time. Listen, then, to wisdom's callKnowledge now is free to all: Be in time. Youth must daily toil and strive, -School Journal. KATE GREENAWAY'S HOME. On the picturesque but plebeian Heath of Hampstead, Kate Greenaway is a figure, for while desiring to escape the "madding crowd" and turmoil of London streets, Miss Greenaway has wisely elected to live within easy reach of her publisher, and has pitched her tent at Hampstead, writes Mrs. Ethel Mackensie McKenna in the February Ladies' Home Journal. Her house, which stands with some others on a delightfully open piece of ground at the foot of a hill, is the most bewitching of Queen Ann mansions. The lower story is of red brick, while the upper part of the house is entirely covered with red tiles, from among which windows of every size and shape seem to peep in the most unexpected manner. One can see at once where Miss Greenaway received the inspiration for her quaint gabled houses, latticed windows and old fashoned window seats. Whilst in the garden I caught sight of the identical apple tree which, in a somewhat idealized form, so often figures in Miss Greenaway's sketches. It was in blos som, too, and made a most suitable back ground for some realization of spring in a "Kate Greenaway Almanac." Inside, the house was not as full of inspiration," though the long windows with their full curtains, the cozy window seats, backed by pots of flowers, a few old-fashioned chairs and some uncommon bowls and vases for the reception of flowers, had a familiar look to those who have studied the works of the talented artist. The big studio is at the top of the house, and the huge window, with its north light, opens onto a fascinating square balcony, which on a cool summer's evening must tempt even the most untir ing of workers. I have an idea that I caught sight of Miss Greenaway's "model" cat, but she evidently possesses her mistress' horror of the would-be interviewer, and fled precipitately on my approach. When she exibited her first tiny pictures at the Dudley Gallery, the public who passed them by with a careless glance or nod of admiration, little dreamed that ere long the artist's name would have obtained world-wide fame. QUESTIONS ON AMERICAN LITERATURE. Who was the first American author to attract attention in Europe? Which of his books won this first favourable notice? Which of his works have you read? Name your favorite, and tell why you like it best. What famous actor has added to the popularity of Rip Van Winkle? Who is generally considered the first American novelist? Which of his books do you like best, and why? Name the three American poets that you consider at the "head of the list." Mention a poem of each that you consider his best. Name three writers of history, with some of their works. What European is writing a history of the late Civil War? SAYINGS OF FAMOUS AMERICANS. Ask nothing but what is right,submitting to nothing wrong -Andrew Jackson. The Americans must light the lamps of Industry and Economy.-Benjamin Franklin. Don't give up the ship.-Lawrence. He smote the rock of the national resources and abundant streams of revenue gushed forth.-Daniel Websters of Alexander Hamilton. I am not worth purchasing; but, such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it.-Joseph Reed in Continental Congress. I'd rather be right than be President of the United States. -Henry Clay. The marriage, Dec. 24, of Wycliffe Rose, A. M., Professor of Psychology and Pedagogy in Peabody Normal College, to Miss Ella Sadler, of Arkansas, a graduate of the institution, and a noble, lovable woman, was an event to be looked upon with heartiest good 'wishes. A judiciously marked book is a source of delight to the marker and his friends, and becomes tenfold more a part of the reader's thought than any other.-Helen Marshall, Harper's Bazar. QUESTIONS ON CURRENT TOPICS. For what event has England recently been in mourning? How was this death immediately made known to the people of London? Who is the Princess May, and why does she receive so much sympathy from English people? Who succeeds to Prince Albert Victor's place as heir apparent? Who is Cardinal Manning, who recently died in London? What incident at Valpariso has lately roused indignation at Washington? What part of the coast is in need of fortification? Where has an investigation of the Baltimore outrage just been finished? What is the result of this investigation by Judge Advocate Reney? What has been done with this testimony? Where has he been educated, and what effect will this have politically? What important treaty has recently been ratified by the U. S. Senate? What English historian and author once predicted that America would some day send her missionaries to London? How may we consider this fulfilled? What State governor has taken a firm and honest stand on the subject of districting his state for members of Congress? How? What important facts are stated by Count Tolstoi in a late article on the Russian famine? -Jonrnal of Education. ERRATIC PUNCTUATION. The following specimens of curious punctuation are given by the Printers Register. "A man was killed by a railroad car running into Boston, supposed to be deaf." A man writes: We have decided to erect a schoolhouse large enough to accomodate 500 scholars five stories high." On a certain railway the following luminous direction was printed: "Hereafter, when trains in an opposite direction are approaching each other on separate lines, conductors and engineers will be requested to bring their respective trains to a dead halt before the point of meeting, and be careful not to proceed until each train has passed the other." "Wanted-A saddle-horse for a lady weighing 950 pounds." An Iowa editor says: "We have received a basket of fine grapes from our friend W., for which he will please accept our compliments, some of which are nearly two inches in diameter." A newspaper contained this: We kave two schoolrooms, sufficiently large to accomodate 300 pupils one above another."-Exchange. "You are the husbaud of the celebrated lecturess on cooking, are you not?" Yes, sir," replied the dejected, holloweyed man. "I'm the man she tries all her new dishes on." He The Banner contains a full sketch, by Hon. John Allison, of the life of his uncle, Col. Robert I. Chester, whose death took place at Jackson, Tenn., on the 14th ult. Col. Chester was in his 99th year, and retained perfect possession of all his faculties to the last, including even his memory. was born at Carlisle, Penn., July 31, 1793, but was brought to Jonesboro, Tenn, by his parents in 1801. In the war of 1812 he was Adjutant of the Fourth Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, of which Col. Samuel Bayless, a great-uncle of the Editor of the Advocate, was the commander, and Dr. David Nelson, who subsequently became a Presbyterian minister, and wrote "The Cause and Cure of Infidelity," was the surgeon. Later on Col. Chester became the intimate friend of President Andrew Jackson, and was appointed United States Marshal for the Western District of this State, a position which he held. first and last, for sixteen years. the course of his long life he made and lost several fortunes, and at the time of his death was in comfortable circumstances. He has been been always an honorable, high-minded, and useful citizen, and to the very last he took a lively interest in public affairs. He outlived nine brothers and sisters, all of whom were younger than himself; and of his ten children only two survive. Is there a parrallel case in American history? In The recent death of Mr. John H. B. Latrobe, of Baltimore, recalls the fact that he was the last survivor of the party who accompanied Peter Cooper on the trial trip of the first locomotive that ran from Ellicott's Mills to Baltimore. The rather amusing circumstance connected with this event was that the locomotive ran a race with Stockton and Stokes' gray mare that drew a car on the other track, and that the latter in consequence of a breakdown on the part of the iron horse," became the victor. Mr. Latrobe was also largely instrumental in founding the republic of Liberia, and had a widespread fame as a practical philanthropist. He was the oldest student of West Point, the oldest railroad official in this country, and the oldest lawyer in his State. It is stated that there is now hardly a civilized language in which a translation of Prof. Drummond's perfectly simple and nobly wise little treatise, "The Greatest Thing in the World," cannot be obtained. It has even been put into Jap anese. The address was originally delivered by Prof. Drummond to a small audience, and it was not until long after that he became aware it had been reported and published He then corrected and edited what, truth to say, was a much distorted version of his little sermon. Von Moltke was a lover of this booklet, and the last letter he ever wrote was devoted to its subject.-New York Tribune. EDUCATIONAL NEWS ITEMS. Prof Angell, of Michigan University, reports 2,700 students in attendance, of whom 445 are women. The new State Normal College of Georgia is at a standstill. The trustees met, and elected Hon. S Bradwell as chairman of the commission. They will meet again to discuss the situation, and unless help comes from the Peabody board or some public spirited citizens, very little can be done, as the legislature made no appropriation, and ouly about $1,000 from the Gilmore fund can be utilized in establishing the school which the state so much needs. An interesting bit of gossip regarding the money raised for the founding of Mt. Holyoke College has been brought to light by Rev. Lorenzo, of Waltham. Those who have read the life of Dean Swift know that in his journal two correspondents are prominent -Stella and Vanessa. Dean Swift was hardly fair in his dealings with these two women; and when his perfidy became known to them, Vanessa, who had made her will previously in favor of the dean, revoked it and made her entire property over to Bishop Berkeley, for whose noble purposes in life she had great reverence. The legacy thus left him, Bishop Berkely divided between Holyoke and Yale College, then not yet founded.-School News. Some time ago it vas announced that the Chicago University, of which Professor William R. Harper is President, had received a gift of a large library from a gentleman in Germany. A man in New Haven, Conn., who is in a position to know, states that the library was acquired by purchase by Professor Harper, at a cost of $500,000, which was taken out of the funds of the University. The library, it is stated, consists of 300,000 volumes, and was procured from a German, who is a great collector of valuable books. The library is the work of a lifetime by this collector. books have already been shipped to America. The POLITENESS. Politeness in its true form is rarely met with, but the follow-: ing anecdote may give the reader a very excellent idea of it. A friend of mine gave a dinner, and among the guests was a gentleman, his wife and little girl. The child was particularly bright, but also bashful and very sensitive. In some manner the little one's arm overturned the glass of water at her side, and noticing the eyes of the guests instantly turned upon her, she became embarrassed and her eyes filled with tears: The host perceiving the situation, knocked over his glass of water, as though by accident, and passing the matter of as a joke, succeeded in attracting attention from the little girl, who soon regained her composure. An excellent rule for parents, teachers and all who are in positions of authority is never to give a command without being sure of ability and determination to see it obeyed. observance of this rule would often save the teacher much trouble and chagrin. These often arise out of hasty and illconsidered orders and regulations. The teacher soon sees his mistake, but teels that he cannot unsay the command or withdraw the rule without loss of prestige. He has thus imposed upon himself the alternative of a public admission that he was hasty or unwise, or a tyrannical enforcing of an unnecessary, perhaps unjust mandate. A little more calmness and deliberation would have saved him from this dilemma.— Toronto Educational Journal. HE READ THE SIGN. At the busiest hour of a busy day in a well known Boston clothing store, a rigged little lad made his appearance in the crowd of customers, and began to sing. When told to get out, he replied, "Git out nothing!' Aint you got yer big sign up on the corner, 'Forced to vacate, and clothing given away for a song?' And aint I giving yer the song? Now where's the clothes?" He got an overcoat. THE LAST PENSION. No more Englishmen live to tell the story of Waterloo. Lord Albermarle, General Whichcote, and Colonel Hewitt, the three survivors who celebrated the seventy-fifty anniver sary of the battle in June, 1890, are now dead, and the famous Waterloo list at the British war office has been closed. "Thomas," said a gentleman to a colored white-washer at the Central Market one day, "can I put entire confidence in you?" Yes, sah." "Well then, I've half an acre of watermelons out on my farm on Woodward Avenue." "Yes, sah -ess so, sah. am dat all, sah?" "All except I wanted to say that I depend upon you not say a word to any of your colored friends about it." "No, sah-no, sah; not a word. I haint dat sort a pusson, sah. If any ob ob 'em ax me whar I got dem mellyons, I'll put 'em on de wrong smell, sah; some smell awa' ober in Kennedy." To lounge in books is an easy thing. Many men do it, and at the same time persuade themselves that they are working. What a mistake. The use of books as instruments of investigation is one of the hardest tasks that anybody ever undertook. "Much study is a weariness of the flesh." The exhaustion of nervous energy involved in the attentive and protracted reading of really worthy books is far greater than that which results from even the most exacting physical labor.-Christian Advocate. Lessons in ethics, both systematic and incidental, should have a place in the schoolroom, and if judiciously given will not fail in leaving an impression on the young minds. Yet, unless the feelings which these precepts and illustrations produce are made to result in deeds, these children will be far from follwoing the men and womenheld up to them as patterns; it is not merely knowing the right bnt the early training of doing it that will make good and honest citizens.- Wyoming School Journal. The advocates of woman's higher education in Berlin have presented their fifth petition to the Prussian Lower House for the admission of women as students at the universities. When a woman will she will, and the German petitioners take heart from the fact that the women of England and America did not obtain these privileges until after a long and deter mined struggle, SPELLING DOWN. I was traveling for a firm of publishers and one night I brought up in a flourishing little town in Eastern Tennessee. I had never been there before, but I soon made friends with the landlord of the hotel, and when I asked him as to possible means of amusement for the evening, he said: "Well, stranger, I can't say as there's much going on, but you might go to the spelling contest." And I went. When I reached the building it was reasonably well filled. Great strapping youths in jeans or homespun offset girls, many of them very pretty, in homespun or calico. The only man in the building, myself excepted, who wore a white shirt and "store clothes" was the lanky schoolmaster six feet and a couple of inches tall, at the least, and graceful as a ten-months-old calf. Mind, I never knew how serious a matter "spelling down" is; and when they asked me to go in, I simply went in, sure that there could be no danger that any of the rustics could spell me down. The fun began and the boys and girls right and left sat down on words of three syllables. Soon there were only twenty of the original forty contestants, then only fifteen, then only ten, at last only five. The words grew harder and harder. One, two, three of the five spellers fell by the wayside, and at last only two of us stood-the prettiest girl in all the room and I. At last the schoolmaster called out to me "hippopotamus." It was as easy as falling from a log until I felt a hot breath in my ear, and a voice hissed: "Spell it with one 'p' mister, 'nless you wanter get licked. That's my girl; spell her down if you dare!" I spelled it with one "p" and sat down. A READABLE HISTORY. Mr. John Habberton is at work on what will doubtless Le a production unique in literature. He calls it "a war story without battles." It will give a full description of the daily. experience of the soldier in the Civil War. "I intend to tell in it," says Mr. Habberton, those parts of army life with which the war histories do not deal, but which old army men love to recall. The historians deal largely with fighting; as a matter of fact the average soldier during the war fought about one day in thirty. I shall describe what he did during the twenty-nine. It is a curious fact that soldiers seldom talk about fighting; they dwell rather upon their camp life. story will cover the whole period of the conflict." The On a Niagara street car the other night was an aged Irishman, who held a pipe in his mouth. The conductor told him he could not smoke, but he paid no heed. Presently the conductor came into the car and exclaimed with a show of irritation: "Didn't I tell you you couldn't smoke on this car?" "Well, Oi'm not smoking. "You've got a pipe in your mouth." "So I have me feet in me boots, but Oi'm not walkin'." - Exchange. The happiness that is quite understood, at last becomes tiresome; to give it a zest we must have ups and downs. It is the difficulties usually mingled with love, which awaken passion and increase pleasure. LOOKOUT FOR THE PRONOUNS. Mrs. De Sour (angrily)-"I want you to keep your dog out of my house, Mrs. De Smart. It's full of fleas." Mrs. De Smart-"Mercy on me! Fido! Come here, sir! Don't you go into that house again. It's full of fleas.-New York Weekly. WORTH REMEMBERING. It is not possible for an education to be, as a coat or a loaf may be, a free gift. Benefaction smay bring the possibiliy of an education nearer to us, but if evea actually possessed, it must be earned by manual toil.-W. H. Payne A DOUBTFUL COMPLIMENT. "How I wish, my darling Adelaid, my engagements would permit me to leave town and come and see you. It would be like visiting some old ruin, hallowed by time and fraught with a thousand recollections."-Cincinnati Times-Star. SOMETHING IN A NAME. Said an Alabama mother. "Never would I call a boy of mine 'Alias' if I had a hundred to name. Men by that name is allus cuttin' up capers. Here's Alias Thompson, Alias Williams, Alias the Night Hawk-all been took up for stealing."- The Rural New Yorker. A SLIGHT EXAGERATION An orator said, "There is not a man, woman, or child in this house who has arrived at the age of fifty years but has felt this truth thundering through their minds for centuries. The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of education, enlightenment and character; here are to be found its chief strength -its real power.-Martin Luther. Mr. Wanamaker's desk, instead of being covered with cloth, has a thick plate of glass for its top, and beneath it is a map of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, showing counties, principal towns, and railways. The Postmaster General can thus facilitate talk with his visitors about new post routes. In the atmosphere of men's colleges, either among the faculty or the students, there is not a tenth part of the unnessary excitement that we find in women's colleges. The faces of the students tell their own story. Nervous strain is far less evident. --Annie Parson Call in January Atlantic. A good book, whether a novel or not, is one that leaves you farther on than when you took it up. If, when you read it, it drops you down in the same old spot, with no finer out. look, no cleared vision, no stimulated desire for that which is better and higher, it is in no sense a good book. |