IMPORTANT HINT TO PARENTS.-Few parents realize how much their children may be taught at home by devoting a few moments to their instruction every day. Let a parent make the experiment with his son of ten years old, for a single week, and only during the hours which are not spent at school. Let him make a companion of his child, converse with him familiarly, put to him questions, answer inquiries, communicate facts, the result of his reading or observation, awaken his curiosity, explain difficulties, the meaning of things, and all this in an easy playful manner, without seeming to impose a task, and he will himself be astonished at the progress which will be made.-Lutheran Observer. THRENODY. SUGGESTED BY THE DEATH OF AN INFANT DAUGHTER OF It is an Early Houre Ere yet thy Bud had shewne its Flowre, Thou calmly liest on thy Infant-Bed. Were all the Deade like Thee, how Lovely were the Deade! Ere Day was well begun In what briefe Span of Time Thy Living Course and Worke were done! Smiling thou Sleepest now, but hadst thou founde Thine was a blessed Flighte, Ere Sorrow clouded, and ere Sin could slay; No wearie Course was thine, no arduous Fighte; Can aughte be More than This? Yes, Christian, Yes! It is MUCH MORE TO LIVE, And a Long Life to "the Goode Fighte" to give : To"Keepe the Faithe," the appointed Race to run; And then to Win this Praise-SERVANTE OF GOD, WELL Done. London Art Journal. R. T. PHYSICAL EDUCATION. [Will not the following do for this meridian? Our laws require us to teach our pupils the principles of physiology, life and health. Will a word of instruction be misplaced if addressed to us? The duty of all is, if God will, to live long, live happily, live well; this we cannot do if we are reckless of health. One especial duty of teachers is to avoid fretting and keep cheerful; this we can hardly do unless we are well; to maintain a cheerful heart and a sunny face with a disordered body, is at least a rare attainment. Hence the importance of attention to health. A large portion of our teachers are females; we ask them especially to "look on this picture."] THE attainment of " a sound mind in a sound body" has very properly been said to be the end of all right education. The whole subject might perhaps be ranged under the three divisions: physical, mental and moral education. It is upon the first of these that a few hints will be offered in the present paper. If they shall prove neither new nor striking, perhaps they may be found, upon a little reflection, as important to be recollected and practised as if they were new; for our danger lies quite as much, probably, in neglecting old and generally acknowledged truths, as in failing to occupy the new territories of modern improvements. And, firstly, let us glance at its bearings on the teacher himself, for if he be either too ignorant, too ambitious, or too reckless to take care of his own health, there is little hope that he will feel much concern for the health of his pupils. And, here, there is scarcely need of words to enforce the importance of a careful attention to the laws of health. The bloodless cheek, the asthmatic cough, the shattered nerves, the stooping and attenuated form, speak volumes for themselves, and prove more plainly than any words could do, that the inevitable penalty is following hard upon the steps of transgression, and that the laws of our physical being have been broken. How many of our best teachers break down and are laid aside, just as their usefulness is generally felt and acknowledged. Is this great waste of life necessary and unavoidable? If the affirmative were evident, our lips should be silent, for if this be the only condition on which we can hope for good schools it would be a very plain case. It is evidently of far more consequence that the present generation should be thoroughly educated, than that a few hundred teachers should live in comfort, or even live much longer at all. But we suspect some huge sophism lies covered up at the bottom of all reasoning. What greater misfortune can befall a school than to have a good teacher break down, just as he has cleared the ground of obstructions and prejudices, and acquired that personal influence over his pupils which enables him to be really and eminently useful to them? Such influence can not be transmitted to his successor. It is the result of long-continued, persevering labor. The school passes into new hands like a mortgaged estate, on which nearly all the improvements must be sacrificed. There is thus a dead loss to the public: this influence being in a great measure the result of deserved confidence reposed by pupils in the teacher, and "confidence, we all know, is a plant of slow growth." It is not a transferable article, and must be acquired by the new teacher at as great a cost as by the old. The teacher, therefore, is bound to take care of his health, for the same reasons that the general should be careful of his person. It belongs to the public. He has taken upon himself obligations which can scarcely be faithfully performed with feeble health and a diseased body to drag him down. It is his duty to be healthy for the same reason that it is his duty to be cheerful, laborious, patient, and even-tempered; for without a miracle it is scarcely possible that all these excellent attributes and good dispositions can be coupled with shattered nerves, a diseased liver, or a broken constitution. Many an unlucky urchin has cause to rue the day on which his teacher is tortured with nervous headache or neuralgia, or choked by bronchitis, or suffocated by diseased lungs. It is expecting more than we shall find of Christian heroism, when we look for equanimity under such circumstances. We shall seldom be disappointed in expecting to find human beings fretful and irritable when placed in circumstances of great bodily discomfort; and have long since learned to class the few exceptions among the ranks of heroes and martyrs. Health, then, is to the teacher as important, as patience, cheerfulness and good temper. We propose to notice a few of the many ways in which the laws of health are mcst frequently violated by teachers. First, by night studies. Nature must have her proper amount of rest, or if defrauded of it, will be sure to take revenge the following day on aching head and shaking nerves. Better omit one meal per day than curtail the necessary amount of sleep required for health. Teachers, more than others, are in great danger of yielding to this habit, from the want of time to read and study during the day. A few hours redeemed in the morning should content us; and this by early rising and a little economy, may be secured. But this mortal body, like other faithful servants, must be humored and petted a little when tired, or it will resent neglect, cease to advance our interests, and at last hang like a dead weight upon the establishment. Temperance in food would seem so self-evident a condition of health, we are almost ashamed to say we fear it is sometimes 99 66 ill disregarded. It would be a very prudent and sanitary arrangement, if some of our good cooks and housekeepers could be persuaded to label the oily, indigestible compounds that sometimes appear on their tables. Then, when we saw before our eyes in plain English, "This is dyspepsia," "headache,' humor," and "This is a deadly poison," surely no one could be such an egregious fool as to swallow them. But if our good housekeepers neglect to do their duty in this matter, the best we can do perhaps is to imagine we see the labels before our eyes whenever the dishes come up to which they rightfully belong, and govern ourselves accordingly. in Wet feet are another fruitful source of ill health among teachers. "Oh my shoes are good, water-proof," exclaims the young teacher. Are they indeed? and how long, pray, has it been since kid slippers have been demonstrated to be impervious to water? A hundred consumptive women at this moment are living witnesses to the contrary, and its demonstration your individual case may cost more than it is worth! As kid slippers cannot without changing their nature protect the feet from dampness, no more can a thin summer-dress shield the form from the heavy dews of a western climate. What shall we say then of the courage of those ladies who go forth to face winds clad in summer habiliments? Silks and muslins would defend them from a polar bear as well as from our biting winds. But all ordinary exposures dwindle when compared with the one we often notice, and as often wonder at. We allude to the very general practice of coming from a crowded room, heated almost to suffocation, clad in thin habits, without putting on extra clothing. A young lady who dares do this, shows, in our opinion, some leaning towards suicide, and raises a doubt in respect to her perfect sanity. We should be surprised indeed, if, on meeting her the following morning, she were not as hoarse as a raven, or laid by for weeks of bronchitis or influenza. Yet the rules of health are almost self-evident: the difficulty surely does not lie in apprehending the principles. We think, with Carlisle, if these things be true, it were best they be done. A few practical hints will therefore be added, which if not absolutely new, are "almost as good as new." The few rules most important for the preservation of health, are indeed so simple, they can be easily understood; so few, they may be readily remembered; so easy, they may be practised and obeyed; and so reasonable, that they commend themselves to our common sense as soon as announced. It will, however, be no great harm to repeat them often, as they are in no danger of wearing out by use any more than the multiplication table. Rise early, exercise freely before meals, resting awhile, if possible, immediately after, especially from mental labor, as the stomach then requires all the circulating medium for its own use. Bathe daily in cold water; keep the feet warm, the head cool; dress loosely; avoid evening exposures, and perform all severe mental labor as far as possible in the morning, reserving the evening for rest and recreation. Fret not thy soul at unavoidable evils, and, above all things, be careful to keep always a conscience void of offence. Then, if after living a reasonable life we should fail to attain a long and happy one, we shall at least have the satisfaction of knowing we are clear of the guilt of suicide. H. VAIL. Ohio Journal of Education. DON MANUEL MONTT. [Perhaps some "humble schoolmaster" will be encouraged by the following. If our occupation is "humble," it seems we are not absolutely beyond hope; the schoolmaster may yet become President. But let us console ourselves with the thought, if we are not to fill the chair of highest office, we can make presidents and governors! Don Manuel, it seems, is now the President of Chili.] "THE Senate consists, I believe, of but twenty persons, chosen for nine years each, alternating triennially. The House of Representatives consisted last year of 52 deputies, elected in 1852 for three years each. The President now in office, Don Manuel Montt, was elected in 1851 for the usual term of five years from "Independence Day," Sept. 18, of that year. He is, I am inclined to believe, a man of ability, and altogether the best man to whom the Chief Magistracy of this country has been committed. You will recollect the very proper and energetic measures he adopted to put down the show of revolution which was got up at several places in 1851 to set aside his election. This, as well as his manly and straightforward course on several occasions since, and in fact his constant devotedness to the duties of his office and the best interests of the people, as he regards them, have secured for President Montt the respect and esteem of the business community no less than the cordial regards of the masses of the people in Chili. Foreigners generally, as well as the electors, I believe, will be glad to see Mr. Montt chosen for a second term at the election to take place a year from this time. He is emphatically a man of the people, self-made, and was a few years ago an humble schoolmaster, having risen by his own merits to the proud position he now occupies, a fact which will commend him to the favorable |