The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-03-11

so it would have been. said JOIN
Bent, If Harry had not taken it away
More ike he would have put it in tn,
rain, growed Horace.
| would," said John, " II ! were he
You're real ugly to him"
Horace looked at Harry, but he was
talking, and no more was said but llar
ry went home that night without injury
He was so pleased that be tried the sam,
course the next day. Sometimes it die
not do any good but gradually Horace
ceased to trouble him.
One day, about New Years, Harry
went early to school and on his desk h(
found huge gingerbread man, bearing
aloft banner, on which were inscribed
the words, = Let us have peace"
AS he read the inscription, he found
Horace was beside him ; and the two
boys, clasping hands. said Peace it
shall be,and no mistake. = Vel SpriW.
SENATOR MoRRILL's AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE BILL The aid 10 agricultural
colleges by the Morrill, bill Of 1862 WIS
expedient, and has been useful, in some
cases cminently So The apparatus Of
the new education so called, is expm-
sive. These institutions need great M
crease of funds 1t may DE expedielt
that the general government should DO
more for them, but the bill that has Just
passed the e'Senatc, grants in effect, $3.50
600 to each State for this purpose, which
will absorb the income from lands for the
next ten years or more. lfother depait-
ments Of education were everywhere
equally advanced. this action would
doubtless awaken less criticism. But tie
fact is that even the common school is
hardly known in large sections Of the
country, and in Alabaml, for instance,
fiity-thrce per cent. Of the voters can not
write. or course they are, to all intcn.s
and purposes ilicrate and even seven
teen per cent. Of the voters in the whole
country are illiterate.
The sentiment in many States is strong
against an efficient system of popular
education. Maryland only last year
made provision for the education of the
Noioicu cliluicn outSluc VI I)dltlU1OTc,
devoting $50, 600 for the purpose. Nei-
ther Delaware nor Kentucky has yet any
provision for this class of children.
Now Craftsmanship, while it looks to
special education that shall increase the
skill Of the industries of the country,
must not overlook that elementary educa-
tion which is absolutely essential to a
right knowledge of the duties OF the cti-
zen, and disposition to discharge them.
This is essential, and undcrlcs every 9TH
er element Of the public welfare. II,
then, Congress is to apply the doctrine
long since promulgatc by the fathers,
that the public domain aud It's income
should be applied in aid Of education,
certainly while they help the colleges for
industrial science reasonably, they ought
also adequately to aid universal education
by the same means. \ bill to this effect,
consecrating the net income Of the public
lands to the education Of the people,
passed the House nearly a year ago. BY
this bill half of the income from this
source is to be made a permanent fund /;
and the income from that and half of the
net proceeds each year from the sales of
lands are to be distributed among the
states pro rata, Oh the basis Of lliteracy.
1t would seem that discriminating
and far.sighted craftsmanship would not
sacrifice this measure to the aid Of agri-
cultural colleges alone. Indeed, many Of
the most eminent educators of the coun-
I try-among them DR.. Sears-beleve that
the aid proposed by the House bill, es-
pecillly to the South, would be adequate
to revive education there, and not few
consider it the only means Of their ever
reaching that desirable result
THE LOST CoMEr.-Just one hundred
years ago a new comet was discovered by
Montaigne. 1t was SO faint and difficult
Of observation that no time could be fixed
for its return. In 1926 a comet was
found by Won Biela, and on computing
the orbit it proved to identical with that
of l772. Further investigation showed
that it was also observed in 1903, but
was not then recognized as the same 1t
was therefore IL periodical comet, and the
period Of its revolution was found to be
six years eight months. 1t has since
been known as Biela's comet, from its
discoverer of 1926 The next two re-
returns were not favorable for its obser-
vation, so that it was not again satsiac-
torily detected till 1913. 1t was seen Ii
November and December Of that year by
number of observers, who noticed moth
ing unusual ; but in January it was found
to have suffered an accident such as was
never before known to happen to a
heavenly body, and of which no explaua
tion has ever been given. 1t was split il
two, and for some months was ob,rrvrd as
two comets. In 1892 it appeared again,
and now the two comets were nc4rb two
million miles apart They disappeared
from view about the end ul September,
and have never been seen sluce. although
they must have returned in 1889 and
again in 1865 and 1872 The return of
1866 WAS quite favorable, but although
the most powerful telescopes searched for
it, all was in vain. The comet had van
ished from the heavens.
The eartn crossed the orbit Of this com.
ct about the end of November Profess
or Newton was thus led to infer that
though lost to sight the fragments Of the
comet would be seen about that time
striking the atmosphere as shooting stars.
This prediction was fully verified by the
event. On the evening of November p,
between the hours of six and eight, re-
markable shower of meteors was observed
the astronomers Of the Naval Observatory
counting several hundred. And further,
the direction of their motion correspond
ed, as nearly as could be judged, to that
of the lost comet. In consequence. the
Washington astronomers entertain ne Sc.
rious doubt that the metaoric shower was
H..