The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1884-03-13
Cup IoldIl Letter.
Why asy Schcoihoy knows
tat.
The VII &c Hampaen.
A Psrdc1. bic El'stak

friend every sc,looiboy knows that;
maay of your readers have exper:enc-
ed the unpleasant sensation wiiieil
follow this remark. after discussing
or thinking you have discussed some
important Eiece of information not
known before, yoa are pulled up with
..why any schoolboy knows that.
The average school boy OF to-day is
certainly we'll posted, but still his re-
phys 10 examinations questions show
in many eases that there is mucii
room for Improvement, and it. hay
we'll be doubted whether the proven
bial schoolboy is anything more ih-'n
a mere meta, lor, and figure of 81 eech.
Does he really know as much rs is
attributed to hin! He is familiar
with many things it is true: anil. iIr
| this high pressure age of cOfnpnti.ivo
examinations, he has To ;lcc.l:.ilt iif:.l-
self not only with omnibus rebus. but
also with qridbusdam ai.s. Cram
ming is needful to achieve the desired
end; though cramming cannot do
erything; and the schoolboy not
seldom goes astray, when he is coE-
mandcd to march through an exami.
nation. aud waiiders from the proper
path in "A highly ridiculous way. The
amount OF monetary grants 10 the
various schools from the governments
der ends OH the correctness of the all
swerS given to questions pnt by the
inspectors. who make sta. ell via its Il ID
report the result. An inspector was
| examining t.lessIpls in the school of
a small country village recently, and
he mentally tortured young bird
scarer of the age of eleven. lay calling
upon him to explain the meaning and
illusions of yaIi,,ns expressions of
Grey's .'Elegy," especially the '.livi,g
Tyre and s-anir,ated bust" To the
former. the reply was, "a live person.
who tells les: and. to the latter WAS
given the extraordinary answer,
| .-something you ride in that goes veIy
fast. The Inspector very naturally
conl,l not make anything of this reply,
and probably the shat!e of Grey him.
self could not have assisted him.
Afterwards it WAS learned that no.
bleman, who lived in the vicinity Lad
a private omnibus. famiiiaIlY KNOWN
as 1.-The bus" which. drawn by IL
quick stepping rair of horses, was
often seen TO be driven rapidly down
the village streets. on its way to the
nearest Railway station, and the MEN,
ory of this machine was recalled tn
the little s.viiFage uampden, ,'@aand
helped him to the Interpretation of
the animated bust
The present Lord Sherbrook had
much to do with the + iucation code,
an incident occurred in his own career.
when he and Lord Chancellor Salborne
were school fellows ut Winchester.
The boys were required to write II
poem in English verse on the subject
of 1.-The IIebrides." now it is not the
vocation of every boy TO be poet,
but still the task had to be done; soa
certain boy looked up the Hehrides in
the Gazetteer" and by its aid began
his poem with this ccuplet -
There arr some Islands in the northern seas
1t least I've heard so-cal-d the Hebrides.
Then further he consulted the
"GaZetteer.' and found that there
was lack IF foliage in the islands;
SO he pursued his subject. thus
Therefore they can't build ships
There the prosaic affiatus failed
him. and he paused. Robert Lowe
filled up the line for him with the
words, .'but wished they could" In
the enueayors to direct the young
idea how TO shoot. in the way requir-
ed by the committee of council Of
education, a youthful rustic was
asked. where sugar and tea came from
and answered from 1.-THE shop" where
do the Goals come from!-..the STA
ton. where do states come FROM
1.-THE tops of houses :" lis there
any tree larger than the apple tree
YeS Sir, there the tree of knowl-
edge of good and evil" The proven
bial schoolboy often knows Il grea5
deal that is highly original, and that
is known by no one else. A pupil
was asked to explain Pupe's line. icon,
tent to breathe his native air." the
boy defined "native air" rs the air of
of his own cad. Another was asked
TO paraphrase Macbeth's "Canst thm
not minister to a mind tliseased!" he
did so by writing. doctor, can yot
falfil the duties of your profession >ir
curing woman who is distracteu
The proverbial scho3laoy might lie
able TO answer the most puzzling
questions. bnt the real school boy will
often in his replys, travel beyond the
region of fact, aud boldly plunge into
Il sea of speculation. The following
will illustrate. Who was Mosesl"-
lie was an Egypsian, he lived in
halk maid of bullrnshers. ard he kept
a golden carf and worshipt braizen
snakes and he het nothing but qnhales
and manner for forty years. He was
kort by the air IF his ed while riden
under the bow of a tree and he was
killed by his son Abslon as he was
hanging from the bow. His end WAS
peace" Abraham is described as the
father of Lot and hal tew nifes. lie
KEEP wun at home and he buried the
tother INTO the dessert where she he
came a pillow of salt in the day time
and Il pillow of IRE i,y nite." saw
recently the examination papers of Il
little American girl who is at school
at Northampton, that contained an
answer which while not the one tha
question called for, still had the merit
of the love of country which is neXt
to the love Of God. The question was
ION what day was the Saviour of this
world hoini' The answer was "the
22nd. of February Uad the qa.s-
tion been, whose birthday was the
25.h. Of December!' the patriotic
little lady would have answered ear
rectly. but the Savionr OF the world
was another matter.
NJ. ]. NJ.
London. Feh'y 2o.h. 1881.