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and fifty thousand dollars, I rely upon the descendants of the Puritans, that they will not become reluctant or hard-fisted at the charge of thirty-five thousand dollars for these four schools of the public teachers. The perpetuation of virtue and intelligence is cheaper than the perpetuation of ignorance and crime."

The question may well arise whether, if more money were expended on schools for the good, so much would have to be expended in reclaiming the bad. We hope to be able to give Reports from Bridgewater and Westfield in our next.

SOCIAL SCIENCE.

The following are some remarks made by Mr. G. B. EMERSON, at an adjourned meeting of the Boston Social Science Association, held on Thursday evening, Dec. 27:

The express object of the schools should be to prepare for the business and duties of life. The higher object of the whole of education, at home, in the schools, in the church, in the street, in society and alone, should be so to unfold and train all the powers and faculties of the body, of the mind and of the social and spiritual nature, as to fit the pupil to understand and perform all the offices and duties of life in the best and noblest manner, "justly, skilfully and magnanimously."

To approach as nearly as practicable to acting upon this high idea of a perfect education should of course be the aim in the organization of a system of schools. The establishment, comparatively recent, in the leading countries of the old world, and in several States in this country, of schools of art, engineering and agriculture, in this city, of the Institute of Technology, - shows the conviction almost universal, of the importance - indeed, necessity — of enabling the students of the useful arts to avail themselves of the immense resources opened and open ng by the vast progress of modern science.

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The Technological Institute is the complement, intellectually, of the school system of Boston. Many of the young men will avail themselves of its opportunities. Ought not this fact to be kept in view in the arrangements of the whole course of studies? Ought not the primary elemental ideas of science, ought not the language in which alone they can be expressed, to be made familiar, at the age at which language is most readily learned? Might not such a course be made to take the place of the preliminary questions which Archbishop Whately recommends, not often easily practicable in the courses of lectures by which much of the instruction in this Institute will necessarily be given? Consider how much more interesting lectures are to a person who already has some little knowledge of the subjects treated.

But there are subjects of more universal and commanding importance than any likely to be treated of in the Institute. Such are those relating to the moral education of the children. That this has not received the attention it deserves is apparent from the fact that medals have been allowed, even in the schools for girls; and the emulation they excite has been thought fit to take the place of higher motives in the formation of character.

The formation of character! This is the great work in the education of life; the highest end that can be aimed at in the education given in the schools. Of what use to humanity are transcendent attainments, brilliant accomplishments, or vast powers trained to the utmost, without elevation, delicacy, disinterestedness of character? What has education done for a man if it leaves him coarse, mean, selfish, false, cunning and cruel? The most exalted conception that we can form of a truly noble person is of one perfectly true, just, gentle, courteous, unselfish and charitable towards others, lowly and severely conscientious in himself, and, towards God, full of veneration, and of humble faith and child-like

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The most effective instrumentality in forming children to all the virtues, is the influence of the example of the teacher. In the choice of teachers, then, are not courtesy, gentleness, regard for the feelings and rights of others, straightforwardness, superiority to meanness -the qualities that make a gentleman sought, rather than attainment? Is it not better to have a man than a scholar? Habits of gentleness can be formed only by a gentle person. The love of justice can best be kindled in the heart of a child by one who is alway just.

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A strong objection to medals is that they can hardly ever be conferred without doing injustice. They are awarded justly only when they are given to recognize honest and earnest effort and perseverance, not to distinguish talent and good fortune. The poor, dull boy, who, though ill fitted, with unexercised faculties and a poor memory, and living amongst ignorant people, is faithful and untiring in his efforts, and does the best he can, deserves a medal far more than the bright fellow, from a highly educated family, acquainted with books, and learning well without effort. To be just, the medal should be the reward of desert, not of success. Of what use is it for a teacher to talk about the beauty of justice if he voluntarily, gives an actual lesson of injustice which is felt by nearly every one in the class? The teacher of justice must be just in all his actions as well as words. Never was the necessity of instruction in justice and honesty more apparent than now. Every day we are shocked by cases of enormous dishonesty and injustice. Something is wholly wrong. Is not the school in fault? Are lessons in honesty and justice constantly given in the schools, by example. and by precept? If not, they surely ought to be. For, in every school, there are some children who never see an example of honesty and justice at home. The schools ought to make up for the deficiencies of home.

"The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy." Of what avail is it for a teacher to dwell upon the beauty of gentleness, and, in the same hour, to be seen seizing a boy suddenly or pushing him violently, and to be heard scolding him in anger or punishing him in a passion? Of what is such conduct a lesson but of hypocrisy or extreme inconsistency? Can it do anything towards forming a character distinguished for gentleness and love of justice?

Passionate, hasty punishment can excite only angry feelings and produce only evil effects on the character. Neither a teacher nor a mother can strike a child for its good without a feeling of compassion, a pang in her own heart and a tear

in her own eye. A person fit to teach and govern ought to have power to punish. Yet I very much doubt whether even a good scholar was ever made so by blows; and I know that many who might have been good ones have been discouraged, exasperated and made bad thereby.

And so of medals, so far as I can learn from my own observation and the experience of disinterested observers, their uniform effect is apparently beneficial at the beginning of the year or term. But, as soon as it is seen, and commonly, in a few days or weeks, it is seen, that only a small number can hope to obtain a medal, the stimulating effect gradually lessens, and soon almost ceases, except upon the few hopeful ones, and a feeling of discouragement, often of despair, succeeds.

A proud, bright boy, a favorite at home, quick, but wanting steadiness and perseverance, begins with spirit; but when he finds that, to succeed, he must work resolutely every day for weeks or months, gives it up, preferring to be thought able to succeed if he would but try, to the mortification of an unsuccessful struggle.

A slow, sensible, thoughtful boy, who, looking forward to a life of toil, determines to learn what he can, during this single opportunity, studies the lessons faithfully till he understands them, and gives the time he has left to reading good and pleasant books.

A brave, conscientious boy, who has learnt at home from a Christian mother, the beautiful lesson, "in honor preferring one another," studies with a determination to be a good scholar, but to leave the honor to those who long for it. Ile takes no pains to surpass anybody but himself.

Of those who gain the medal, one, an ambitious boy, has given his days and nights to his lessons; has sacrificed sleep and play, and cheerfulness, and the occasion of filling his mind with sweet and profitable knowledge. He gets a medal; for his excellent memory has enabled him to answer perfectly every question, however unimportant, in history, geography, grammar and every other lesson. But he has gained no love of study, no habit of investigation, by reading for the pleasure of it and for the love of knowledge, and he has undermined a good constitution.

Another, conscientious and resolute, does every thing that he has to do as well as he can do it. He gains a medal. But it has had no effect on him; he would have been just as good a scholar without it.

Of those who struggle to the end and fail, there may be some who honestly and humbly confess that they have got as much as they deserve, and that those who have succeeded have more talent and more merit than themselves. But here is one who thinks he knows that some of the successful have less natural talent than he and have made less honest exertion; but they have been helped as he would not be, and have accidental advantages denied to him. Here is another who has made every effort, and sacrificed every pleasure and every indulgence, and yet has failed, he knows not why. Both of these must have a little more of gentleness and submissiveness than fall to the lot of most boys, not to be tempted to envy and hate some of the successful, and to repine, and in their secret hearts to find fault with

God for not having given them better talents, or better opportunities for improving them, or skill in using them.

Then comes the great temptation to the teachers. Those teachers who have heartily approved the system of medals and entered into the spirit of the system,— glory to a few at whatever cost, and a splendid show on examination day, must have given, if they have acted consistently, most of their attention and time to these successful few, and neglected the unsuccessful many, upon whom the medals had produced no good effect.

One of the most sacred duties of a conscientious teacher is to give as much aid as possible to the backward, dull and unpromising, who absolutely need help, and if he must neglect any, to give less to the few bright and capable scholars who are able to, and will, take care of themselves.

Let the good teacher take pains to gain the affection and win the confidence of the poor neglected, discouraged child, who is listless and apparently stupid, and often perverse, because he has never had any kind friend to love him, to watch over and aid and encourage him, to care for his soul. Let her get acquainted with him, and be patient with him, and gentle, kind and just to him, and do him all the good she can. She will win him; she will save him to himself, to his friends, to society it may be to eternity. And the reward of this faithful teacher shall be the deep, heartfelt blessing of the poor redeemed creature all the days of his life.

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PRACTICAL LESSONS.

Words derived from names of places.* Peach is derived directly from the old French pesche: the Italian name is pesca or persica; Spanish, persigo; Latin, persicum, i. e. Persian. Nectarine is itself a Persian word, meaning "the best " kind of peach.

The chestnut is often improperly spelt chesnut, as if it were the cheese-like nut. But the mute t, which could never have crept into the word, whatever may be the danger of its ultimate disappearance, is valuable as an indication of the true etymology, as well as of the country in which the tree was indigenous. The French Châtaigne, and still more plainly, the Italian Castagna and the Dutch Castanie point us to Castanæa in Thessaly as its native place.

Walnut has nothing to do with walls. It is properly the German Walsche nuss, the nut from Waelshland or Italy. [Waelsch or Welsh is from the Sanskrit mlêch, and properly signifies "a person who talks indistinctly, a jabberer,” — i. e. a foreigner: barbar, from which we get barbarian, had a similar meaning. We have the same word in Wales, in Wallachia, Walloon, the Canton Wallis, Cornwall, etc. A Walros or Walrus is a strange horse: a whale (German Wallfisch) is a strange fish; and in German, a turkey is a Walsche Hahn.]

The word quince preserves only a single letter of its original form. The Eng

*We take our lesson almost entirely from that interesting English work, Taylor's "Words and Places."-ED.

lish word is a corruption of the French coing, which we may trace through the Italian cotogna to the Latin cotonium or cydonium malum, i. e. the apple of Cydon, a town in Crete.

The Jerusalem in Jerusalem artichoke is a corruption of the Italian girasole or turnsole, i. e. sun-flower, as being one of the plants which always turns its flower towards the sun.

The shallot, a species of onion, comes to us from Ascalon, as will appear, if we trace the name through the French form échallote, and the Spanish escalona to the Latin ascalonia. The Charlotte Russe, therefore, or still more absurdly, Charlotte de Russe of the pastrycook's carte, albeit containing onions no longer, should be échalotte Russe.

"There is an herbe," says an old voyager,* "which is served apart by itself, and is called by the inhabitants uppowoc; in the West Indies it hath divers names, according to the several places and countries where it groweth and is used. The leaves thereof being dried and brought into pouder, they use to take the fume or smoke thereof by sucking it through pipes made of clay into their stomacke and head." The general estimation in which the growth of Tobago was held has caused the name of this island to become the general designation of the "herbe."

"Mohair or moire, is a fabric of the Moors or Arabs of Spain; and the same skilful race after the Spanish conquest, manufactured Jean at Jaen; and at Cordova, cordovan, or cordwain, a kind of leather prized by the cordonniers or cordwainers of the middle ages, as highly as morocco is by the leather-workers of the present day. Truly, the most elaborate history of the civilization of the Arabs, would fail to give us any such vivid sense of their industry and ingenuity as is conveyed by the curious fact, that the seats of their empire, whether in Africa, in Europe, or Asia, have stamped their names indelibly on so many of the fabrics in our daily use.

"As the energies of the Moslem races decayed, the Flemings took their place as the chief manufacturing people. When Leeds and Manchester were country villages, and Liverpool a hamlet, Flanders was supplying all Europe with textile fabrics. The evidence of this fact is interwoven into the texture of our English speech. We have seen that many silken and cotton fabrics were from the Arabs; the Flemings excelled in the manufactures of flax and wool. From Cambrai we have cambric. Diaper, formerly written d'ipre or d'ypres, was made at Ypres, one of the chief seats of the cloth manufacture.

"Another colony of cloth workers was settled on the river Toucques in Normandy. From the name of this river we derive a whole family of words. In German the general name for cloth is tuch and in old English tuck. We read in Hakluyt's voyages a description of "the Great Turk himselfe," who had “upon his head a goodly white tucke, containing in lengthe by estimation fifteene yards, which was of silke and linnen wouen together resembling something of Callicut cloth (calico)." White trousers are made of duck, our beds are covered with

*Hariot, "Brief and True Rep of the new found land of Virginia."

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