Whole No, 2639.
THANKSGIVING SERMON.
J), Kerr I'd in the Methodist Episcopal
Church, in Leieistown, on Thanlcsyiv - j
iinj Dap, hp Rev. J. ,S. Me Murray.
;;.iter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into
jj . . irt- with praise: he thankml unto Him. and i
.. Hia name.— Psalrn 100, 4.
Few nations of earth, at any period of hu- j
in history, have failed to make some reeog- ;
r.ition of Invisible power, in their more mark
el social events. Nor could we, as citizens
~f Pennsylvania, and of this great Federal |
I'nion. fail to do so without the most alarm j
ing delinquency. Hence, on this day of sa- !
ered designation, in obedience to the voice of
I custom and the injunction of magisterial au
;. ritv. we have assembled in the house of
i, J, in recognition of that Divine haad which
I unbarred to us blessings so many and so
jO'-at; to unite, as with one accord, in asorip j
•; d'praise to their great adorable Source, i
I ..us, in the very act of worship, wo distinct \
recognize God's agency in all our affairs--
it agency which embraces as well all worlds, '
,c! ! 'ngs, ind all things both great and small j
.in l oiii rming to tlie pious sentinientof the
Iba'mixt, under a grateful sense of His be
n licence and bounty, vre • Enter Ilia gates
vidi thanksgiving, and into His courts with !
prois ;to bo thankful unto liim, aud bless j
[ii< riiiine."
I I'he duty of Thanksgiving, as a religious
. is peoAtljuurly Appropriate:
II ,1 jtIIJUC Cuicbl'litluH of Divine good- j
n: a dev. ut acknowledgement of our de j
j* rdent relation, t>rb in an individual and ;
v.ij ti; an ex pre sion of gratitude j
- 1 iS.shiwn and kiinine>s received. AH
II x-igiving is ! undci on this idea of depen
For it our bles&iflgH \v> re no* derived; J
i; • ■ a ere dependent on no other being for ;
.n. there coul 1 I. no ground for gratitude, I
r reason to be thankful. That is, if they
nateu in ourselves, in such a seuso as to j
.row* orroic.J exceil-ncv, there couhl \
r. - Miotic for the "ii* ring fth inks, wheth
. i G..J or any other bc">g; we w u! 1 have
-jr urselvos to congratulate ou our own self
'•' '.up g odness. But as in fact it is nth '
■: a* we have no good uudericed; as all ;
ivo c.-mes fr ni (■ ■>!. 'the Giver if every
i arid perfect gtf',' the fountain whence
■ 1 • ur accumulated blessings—being •
ti Iy, coinph't y dependent—there is <
. . m ation for gratitude, and the duty of j
... giving arises from ti.e very nature and :
- i t things, j?, sit i ited, it would be
•t. ■> ! rc-Ti ant to every high and no :
* ut e, not i > entertain a lively sense < f
■ i i.o-s wo ei joy, an I give expression to
a i:-:< ry fi.cng occasion,
i r this most laudable, purpose we are as
i t• • iv. As a community, wo are •
• : i f in a duty no less pleasing th m
:.g. i hai k-gi\ing. indued, should
i in re as a privilege than as a du- !
: r v.... , ,-hcr unties, unspeakably iin |
■ t ai 1 iti:i i- j i-r. - a !i!e, are nevertheless
--ii .a> r ■;.>*[•; un.-e. conflict with sin. i
' • *>-• uo i.-r affliction— this is at once a 1
■ <1 rc.il j. * mure. It pre ssjppost s a
i.s oo.i iithm; and a cnrree-iouding
ji" ' i niiad, which is incompatible
a !!;••;. ,i mi.-ery. Ibo one may succeed !
r. at th-'y cannot en exist. Henco,
i . misgiving finds appropriate utterance !
ie h- u nly world, and through all the
of light kindled by redeeming love on !
. it rapturous n> tcs are never heard in
" ' nic regions, nor in the haunts of hu
' , I
i..: -'*•;>* } rim mental process are few :
i rapid. First there is a conception in '
ii.". LT.n-i of G d's lavished bounty, which, i
img a fitting response, awakens the emo
■ a i sens'* r.f gratitude; and then front
- i.n-.vs cut the thanksgiving of the heart.
A : sp.net and lively conception, therefore, of
ii ; - g t idiii ss and henificenee towards lie,
* e.-setitial both to the feeling of gratitude, j
i i's tri • expression. To aid this coucep
i. * 1
' .i, li t us inquire
is W i it we have to be thankful for ?-=- j
ii are our incentives to gratitude?
Aiiiiii' mi ipatter might he found in a re-
T w . : 11 ,d's .sp,c*:*.;;ij and general mercies to ;
run; for ijc itself'-, as a!! saber think 1
"g men inot consider life a blessing, '
1 '■ r a few wretched beings, whose '
m in s have loaded iliem with infamy and
I'.unge i tliem into ujysery, may regard it as
rurs-*—f.,r the ''xittetl rank we huh* in
*' ! r when we look around us at the
o-|- or i.-r of creatures, and remember the j
; . destiny tor which God made us, and
* i d _rit,ty wi.h which He has crowned |
'* ; w '"', that dofii n* i ihank God he is a
r 'ption by Jesus Christ, i
"ip• * aluughty intervention, and as
"liiiig display of mercy arid love, the for
f h-ssings of eternal holiness and life
- i en brought back within the sphere of!
! *''*ii.in privilege—-f., J* the watchful care of a
"in! and benignant Providence, which has
' UT h.*en over us—for that grace that sought
■; ivljf.n strangers, wandering from the fold
' J; that called us out of darkness into |
ag -it—for Christian ordinances, religious
"'i'-per, educational advantages, and family
vies ; the blessings, comforts, and endoar
* "Jit.s of 10/,te.
■ r all this, we have abundant cause for
i aii-giving. But called together as we arc,
■ n. * instance of his Excellency, the Gov- '
: ri ' p°f the Commonwealth, it seems more
1 ing tiiat we should dwell to day on pub
' a '"l national blessings—retrospect God's
, ! "- , factiou to us as a people. And this is j
m re important in view of the war crisis,
m n*n so excites and agitates the public
time was, when we could look upon
hroad confederacy of sovereign States,
><' I*J>( Eastern and Western boundaries
Mf* ti;h along the two great oceans of the
* '• and feel tfiac we were one people; with
knion, *a yet, unbroken and unim
pairci, and the escutcheon of our nation's
ftj ry untartiished. And although the hand
' latJ lince has ruptured this great brother
"d of States, and made those aliens and
J'* inies, who were, and ought to be, friends,
Jl 'otren, aud fellow citizens; yet there is
•l ason to hopo we shall be Oiie again.
As ground fiir thanksgiving to God, then,
•et us l ol> k w0 wece, ami what w nave;
in bith conditions, let us see what "God ,
* : ith wrought for tie."
g&gsrafiaa> Agiß jra-srsnsyiMsnte ns2awass®®ws, IMHHWMICT @@®SJW 9
I. As to what we were, but have reason to
thank God for national existence. No one can
truce the early history of this Republic of
the new world, without perceiving the hand
of God, distinctly marked, in its formation
and its establishment as one of the jiowers of
earth. To no other source can we attribute
the wonderful preservation of our pilgrim
fathers when they threw themselves ou these
desert shores, amid savages wild as the wil
derness through which they roamed, the very
elements of nature conspiring with these bar
barous hordes, to crush that germ from which
the nation sprang. So also in the war of the
revolution, when a mere handful of colonists
were called to meet in death grapple their
powerful oppressors. How did the Godot
nations then vindicate the cause of justice
and right, and turn the scale in favor of our
freedom ! And no 'ess in tho construction of
our civil fabric, the framing of our great na
t'.onal charter, whose matchless wisdom stir
passes all that had ever been elaborated in '
the whole history of the world.
11. We haye reason to thank God, for the
unexampled progress and prosperity attained,
under his kind and benignant providence.—
Nu nation of earth ever experienced such
rapid growth in every materi :i element of
true greatness ; aud because no other nation
(excepting, perhaps, the covenanted d *scen
dants of Abraham) —has ever esj. i iertced
richer results from the interference of Divine
agency; becoming the richest, tiie lntppiiat,
and mightest power on tho face of the globe.
No other nation was ever furnished with such
intrinsic resources; in the vastness of terri
tory ; exhausticss fertility of s..il; friendli
ness of incalculable mineral w> abh;
navigable waters; inventive genius; i.v.elit- *
getn'C, enterprise, and energy of its ri pula
lion: and withal fiee in her instituti us;
man hles in her religious privileges; sublime
in tie iii..r fi of its progress, an i lustrous in
toe fiopc of its great future; Man ii.i" mt on
the uiiip of the world, the mo-; ro gni iieent
dwelling place for man the v. id fms -'ver
seen. So socii a heritage .i iiiis, ha- the
aniiighiy Governor of tlic Unix o .**ver - /i ven
t" any o her people. *
luis is L '.:t a faint and 1 <'.,! >!; \*h of
what our country was, before fr .i.- : raised
it- .-•rperit head, and struck in deadly fangs
at tho very vitals of ihe nation ! But may
we not find matter of thanksgiving, ev n
amid the terrible scenes of war through
which we arc passing? And
First, in the very ousel of the rebellion
with treason in the Cabinet; the deadly
blight taking possession of ir, with one or
two honorable exceptions—tr* i- n in the na
tionul Congress, boasting und r the very
d*>me of the Capitol a purpo • I i divide the
Union ; and "while they spoke, they plotted'"
—treason in the army and mtcp ; .■" that the
men who constituted our nation it bulwarks,
by sea and laud, deserted their rn st-, or faced
about ami beanie assailants and -layers of
those whom they were set to defend. Tims
Cabinet officers, national law givers, soldiers,
and sailors, by " words and - words (J f trea
son, took their way tiirough the South, and
with fiery persuasion and iron coercion, soon
produced whole States of traitors;" v.ith
wli ;n lug dty to tho government—under
which they had been born, and grown great,
prosperous, an 1 happy—quickly became a
crime, the " stars aud stripes" a L . lg ■ of
dishonor, our '■ national songs !>a -d discoids, 1
the constitution an " accursed in unteal,'' !
an l the Declaration of Indcpeuu n * • a:: i!- '
ici us slander. And then, a u io a liuioi-tra
tion just coming into power, and taking hold |
of tlie helm ol' our nation's affairs amid all
this Coin motion ; with a plundered and al
most bankrupt treasury; with arms and run- '
unions of war in the hands of the rebels; I
and the army and navy both scattered tndde- !
moralized. Never was thei e a people so trea
son pervaded, treason surrounded, and trca
3-iiL-ridden in the whole history of nations, i
Across the Atlantic, proud de-pots rejoiced
in (what they supposed) the downfall of Re- j
publican institutions—the failure of free gov
eminent. To ourselves it was a day of dark- '
rie.-s aud gloom. What solicitude was felt j
for tlie fate of our national Metropolis!—j
What painful anxiety, for the brave volun- 1
teeis who rushed forward to its defence!
Now, with all this in the very onset, is it
surprising that the nation survived at all?
And to what can we attribute its preservation,
but to au overruling Providence? For this '
ttien, we may thank God.
ff. Another ground f r thanksgiving is
found in the cordial sxij.p-ri of the govern- j
incut, in the hour of its p 1, by men f all
parties; by words and de is: by money to re
plenish au exhausted treasury; by recruits fsr
the army and nary; by volunt -ors from every
pursuit of life, numbering t. as *n'i hundreds !
of thousands, and stretching from the mouth
of the Chesapeake to the gieat Valley of ths I
Mississippi. Indeed the su i lea uprising of |
the people; at the call of fhe Executive, when !
the first merciless attack was made ou a small i
Starving garrison in the walls of Fort Sum
ter; was really sublime—a thing unexampled
iu the history of nations. Aud but fur this
extraordinary rushing to arms, it can scarce
ly be doubted, that the ignoble iiag of treason I
would have 'floated from the dome of the Cap j
itof* —as was boasted in Montgomery—and I
Washington and Maryland both been in the i
hands of the rebels; and thus the whole issue ;
of the war materially changed. Aud may we
nut rightfully regard that mighty impulse ;
which stirred aud moved the whole North, as
by the power of an earthquake, arousing 'the |
lion from his lair;' as the working of Provi j
dence? In this also we may see the hand of j
God.
3. Another ground for thanksgiving is j
found in the fact, that thus far the scene "f
warfare has been confined within the limits
of the disloyal Mates —disloyal iu whole or in
part. Maryland has eseap* d, through the no- ;
hie stand of her loyal Executive, and the
strong arm of the Federal Government. Ken
tucky and Missouri chose neutrality , aud came !
not up to the help of the government in the j
huur of its peril; and both have suffered, and
still suffer, from their want of decision and ]
patriotic co operation. And while they have
our heart felt sympathies, it is gratifying to
know, that they are pot only fully committed
to the Cause of the Union, but that the iron ,
rule of a despotic usurper is being Crushed
out, and the rebel lines driven back toward
♦he soil of States in open revolt. As yet, not
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1861.
a battle, or skirmish has been fought on soil !
uecidediy loyal; nor is there any likelihood 1
there will be. And when wo think of the .
desolation and dismay; the plunder, outrage, i
carnage, arid bloodshed, attendant upon the !
scene hostilities ; where armies meet in j
the deadly breach, and rush to furious battle: |
wno <1 ics rmt thank God that we have been
spared ? Our homes are not invaded, nor
houses pillaged and burned, nor fields' laid !
waste, it is right, to'*, that the greatest evils i
of the war should fall on those who plotted,
betrayed, and brought it on the country. In
tnis then, the providence of God has favored j
us.
4. Another ground for thanksgiving is i
found in tlie vigorous measures adopted in the i
army and navy, lookiug to a favorable issue,
and the speedy termination of the war. We
have had, it is true, some sad reverses * hut
we nave recovered from them ; and they have !
had, at lea.-t, a good disciplinary effect in pre
paring us for the magnitude of the isue be
tore us. And these reverses, perhaps, were 1
allowed to prevent more serious di a tors, that '
would have followed, if success in these first !
attacks had crowned our arms. Th ro may !
be a providence thus in our very mil.fortunes
while the enemy has reaped from them no 1
substantial gain.
It is said of a celebrated general, th it after
a severe engagement, in which he had suffer
ed great loss, being congratulated on tlie vie |
fury aehicv- J, he said : 'Another such victory, j i
and lam undone.' In the same manner our ■
reverses have been exhausting to the enemy, j
aud now tho fide of war is turning. Lately, 1
providence has crowned our arms with great !
successes, both by sea and land ; the more i
valuable because of the preceding disasters. !
Now, the gloom is breaking, the clouds dis : *
using, th<B sky of freedom growing bright i
and clear 1 iho Cause of the Union aud i
Constitutional Government is beginning to |
triumph . ihe hydra of (Secession crushed ;
on tiie soil that gave it birth and being! Treas- j
on and anarchy being trampled under foot in ;
the very nest of disunion! The ' star- and I
tripes' waving in triumph, where the escuteh- ! <
•j i < ; 1 our nation s glory wis fir. j t dishonored ■
tii.it itol'lo il insultoJ and trampled
; i tie dust! ihe tstufe, which inaugurated i
K.e great crime of rebellion, has been made
to feel toe heaviest blow of the authority so !
v.antonly assailed. South Carolina, 'the seat j i
oi a mo.-t odious aristocracy,' the land of nul- j
liiiers, the rendezvous of treason plotters, has ;
been made to feel, at her own hearthstone, the ! ■
power of an avenging government. She, who |
ied the trait'u* van, and forced the other rebel !
>tates out of the Union, is in a fair way of ;
being brought 'Lack into the national fold,
tnough it be in chains ;' though re baptized in •
hlieid. As one has said, 'lf poverty and vie
.-pair crcueh Hue gaunt spectres at her fiie '
side-, it will be a poetic retribution for hav i
ing - *r,t p iverty and 1-spair to other fire-i ies |
in all tiie status of this Union.
But the success at i\*rt Royal an-i Beaufort
is but the beginning of other brilliant achieve ;
in -nts • g the wh !e southern coast, untii, 1
iu -v: ry port and in' r, the f! ig of the Union I
fl uts nobly, grandly as aforetime. Nor can
it h * i *ng until the niutber of waters returns
to to,.* h.yalty, and commerce resumes its won ;
ted channel, frnn t!:e great North West to .
th • Gulf of Mexico, fn Eastern Tennessee;
md North Uurolin'a union rn *n are beginning
to assert their loyalty ; nor can Eastern \ ir
giaia—exhausted, impoverinhed, and desolate j
—long remain the bulwark of secession, or
defy the grand army of tlie Union. Our !
youthful Comma a ler in-chief knows when to j
strike, and when he does move, the blow will *
bo effectual.
In those successes then, anl the prospect
of a speedy F-ue i i favor of constituted au
thurity, and the vindication of free govern- •
meat, we do well to rejoice. Rut let us not j
forget whose strength has sustained us in our ;
adversities, by whose aid we have achieved j
substantial success, and upou whom we are j
still dependent for final vietory. Let us ;
humbly and gratef'uiiy acknowledge that 1
"power superior to human might," and ren- j
der to God devout thanksgivings.
5. Still another ground for thaok-giving is j
found in the resources of material prosperity t
ichich remain to us, amid all the evils which
have fallen upon our country. We always
judge of the ease or hardships of any situa
tion, by comparison. In our own, then, and
every free State of the Union, how wondrous
our condition as contrasted with that of our
despoiled and down trodden brethren in the
Southern States ?
Here, everything is comparatively peaceful
and prosperous. Our great thoroughfares un- ;
interrupted by hostile forces. The pursuits I
of industry and the productive arts, with all j
that contributes to the health, and power, and |
progress of a people, moving on, just as if 1
half a million of our sons and brothers were i
not now gathered on distant fields, in battle ;
array, io vindicate the insulted honor of the j
nation. The pleasant rains and fruitful har- j
vest have not been withheld from as, as a pun
ishment for our national crimes, or national j
errors. The vivifying sun has not ceased to j
yicll his cheering and life giving rays. Ter- ;
rors by night disturb not our repose, nor
alarum by day interrupt our peaceful pursuits, j
We are not called upon to defend our little
fortress of home from threatened want; nor
to move, as the brave Anderson did in Charles- :
ton harbor, to the next most available one, to :
he environed, starved, and driven out, by those \
foes of domestic comfort, hunger and cold.— i
But God has blessed us with peace, given us
seedtime and harvest, 'prepared our corn and
watered our furrows,' and 'crowned the year
with his goodness.'
There is au old Spanish proverb which
says, ' He who loses his money loses much ; I
he wha loses his friends loses more; but he
who loses his spirits loses all? Instead then i
of miserable croaking or grumbling, or sink
ing into a condition of despair, let us recount
our blesi-ings, and keep up a good heart, trust- j
ing in that God who has never forsaken us. j
Let us be thankful for peace, as yet, with oih
er nations, for the absence of famine and pes- j
tilence, for the abundance and variety of the
earth's products, for individual life, and health,
and happiness.
To Borne firesides, indeed, the year has j
brought desolation and sadness. Disease has
done its work. Loved ones have fallen by
the way side. You receive not to day their
cordial greetings, nor are cheered by their i
friendly smile#. Thov have fallen ; their bat
tit.* 1 f me is over, iheir wasted forme lie
beneath the green sod, " earth to earth, ashes
to ashes, dust to dust." The tear of affection
may be dropped in memory of them : but
they themselves have gone—gone, we trust,
to a land where Death dwells not. to greet
other loved ones amid eternal thanksgivings
around the throne of God; where souls uui
ted never part again.
But for ourselves, drinking as we have done
from the ever flowing stream of God's bum
teoua goodness, what kind of an offering shall
we make? \\ hat shall we rendsr to God for
all His benefits? A mere utterance of felt
obligations; an expression of thanks; the
tribute of grateful hearts? This is well; but
is it alt that God demands? Let our offer
ing rather be one of sacrifice; according with ;
the " pence offering" of God's people in olden
time, and the legitimate idea cf thanksgiving :
under the gospel. A deist may content" hir." j
self with a mere expression of thanks to the j
God <>! the Universe ; as the Author and Dis- ■
■ nsi rof tha bounties of nature. But sure
ly "teething more is demanded of those who |
worship the God of the Bible—the God of I
gear- as weII as nature. To bo reasonable, i
intelligent, and appropriate, our offering to- !
day shouid be in laud the same as our be.ue- j
factions. Thus, are we thankful fir wealth, !
or health, or intellect ? then must these be i
consecrated to God. Are we thankful for j
comfortable homes, and abundance of food j
and raiment? then must we give to the re j
lici of God's suffering poor, and share our
loaf with him who is ready to perish. Are
we thankful for the comforts of religion ?
then must we seek to bring others to a like
happy experience. Are we thankful for the
Gospel? then must wa seek its difusion all
over the world. Are we thankful for social
beatitudes ? then roust we give ourselves to
the purification and perfection of the great
social system. Are we thankful for national
blessing-? then must we give ourselves to the
maintenance and perpetuation of all our great
natii. mil interests. And as the present strug
gle is one which involves the nation's life, be
ready to uiy d avn our oxen lives, if need be,
for its preservation : transmitting to succed
big generations the blessings of free govern
inent scattered about our feet; —the Magna
Charta of American liberty received from
our lathers—a Lniou restored, re invigorated,
inseparable, and indivisible—demonstrating
for all time and ali lands, that this grandest
experiment in human government is not to
crumble down into a roiserableyitt/ure ; but
to be as it is destined to be, a great
and glorious success. In a word, our offering
day i> the sacrifice of ourselves; <>ur own liv
iwj entice selves; to Clod and our country.
THE MIHITiTO.j
NATIONAL HYMN.
Ill" RICUVRD STUKKS WHJJS.
t.
Anthem of liberty. '
Holejim and grand.
Wake in thy lofriiu -s.
Hwecp through the land:
Light in • aoli breast anew
Patriot tires.
Pledge the old Hag again—
Flag of our sires!
Fling all thy 1.1.1- abroad,
thinner of light.'
\\ ave. wave, forever,
Flag of our might!
Goii for our banner.
Freedom and right!
Amen! Aineti!
11.
Spirit of Unity,
Potent diviiie,
Come in tliy kindiincsc,
Ail hearts entwine!
Prove to our enemies
Ever a rock,
And to each traitor-scheme
Ruinous shock 1
Wake the old banner word!
Shout it amain.
Union forever!
Once and again'
Union forever!
God il maintain!
Amen! Amen!
111.
Shades of our forefathers,
Pass through the land,
Clothed in full majesty,
'rerrible, grand
" Faith, Hope and Charity"
Rule in each breast!
Faith in our fatherland,
Hope in our Lord,
Charity still to all
Blindly who've erred!
God sate the Government!
Loug it defend!
Thine is the kingdom,
Father and Friend!
Thine bo the glory,
World without euu!
Amen 1 Amen !
4.5 4 UA'J*
Edited by A. SMITH, County Superintendent.
For the Educational Coluniu.
Reviewing.
1 have a number of times heard this
sentiment given by teachers at our County
Institutes, "Not how much, but how well"
—a sentiment well worth repeating but
better worth acting upon. This, however,
[ fear is not done as thoroughly as it should
be; if it were, we should have more review
ing done in our schools. The importance
; of going over with what has beeu learned
some time after the lessons have been first
recited —in short, of reviewing frequently,
| cannot be over estimated.
There are many scholars who learn very
readily and always have the lesson for the
day so that they can recite it fluently, who
j nevertheless (for the very reason that it is
so easily committed) do not remember so
that at the end of a week they can give
j any correct synopsis or even general idea
of that day's lesson. Such scholars will be
greatly benefited by a weekly, or more
frequent, review. It will tend to give them
a more thoughtful and less hasty way of
preparing the lesson at the first and will
assist them in retaining what they learn.
Many, indeed the majority of pupils,
learn each day's lesson without any special
thought of its conuection with or depen
dence upon those which have preceded it.
The weekly review will shoe to them the
close and interesting connection between
different chapters and rules; and how
Thursday's lesson depends tor its especial
proof or force upon the ideas and truths
found in Monday's, or that Friday's portion
j can only be thoroughly understood and ap
preciated when it is shown how delicate
threads of connection attach it to ali the
preceding lessons of the week. Titus it
will be not only more beneficial, but doubly
interesting, to the pupils.
But many teachers do not follow the
plan of reviewing. There must be for this
! come reasons ; what are they ?
A few (?) teachears have an idea that tG
get through the book is the great desider
j atura. Most scholars arc possessed with
| this heresy. Of course there can be no
possible objection to one's getting through
iho book at any time provided one under
stands it well. It is net the being through
that is objectionable, butthe hurrying, skirn
| ming, coming through with a superficial
| knowledge of what one has been over, with
j a vague idea that Arithmetic has to do
; with ciphering, Grammar with conjugating
I I love , History with tho record of a few
! battles. I knew scholars who have been
| studying American History for several ses
sinus who could not tell me now where the
battle of Lexington was fought, between
what parties and from what cause. To get
through, is not the idea, but to grasp the
parts thoroughly, understandingly, so that I
in the end the whole may be attained with j
perfectness.
Some teachers are too lazy to take the
trouble to review. Now nobody has any
right to be lazy, particularly not you, ()
teacher . Aside from the higher consider
ations of duty that are suggested by such j
commands as, u Be diligent in business,"
"Wha tsoc-ver thy hand findeth to do, do it
with all thy might," and the responsibility
that every Christian teacher ought to feel
to use every moment to the benefit of the
scholars under his charge, there is another
idea not so lofiy or noble, but yet true and
worthy of consideration—the School Direc
tors do not hire you to be lazy. They do
hire you to be as active as you can to secure
the good of your pupils during the time
you are with them.
lour time in the schoolroom is not your
: own in which to take it easy or not, as you
| please, but isyouremployers'andyourschol
j ars to use to the full in whatever way seems
j best for the advancement of your school.
' And if reviewing is conducive to that r.d-
I vancemcnt, then it is your duty to attend
i to it, even though it take more time and ,
I talking and attention than every time to i
j let them " take from where you left off to
i the bottom of the next pag." S. S
Teachers' Convention.
j There are some special reasons for trying
| to render the Convention at Milroy during
.the Holidays highly successful. This
; county has a very respectable name for the
attendance of its teachers upon Institutes,
and their praiseworthy efforts to make the
I best use of all such aids to improvement.
It is to be hoped that the number at Mil
roy will be so great as to add to this repu
tation. The real benefit which may reas
onably be expected from a careful attention
to the exercises of the Convention, and
participation in them, should induce all
teachers who can, to be present on that oc
casion. This should be indueementenough,
but fortunately we can urge a far stronger
motive, Prof. Bates, Deputy State Super
intendent, will be there and will speak at
length upon Physical Education, and will
illustrate his remarks by various exercises
suitable for introduction into Schools. It
is very desirable that all the teachers of
the county be witnessess of this part of the
proceedings of the Convention.
Let every teacher who is conscious of
' any necessity for improvement in knowl
i edge or professional skill, determine to at
j tend. A. s.
A Good Education.
True education is the most desirable of
all that is good; and therefore should nut
be neglected.
In the soul of man, *g o °d and evil lie
near each other. If the latter, for want of
j education, get the upper hand, the man
| falls beneath himself.
I But education, which promotes goodness,
j raises him above himself.
It is by education that the man first be
j comes truly a man. Plato.
j Excellent was the saying of the Lace
daemonian educator : ' 1 teach the boys
! to take pride in what is good, and to abhor
' what is shameful.'
This is iu truth the most beautiful and
most noble aim which man can have in ed
ucation. Plutarch.
'■ The remark wag well founded which
' Crates the Theban was accustomed to make,
> that if it were possible, he would stand on
) the highest place in the city, and cry out,
; i with all his power, 4 What are you tbink
-1 ing of, you people, that you are devoting
all your industry to the acquirement of
3 riches, but take no care at all of your
1 children, to whom you are going to leave
f them V
1 I might add, that such a father behaves
• ! like one who bestows all his care on the
' ! sandal, but neglects the foot above it.
1 j Plutarch.
- i The young should be accustomed to obe
New Series—Vol. XVI, No. 8.
: dience, in order that they may find it easy
■ to obey reason.
They should be led in the best pathway
oi life ; ami the habit will soon becou-e
j pleasant to them. I'ythmjorus.
Meet teachers sow plants instead of seeds;
Ido n °t proceed from the most simple prin
; ciples.
b irst, the senses should be exercised;
I then the memory, then the understanding,
and lastly, the judgment; and all by com
mencing as science does, with an induc
' tion.
i he pupil should learn nothing by roto
which he has not already comprehended.
I He should learn nothing which is not
j useful cither for ouc or another condition
| in life.
! very art is learned by practice. The
teacher must do the work before the schol
ar docs it. Comcnius.
It is not overloading with dead knowl
edge, but the purifying and strengthening
v i the moral feelings, which is the highest
J aim of education. Lucian.
A Bit of Romance.
Among the many coincidences brought
about by ibis war, we relate the following:
Mr. John Stewart, Tyrone city, a young
i man about 18 or 20 years of age, and a
member of ('apt. Jones' Tyrone Company,
which belongs to the Juniata Regiment,
and which war, encamped in Camp Cros
tnan, mot a Miss Drennon, of this place,
for the fir :t time on Wednesday evening
last, and it appears that they both ' loved
at first sight,' perhaps ' not wisely, but tou
well,' for between 12 and 1 o'clock on
: Thursday niglit, they went to find the
i Chaplain of the regiment to marry them,
but tailing to fiud him at that hour, noth
ing daunted, nor yet the least discouraged,
J but woiully disappointed, they gave it up
. to renew their search for him at early dawn.
, As the regiment was to leave in the niorn
, ing there was no time to be lost, and at an
1 early hour they were on the look-out for
I the chaplain, but did not succeed in find
ing him until a short time before the trains
I started, when they repaired to the I'enna.
i Central station house, and were then and
there united in the hoiy bunds of niatri
| uiony. Their honeymoon was of short but
sweet duration, for they had but a few
minutes to chat together, when he was or
! dered to jump aboard. With a few fond
and affectionate embraces, such as only a
j newly married couple know how to do up
j to perfection, an J the shedding of tears on,
both sides, which flowed copiously aud
without restraint, he was gone, lie to re
' new his pledge to his Country, in some
new field of action, and she to her tempo
rary place of residence, to mourn over the
departure of her husband of but an hour.
A bride for an hour, and a widow, per
haps, the balance of kpr days. We are
told that Miss Drennon, (now Mrs. Stew
art) is a lady of unimpeachable character,
and her friends are very much astonished
jnt her conduct in this affair. She has uot
been acquainted with her husband ten days
yet, but to every intent and purpose, is al
j ready a widow. Such is life. In this case
we are reminded very forcibly of the old
axiom, < Marry in haste and repent at leis
ure.' Should ho be so fortunate as to re
turn to his wife after an eventful career
with the rebels, we wish them all the felic
i ity and joys of this life, for he has certain
ly shown his undying devotion to the Un
! ion.— Huntimjdun Globe.
j
B@„The following anecdote is told of the
, | President by 'The Boston Journal:
' One of the soldiers in the Vermont reg
iment to which private Scott, the soldier
> i sentenced to be shot for sleeping upon his
post, belonged, relates an iucident which
! shows in a strong light the kind hearted
character of our President. Scott was to be
shot early in the morning. On the after
j noon before, it was decided to pardon him,
[• but the place of his confinement was six or
seven miles from Washington. President
Lincoln telegraphed to the officer in charge
. of the execution, but getting no reply, and
• fearing that his message might have mis
carried, he went himself after dark to the
encampment, to make sure that all was right.
She Died Young.
Beneath this stone, a lump of clay,
Lies Isabella Young,
Who on the twenty-fourth of May,
. Began to hold her tongue.
' good one' is told of a Quaker
, volunteer who was in a \ irginia skirmish.
' Coming into pretty cbsc quarters with a
' I rebel, he remarked —
' Friend, it is unfortunate, but thee stands
! where lam going to shoot,' and, blazing
' away, down came the secesher.
, 1 I tell you that I shall commit suicide,
- if yon don't have me.'
; ' Well Charley, as soon as you have given
1 me that evidence of your affection, I will
believe you love me.'
' He immediately hung himself upon her
neck and said : ' There now, is not that
i an act of Susyside V She wilted.
A contemporary says, ' a female recruit
in Rochester was detected by trying to pu^
- j her pants over her head.'