St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-04-22
Letter from Boston.
Boston. April Il. 1881.


Prof Lane of Harvard University, ex-
planned his new way of teaching Latin
conjugation while Mr.. Collars essay
(of the ROxbury Latin SchOoD on the
Requirements for Admission to College
in English, was eminently practical and
full of common sense He stated that
however well candidates might be
primed up in the classics, they often
were singularly deficient in their own
quired to write a few short paragraphs
in English, the small is and bad spell
ing in many specimens suggested that
Young America had taken the new de-
parture of the Spelling Reform into his
own hands and was making a practical
use of it. And this not only applied to
young, green, country youths, but was
equally true of pupils in our own
schools; hence Harvard had taken the
initiative and made it obligatory for APP
plicants to write an English essay, and
be able to analyze some English poet,
and such an improvement had been
made, other colleges had adopted the
same rule with marked results.
The Middlesex Institute held its an
nual meeting in the MeiOnion upon
April Sth. Many interesting and able
addresses were made. Mr.. Seaver, the
new superintendent of Boston schools,
related an anecdOte to show the power
of adaptation to pupils and circum-
stances, or the superiority of tact to
| force in the government of scholars in
the Primary Department. In the first
instance the small boy could not resist
his boyish impulses. to take peep at
his newly purchased marbles, reposing
in his pockets, and of course the natur-
al result was, they rolled out on the
| floor and round the room. And the
peremptery command ''pick up those
marbles and bring to me-" excited the
| boys Indignation at the loss of his new
| treasures, his marbles, and made him
a troublesome pupil ever after. While
the same accident occurred in the sec
Ond school, the teacher, upen hearing
the well known report of marbles roll
ing, says, marbles 7 All! Bring them
up here and let us have a nice game"
After a short one, she inquiries, fought
we to spend our time in this way? If
all the pupils should do so, how much
would they learn ?'' And after various
convincing questions and some talk, she
tells him he may put his marbles in her
desk until after school and then take
them home, but never bring them again.
The lesson did not have to be repeated
in that school.
There is considerable interest felt
concerning Rev. Phillips Brooks deci-
sion about accepting the call to fill DR..
Peabody's place at Cambridge. He has
a wonderful influence over young men,
accepting the place.
| The different Congregational churches
in Boston and vicinity have been hold
ing series of prayer meetings, upon
successive Wednesday evenings, in their
churches by turn; and last week a
preaching service, followed by short
prayer meeting, was held every evening
until Friday, when the ~ churches had
a union service in DIR. Webb's church.
Rev. DR.. Duryea preached a sermon
from the text, Cor. Is: 3-Christ died
for our sins.
"Holy Thursday and Good Friday
the streets seemed alive with worship
pers going to and from the Romanst
churches. Unusually extensive prepare
tions were made for Easter, by church
es of all denominations, in the way of
floral ornaments and Easter music Not
only Annunciation lilies, palms and
ferns, but flowers of all cOlors and de-
scriptiOn-in some ranged in whole
banks round the altar aud fOunt, and in
Others potted plants and pyramids
adorned the pulpit and stairways. Grand
Masses were rendered at the Roman
Catholic churches Cherubini's 4th Mass
in c at the Cathedral and Beethoven's
Mass in C at the immaculate Concep-
ton. At Trinity Episcopal and at the
New Old South church they had very
interesting children's services in the at
ternoon at the latter, Prof. Barbour of
Yale college, and Gen. j. L. Swift of
Boston, addressed the Sabbath School,
and after singing appropriate Easter
carols, 225 bouquets were distributed
among the teachers and children. Near
ly all the ministers in the city preached
upon texts having a direct reference to
Easter. And the interchange of Easter
cards, eggs, etc, is becoming common
custom.
The opera season seemed at its height
last week when over ten thousand tick
cts were declared sold and many more
for sale. Il.
P. S.-Please correct the misprint in
my last letter about The Partisan
carrying only 200 instead of 1900 steer
age passengers; and that there are only
five millions of people in the United
States instead of over fifty millions-an
invaluable cipher added.
The Middlebury Postofice.
Congressman Joyce has induced Pres
ident Garfield to nominate for post
master at Middlebury Mr.. George Ham