Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-02-16

and twenty-five ceuts for each subsequent Liberal
tsrms made with yearly advertisers.
Marriage Notices and Obituaries exceeding five lines will
be charged for. - 9.
All communications of personal character will be charg
al for at advertisement rates. = /
communications must be accompanied by tho names of
the authors and rejected communications cannotbe returned
THE LITERARY FUND OF THE; STATE. E.-This
fund was established on the ID of February,
1910, to be devoted to the promotion OF learn
ing The Second Auditors report of 1863
shows that the capital Of that fund amounted
to sl,S77, 329 81 consisting of investments in
Virginia SIS and 6's bank and other stocks "A
norton Of the bank stocks being worthless, the
e investments in securities deemed now good,
{mcluding 81 ,4l9, 707 05 in certificates of Vir-
cinia registered debt, amount to 81 SOS, ,057 O5
By law, the sum of eighty thousand Of the
revenues of the literary fund was appropriated
schools for INDECENT children, Ito be expended
hy school commissioners in each city and coun-
~, & The sums of SIS, 900 and 81 800 were
annually appropriated by law, of the revenues
ttha tund, to the University of Virginia and TO
The Virginia Military Institute respectively.
The Convention of Virginia, iu June, 1861,
ordained that, excepting the appropriations 10
the University ofVirgnia and the Virginia Mill
.ary Institute the whole revenues accrulng to
the Literary Fund, until otherwise provided by
law, be appropriated othe purpose OF the mill
tary defence Of the State, and the future opera
tious of all laws approprlating such revenue, be
{, suspended. -. ""'! -.
Since that order no appropriation has been
made by the State in promotion OF the educa,
ton of what the law terms the 'indigent
. r. .I:II.o,,D re tba Commons aa1th Nearly all
Of the solvent capital of the fund created for
=, this patriotic purpose and held by the State as
a sacred trust, is invested in certificates of debt
of the State of Virginia. BY a recorded vote,
the present Legislature has determined
= that reputation meets with no favor in the
minds of those who have thus solemnly re-
solved; an opportunity is now afforded to re-
deem; in part, the pledge indicated by the
vote, and of making an abstraction reality.
The Commonwealth in its poverty, is not
abl,. to pay the aunuiies due since June, 1861,
to the ''indigent children of the State; but,
in the opinion of the majority of the Commit
tee of Schools and Colleges, it can pay, and it
ought to pay, a portion OF these annultles land
even if it be true that the Literary Fund is lost
and does not exist in fact, the State cannot at
lord 10 withhold from 80 many OF the future
voters and citizens Of Virginia the benefits and
them. 's."E:&E ..-.-
The committee state that the resolutions be-
fore them indicate In the minds of the gentle
men who offered them, disire to establish, by
law, some system of common schools, which
will include, among its objects, the education
of all classes of our youth. In the opinion Of a
majority of the committee, it is impractlcable
aud: inexpedient, al the present time, to change
our present system, as provided by law, and to
adopt system similar to those originating on
the continent. of Europe and established in
other States of the Federal Union; but they
deem it high duty imposed on the General
Assembly, to make an appropriation of not
less than 500, 900, including the capitation tax
to the promotion Of education in primary
schools, and they reported bill for that pur-
pose in the Legislature. Richmond Times.
The NUMBER SEVEN the seventh day
of the seventh month holy observance was
obtained to the children Of Israel, who feasted
seven days and remained seven days in tents.
The seventh year was directed to be Sabbath
of rest to the land; and at the end OF seven
times seven years commenced the grand jubilee.
Every seventh year the ground lay tallow; and
every seventh year there was release from all
debts, when bondmen were set free. From
this ancient Jewish law may have originated
the custom of binding young men in seven
years apprenticeship, and of Furnishing crlml-
nails by transportation Tor seven twice seven, or
three times seven years. !. -.
- Anciently child was not named before seven
days, not being accounted to have life fully be
tore The teeth appear in the seventh month,
and are shed IN the seventh year, when infancy
is changed into childhood AT thrice seven
years the faculties are all deyeloped, manhood
commences, and the individual becomes legally
competent to all civil acts Attour times seven
man is in full possession of his strength at
Eve times seven he becomes grave and WISE or
never; at seven times seven he Is IN apogee,
and from that time gradually decays; at nine
times seven he is 10 his first climacterlc, or year
of danger; and ten times seven, or three
score years and ten, has by the royal Psalmst
beea pronounced the natural period OF hu;
man life i!<T,s 80
CAST THY BREAD UPON THE WATERS. =
We met yesterday member OF the Eighteenth
Virginia regiment who during the late war was
taken prisoner and confined at Point Lookout.
While there, noble hearted and patriotic
Marylander visited the place, and though an
utter stranger, presented him and many others
with twenty dollars each to relieve their press
ing wants; and our friend tells us it was a
relief indeed and he has no doubt saved the
life of many gallant fellow who but tor the
comforts it purchased would now be lying be-