New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-01-25

ported, what we have no doubt is true, that with
children at the end OF three hours faittful study
The power Of acquiring ia, in general at the end for
that day. That is to sly, the child could learn in
three h0urf well used, all that il does learn ia the
six YOU keep it in school. We have no doubt this
is true for children. We shoul pu. OH the acquiring
power Of men and women rather higher perhaps:
but thu average OF all kinds of concentrated mental
work is probably fully stated three hours day.
Here Ia a rather plquant excunus on the evils of
letier-wIiliug:
Correspondence is the burden Of modern civil.
zltiOn,' says St. Mare GiIardin. lie is describing
the lie o. luxury which the first families of Rome
led in their country bones in tie centuries wh,cl
Gibbon calls tie happiest in the history of the
world. On the other hxud, most men Of affairs tell
M to-day that 1t ia Personal presence only wiicl
moves men now, letters going so easily where
printed circulars go OF course, into The wastebasket
or more directly into the fire. Yet the world has
not yet learned this TRUTH if it be TRUTH and Cores
pondonce is still of our greatest burdens. 1t is
burden which precisely illustrates the danger which
We have described, of cutting of one mental pro-
cess 20 begin again on another; OF leaving to dry
the supposed plates Of the mental battery, before
set Them To work again. IL j. far more faiigulpg
90 the mind to write ten letters different subjects
# Importance, than 70 write one the same sub
iecl of the came length as all the ten. The change
involved of method, of stse, OF familiarity, OF re-
collections calls 30 severely on the mental power
employed az 10 drain il to the utmost. IL would,
therefore, be better, unquestionaby, always to
answer letter soon 1t IL received, Willie the
nird II still occupied with the subject, thus avoid
ing break and jar Letter and answer would then
cos, only the fatigue OF hand required in writing.
But this would shock peoples preudices in favor o
second thoughts, there being IN the world suspl
zion that iowen lie sometimes worth more than June
hay. And IT would make correspondence fatally
brik. The railroads are bad enough, but how ter
ble life, II every letter brought lis echo by return
muil The practical way for us 10 regain the para
disc of our ancestors III these maters would seem TO
be, tn answer our letters in the moment which re
ceived them, and hen lay the answers by for a
month before we posted them One hard-pres-ed
friend suggests to that the invention of small note
paper IL the proydebtiIl remedy. We have never
seen any small enough 10 The di.ease. Another
studies the Duke OF Welingtons dispatches, In hope
Of attaining breyitv. Another has blanks by which
"A secretary furnishes uniform answers TO all the
reope who would like his recommendation Tor thiei
Justice or if they cannot be that would be- glad al
"A subordinate commission III the quartermast.r de-
partment. But the system OF blanks goes only y
very little WAY in relief. Another usod man lold
letter writer for his letters OF Affection and sent
them in tiipcate TO different fiende. But Ills pan
was upset when lie bad one returned by wounded
spirit not appreciated. Members OF Congress some
times detail their wives TO write their autographs
for them. Mr. Fillmore used the best plan We know.
j. tie thing IA 10 he done at all, in debating 10 a
photographic reporter his letters. They were then
written out Ut the reporters leisure, signed and
uosted vet the original copies Of Tie letters were
preserved IN tie phOnogaphic notes. Sixty letters
OF average length could perhaps thus be dictated IN
an hour but We should say that IN hour Of such
work would he all the concentrated work nny man
ought 10 DO ia day. The most effective man We
ever knew never answered any letters at all. al
TINT he wrote were the letters which affairs made
necessary for the communication oi information 70
hi. -laborors For the rest, let item come ard
90. him a. nla. they did IL will probably be ia
mi. way eventually that the "burden OF modern
civilization will be tipped oil rs back into The tea
The viyaciiy Of this article does not eXcused the
writer for sueaking of the winebibbiug AnGcreon
the eulopst Of water, instead Of Pindar nor Of the
ungrammatical economy of propositions in tie fol
lowing entence which converts the days Of the
week into items Of bill OF fare No man eats one
great breakfas, Sunday. expecting 10 lunch Tuesday
for the week 10 dine for all Thursday, TO take Il
proirac,ed cup of tea SATURDAY" SC, SC.
An article on Mrs.. Browning giyes IN apprs-
ciatiye estimate of her character a. woman, and
her achievements ar poctess, and " Passages from
the Life Of Schleiermachcr" furnishes several in
teIes,ing extracts from the correspondence Of that
celebrated theologian, showing the nocrcciness OF
his rorraiture by Carlyle the Paionc sehleier-
maeher. sharp, grabbed, shrunken with bis wire
drawn logic his sarcarms, bis ely, malicious ways
We need not inform our reader that the Christian
Examiner though partly devoted to theological dis
CUSHION il one Of the most GENIAL and attractive pc
riodcals of the day, not only abouudng in the fruits
Of excellent scholarship and acute CRITICISM but al
ways exhibiting u catholic rpiri, and wide human
jty scope and usually yigor and brllliancy OF
composition.