New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-02
Some Humors of Boyhood
Bv the Rev The Hon. Edward Lyneen, Head Master o. I'0
From The Nineteenth Century

II would be possible TO arrange the follow
ing observations on men and things into
separate classes, but think it is preferable
to treat the subject discursively, only begin
hing roughly with those drawn from that
unfaiiing storehouse, the papers in Scripture
knowledge done by the more youthful
students.
give an account Of Balaam.' Answer;
BALKAN was a prophet who lived long way
of. After a while he went out ride on his
donkey. and he got very angry with the dom
key and hit him. and voice from heaven
said, You must not hit the donkey: 1t is
holy ground" The boy who wrote this may
be still at Eton, and if his eye should fall
on this record will he recognize his handl-
work? ! trow not.
Question: "Who spoke the following words,
and in what circumstances, IT is better TO
fall into the hands OF God than into the
bands OF man." Answer: These words were
spoken by King Ahasuerus when they cut
Oft his head and threw it over the wall
It is commonly supposed that this kind
Of statement is due to rampant magma
ton; the truth is that only strange want
Of Imagination makes such an answer pos
sible. One Of tho great educational needs OF
the day is some knowledge Of how to Guilt
vate the imagination OF children. 1t may be
that ill-judged interference with a chlid's
silent musings often destroys a natural salu-
tary process.
The Best Mistakes Nearly Right
The next illustrates a common tendency to
blend isolated bits OF knowledge and &C
quesce in a nonsensical result, on a theory
which must be extensively held by young
boys that no ono need be surprised at any
statement made in the classroom. who
we're the Pharisees ?" 1.-THE Pharisees were
people who tasted in public and in secret
devourcd widows houses" SO nearly right
as almost to afford a parallel TO Mr.. Ches-
terton's instance of statement at once &C
curate and misleading, e. &. "a description OF
an Italian violinst with a strong taste for
theology would not at once suggest the En-
peror Nero" Some of the best Of the mis-
takes are very nearly being quite right, such
as that of the Baboo who, In an impressive
but ford peroration to his speech contrast
ing the different stages of human life, re-
marked that in youth we SOW the seed, in
age we cut cOrns.
Sometimes the quaintness of the answer
lies merely in the choice of words, generally
adjectives; e. e. Contrast the characters OF
Moses and Joshua" Answer: Joshua was
great captain, strong and valiant: Moses was
nothing but weak, meek and old" But the
same contributor few weeks after adopted
the more conventional method of confusion
OF information. | had explained 70 the boys
at length the meaning of the saying about 2
prophet being not without honor save in his
own country, and illustrated it by reference
70 the parallel mo hero is hero to his own
valet" The explanation took good ten min
utes, and the result was hardly encouraging.
This text means that no prophet is a prophet
TO his own valet. This means that we ought
to be very kind TO servants" In the last in
stance one notices the uneasy coda, the
addition made from feeling that the first
statement ends too abruptly.
OF that class prime specimen may be
quoted from long forgotten article by Mr..
Raven called "Recreations of Pedagogue."
What was the Latus Clavus?' Answer: "An
ornament on the toga worn by Senators in
ancient Rome" So far fairly correct; but
the literary aspirant thought his remark
wanted rounding off. So he added: 1T gave
them right of admission to the Cloacs
MaKima.'
Not exactly from Scripture paper but on
u kindred subject was an account of the three
Creeds, vouched for by the late H. W. Moss,
Head Master OF Shrewsbury:
"A long time ago they wrote the Apostles
Greed. Nobody believed It. So they waited
bit and wrote the Nicene Greed. Still no
body believed it. SO they waited bit and
wrote the Athanasian Creed; and they had
TO believe that"