My heart has leapt forth to embrace thee: It clings like a babe, to thy breast; And my blood is a storm-stirred ocean That waits for the word of rest. Time loses his paltry measure Now that Love's eterne draws near, Oh! what if, beyond thy sunshine, The heart thou has blest so inly Shall wait no inglorious breath; Come hither, then, ye who walk twinly; So enter here, Love and death! SCHOOL AS IT WAS---TEACHER AS SHE SHOULD BE.* It is school time; and, as the bell rings to call the children in, you congratulate yourself on the fine appearance and pleasant faces of your scholars, and think, after all a teacher's life is not the most undesirable. At roll-call a few are found to be absent, which is always annoying; but the first class being called takes up your attention, and the absent are forgotten. A good lesson! Who, but the teacher that loves his pupils and thus labors for their advancement, can realize what a world of pleasure is afforded by such an announcement. Good lessons are to the teacher, what good dinners are to the hungry; and nothing can so completely satisfy the teacher, as to be able to say, at the close of the day,- I have had GOOD lessons from my pupils. On SUCH days four o'clock comes at half past three, the faces of your friends on the street have grown handsome since morning, you are sure from the lightness of your feet you can wear a much smaller shoe, and your heart goes forth to meet all the dear children under your charge,— almost wish *Read by Miss L. A. LYON, at Rome, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, June 8, 1865. Published in the Pennsylvania School Journal by request of County Association. 58 SCHOOL AS IT IS TEACHER AS SHE SHOULD BE. ing they all belonged to you, that you might see them the first thing in the morning, and tuck them "up" snugly in bed the last thing at night. Another class is called. You are deeply engaged in their recitation, when, listen! The patter of little bare feet is heard in the hall, and in a moment more the owner of them, a little fellow about six years, ushers himself inside your school room;-face unwashed, hair in a disordered state, and pants hung on by one suspender. Dirty little thing! you think, coming in at this time and disturbing my class! The boy takes his jack-knife (old thing with broken blade) instead of his book, and from the other pocket produces a piece of shingle, at which he goes with his old knife as though he meant to make a muss at least. The class takes up your attention for the next half hour, at the expiration of which you have occasion to step over to the other side of the room, when behold! that little insignificancy has whittled all over the floor under his desk, and from under him you produce two arrows. "Now, that's well done! Why don't you study !" (with a pull at the uncombed hair) "Oh please don't! I haint got any book." You bethink yourself. That boy told me the same story two weeks ago, and through the multiplicity of cares, I forgot my promise of finding him one. Forgot! Your pupil had to account for every idle moment. Forgot! That boy's mother earned every crumb of bread for herself and little ones by washing other people's clothes, while her own little darlings (for poor people have them) had to be neglected. Did you forget the white ribbon and pink flowers for your hair the other evening. Ah, no! for with those you hoped to please the fancy of some trifling acquaintance. a "But". you reason "who is to blame for the want of a book. Am I to furnish my pupils with books? Yes. This boy at least. Do without your pocket full of delicacies for week, and buy the little fellow a book with the money,- I'll do it." The book is purchased. Bubby, encouraged to keep his face, hair and clothes in better order, is praised with the other scholars, and—and, so the foundation is reached. He comes to school at a reasonable hour, gets his lessons, keeps his seat as clean as any boy, and his mother-God bless her! who is washing just across the street, makes it convenient to run over to tell you how thankful she is for your kindness—how she had labored to save a little ahead to buy a book for her little one, but the rent was to be paid, and little Mary at home had been sick, and the baby awfully troublesome; so she must have medicine, wood and lights, and often she could'nt go out to wash for two or three days. Of course it was all a mistake. Ah! reflects the teacher, if I had tried to remember, that little fellow might have been spared many a cross word, and I, the thought of having neglected my duty. It was a little mistake; but how many such are yet unrectified in our schools, and "many a little makes a mickle," as Poor Richard says. "Scholars, study your lessons over six times and you may go home." Two minutes expire, and all the scholars hold up their hands: "Have you studied it six times ?" "Yes ma'm." How many of that number tell you the truth? Not all. Teacher, that lie is on your head, and will have it to answer for. 66 you May Jim and me go out, we'd rather go now than at recess." "Yes, but you shan't go one inch at recess." Recess comes, and with it one of your lady friends to just consult with you a little. Those boys you said must stay in are always the most troublesome in school,―so you let them go with the others, to secure a few moments' uninterrupted conversation with your friend. How significantly they look at each other! They have tried that game before, and consequently have learned that they can have two recesses, and that their teacher don't start,— is a liar. What a revelation! It is not a labor to instruct those little minds that jump to meet every suggestion, but a mere pastime, a pleasure as complete as can well be conceived ;-but to eradicate the wrong impressions and to encourage and interest the less active minds, is as arduous as the stoutest mind can well accomplish. To do this we must first reach the heart, then inspire confidence, and endeavor to implant right motives go to the very root and establish sound principle. Outward goodness is a mere shell- the shadow of a shade! There must be something within, or it has no substance. We must deny ourselves, and in this way prove ourselves worthy of the task we have undertaken. If we profess love and interest for our pupils, let us show it in such a way, that they may know and be benefited by it. And if we instil such a principle of love and goodness, it will not fail in the hour of temptation. As, in the oriental tale by Lord Bacon, where a cat was changed to a lady, and behayed very lady-like till a mouse ran through the room, when she sprang down on her hands and chased it so with children. If their goodness is only an out ward show, when temptation comes they will down and follow. Give them right motives, sound principles and they will be firm. In after life, the waves of affliction may howl around them, but they will stand severe amid the tempest. [Continued from page 27, February Number, 1866.] BRIEF DISCUSSIONS OF WORDS, PHRASES, AND USAGES IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. BY KEV. S. A. CRANE, D. D. WORDS AND PHRASES.. In addition to their primary import, verbs sometimes convey the idea of causation, and may be called causative, that is, they describe their proper object as causing another person or thing to do the act which in their primary and restricted sense they denote. Thus, "If thy right eye offend thee," that is, cause thee to commit an offense. In a masterly speech of the late Edward Everett, I find that accomplished scholar and orator saying of a certain fact, "It was losing us the sympathy of Europe," that is, was causing us to lose. Few speakers, perhaps, would have ventured to use this form; and yet it clearly reveals the master's hand, and has in it a surpassing felicity of utter ance. We have also a class of verbs which express the intention of the actor, without affirming that the intention was or was not accomplished. Such are, "to entice," "to allure," " to incite," "to instigate," "to persuade," and many others. Thus we say, "The "The general incited or instigated his soldiers to revolt, but they resisted all his solicitations." Solomon says: "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." In the 1st Kings, 22: 22, it is said, "Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also." The persuasion, therefore, might not have prevailed. In Acts, 28: St. Paul is spoken of as persuading the Jews concerning Jesus," and it is added, "Some believed and some believed not." A persuasive speaker is one whose arguments, words, and whole manner are fitted to persuade; but he may nevertheless fail to convince his hearers. Persuade is from the Latin "Suadeo," made intensive by the prefix "per ;" and therefore de notes the intention in a strengthened form, but does not of necessity affirm its accomplishment. Verbs are often used to express not the doing of the action which they denote, but simply to declare that it is done, or shall be done. Thus in Lev. 13: the priest is said to cleanse and to pollute, while the meaning evidently is that he only declares the person clean or polluted. In Ezek. 43: we read, "According to the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city," that is, as a prophet to announce or foretell God's purpose to destroy it. Sometimes also verbs represent their agent as actually doing that which he only permits another to do. Thus, "Lead us not into temptation," means, suffer us not to be led into temptation. In Ezek. 20: 25: "I gave them also statutes that were not good;" the meaning evidently is, that God permitted the Israelites to adopt and practice the wicked laws and customs of the idolatrous nations near them. In closing these remarks on the use of verbs with an enlarged or peculiar force, perhaps, it may not be thought below the dignity of our subject, to ask attention to the verb, to fire in the sense of to throw. Of course there is no authority in our dictionaries, yet we hear this use every day. The boys fire stones and snow-balls. This application of the word comes from the use of fire-arms. The fire explodes the powder, and thus causes the ball to be thrown or propelled. Hence the word fire is easily extended to other forces by which missiles are put in motion. We see in this how words indicate the condition and usages of a people; for this use of the word fire could never have obtained anterior to the invention of powder and fireWhether it will ever successfully assert its claims to the dignity of citizenship in our language is very questionable; and yet it is quite certain that other words have done so with no better pretensions. For example, when a man is conveyed from one place to another by steamboat, does he ride or does he sail? Both words are used to designate this mode of travel. Do we ride over or on a railroad? arms. Ir was Dean Swift who was to preach a charity sermon; and giving out as his text, "He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord," then added, "If you like the security, down with the dust." |