Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-04-06

where glory waited me' The expressions
with which they returned my gances and
viewed my airs, ] will not attempt to describe ;
but | shall never forget the delighted giggle
that ran through their ranks, when, in attempt
ing to descend from my post of honor, gave
them a practical illustration of the truth that
pride must have n fall and found myself
PROSTATE at their feet--a position from which
| arose little hurt, and good deal mortified
However, went on bravely with my arith-
metic, until came to Long Division and
whatever | may think of it now, it was then
the most truly unhappy portion of my life.
"Neither my own nor my teachers efforts
| could make me comprehend that rule. ! knew
how the examples were to be performed but
could not understand the principle upon which
they We're done, nor how it was anything like
Short Division; and began to dislike my book
as much as had previously admired 1t. In
vain the teacher wrote out the reasons for the
whole process, on q slab of unpainted wood
that stretched across one end Of the room in
vain my mother tried to enlighten me at home
| could not see through it, and gave up in de
spair. This was bad enough but just ut this
juncture trials of a domestic nature commenced
My mother suddenly arrived to the conclu-
sion that ! was old enough to knit, that !
ought to have learned before, and that must
learn that very desirable accomplishment
| forthwith. So every evening | was placed
down in my chair and obliged to knit Just so
many times round before | could be per-
mitted to open book or play with dolly.
| had, if possible, a more thorough hatred of
knitting than | had of Long Division, and this
placed me in sad dilemma for, if begged
to stay at home to get rid of the latter | was
Immediately set down to that tiresome knitting,
from which my only escape was to fall asleep.
My Aunt M. joined with my mother, and
held up before me the perfections Of several
girls not SO old as myself, who were able not
only to understand their lessons, but to knit
whole stockings, including all the mysteries Of
scanning narrowing, binding off, &C. | felt
that must be very stupid, that should always
be obliged to admire these wonderful girls at o
distance that it would never be possible for
me to arrive at such a state of perfection and
then, with floods of tears, reflected on the dis
NAL prospect which lay before me- of losing the
love of all my friends; for how could any one
love little girl who could not understand Long
Division, or knit once round without dropping
half dozen stitches. | cried myself to sleep
every night and my troubles even followed me
into the church on Sunday. | knew it was
wrong-at least had always been told So but
| could not help wondering, when the minister
told us about the heather, if the little native
girls would not be sorry that the missionaries
had come to them, to teach them, among other
things, Long Division and knitting. was
afraid should be, if were in their places"
"And did you never learn that rule, aunty?' >
asked little Mary, looking up with very sym
pathizng glance.
"Oh, yes, Buttercup. Brother John cam
home the next winter, and he succeeded il
making it plain to me at last. But when LEI
the village, some FIVE years after, the teacher
explanations of Long Division were still legibl
on the unpainted slab of wood, u signifcan
memento of my unfortunate experience i
studying arithmetic, and the disappointment o
my ambitious dreams"