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pretend to know. Their simplicity is certainly peculiar, and besides this, there is something, which in rhyme we should call jingle, that makes it easy to catch the air and remember it. Why words of stirring sentiment, or patriotic fervor, or historic interest should not have the advantage of such a popular association we cannot divine, but certain we are, that no other method of diffusing them could be pursued with anything like the same effect.

The truth is, if we mean to have the practice of this harmonizing and elevating art assume a national character, we must make it a branch of universal education. The voices

of all little children must be put in tune, and they must learn to read music as they read story books; and we must associate with such music wholesome religious, moral and patriotic sentiments in captivating verse. This is what has made other nations musical, and thereby contributed vastly to the personal, social, and civil improvement of the people.

The author of "Souvenirs of a Summer in Germany, draws for us a graphic picture of the musical education that prevails there. When visiting the school at Schwalbach, the children, at the request of the visitors, were permitted to sing. "Great was the delight of the little creatures, when this request was made known. There was a universal brightening of faces and shuffling of leaves. The pedagogue took down an old violin from a peg where it hung, and accompanied their sweet voices in a pretty simple air, while they sung parts from the notes." None of your see-sawing, drawling, half-read and half-sung recitation of some hackneyed infant school song of the alphabet, or the multiplication table, but a true substantial piece of music-in parts-from the notes!

"The next room," says our traveller, "was full of little boys between six and eight years of age. They sang a hymn for us, the simple words of which were very touching. As I stood behind one little fellow, hardly higher than the table, I understood how it was that the Germans are a nation of musicians, and that in listening to the rude songs of the peasants at their work, the ear is never shocked by the drawling untaught style of the same classes of people in our country, (England;) from the time they are able to lisp, they are made to sing by note. My little friend in the ragged blouse, and all the other children had the music, as well as the words they were singing, in their hands, written on a sheet of paper; they followed the tune as correctly as possible, marking with their little fingers on the page the crotchets, quavers, rests, &c.

"At Leipsic," he continues, "the most un-English trait that I gathered during our speculations at the window this evening was a groupe of little boys playing in the grass plot outside.

They were all poor, and a few stockingless, and were engaged in some uproarious game. When in the middle of it,the little urchins burst into the most harmonions melody, each taking his part, soprano, tenor, bass, &c., with exquisite correctness. I saw them jump up, and linking each other's arms, in true school-boy pastime, sally down the street vociferating their songs in such time and tune, that but for my initiation into the mystery at the Schwelbach school, I should have stared at them as so many little wonders. What a delightful system is this music! As early and as indispensable a branch of education as the A. B. C."

We do not suppose, that the ear or the vocal organs of the Germans, are any more adapted to produce, or to enjoy "the concord of sweet sounds," than the Americans or Englishmen. It is only to incorporate the cultivation of music systematically and thoroughly into the elementary department of public and private education, and to take care that it is made subservient to the inculcation of wise and pure sentiments, and we shall have not only our schoolhouses and play-grounds, our nurseries and gardens, but our streets and lanes, and obscure courts ringing out with mellow music, so filling our ears with happy thoughts and sounds, instead of profane oaths, and low and corrupting songs.

We had intended to dwell a little on the shameful neglect of singing in our Sunday-schools. Whatever may be said by way of apology, for an indifference to the subject in secularschools, there can be none offered for not making it a prominent object of attention in Sunday-schools. Here it is no inconsiderable part of the process of education. To awaken emotions of gratitude and love in the hearts of children, hymns of praise to the great Creator and Redeemer of men are set to simple music. The hymns are, or should be intelligently committed to memory, and the manner of singing them should be such as to make the association agreeable, impressive and permanent. It is not too much to say, that the style in which this part of our Sunday-school exercises is oftentimes performed, is not only discreditable to all concerned, but is an abuse and perversion of one of the noblest faculties of our nature. We do hope every Sunday-school to which these remarks are applicable and that has life enough to move, will take prompt measures to make the singing of their psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, suitable to the place, the day and the object.

Think like the wise; but talk like ordinary people.

Boys that are philosophers at six years of age, are generally blockheads at twenty-one.-Home Journal.

For the Rhode Island Educational Magazine.

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT.

At a meeting of the School Committee of Boston, a teacher was requested to resign his situation on account of the severity of punishment he had inflicted upon a pupil. The case is not detailed, to my knowledge, nor do I know the result of the circular of the Committee. In most of the reported cases of this description the verdict has acquitted the teacher. The first impressions of the public and the feelings of the parents of the flogged child are against this decision. A careful examination as made in a Court of Justice, and the thorough sifting of the points relied upon to prove the guilt of the accused before the jury sworn to render a verdict according to the evidence, would in a vast majority of cases result in mollifying the acerbity of feeling, both in the minds of the public and of the parents. The plain truth of the whole matter is, that while the parents are ready to admit that the teacher ought to stand in loco parentis,-in the place of the parent,—while the pupils are under his charge, and, as a parent, has an undoubted right to enforce obedience, yet if this requisite for due government is not obtained in the way the parents think proper all their previous admissions are blown to atoms at once, and they fiercely and unjustly blame the teacher because he did not happen to hit upon the very mode of punishment which they had always found successful in conquering the refractory behavior of the child. A mode used by one would be disapproved by another parent, and amid such a contrariety of notions upon this topic, which one shall the teacher select?— Shall he accord with the wishes of one parent and stop the exercises of the whole school, while he occupies their time, and calls attention to a course of expostulation with the delinquent, and then hurries through the remainder of the exercises thus disjointed and yet to be attended to? Or shall he, with another parent, believe it more beneficial to send home the pupil for his parents to correct according to their judgment, which may not, however, be the better way for his future good conduct in school? Or shall he, in accordauce with the principle and practise of a third parent inflict severe corporal punishment not beyond the extent of that frequently received from the parent himself, but yet exciting the anger of the father or mother to exclaim against its cruelty. How knows the teacher, willing though he may be to accommodate his style of punishment to the varied tastes of the parents, what is their favorite mode of securing prompt obedience. He, therefore, follows the fashion endorsed by long usage as taking least time, as well as obtaining the desired result with but

short detention from his regular studies, he flogs at once, and, according to the maxim of many successful teachers, he makes his blows felt.

A book on Corporal Punishment, written by Lyman Cobb, in 1847, containing 270 pages, gives forty "preventives of, and substitutes for the use of Corporal Punishment. Being a member of a school committee, and desirous of extending my knowledge upon all educational matters, I suggested to a bookseller to send for a copy for me as he was unwilling to risk a greater order. Feeling indisposed toward any "substitutes or preventives" I looked carefully through the book and wished as I read, that the good suggestions of the author might be introduced for daily application to all delinquent pupils. But when in my visits to these schools, the number of scholars under the care of the teachers, and the interruption caused by adopting novel modes of punishment amid a multitude of pupils met my eye, I was fain to let the new notions "slide," and with many other new wishes look forward to better times for improvement in Corporal Punishment. The alteration in our moral punishments illustrates with a flood of light the whole difficulty in effecting a change in an old and long established custom. The hopes of many, and mine among them, were agreeably excited at the promise of better modes of punishment for the sailor. How benevolent expectations have been realized may be ascertained by any careful enquirer of the nature of the substitutes for the old form of punishment. So vexatious, harassing and tormenting are they that a majority of votes could be obtained from our naval sailors for a repeal of the law passed with such kind intentions for their bodily welfare. Let any intelligent superintendent or committee-man apply these notions to the schools, falling under his notice, and if an experience of 12 years authorizes a decision, they will in too many cases find the substitutes for Corporal Punishment to partake too much of the character of those above alluded to, for any considerate man to approve.

If such be the result of an attempt at reform, what plan shall be adopted? Shall the pupil run the risk of having his best feelings outraged by being a daily witness almost, of severe Corporal Punishment, or shall he rather cast his eyes around upon a set of refractory and unprofitable pupils, not learning their own lessons and hindering the attention of the well disposed to their proper duties. Space, perhaps, ought not to be asked at this time for any more remarks, but a future opportunity may, perhaps, be permitted to this writer.

T.

GOOD MANNERS.

To the Editor of the R. I. Educational Magazine:

I was glad to see an article in a late number of your paper on the subject of Manners in Public Schools." I fully agree with your contributor "T." in the opinion that the teaching of good manners should be made a branch of instruction in our common schools, and have thought so for many years. But how is this to be brought about? Good manners can only be acquired in perfection through the influence of example and by associating with those who practice them. They cannot be communicated through precept alone. Books can only give, as it were, their first rudiments. It is true a code of rules may be drawn up to guard against the grosser breaches of good breeding, but its unexplainable perfection and polish can only be acquired by an intimate intercourse with persons of refined minds and manners. To teach good manners, every school teacher should therefore, be perfectly well bred. It would require no effort for such to communicate good manners to their pupils. Their every word, motion and look, would unconsciously beget their like in the minds, and manners of their scholars, and they would insensibly acquire the indescribable charm that attaches to good breeding. But how are we to obtain a body of teachers who are uniformly possessed of good manners? It must be a work of some time to do so, it is true, but it nevertheless may be accomplished. The Normal School now about being established by the city of Providence, may be made to contribute greatly to this end. The social position of our schoolteachers should be elevated. They have never taken that stand in society which their vocation should entitle them to occupy. Next to that of parents, their relation to the community in every respectreligious, moral, civil and political-is more important, than that of any other class among us. It is easier to bend a thousand twigs in a right direction than one full grown tree. Teachers of schools should be aware of the immense responsibilities attached to their calling. They should modestly assume and maintain the position in society they are justly entitled to, and resolve by a virtuous and gentlemanly demeanor to maintain it. They should look upon no man as their superior on account of any adventitious accident of birth or fortune--nor upon any man as their inferior on account of

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