THE OPEN POLAR SEA.
WHAT A BAII.OR WHO IIAB BRBX
THKRK HAYS.
Captain A. B. Tuttlo, who claims
to have had u longer ami more varied
experience us a seaman than almost
any man now living, is in Washing
ton to negotiate with the government
for a small steamer, to assist in his
further explorations in Arctic Seas.
Captain Tuttle is a native of New-
York, but at the ago of sixteen ran
away from his parents and went to sea,
and has ever since, soiuo thirty-five
venrs, been n seafaring man. Ho has
been all over the globe, he says, and
has sailed in every sea, and has made
twenty voyages to the Arctic regions.
Since bis early manhood he bus been
enptaiu of wlmliug and surveying
■hips. One of the things tout par
ticularly attracted his attention in sail
ing northward was that he found the
sea more and more open, especially
every fourth year. He made his lust
trip about a year ago, starting from
Hakodado, Japan, in a full-rigged
ship, with forty-five men all told.
In latitude 7H he found an o]>cu sea
clear of ice. In latitude N1 lie no
ticed an extraordinary dip of the
compass, und on taking soundings dis
covered the cause of it to be immense
lodes of a magnetic substance in five
fathoms of water. It was mixed with
minerals and fine particles of gold.
In latitude 82 he encountered the ice
belt, grounded under the water, and
extended in height in some places over
400 feet. It stretched east and west
as far us the eye can reach, llere he
discovered that the needle pointed due
south, and in his own mind concluded
that the magnetic deposit he hud pass
ed hal some connection with the di
rection in which the needle usually
pointed. By climbing to the highest
points on the icy harrier he could see
directly into an open polar sea lying
beyond, and by tracing along the belt
castwardlv he found a passage through
into this sea, with a depth of 00 fa
thoms, or 540 feet. The water was
quite warm, and a gulf stream was
steadily setting out with a velocity of
from four to six miles per hour. He
pulled through this passago in whale
boats, and found it to be about eigh
teen miles wide.
Iu the north part of this open sen
he found nearly fresh leaves of plan
tains, bananas and other tropical
plants floating on the water, and show
ing that they had been ofT the trees but
a short time. I-aet October he found
u large female whale going north
through the oj>en passage IK- fore men
tioned, and also saw migratory birds
going north. In July these birds
went back south with their young,
and about the same time, he observed
whales going south with their young.
From these facts ho concludes that
during a consideiable part of tbe year
there is a warm climate within the
open polar sea sufficient to produce
tropical fruits. In the ice harriers on
one of his trips he found bones and
tusks of the mastodon, which in 1476,
he carried to the Centennial at Phila
delphia. They were so large that
some naturalists thought that the ani
mal to which they belonged must have
been forty feet in length. He also
found some hard wood in the shajs? of
troughs imbedded in the ice. They
looked like feeding troughs, and the
edges had the appearance of having
been gnawed by animals.
In sailing west he struck the north
part of the coast of New Liberia,
where he found a race of people that
he thought no one had ever seen be
fore or heard of. Thev spoke an un
known language which sounded like
Hebrew. They spoke a few words of
Hawaiian aud the Esquimaux langu
age, and with these and the aid of
signs they conveyed the idea that they
came from the north. He was a little
acquinted with the Esquimaux langu
age, having passed four winters with
that people, living on raw walrus,
whale blubber ami bear meat. Du
ring one of these winters, which are
without daylight, he made a journey
of three hundred and eighty miles in
the dark.
During his adventurous terror he
has met with many disasters, the most
serious of which was an encounter
with a polar bear. He had both arms
and both legs broken, aud lost one
finger off his left hand, another being
so badly lacerated by the teeth of the
animal that it is sadly out of sha|ie.
He also lost two ribs, which wen* com
pletely torn from bis body, which
near* the marks of wounds which it
seems almost incredible that any mr.n
could receive and live. The polar
bears attain an incredible size, some
being reported to weigh as much as
three thousand pound*. He contem
plates making another trip to further
explore the open polar sea, but needs
a small steamer for towing purposes,
which he hopes to obtain from tho
government He proposes to start
some time in 1850.
A COLORKD firm recently dissolved
partnership and posted the following
notice to tM public; "De dissolution
of copartnerships benttofb resisted lie
twix me and Muses Jones, in de bar
ber profession am heretofb dissolved.
Pumuds who owe must pay to the sub
scriber. Pern what de firm ose must
eail on Jones, as de firm am involved.
Labor without ceasing to do all the
good in your power, while time is al
lowed you, for the night will come
■ when DO man can work.
A PLEA FOR TIIE TUOt'T.
fivmlha Altoona Trltiuim.
We noticed yesterday that Repre
sentative (lilland had ottered in the
House n supplement to gatno laws re
lating to elk and deer. Wo wish
either he or Mr. Hewit would go a
step further und amend the law so for
as it relates to the catching of brook
trout. The indiscriminate slaughter
that nnnually takes place of this gamy
fish, without respect to size, calls for
some repressive legislation. There ure
a- class of fish pirates—it would be a
libel to call them sportsmen —who
fish for numbers rather than quality.
They do not regard any person their
equul in the manipulation of the rod
and line, unless he can surpass them
in the capture of ten or fifteen dozen
of troutlets, ranging from one to four
inches in iength, though the real
sportsman may succeed in capturing
from six to a dozen that will weigh
more than the pirates whole basket of
minnows. There is more real pleas
ure in taking a twelve inch trout than,
as one puts it, "there is iu creeping
through the bushy little side streams,
fishing with a microscope book, and
bringing in a gross or two of small fry,
averaging a half ounce in weight
apiece." The true sportsmnn deplores
this sort of pot fishing, this invasion of
"the precincts, the cradles of the inno
cents," who arc to keep up the supply
iu the streams to which trout nre in
digenous. It is a monstrous and wick
ed waste, for what would in two or
three years be a hundred weight of
trout is now crowded into a day's
sport.
It is useless for our Fish Commis
sion to stock streams with trout, unless
thev at the same time throw around
the small fry some adequate legal pro
tcctiou. \\ by not put the same re
striction iu regard to size on the catch
ing of trout that there is on black
bass? The law forbids the killing of
bass less than six inches in length.
Why should not the same restriction
i lie applied to that much hotter fish,
trout ? The headwaters of many of
our streams swarm with the small fry.
They remain in the locality where they
: were spawned until after a certain age,
when they seek the lower and deeper
i waters of the run, creek or the river,
if they can get there. The upper
waters of trout streams are the nurs
eries, and they should scarcely ever be
invaded. lauU season the writer trnmp
id several miles up one of our trading
trout streams, only to find the waters
inhabited by numbers of small fry.
The numlier captured, fit to grace a
sportsman's creel, was so insignificant
as to afford no adequate reward for
the toil and worry over rooks and logs,
ami through the thick undergrowth.
This has been his experience on sev
eral occasions, and will not lie reprat
ed. However, it is a glorious field for
fish pirates, who revel in quantity, no
matter if that quantity is reduced to
pulp when traii|N>rUd home, ami then
thrown awav. "Oh, I caught twelve
dozen" is the pride of such fishermen,
ami satisfies all demands ami ques
tions.
A* Mr. Hcwit is a member of the
Fish Commission we trust ho will take
this matter in hand at once, and have
the law co amended as will limit the
size of the fish killed, and also the
length of the trout season. Long ex
[>enencc and close observation of the
inbits of brook trout, convince u* that
the law should forbid their capture
after the 15th of June. The destruc
tion after this period amounts almost
to annihilation. From the 15th of
March to the Ist of June would be an
excellent limitation, affording a pro
tection which would, in connection
with the penalty of live dollars for
killing trout under six inches in length,
be a vast help to the Fish Commission
in replenishing our now almost depop
ulated streams of this species of the
finny tribe. Unless some such restric
tive legislation is enacted, wc regard
all efforts to stock the streams of this
State with brook trout as a piece of
foolishness and so much time and
money thrown away. We hnve Urged
this matter upon the attention of the
Legislature for several years past, and
we hope Mr. ilewit will embrace this
opportunity to give these views prac
tical effect, and in doing so we feel
sure he will receive the thanks of
every genuine troutist in the State.
They will prove a heavy blow to the
pirates that infest the waters of the
Commonwealth, while it will prove a
lasting benefit to the great majority of
our citizens.
HOW HAYES "8CBIXP8."
II J. R Is lh. Phlll>lpliU Tim#*.
Mr. Hnycs receives an annual salarp
of 150,000 —a good round income, it
must lie confessed. There is no way
of finding out all of his pickings or
allowances, hut some of them I am
able to mention. In the first place, ho
gets his house rent and furniture free.
Not a curtain or chair, or blanket or
nankin, or towel does be have to buy.
All bis fuel is furnished by the Gov
ernment, and not a cent does he have
to pav for gas. His vegetables are
raise*] in the public gardens by a gar
dener paid by the Government. His
steward is paid by the Government,
and so are his cooks and his coachman.
How many other servants our good
Government pays for I do not know,
but, so far as I can see, Mr. Hayes'
only expenses iu the White House are
for meats and groceries. Even his
doctor and medicine are paid for by
the Government, Even hie beef cornea
from tho Government butcher, and he
pays only the cost price which the
Government paid on the hoof. In
other words, the Government buys an
ox alive for beef, paying, say four
cents a pound. The President gets
the IHH*f at the same rate, and so the
White House table is supplied with
sirloiu steak, tenderloin steak, porter
house steak and rib roasts for four
cents per pound, while the depurtnicut
clerk, on $1,200 a year, pays from
fifteen to twenty cents per pound for
his lieef. The President does not buy
wine or liquors—how economical tcm
perunce is! Wines have always been
a big item in the White House, for it
was never conducted on temperance
principles before. Wines being out of
the question and nil the advantages
counted, will any head of a household
who is accustomed to good living tell
me that it costs Mr. Hayes more than
$10,(100 a year to live? If the family
is charitable I have not heard of it.
True, a bouquet of flowers is occasion
ally sent to a fair or hospital, hut,
bless you, the flowers were raised in n
Government conservatory cared for
by a Government florist. Even in
the summer time flic President |>nys
no house rent, but lives in n house be
longing to the old soldiers of the
country and supported by contribu
tions from the soldiers in the regular
army.
TIIE "PINAFORE" ANALYZED.
REFLECTIONS BY ONE "WHO WAS
THERE," AND LEPT-HANDED
CRITICISM.
From th tVijlrvUma Democrat.
!!* jroti eff (MB * Uttrops?i
X, never.
U bftC N-vrr?
Well, hardly sv#r.
We have lx-on to see the "Pinafore,"
that charming little ojs-ra which ha*
been drawing such magnificent audi
ences at the Hroad Street Theatre,
Philadelphia. We were charmed, of
course. No one could follow the
sparkling music without being more
limn pleased, while the changing
character of the plav is of the highest
interest for such a simple little thing.
Kupjiose we follow the play, and try to
discover the secret of the unparalleled
success which has greeted this opera.
The. curtin rolls up. and discovers
twenty-two sailors of the good ship
"Pinafore" engnged in cleaning up the
deck, burnishing brasses, splicing
ropes, etc., while in a moment thev
burst into a sailor's chorus "We're
sober men and true, and attentive to
our duty," etc. "Little Buttercup,"
comes to the front, armed with an im
mense basket, filled with all sorts of
provisions suitable for sailors,
"ltnlph Ilackstraw," a fine young sail
or lad, sings of his hopeless love fyr
"Josephine," the captain's daughter,
and "Sir Joseph Porter, K. it., the
ruler of the (Queen's Navee," makes
hi# appearance in a Imrgc manned
by twelve trusty sailors ami attended
by his "sisters and his cousins and his
aunts." Among these is the leautiful
"Cousin Hebe," who ha# set all Phila
delphia wild about her surpassing
lieautv. The admiral compel# the
captain to sav, "if you please" to his
men, and calls him to tak for Using
one profane word. Thia profane word
i# wrung from the captain by discov
ering that Josephine and Ralph are
preparing to elope. The admiral or
ders Ralph in chnins and the captain
to retire to his cabin in disgrace, when
"Little Buttercup" ap|>enr* on the
scene and complicates matters bcauti
fully by the relation of the following
story: Many years ago, when she was
young and charming, she had practised
liaby farming, which we must know
was m<#t alarming. Two tender ba
lnea she nursed, one being of low con
dition, and one of tipper crust, a regu
lar patrician. Now these two bnhic*
she mixed ami not a creature knew iL
However she could do it, we do not
know, but the complications are mani
fest when she announces that the high
Imrn lad was Ralph, and the captain
was he other. Thi# complication
eventuates in the changelings again
resuming proper places, Ralph, as
•-aptain of the "Pinafore," and the
former captain, a member of the
crow. Cousin Hclie takes charge of
the admiral, Josephine and her cajv
tain mate, while the former captain
takes Little Buttercup and promises
"never to lie untrue to thee. What,
never? No, never. What, never?
Well, hardly ever."
Now, all this is given by a chorus
of fifty voices, male and female, nml
is highly captivating. It* many
change* of tone, tune, music and senti
ment, together with the perfect purity
of the play, have made it the musical
succem of the season. It i* safe to say
that thousands who have never been
inside a theatre before, have attended
this opera since it* introduction in
Philadelphia. Ministers and church
member* have recommended it highly,
and why ? It* perfect purity is the
only reason which can be given. The
people of Philadelphia, and the
country round about know a good
thing when they see it, aud, knowing,
dare appreciate.
But there are sora6 features in the
plot, which to us appear funnily twist
ed. For instance, the absurdity of an
admiral teaching a ship's crew how
to dance a hornpipe; the idea of said
admiral ordering a captain to say "If
you please" to his disciplined <?rew;
both admiral and crew are terrible
shocked upon hairing the captain's
only profane word; the little Butter
cup nursed both captain and Ralph,
making them both the same age, but,
in our play, wo find Ralph to bo a lad
of' twenty, tho apparent age of June*
phine, the captain's daughter, while
tho whole thing is rendered still more
absurd, by Little Buttercup (nurse),
being madly in love with the captain,
whom sho afterwards marries. Hut
still the ojM-rn is a good one, the sing
ing being magniliceut, and we doubt
not a liettor one will never visit Phila
delphia again. That is hardly ever.
PROFANITY.
Kv tract fp.fn wrtami on a reeenl nri sdon l>y
IUv.J. MlLTu* tr.fK, l>mfnrv tho Will Ifuw
O-uilMiiy, of Danville, r*
Ami right hero let me s|K>ak of a
terrildo sin that is so common, that
the public conscience seems perfectly
blunted to its wickedness. Let me
speak of it kindly, und because I can
not, I dare not, pass by the opportuni
ty, for your nukes.
If there is a God Who is Almighty,
Who has written Ten Commandments
for man's obedience, Who has mark
ed one of those com mandinents with a
peculiar and terrible emiiliaj-is, what
can we think of those who seem by
Satan's help to select that one com
mandment and break it with almost
every breath tlicy draw! Men who
would not, dare not, ste al or murder,
yet in ordinary conversation, with and
without excitement will blaspheme
God's holy name ami call down lib
curse upon their fellows. "Thou eh alt
no I take the Xante of the J/ord thy (tod
in rain : for the. Lord will not hold him
yuiltlese that taketh hie Xante in vain."
I know that men do not know what
they are doing in this sin of profanity.
It is an ignorant defiance of Heaven !
It is something fearful to hear the pro
funity in these streets: curses lisped
out by infant lips, and the Almighty's
Name and His curse mouthed out. by
young and old, rich and poor, high
nml low, men and women ! It is Itor-
rib!'-, to those who are trying to be
Christians. The least and lowest view
of it if, that it if iuteuw ly vulgar: ac
cording to (lie Bible it is sinful pre
sumption and impious before (iod!
I And methinks it haf put 011 a new
form of late yeans ; because theHacrcd
] Nnrne seems to le jsartieularly the
! Name to IK; profaned—" the Same of
Jem*," at which the Divine word tells
i us; sooner or later, "even/ knee
shoull bow, of thing* in Heaven, and
thing* in hsirth, and thing* under the
Earth." (Phil. 11, 10.) i'here seems
j to be a new and dreadful intensity to
this profanity, which so far as we
know was not always beard, by this
use of the Saviour's Name. 1 have
thought it might be a part ami parcel
of Satan's peculiar work for just those
times. I localise, the iwculiar form of
the infidelity and false teaching of
this day is the intention to put down
the written word of God or the liihle,
and to Isdittle the attributes of the
Living Word, Jesus Christ, Who is
thought also to IK- the personified Wis
dom of the Old Testament. 80 it may
Ik' that Satan uses now men's profanity
i in this peculiar shocking form, to make
the .Sacred Name to seem leas holy in
men's sight. If wo hear it every day
amid cursing and vulgarity, how does
it sound to the same cars in hymns,
ami the praise* of the Sanctuary.
Young men, I beg of you, do not,
for the sake of that dear Saviour Who
hung upon the bloody Cross for your
souls; Who will judge your aouls at
the last day, do not take (iod'* holy
Name nor the Name of His Only Son
upon your lip* in vain. It is to lie
feared the drunkard*, Uie whore-mon
ger*, the idolalor*, and the munierer*
are not more sure to Ik* cast out of the
Kternal Kingdom of (iod than they
*rho take Hod'* Same in rain ! It is a
sin without a temptation or advantage ;
it i* Saian'i empty hook, at which hu
manity seems to bite with insane wil
i liugnew!
A ROMAMT, (IF PEARLS.
1 tssdn lM ukl W.t.r
I will tell you a circumstance that
i happened twenty-five or thirty years
ago, when I was residing in (Calcutta.
| One morning our friend, the late I)r.
Yaw, Surgeon of the 1 loyal Army,
| brought to my husband," Dr. John
(iraut, a Im>x containing twelve or
; thirteen pearls of various sizos, saying:
: "Grant, you arc a well-known man in
I Calcutta, and I want you to hear the
curious account of these jiearls and to
take charge of the box ami let me
J know any change that you may aee in
• thent. Their history is as follows:
About forty years ago a lady at Am
boytta gave a pearl to each of two
sisters, saying, 'These are breeding
pearls: take g'ssl care of them; never
touch them with the hand, as heat in
jures them, and feed them on rice.'
One of these sisters has just come U
Calcutta, and she ha* I cut the box to
me to show you. In the forty years
she has had it this is the result
twelve or thirteen young ones." The
box was opened and there lay on the
cotton the mother peart. A rather
large but ill-shaped individual. The
eldest daughter, as I called it, was a
lovely pearl about the site that jewel
ers generally set three in a ring. The
others were perfect in shape, but
gradually decreased in sise; two very
small ones 1 called the twins, as they
stuck to-gether, and the last was a wee
seed pearl.
According to instructions, rice was
put into the box, which was locked in
a secret drawer in the cabnet, of which
my husband alone had the key. Af
ter some days we opened the box, and
to our astonishment we found that
every grain of rice bad been nibbled.
I cannot think of a better word. How
nibbled I cannot imagine, hut that one
fact I can vouch for. A few day*
later we had lo leave (Calcutta. The
box wan returned to Dr. Van*, and
w hat become of it I know not. I
have often mentioned it to my friends,
and Home yearn ago 1 mw in a hook
that lay upon my friend's tiihle that
people in the Kant believe in breeding
pearl*.
BIUUEK MEN THAN HRITONN.
THE NATION THAT ROUTED A ISRITUII
A KM Y —<llA KACTERWTH * Of
TUB ZULUS.
An old and tried friend * mine,
who has lived half bin life in South
Africa, and in intimately acquainted
with the native character, expressed n
very high opinion of the Zulus, when
I called on him the other day for a
little information on the subject.
'1 he Zulu Cadres are, raid be, fine
fellows, both physically and intellect
ually ; their splendid physique and
aquiline feature* are a pleasing con
trast to many of the native African
races. For faithfulness, industry, and
honesty, you might search the world
over and not find their equals. When
I first took up my residence perma
nently in Natal, some years ago, 1
had the management of one of the
principal hanks in the country, and
was astonished to find the implicit
confidence which was placed in Zulu
honesty—a confidence which, in no
single instance; that ever 1 heard of,
proved in the least misplaced. Plant
ers used to send a Zulu ten, twenty,
and even sixty miles to the hank with
a check for wages, with, (icrliaps, a
note instructing what proportion was
to lie pai'l in silver and what in gold.
1 have oft u wen a Zulu cheerfully
trot off with a little hag slung over
his shoulder, containing as much as
£IOO. 'ih< ir endurance is wonderful;
the distance from Durban lo Maritz
berg, or Pictcrmaritzbcrg. as it used to
la; called, is fifty-six miles, and the
Fnglisli mail used to be carried on
the hack- of Zulu postmen lite entire
distance. Although there is a rise of
12,'MHt feet, and the carriers had port
manteaus strapped on their hacks
filled with letters and newsi>aper, ami
varying in weight from 75 to 125
(sounds, they used to perform the
journey regularly in twelve hours, and
came in n> a daisy!"
Are they a cleanly race?
Yes, almost too much so: I used to
wi-h they would instill their scrupu
lousness* in this resjxv-t into the dirty
"Bushmen" and Hottentots. The fel
lows are always washing themselves or
their clothes. I had a faithful servant
who prayed inc. with ttars in bis eyes,
to take him to Kugland with me on
my first return to the old country. 1
remember once making him a present
of a pair of black cloth pantaloons,
with [which lie was highly delighted ;
be used to Wash them three time* a
week regularly—a process which,
though not conducive to the longevity
of the pantaloons, spoke volumes for
Zulu cleanliness.
I'm no pesimit, said the old colonist,
and any man would be a fool to doubt
what the final result nf a collision
letwcen Kugland ami Zululaml would
lie. yet I far the authorities make a
mi-take in overestimating the efficiency
of the force* at their disposal, and un
derrating those of Cetywayo. There
are about 7,000 native troops in Na
tal and the Transvaal, and 5,000
whites. The number of Zulu warriors
is ostimati-d nt 40,000, hut I am cer
tain they could throw OO.OtH) fighting
men into Durban in n single night.
When roused, they fight like wi Ideals,
and as nearly every able-bodied man
has been supplied with n breech-load
ing rifle by the trader* from Delagoa
Hay, it is most unwise to despise their
(wwers of doing mischief.
IT IH not the boy alone who stand*
on the burning deck. That nerve is
not a masculine monopoly occur* to
: one on reading how Mr*. Isadora Mid
dlcton, of Mobile, the other night, out
witted a burglar. While putting
away some jewelry she noticed that the
library lamp had thrown upon the
• floor at her foet the shadow of a man
who wa cnmching under a table. The
shadow was so distinct that she saw
that the open hand had hut two fing
i ers. The instant conviction flashed
; upon her that she was alone in the
room with n negro desperado suspected
| of several burglaries, and having but
i two fingers on his right band. There
was no one in the house beside herself
hut one maid -servant. She went "to
; the table, under which the burglar was
concealed, and rang for the girl, and
wrote a note: "Take this to the jewel
er's at once," she said, "and hring
home mv diamond necklace and ear
rings. They are my most valuable i
jewelry, and I do not wish to pass
another night without having them in <
toy bureau drawer." And then the
brave woman sat there and read the j
newspaper, and hummed an operatic
air, ami when the door bell rang, went
carelessly down stairs and admitted
Bridget and the policemen she had
sent tor. "Two-fingered Jeff" is now
serving a twenty years' sentence In the
state prison.
"EUOEXIA, Eugenia, will you still
insist on wearing the hair or another
woman upon your head?" "Alphoose,
Alphonse. do you still insist upon
wearing the skin of another calf upon
your feet?"
To remove paint from the wall
back up against it before it gets dry.
ANECDOTE OF VICTORIA.
Queen Victoria was not twenty
yearn of age when she ascended the
throne, (iomiug into possession of
power with a heart fresh, tender and
(Mire, mid with all her instincts inclin
ed to mercy, we may be sure that she
found many things that tried her
strength of resolution to the utmost.
On a bright, beautiful morning, the
young queen was waited upon at her
rmlace of Windsor by the Duke of
Wellington, who had brought from
Indon various pajier* requiring her
signature to render them operative.
One of them was a sentence of court
martial, pronounced against a soldier
of the line—that sentence that he bo
shot dead!
The quoen looked upon the paper,
ami then looked upon the wonderou*
beauties that nature hud spread to bt-r
view.
"What has this rnau done?" she
asked.
The Duke looked at the paper, and
replied:
"Ah, my royal mistress, that man, I
fear, is incorrigible. Jle has deserted
; three times."
"And can you not say anything in
his behalf, my lord ?"
Wellington shook his load.
"O! think agniu, I pray you!"
Seeing that her majesty was so deep
ly moved, ami feeling sure that she
would not have the man shot in any
event, he finnlly confessed that the
man was brave, and gallant, ami real
ly a good soldier. "But," he added,
I "think of the influence."
"Influence?" cried Victoria, her
eves flashing, and her bosom heaving
j with strong emotion. "Let it be ours
jto yield influence. I will try mercy
jin this man's cae, and I charge you,
I your grace, to let me know the result.
| A go<I soldier, you said. Oh! I thank
you for that. Ami you may tell him
that your good word saved him."
Then she took the paper, aud wrote,
i with a bold, Arm hand, across the dark
page, the bright, saving word —"I'ar-
! domd!"
The duke was fond of telling the
! story ; and was willing also to confess
that the giving of that paper to the
pardoned soldier gave hitn far more
joy than he could have experienced
from the taking of a city.
DRIFT OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
! FrtJ lb* lftUtmtffti Critic.
The machinery of our public school
system is getting to cumbersome and
costly. It i* losing it* old time sim
plicity and directness of management,
ami as a result all sort* of experiments
are at tern pud, just to please the fancy
lof some "friends of education." The
original idea of State education, which
was in the language of the Constitu
tion of 1838, "that the poor may be
taught gratis," is beiug lost sight of in
providing the luxuries of education for
the children of the well-to-do and
wealthy. Thus the schools are made
training institutions to fit "young
ladies" and "young gentlemen" for
the seminary and university. The
euergies of superintendents and direc
tors, especially in the cities and larger
towus, arc not devoted to seeing that
the poor and ignorant are educated in
the elementary branches, but rather
to extending and enlarging the course
lof instruction in the higher branches.
All this is in the wrong direction.
The schools should reach down to the
' poor and lowly rather than up to the
wealthy and well provided. It is of
very little importance to the State
that it should furnish the means of
•duration for the children of wealthy
]>arents, or even those of moderate cir
cumstances. Tli v will be well edu
cated anyhow, liut the case is dif
ferent with the very poor and ignorant,
i their training in the elementary branch
es is a prime nerossity, and if the
State does not provide lite means, they
will grow up in ignorance.
In the development of our school
system, and fitting it to the wishes and
theories of the more cultured class,
this vital fact has been lost sight of.
One of the worst things connected with
jthe recent attempts to mix the school
question with politics, is the selling up
the system as perfection itself; some
j thing that must be criticised as too
costly to the taxpayers, or failing in
; the most important requirements of
State education. An avowal of thia
kind is apt to bring down on one's head,
from the host of superintendents and
directors, each one equipped with his
separate hobby, the allegwlioo that
you arc an enemy of popular educa
tion, old fogyish, or behind the times.
They have planned everything on a
magnificent scale, and fealty to this is
insisted on a* an essential of good
citizenship. There are gratifying evi
dences that the people are commencing
lo rebel at these assumptions, and that,
at no remote day, they will be checked
in a summary manner, and the expe
riment tried of developing the educa
tional system downward so as to im
prove its efficiency in meeting the
wants of the lower strata of popula
tion, rather than upward for the oeaa
fii of the wealthy.
"WHAT does your husband dof*
asked the census man.
"He ain't doin' nothing at this time
of the vow," replied the young wife.
*I be a pauperf" inquired the con
win runt!
She blushed scarlet to the ears.
"Ijiw, do?" she exclaimed, some
what indignantly. "We ain't bee*
married more'n sut weeks,*