Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-05-05
For the Grand River Times.

duce into the columns Of your paper C. faint
sketch" Of an exhibition, in which many of
your patrons had lively interest. Our Viii
iage School made its finale in a public examin-
alton, held on Friday, 23d ult., in which we had
the pleasure of participating with many of our
citizens as spectator Of the interesting exerc-
ses Of the day. The school has been for two
successive terms past, under the management
of Mr.. and Mrs. EVERETT, of Grand Rapids,
who have jointly labored during the long, lin
gering winter, for the cultivation of the youth
full minds of our vicinity, and in moulding them
for the veal or woe Of lives radiating from
f" first Impressions" These examinations are
so many public ordeals, through which the pa
rent as well as citizen, is to gather evidence of
the result of that "continual dropping," which
is so intimately woven into teachers hours,
seeking no other "tel tale" than the bright,
beaming eye as the surestindex to labors fraught
with exertion and care. Thus did we repair
with interest to the school room to be found as
an observer on one of these public tests.
The forenoon of Friday, was occupied in re-
viewing the smaller classes, and the prompt
ness with which those who had first passed the
threshold of a-b-c-dom answered to the various
questions in simple figures, and the fire lighting
up their countenances as they ratified off l-a-la-
d-y-dy, lady, &C., indicated but too clearly that
ambition had taught them an adieu to 9Th class
eS, where they had so lately emerged from the
drumming notes of the 90 letters. The bell
had scarcely toled "its last" ere Il large num-
Der of parents, citizens and strangers had found
comfortable seats under the trembling dome, to
witness the chorus Of the day. The school
made its debut in concert of "sweet voices"
issuing from so many clear voices that we were
at a loss to decipher the source Of the leading
parts of the melody. Glasses were then sue
cessively called up to read, and all did them
selves credit, though few hiIled tributes to
nature, giving a pleasant contrast to the tones
of the fearless reader. Next followed exerci-
SEES in Geography, the classes were disposed in
order before the black board, to which were sus-
pended maps of several States drawn by the
scholars, from which the several draughtsmen
attempted to puzzle their rivals in turn on ques-
tons connected with their individual States
Then assembled the "Arithmetic GLASS;" who
watched their teacher as he attempted to work
sums upon the blackboard before them, and
you could see many keen eyes scanning the
process, while now and then, quick as thought,
issued the unerring cry OF that's wrong" to
the occasional errors designedly committed to
elude the mathematical scrutiny of the class
Those in the last knotty pages of the science,
and in the midst Of the pantomime Of Algebra
did their part finely, and Showed in their prompt
ness that the language was not " dead'' to them
while these exercises were interspersed with
music, the scene passed on to the recitations of
History until the class in French, in their NUT
tered jargon must have beat a reueille, for
scarcely had they closed when the whole square
was aanked with standing grammarians from six
years old upwards. This was the largest class
in school, and though they had not tattooed
their brains with Murray's proposition, showing
the "'lation tween 'em," still they had under
the daily oral explanations of their teachers so
far advanced in "conquering diction," that a
sentence selected by a spectator submitted to
them, was so quickly dissected and classified as
to elude all attempts to discover from whence
they had borrowed their instruments. They
did themselves credit not only, but reflected the
care and success of their teachers in satisfac-
tory manner. With this came the closing re-
marks appropriate to the occasion, volunteered
by those gratifed with the progress of the
youthful throng. Then the whole exercises
closed in an adeu, by Mr.. EVERETT, in behalf
of himself and co-laborer, couched in thanks
for the courtesy with which they had been ia
vored in their short residence here, and tender
expressions for the welfare Of those who had
been for that period placed under their charge.
What flood of recollections do such partings
jostle over the memory of days when we
were the scholar, and others the teachers when
similar little eras were recorded in copious
dews of aflection,and the joyous heart first SWELL
cd to the discovery that life was not all smile.
Age in one of his strides has already imprinted
a period in his career upon our brow; around
us were living oracles of sentences and fearful
of his ravaging march, and we could
not but look with deep solicitudejupon cluster