The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-12-04

an commence, little aloof from all others.
80, that is the residence of tho Carter fam
| iy," answered the other. "lhis village took
its name from the father of the owner of thai
house. The old gentlemen was stirring
man, i'm his day, and died very wealthy
And his son, who built that fabric, is esteem
cd by some to he now equally rich; though he
built, as some shrewd ones would have il, moi
so much according TO his own judgement, ms
on his wife somewhat different scale ofgrcat-
ness"
at is n snowy thing, indeed" reioined the
former;"but still fhncy il less than that much
smaller, but more truly elegant house, as
should esteem IT, standing within the borders
ofthat beautiful farm, lying TO the east Of the
Carter establishment"
"Ah! that was bitilt by n man of true taste, g.
one fthe finest ofgentIemen,' said the doctor
warmly. "lle married tho daughter Of the
elder Carter, and received that farm as hor
dowry. But he got cntangled by his profit
gate brothors-in-law, and lost tho whole es-
adjustment, which went into tho hands of
city creditors, while the unfortunate debtor
was left TO shift for himself and, FINALLY, TO
go TO foreign lands, and there die, us is now
generally supposed"
by this lime they reached the schoo-house,
which was situated in noisy business cor
ner about ten PAGES from tho street, with n
bIacksmith's shop on one side, aud a coopeI's
on the other
"llcrc is your palace, my lord of the birch
en-sceptre," said Lincoln, giving the other a
good-nalured slap on the shoulder.
"Ay, but il is rather near the street here; is
il not doctor" remarked Amsden.
"I'rue," replied the former, ironicnlly;"hut
don't you perceive the wise design of ihat?-
Ii is to inure the children 10 the danger ofbe-
ing run over, and horses TO the danger of be-
ing frightened, TO the peril of The neck and
limbs of their drivers"
"You succeed so well i'm reasons" ohserv-
cd the other, laughing, "that will hear you
tell why the house is made to stand between
Two such noisy shops"
so the idea,' answered Lincoln, in the
same strain, "the idea must have been taken
from the classics: MS you scholars, | think,
should at once perceive. Demosthenes, you
know, practised oratory amid the roar and
racket Of waterfalls. And who knows how
much the future orators, that shall have been
educated in this school, will he indebted for
their good articulation to the clinking of these
hammers, of which you appear so disposed
to compain!"
They then entered the house for an in
speciion Of the interior, whose miserable
construction and arrangement were the same
as are still n greater part, perhaps, of COM
mon SchoolhouSeS ut the present day.
81 had looked to see things different here"
remarked Locke, CHANGING round the room,as
they entered it., But you have the same con-
sruction of seats as is seen so generally else
where-close, narrow, and all of an equal
height; so that, while the limbs oftho larger
pupils are cramped up, and otherwise render
cd uncomfortable, the feet of the little ones
are left dangling in the air"
"Why, the object of that plan doubt
less is" said the doctor, ''to train the legs
of ihe large ones to occupy modest
space in this world, and 10 eau Sc those of
the little ones TO become so benumhed by
hanging over the corners of the seats, which
will thus impede the circulation ofthe blood
in the arteries and veins, rs to take away the
troublesome desire of the restless creatures
to run about, and go out Of doors. And is
not the custom sanctioned by that old andre
fined nation, the Chinese, who cramp the
feet, Sc oltheir children? And are not the
modern corsets of the intelligent and fashion
able ladies of our own enlightened land, used
on the same principle?'
"And then these Seats" resumed tho for
mer without replying to the comments of the
other, whose ironical meaning he perfectly
understood; ''these seats, MS usual, rise from
the front here where we stand, like an old
amphthcatrc-riSe one above another, till
the last one, yonder, is nearly half way up
the ceilingso that the pupils on the upper
tiers of the seats will be uncomiortably warm,
in the heated air which always occupies the
upper portion of the room, while the pupils
on the lower seats will be, at the same time,
perhaps, as uncomfortably cold"
every true," reioned Lincoln, every true;
but then the object in this also, is perfectly
plain-it is to have the softest heads in the
school placed up there to be baked over, so
that they may be on a par with the Others"
swell, wonder" remarked Locke, now
laughing heartily at the sariricaI hit ofthe 9th
er, Il wonder, in view of the other convcn-
fences of the house, how the matter olventi- |
laton came ever here to be thought of, as it
appears to have been, by that continuance for
lowering the upper sashes of the windows"
''You remember the lesson you formerly re-
coived, see," replied the doctor, assuming a
serious air. "These windows were altered
to admit ofventilation, at my own suggestion
some years ago. An opening might be made
in the ceiling, as was done in your school
house, if thought necessary; but as this build
ing is so old, and full of crevices for the adj
nilsson of fresh air, perhaps it will be hard
ly worth the while to do This.
"Pcrhaps not, in this old house," said
Locke; "but in q new one, which you will
build here soon, conclude, you will proba
bly, have this attended to, as we'll as several
other improvements, which should he made
in the interior of most of our school rooms:
for think you must agree with me doctor, in
the opinion that our school-houses are, gen
orally, but lily adapted TO the purposes for
which they are, or shouldb he intended"
s.I certainly do, Mr. Ansden," answered the
other. "And the reason treated the defects
YOU have here pointed out, in the manner |
did, was, because thought with old Horace,
-"RidicuIum acri
For,ius &C mclius, plerumquc secat RESP |
oh ,l,r Of