Or foul disgrace are they. silent as when infant dreams Steal o'er the cradle-down, They weave their sparkling silver threads in with the Hack, or brown. Viiav hairs!—the waningbeauty shrieks lietore her mirror's face, A 1 forth tli' unblessed invader dies Uprooted from its place. O'a. lady, stay that lily hand. If one such guest should fall, They s.iy a dozen more will come To attend the funeral. Gray hair- I saw the Queen of France Arrayed in regal state, Bc( t.ivc tire elite of the land, The titled and the great. And while her dignity aud grace Weic praised l>y every tongue, ry, white 1 ingtcts o'er her brow lu Varies.-, clusters hung. U v i> ' when sprinkled here ;<•! there i: . iV.'.iJ and whiskers too, ia-pirc ivsjKN-t and eunavlcnce Mm- than the youthful hue ; i vhdgc of mankind they tell, I'. , Lance of .-irious thought, A- I lore at the expensive school Of sage experience taught. Gray hairs ! —1 think thens beaut.ful Around the ancient face ; 1• pure unsullied snows that lend The Wintry landscape grace ; W hen found in wisdom's way they crow* With wealth's cxhau-tless store, A prelude to that home of joy Where age is known no more. (finttaiioiKil Department. Ts School Directors. 1 riends and fellow laborers in the cause cf • .ucaiioa, permit me to have a few moments : i talk with you about the subject iu which UT are nil interested. Ton have seen fit to t-rT- ; <-L of myself to take charge of the <• affiLi s'Lools of this County again for three | .;•<(} i tae, if God shall so loug give me I iieivA.U. 1- v this renewed murk of esteem and ft. . m-, 1 :ii only say that lam truly grate- If'd, caathtcsA it does uftec atrial of one term Fof service— i: :s pecv.'.iaidy gratify tag, ud pla ices rue nadir renewed obligation to exert jny to h'c more useful in your service. My •■forts, however, will be vaiu without your aid, .'itburs fruitless, for good, unless seconded i' vjur good will and prompt "assistance } allow . then, I repent, to address you frankly, and - i all plainness. As we must work togctlt it is nil important that we know and un •stund each other's views, and plans, and i gives. 1 hope therefore that you will at ; tiai' S freely and frankly communicate with :ne. Our objects are, or should be, the cleva huu of the schools of the county —their im provement iu all respects, as to the houses, yards, furniture, and the teachers, and in slioit every thing that is required to make a good school. While I have generally had the co-opera tion of directors and proprietors, there arc some things which I respectfully, but most earnestly request you to take into cossidtra v.on, and see if it would not lie better for the schools to have adopted. 1 might embrace ull that is necessary to say, perhaps iu the simple ' : W.uii, live up to the spirit of the lw acd tzed'./.-ions aud instructions of the State Su- P- l .lent But I will be more explicit.— ALV.. , ! ,Ie would be avoided by hiring the tM'Jito iur your respective districts at a raeet i;.?l f the board held for that purpose, at I j meeting, the citizens of the neighbor hood should be invited to be present. Teach ers are frequently found in the schools, who have never seen one of the directors, and iu the directors do net know that such per sons are teaching in the township, j B the persons desirous of teaching, could *'JQVF before hand at what time the instructors a certain district are to be hired, it would : 't leas trouble for tham to attend all at one '• ue aud place, than it would for each teacher jgo and look up a school for himself, and bieu hunt up a director to employ him. Di rectors would at least know who were teaching L'-ir schools. L t all the teachers be employ ?* time, by the whole board, and I • r a written contract, and at least no small - are of the troubles in our schools would be obviated. Lie president of each school board, has to lt - under oath, that all the teachers em tuning the year, had a valid certificate f Cou,lt y How can - T,y Jo this unless he knows that fact P'..- a. 1 knowledge? It' any body and M . t h rc S the teachers, aud the direct- I • c >* nothing about them, how can the I nt kwear l '"d a 'l have certificates ? I'i '' not l hen Directors know that those qual vf em P lo 7 as teachers are thus legally tic!, i", ' Ca ." - vour a ttcntiou-to the resolu -nn i u a!most unanimously at the conven tiie r- 'i °° ' tb *^ a 7- relative to grading the ' " the grado of the certificate and etS Cr l eQCO of the a PP'' ca nt, —taking into And i i ca l u '' setbe 6 '- 0 of the schools.— LvA a 1 ' 6 at . Ullectors the several dis erarv C , any il out " persons, whose lit it*/ ~ l r aro of so low a g rade that k.;.q " ely obta 'ua certificate of any . to receive the same amount of wa n T lbose wh " are entitled to ; the first grade, -or if a young i J ou experience, is to bare as much THE BRADFORD REPORTER. as one who has taught for years— I say, if this is to be done, it is difficult to see what encouragement there can be for young persons to incur expenses, from year to year, to quali fy themselves more fully for the discharge of their duties. Most certainly our schools will not make the advance under such circumstan ces, that the friends of the system have a right to expect. Many times entire strangers are employed, and Directors do not see their certificates, if they have any. How can they then know which schools such individuals are competeut to teach. All teachers cannot be expected to be equal in literary ability,and the schools do not require that they should be.— iu some, a good grammarian is needed, while in others grammar may not be required at all. In one or more schools of the district there may be pupils well advanced in arithmetic, wbila in others the arithmeticians are but be | giuners. Can Directors properly select teach* • ers for these several schools without the least knowledge of their attainments, other than the fact that they have a certificate of some kind. One of the greatest hindrances to the pro ! gress of the schools is the multiplicity of text j books. Iu some schools I have found three, four and eveu live kinds of Geographies, as . many kinds of Arithmetics and Grammars.— In such cases teachers are obliged to have such ' a number of classes that it is impossible to do well by the schools. Frequently there are four classes in Geography, whereas but one would be required if all had the same kiud of books. It is not deemed advisable perhaps to make a radical change of books at once, but it is very desirable that Directors take hold of tliis subject and do something to pre vent any and every person who may come along, from introducing new text books into the schools. The law puts this whole matter in the hands of the Directors,—just where it shotlld be, ami requires them to act in the premises, and if they would act prudently,and i judiciously but promptly, much loss of time to teachers and pupils, and expense to parents might bo saved I have enumerated some subjects to which I invite your special atten tion. I hope and trust that you will under stand this plain talk as coming from a fellow i laborer, who has the good of the cause of ed ucation in view, the improvement of the schools, the mental, physical, and moral well being of the children and youth of this coun ty ut heart, —who has no desire to dictate or attempt to control, or exercise authcr'y, but rather to counsel with those with whom he is to labor for the promotion of these objects. C. R COULILX. I.UTTER FROM ILLINOIS. BEMENT, (Illinois) July 10, IsCO. K. U. GOODRICH, Editor I have thought that perhaps a word foai Illinois might be i f some interest to your readers, especially to my friends and acquaintances in Bradford coun ty and vicinity, and the Republicans generally throughout the old Keystone State. I started from Overton, Bradford county, Pa., on the 27th day of September 1858, and after passing some two weeks on the road and in visits by the way. I landed at Moatncqua, Illinois, at which place I resided till last Feb ruary, where I removed to this village, and expect to remain here, at least several years. Beieent is situated on the Great Western Railroad, and boasts of about 500 inhabitants, six stores, an excellent school house, a grist mill (recently burned down) and some two or three churches are being built the present year. Our neighbors are composed of people from every part of the Union. But the peo ple here are mostly from Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio, and are pretty generally well snckerized. The soil is very productive und yields abundant crops of grain and all sorts of produce the farmer sees fit to cultivate. Fruit is uot much cultivated here yet j i;t notwith standing thi#deficiency, we have fruit in great edrandance, and at very reasonable prices, through the Railroad facilities which ure 60 complete, that within a few hours time these luxuries are brought in from the south, east and west in large quantities. Dement is loca ted in about the geographical centre of the state. We have mauy transient people among us, who are continually removing from one locali ty to another and arc always discontented.— They are geuerailv eastern people, who imbibe these roving and unsteady habits after they immigrate to this country, which is caused by an eutirc misunderstanding of the general con dition of the west, with regard to the manner and custom of the people, the expense of horse hire, cost of provision and fuel. You are undoubtedly aware tlmt many per sons iu the eastern states seem to thiuk that people in the west can live in luxury aud idle ness, whether ihey have any money or uot, — hence they give their little all to defray the tin avoidable* expense incurred iu removing to this country. Now let me say to those persons who entertain these opinions, that they are sadly mistaken. If they have not money enough to purchase a team of horses and the necessary farming utensils, they had better stay where they are. A common laborer can do better there than here, because in the east he can get employment the whole year, where as in the vest he can get employment about nine months only in each year. Now let me just kindly say to those of your readers who contemplate immigrating west, if you are not svealthv, do by all means come out and seethe country first, take a peep at tho facilities and the general modus operandi by which the com munity here are governed, and then you can tako due notice and govern yourself accord ingly. If you do not take these preliminary steps, you will perhaps, like some others who I Lave known, "eat the bread of sorrow for many years!" Ido not here wish to be understood to reflect unfavorably on tho productiveness of tho soil, not at all, but to the contrary. It may well be said " that this is the Edeu of America." Tho soil is im mensely rich, and yields abundant crops, if, yes if tho weeds are kept down, and this re quires labor. Speculation runs altogether too PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. O'MEARA GOODRICH. " REGARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANY QUARTER." high here, which has very nearly ruined cer tain portions of Illinois. The land-sharks very much retard the growth and development |of this state. They are a great detriment to ■ " the great west," and will continue to be so many years hence. Perhaps it may be of some interest to your readers to know how we feel in regard to the nomination and election of " Ilonest Old Abe." Let me say, right here, that his nom ination was received with " great joy," and we consider it almost, if not quite, a literal fulfil -1 ment of an ancient promise, which declared that in " Abraham shall all the families of the earth be blessed." The Republicans arc wild with enthusiasm and the Fillmore men throughout the state are not far in the rear. They are nearly all in for " Old Abe." The Republicans here are sure they can carry this -date by at least 15,000 majority, and some are even willing to bet on 20,000 majority for the I " rail splitter. It is a fact, conceded by some Douglas men, that LINCOLN will carry this state. We are : confident of success iu Illinois.. Will the Re ! publicaus do their'duty in Pennsylvania. How do you feel brethren, —what are your pros pects. KAPHA. Premiums for the Annual Exhibition OF THE Bradford Co. Agricultural Society, For 1860. CATTLE DEPARTMENT— Durham Bulls. 1( premium. 2d pre. Three years old, and upwards, $4 00 $3 00 Two yrs. old and under three, 3 00 2 00 One year old and under two, 2 00 1 50 Under,one year old, 150 100 Durham Cotes and llcifers. Three years old, and upwards, $3 00 $2 (JO Two years old and under three, 2 00 1 50 One year old and under two, 2 00 1 50 \ Under one year old, 1 50 I 00 Like premiums will be awarded to Devons and other full blooded cattle. Grade Balls. Three years old and upwards, 300• 200 l One year old and under three, 200 150 I iider oue year old, 2 00 1 00 Grade Coxes and Heifers. Three years old and upwards, 300 200 One year old and uuder three, 200 1 50 Uuder one year old, 2 00 1 00 Like premiums will be awarded to natives Working Gallic in. Yoke. Five years old and upwards, 3 00 2 00 Three years old and under live, 3 00 2 00 Two veurs old and uuder three, 2 00 1 00 One year old, 2 00 1 00 Milch Cous. 200 1 00 Fat Cattle. Fat Ox or Steer, 2 00 1 00 Cow or Heifer, 2 00 1 00 HORSES AND MULE DEPARTMENT. Stallions for Heavy Dt aft. Four years old and upwards, 4 00 S 00 Two years old and under four, 3 (JO 200 Stalliojis for all L'ses. Four years old and upwards, 4 00 3 00 Two years old and under three, 3 00 2 00 Brood Marcs. Four years old, _ 3 00 2 00 Carriage Horses and Hares. Geldings, matched, • 00 2 00 Mares, mate hod, 3 00 2 00 Single Carriage, gelding or inare,2 00 1 00 Saddle, gelding or mare, 2 00 1 00 Draft horses, 3 00 2