Columbia weekly news., 1859-04-07

much wss attempted, considering the
present time and the future prospects
Of the rustic scholars. II some ambi.
tious lady-tesohers did not try to intro
duce Shakespeare and the musical glass
es, they dweIt. At all events, too long on
subjects with 10 practical bearing on
the condition OF the pupils. The dis.
sances Of 6xsd stars, and geography as
known to tho Gre eks aud Romans, were
no further valuabl' than all knowledge
must BE-, compared to ignorance and
the benevolent design was laid aside Of
creating in every village circle Of
Madame Daciers and Mrs. Somervilles.
Teach them tho Catcchism," said the
good old rector to his assistants in the
school, land ,be history of their own
country; that will let them know their
duty to God aud the State, also, "--for
he was most sensible man, the good
old rcetor,--" and give prizes to the
girl who boils the mealiest potato, and
finishes tho neatest pocket handker.
chef" For it Vas now discovered that
the most ul.ilitarian Of ciergymen and
the most imaginative Of poets had come
| to the same conclusion--
"Oh teach the orphan boy to read.
Ortsach the orphan girl to sew
There can be but few plsccs At the
| present time where the poores, OF the
poor has not the opportunity of acquir-
ing 1t lesst the rudiments Of learning
What moro do any Of US acquire At
schools of far higher presension, The
bes. furnish little more than the inst, u.
ments by which knowledge is attained !;
rough stones, or even partially. chiselled
blocks, to be hereafter used in the cree
ton Of temple Of science.
The rising generation should BE- iua-
bued With useful and sensible educa-
sion ANAL ,ycd with mumme,y or super
stisioo- The great soeieties--the Soci
ETY. for Promoting Christian knowledge,
the National Society. and others
opeaed their stores and sent forth wag-
on loads Of books approved by their com
uittees, among whom we're many Of the
bishops the shelves of the school libra.
ries became filled with class OF vol.
umes from which no harm could possibly
arise to doctrine or morals ;--histores,
voyages, travels and biographies. But
as the sagacious bestower of all this
mertsl food knew that children could
not flourish for ever on heavy dist.es,
however wholesome on themselves, they
took care to mix little fruit, and even
ornssnenfed pastry, with their bill OF
fare. They knew that those little peo-
pie e'hsd other faculties besides memory
and perception that the had imagina.
ton and wonder and awe; and they
might alro have read 10 some very ele-
mentary books Of metaphysics, that
without those properties religion itself
il impossible, and the profession Of it
sinks into mere VERDE! expression Of
belief, without the power Of rising into
the really Christian realisation OF it in
worship, prayer, and praise. So they
sent down books which appealed to the
fancy; imaginary lives Of extraordiua.
~ boys travels by impossible ways
into altogether undiscovorable countries
stories, you may even call them, of
common life where presentment Of
other states of coexistent society was
offered to the unsophisticated village
boy or girl: in all, rigid honesty.
high sentiment. Christian charity, and
universal good feeling we're inculcated
from beginning to end And capital
books SONS OF them are, even for moro
advanced readers than the occupier Of
tho benches in tho public achooli
| MUSEUM or Woops.-A new room
has recently been opened to the public
in the British Museum, London, for the
stove purpose. It contains sections Of
trunks Of trees, showing their structure;
also specimen of woods in = polished
aud unpublished condition, from every
part Of the world 1t seems that large
collection Of California woods have a.
ready been secured il London, and
some Of these are very beautiful for ca
binet-work. There could not b. ! more
useful room of museum established IL
any part Of our country than one con.
taiuH,g specimens Of all our native
woods, in the rough, and also in . pol
ished state. We recommend it to the
attention Of our State governments as
worthy Of adoption Scientific Assr.
ican
A piece Of pine wood forced down
into the sea to the depth Of 200 fathoms
becomes so compressed, that when
drawn up again, it is found 70 be 80
heavy ~ to sink like . stone when
L Al IL