VOLUME 1. An Appeal to Loyal Men. It is fashionable now toabuse the Pres ident, the administration, the military management. Doubtless, all these have their errors toanswer for. Blow them up, if that afords you any relief! try it often and feel better for it. But, wheu you arc through with that, we must tell you, loyal countrymen ! ihatt/uu are not yourselves up to the mark—must evince a different spirit from that which gave Chambcrsburg to the flames, leaves your armies for months unpaid, and fills their ranks with anything that will pass for substitutes, -or you are doouied to de feat! Do you remember that Maryland genius, acting as guide to a British officer over the field of the fight—we mean the flight—of Bladensburg, who, pressed to explain the route of so large a force of militia (himself included) by a handful of British regulars, finally scratched out of his du 1 head the explanation that "Somehow or 'nother, they didu t seem to take no interest?" Let their lasting dis grace warn you in time! The war approaches its close. Let us promptly fill up the quota now called, and.the loan now a.-ked for, audit may bended triumphantly this fall. \\ o are confident that no further draft wiTl be made or needed. But the two hundred millions for which Mr. i i ssendeu asked ought to be subscribed at ouec. Our coldiers are fighting ami dying unpaid, because you, for whsm they are fighting and dying, will not lend your government the money at 7 3-1 >'ths per cent interest —a higher rat* than is paid by any other government on earth—higher than is paid j by any thrifty, forchun le 1 citizen for all ! the money he needs. If it cannot be bor rowed at this rate, it cannot at all- Loyal Americans ! we entreat you, each and all to put every dollar you can honest ly spare into this loan, and do it at once. Don't ask lliat the s ddiers go unpaid un til you can screw ten per cent from the necessities of your Government, but put up your money now ! Don't expect the Treasury to give you your bonds on the instant—what matters, if you do not in tend to sell them forthwith? They will come very soon; meantime your money draws interest from the moment it is paid in. While others are fighting and dying, prove that you arc not unwillingor afraid to trust your means to your afflicted coun try!— .V. Y. Trihiinr. SSi"" Correspondence from Hilton Head, of date August 2d, states that until with in two weeka affairs in Florida had been very quiet. Several recent raids by Gen Biruey has, however, invested that district with some interest. An expedition on the Fernandina Railroad resulted in the destruction, at Callelian, of two cars and the telegraph office, the capture of a loco motive and seven cars, and a number of horses and a large quantity of small arms and stores weVe captured. Subsequently a more important expedition proceeded up the St. John's in transports to Taylor's Ford, on Black Creek. A column advan ced to Whitesvillc on the south fork of Black Creek, where a force of rebels was drawn up to dispute the crossing. A skirmish ensued, which ended in the com plete route of the enemy. The fighting was sustained on our side by two colored regiments, who behaved with a commend able degree of valor. The force pushed ou for thirty miles, aud destroyed the trestle-work and an important bridge over the St. Mary's river. At Clay's Hills they had a brisk skirmish with the 2d Florida cavalry, who fled in confusion. The column then marched to Trail Ridge ou the Cedar Keys Railroad, and destroy ed the trestle-works. They next proceed ed on the old Alachua trail to Darby's Still, ou the Lake City Railroad, where a trestle work and a water tank were des troyed. While the water tauk was burn ing, the wind suddenly chaugcd and qom muuicated the flames to a building con taining two thousand barrels of rosin, all of which was consumed. The column proceeded to storm Baldwin, but the ene my evacuated the place during the night. Our troops here secured a quantity of guns, sabres aud forage. A rebel male was also captured, one of the letters, da ted at Baldwin a day or two previous, sta ting that the force in that place consisted of the Second Florida Cavalry, the Scott Battalion, four companies of reserves, Dunham's artillery aud Villepigue's artill ery. Our forces now occupy Baldwin and Camp Milton. The formidable earth works which Giluiore caused to bo erected for the defense of each of those places, are still stand iug. Cars ruu daily between Jacksonville and Baldwin. Tho princi pal object iu holding Baldwin is to de prive the rebels of the use of throe Hues of railway, and prevent them from dri ving cattle from the lower aud richer por tions of the State iuto Georgia. The rebels have subsisted their armies for a AMERICAN CITIZEN. long time on cattle taken from Florida, and by cutting off this supply we must seriously affect tlicir condition. A few days ago the steamer Alice Price was run aground in Nassau creek. Florida, the cap tain being on board at the time. The vessel remained fast for a short time and then went to pieces. She had on board a quantity of ordnance stores for Gen. Birney's expedition. She was an old worthless boat, and was soon to be taken from the Government service. It is un derstood that a rigid examination will be instituted into the circumstances attend ing her loss. A Great Man's Friends Deserting Him. The New York Jfcrtibl, which has striven more prcsistently than any other paper in the land to puff Gen. MeClellan into notoriety, with the view of getting him a few complimentary ballots at the Chicago Convention, has begun to discov er that he is not tire "available candidate ' it has labored so earnestly to prove him, and has consequently made another of those changes of base for which it is so celebrated. In its issue of Tuesday, after attacking the Worhl for its glorification of the General, it proceeds to speak ot him in the following disrespectful manner: " It will bestated asa fact, however,which cannot be denied, that (ieneral McClellau's .Richmond campaign was a failure, and positively fearful to think of, fromhis ter rible losses in men and all the materials of war. It will be further said that General MeClellan. in his movements against the enemy, betrayed too much of the confi dence of the inexperienced leader in his promises to his army or no more defeats and no more rctreats.'niid in such dispatch es as this : that' We shall drive the ene my to the wall.' It will be said, too, that from the unbounded confidence of the country in these promises of General Mc Clellan the revulsion in the public mind from his misfortunes was infi nitely 11. :ressing and harder to bear than any other disappointments of the war." What cause could have produced this sudden cooling off of enthusiasm for the foremost martyr of Abolitionism? Last fall, the day before our gubernatorial election, General MeClellan wrote a pub lie letter, declaring his political sentiments to be in perfect accord with Mr. Justice Woodward, tie candidate of the Peace faction for Governor. This summer the same General MeClellan in a classical but slightly ungrammatieal oration at West Point expresses himself in favor of a con tinuance of the war. Perhaps thia slight apparcut inconsistency has been remem bered to his prejudice, and explains the Herat I'* latest feat in aerobatics! CHARLESTON.—It would seem from several paragraphs of news in late Char leston papers we have received that an attack upon that city is anticipated be fore a great while. The following item is from the Mrmrj/ of the 3d instant. "We oppose to making mention of mil itary movements iu the public press but for tho benefit of croakers who have look ed so forlorn ever since troops were with drawn from the defense of this city to strengthen the arm}' of Northern Yir giuia, it may be as well to state that the first of several well tried regiments, the number and strength of which we will leave the enemy to discover, have arrive ed iu this department, and frill be found at the right place wheu the enemy-makes his next advance. " It is plain from'this that the garrison at Charleston has beeu pretty thorougly depleted to stteugthen Leo's army; but its chief significance, as we have said, is the fact that it indicates an unpleasant nervousness concerning the intenoions of Gen. Foster. The Charleston Courier, iu making the same announcement, cautiously observes that ' it is uot deemed prudect to men tion the exact strength of this force, but it is eucourageing to know that iu the uevt effort of the enemy to take the city the disprofortion of numbers will not be so great as in the lasj campaign on John's aud James' Island which resulted so glo riously to our arms.— Phil lWss- FORTRESS MONROE, Aug. B.—The steamers Euiaw aud America arrived in Quarantine this morniug from Peusacola —all well. They report three cases of yellow fever there wheu they left, on the 3d iust. Gen. Grant arrived from Washington this noou, on the steamer Diamond, and after remaining three hours proceeded up the James river. There is no news from City Point. NEW YORK, Aug. 12.—The Her ald's Oth corps correspondent of the 9te says : A rebel Lieutenant came within our lines to-day, and reports if the amnesty proclamation was gen ally understood in the rebel army, the desertions would be increased one hundred fold. I 11 Let us have Faith that Right makes Might; and in that Faith let us, to the end,dare to do our duty as we understand it"— A LINCOLN BUTLER, BUTLER COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 18(54. FBOK UM. GUAM'. HEADQIARTEBS ARMT OT TOE POTOMAC. Aug. 10, 1804. Everything remains quiet in the front of Petersburg. The rebels for the past two nights have been feeling our lines on the left, but nothing more than skirmish ing between the pickets has taken place. Descrterscontinue to arrive in small squads. A Lieutenant and twelve men reached here yesterday. They tell the usual sto ries of the demoralization and the speedy destruction of the rebel army. Thous ands they say arc leaving on account of not receiving any pay, while their families are starving, and they arc determined to stay in the rebel service no longer under any circumstances. Gen. Park is now in command of the Oth corps. Additional particulars have been receiv ed of the action on Sunday. A part of the 2d Corps and part of the 10th Corps were engaged with the enemy in the af ternoon near the Bottom. The lOtli Corps under Gen. Biruey took part of the line of works with four brass guns and a num ber of prisoners with small less. The enemy fell back to a strong position. The 2d division of the 2d Corps was drawn up in line of battle, and advanced about a mile beyond where Hancock cap tured the four guns two weeks ago. Hero the first brigade, Col. Macy, com manding, took the lead and charged across a corn field, over a hill and down into a ravine, where they came to a stream with swamp on the other side, the ground be ing covered with impenetrable brush on the margins of it. During all this time they were exposed to a very heavy fire from the Rebel artillery which did a good deal of damage. It was found impossible to cross the ravine andourmcn were halted and lay concealed as well as possible until dark, when they were withdrawn. The Second division lost three hundred men in the engagement.. The First and Third Divisions, which were in support, lost about two hundred and fifty from the effects of the rebel artillery. The woun ded were all brought off. Our troops still hold their position in front of the rebel works, which are very strong and well defended, owing to the nature of the country iu the vicinity. The Pirate Tallahassee. Captain Reed, of theUt Billow, before reported captured by the Tallahassee, gives the following particulars of his interview with the pirate Captain : I was two hours and a half on the Tal lahassee. She has one pivot gun, three forward guns, and one brass rifled gun, of large calibre, on the hurricane dock. She has also several spare guns. Her Captain John Taylor Wood, was quite free and unreserved in his talk with us, and said he could steam 10 knots an hour, and had crossed the British channel, 21 miles in seventy-two minutes. He would not fight, ho said, unless compelled to, and preferred to run, as his vessel was so fast. lie also declared that within one week he had destroyed over 50 vesrels, and that within 30 hours of my capture he had destroyed sixteen sails, namely, three ships, two barks, and the rest •hermaph rodite, brigs and schooners. One of the ships was the Adriatic of New York, captured the same day he took my ves sel. He added that he would slacken up our coasting trade so that Uncle Abe would be glad to make peace. He asked me about the Nantucket light boat,aud afterwards said, recurring to his designs, that there were more afloat than the Ftprula and T<illahat*r? J meaning of course the Confederate ships of similar character to his own, and I'ncle Abe had better look out. Captain Wood appeared very affable and said he was performing an unpleasant duty. The Tallahassee is an iron steamer, of English build, schooner rigged, has no yard or top masts, and lost her main mast in collision with the Adriatic. She is a very long, narrow vessel, burns soft coal, and has about a hundred men on board, who are subject to the discipline and or der of a man-of-war. All the officers are Southerners, aud she hud three or four negroes on board ,who did not appear very jolly. WHEELING, Aug 11.—The following dispatch, dated Cumberland, August 8, has just been received by Gov. Boreman, and fully confirms the report of the scout: "lattacked M'C'ausland at Morfield yesterday morally at daylight, aud com pletely routed his command, capturing his artillery and 420 prisoners; also 400 hor ses and equipments, 3 battle flags, and a quantity of small arms. The number of the enemy's killed is unknown, but large. Gen. Bradley Johnston was captured with his colors and three of his staff, but subsequently escaped. Col. Peters, 21st \ irgiuia, rebel regiment, was mortally wounded. MeCausland to the mountains. The enemy was pursued tow ard Wordcnvillc, Howard Dick and up the south branch, from ten to tweuty-five miles. My command became so wearied with the chase and so encumbered with prisoners and captured property, I thought it best to bring it here. My loss is 7 killed and 21 wounded. " S. W. W. AVEBILL, Brig. Gen'l. " Brig. Gen. B. F. Kelly" NEW YORK, August 12.—The Com mercial's Wathing on special says: Sherman's success at Atlanta is not considered a problem, and the cap ture of the city is expected soon. ' From the Waverly Magazine. SHE WAITS BY THE RIVER FOR ME. Down by the mnnuuvi»i{r stream. That merrily wind* through the valley, I've wand« red in day* that are gono, With the joy of my heart. gentle AlUe. When dreaming of childhood's blest scones There's one form that haunt* nie forever; 'Ti.s the form <-f Mweet Allle, my qneen, An>l .she waits by the banks of tho river. Oh, light may the shadow* of care Creep over the heart of sweet Allie; She waits by the river form« That merrily winds through the valley. May the footsteps of Time move along And leave me at last in the valley, Where <-ft I've been charmed by the suns: That flowed from the lips of sweet Allie. Oh. would that the bright sunny time «>t youth might Htill Hparkle forever, Like the waters that ceaselessly flow In the channel of our beloved river. Hut, oh ! there is time enough yet To wander again with sweet Allie; k Fhe waits by the river for me, That merrily wind* through the valley. JOEL 1»* BWETT. WIT AND WISDOM. THK.UK is a great deal of fawning in so ciety. in order to be fawned 011 again just as among suckling puppies half awake. TUB great gulf, in which so many gov ernments have perished, casts up the frag ment, and indcfatigablo man refits tliom. A MAX at Rochester, N. Y., last week sold 55,000 pounds of wool at one dollar a pound. AN old .Indian, who had witnessed the efieet of whisky for many years past, said a barrel labelled whisky contained a thou sand songs aud fifty fights. " I THINK, wife, that you have a great many ways of calling me a fool." "I think, husband, you have a great many ways of being one." "WHY does father call mother honey?" asked a boy of his older brother. " Can't tell, 'ecpt its because she has a large couib in her head. . " GEORGE, do you know that Mr. Jones has found a beautiful baby on his door step, aud is going to adopt him?" " Yes, papa; he will bo Mr. Jones' s/</i --soit, won't he ?" JOSH BILLINGS deposes, among other good things, " that yer leant judge a man bi biz religun cny more than yer kan judge hiz shurt bi the size ov tho kollar and ristbands." A VKKI'ANT Yankee, seeing tho an nouncement iu large letters, in front of a beokstore, "Nothing to Wear sold here," exclaimed : " Wal, now, I wonder who said there was!" A Fori'isii fellow advised a friend not to marry a poor girl, as he would find matrimony with poverty " up hill work." " Good," said his friend, " I would rath er'go up hill than down hill, any time." - A MALTESE offered his services to a dragoman at Alexandria. " Know Eng lish well, sir," said he; "have served many English gentlemen. I'm English subject, sir; I get drunk, sir—get drunk." OLD Farmer Cloverseed is a very po lite man, so much so that he is even cour teous to his cattle. He is frequently heard to say, as he drives his yoke of steers, "Please haw Buck; also Bright. Thank you. A MISSIONARY in London was recent ly riding ou the outside of a cab, and told the driver that he had boon in Chi na. Cabby was much interested aud promptly asked— " Ale they a civilized like people about there, sir; do they take their giu of a moring? You arc grer.t bore," said an enraged gentleman, from a chamber window, to a youth who had been serenading his daugh ter for halt an hour—" you arc a great bore, aud I think you' meat* to keep on boring until you get water, and there it is, emptying a pitchorfu! of water upon his head. • t&f An Irishman catching a thief's hand in his pocket at the post office the other day, knocked the rascal down, and began to trample on his carcass as if he was dancing a Fardowner's jig. "What's that for?" said a bystander. "Oh !" said Pat, "it's small change ho wanted, and faith I'm after giving him a few post office stamps." SWITCHED OFF.—" Boys," said a vil lage pedagogue, the other day' " what is the meaning of all that»Solse iu the school ? " " It's Anthony Sykes, sir, who is all the time imitating a locomotive." " Come up here, Tony, if you are turn ed into a locomotive, it is high time you were switched off." Tin; way the little 2-40 tow-head got the'• dominie," was after this fashion: "James, what person is man, in.the sentence. ' the man is drunk V " Don't know, sir." " Decline it and see." " First person I am drunk, second per son you are drunk, third person he, or the man is drunk." " That'll do, but in future I would ad vise you not to emphasize strongly on the second person singular, or I might play fives against the side of your head with my ferrule!" ilucatunmV Department The Christian Element iu Common School Education. An editorial article appeared in the Juno No. of this Journal on '-the Christian El ement in Education"—asserting that such clement should necessarily constitute a portion of the education imparted by pub lic authority in a christian Republic. A respected friend and correspondent asks us to state how much and what parts of the christiau system of religion may be taught in the Common Schools, without infringing on those rights of conscience aud of free opinion on the subject of re ligion, which are guaranteed to all by tho constitution and our social institutions. A sufficient reply might be made to this question by saying, that the Christian El ement in State education comprises just so much of tho christian system of relig ion as tho State-constitution andtlielaws> as exponents of that constitution, recog nize and establish. For this is a chris tian nation, as was asserted in the firmer article 011 this subject, and Pennsylvania is a Christian State, —Christianity having been declared, by one of her eminent ju rists many years ago, " to be a part of the law of the land." AVe will not content ourselves, however, with this compendi ous mode of disposing of the point, but will go so much iuto detail, as not only to comply with tlierequcst of our friend, but meet, to the best of our ability, all simi lar doubts and queries. " All men have a natural and indefea sible right to worship Almighty God ac cording to the dictates of their own con science; no man can, of right, bo compel led to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or maintain any minister against his consent; no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or in terfere with the rights of conscience; and no prcfcreuco shall over be given, by law, to any religious establishments or modes of worship." This portion of the Declaration of Rights in the State Constitution is the starting point iu the discussion of this question; aud the true understanding of it must necessarily lead to some conclusion iurcf eijyice to. not only the rights of conscience/ but, the power and duty of the State in reference thereto. Who is " Almighty God," named iu this solemn declaration ? Obviously, the Deity of tho christian system,—this be ing oue of the titles by which that Being is therein designated. But to set this question at rest by legislative construc tion, a law was passed as early "as 1700 and is continued in force to this day, de claring that "whoever ahall wilfully and despitefully, blaspheme or speak loosely and profanely of Almighty God, Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or the Scriptures of Truth, and is legally convicted thereof, shall forfeit and pay the sum of 10 pounds, for the use of the poor of tho county where such offence shall be committed, or sufitr three months imprisonment at hard labor, for the use of the poor." So also by the same act, to " profanely curse or swear" by the same names, id punishable by fine or imprisonment. These laws— the number of which might easily bo in creased—sufficiently declare what Deity is the God, and what system is the relig ion, of our State. And itisuo refutation of this conclusion to adduce the fact that these laws were passed before the adop tion cither of the old or the present amend ed constitution, and arc therefore not its exponent. Ou tho contrary, it may bo more pertinently asserted that both those constitutions are but the exponents of the social spirit which cuactcd these laws ; a propositiou which would be speedily and unmistakably established were any attempt made to repeal them. Here let us not be misunderstood.. In contending that the only true Deity whom Christians worship is the Deity evidently indicated by the terms "Almighty God" in the constitution, and no other, —we do not mean to say that belief in or worship of some other supposed God is prohibited in this State. Neither is it asserted that no form of religion, except some uno or other of those professed by Christians, is to be allowed. Such would not be free dom—christian freedom —of conscience. But we do assert and conteud, that while our State institutions concede to every one tl)£ right to worship any supposed deity and practice any religion ho may prefer, so long as the public peace and decency arc not disturbed thereby, yet, that all those institutions do most evidently re gard and adopt Christianity as thegeuoral rule, aud only tolerate departures there from as those exceptions which are indis pensable in order to secure freedom of con science. Ilence it is that in the section of the Declaration of Rights immediately follow ing the one already quoted, it is provided, that, " No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of re wards and punishments, shall, on account of his religious sentiments, bo disqualifi ed to hold aTiy office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth." Thus, while the largest liberty consistent with in dispensable conscientious obligation is giv en, this section also most evidently shows that all persons fit to hold a placo of trust ■iu the State are expected to have settled '• religious sentiments," at the same time that it fixes tho extent to which tolera tion in this respect shall extend- And the same is the case iu regard to jurorsand witnesses. Rut to return to the direct legislative recognition of Christianity,—acts passed iu 1705 and 1794, with various odlcrs since, prohibit all " worldly employment or business whatsoever on tho Lord's day commonly called Sunday, works of neces sity and charity only excepted." Aud so rigidly have the courts enforced tho ob servance of tho christian Sabbath, that a contract made on that day has been de cided to bo void, and persons who consci entiously observe the seventh yay or Sat urday as tlicir Sabbath,have been punish ed for working on tho first day or Sun day. The christiau matrimonial relation, — that of tho marriage of one man to one woman, —is also protected and enforced by law, and that to such an extent that Mor nionism, so far as relates to polygamy can not legally exist amongst us, much loss the free-love enormity which altogether ignores marriage for life. Iu short, so thoroughly christian ia our statute book, that every command of tho Decaloguo is thereby enforced, except tho second and the tenth, aud these arc omit ted for the reason, 110 doubt, that the sec ond (in relation to graven images) involves a question of opinion 011 which meu may honestly differ, and the tenth a matter of mere motive or feeling which is beyond the reach of human law. As to tho first commandment—that announcing the be ing and ;;olcncss of the Deity,—we have already seen that it is reiterated iu the Declaration of Rights and enforced by several acts of assembly; and, so fully docs it seem to have been the intention of the Legislature to establish tho Laws of God, that even the filth commandment (that which enjoins honor to parents) tho' apparently on involving a sentiment, is en forced, so far a human tribunals can con trol the feelings, by compelling the child to nourish and support the parent, even to the second generation, when poor and unable to work. But it would be as tedious as it is uu nocessary, to enumerate all tlic marks of Christianity impressed by law upon our State institutions. They are all thorough ly, eminently, primarily christian. That fact is as obvious as is the other great republican fact of our system, viz : that while we are Christians as a people, we have and can have no established sect as a State. And this last is the fundamen tal principal to be kept iu view and to guide us, iu tho process of adapting to and adapting in, our public schools, tho Christian element of instruction. Hence it follows that whatever iufor mation is proper for a child at home iu a christian family, and which is christian iu its nntucd and tendency without being sectarian, is not only proper for the same child in the public school, but also that its inclusion in the course of instruction in the public school is obligatory. For, how else can justice be done tho child? Tho State is a christian State. The school is a State school designed to rear up intelligent, well informed aud chris tian citizens. If therefore, the State, or its agents the Directors and Teachors, neglect this element in his education, which would not have been neglected had not the State interfered aud taken him from the home school, —the State is guilty of the deep wrong of requiring from him, in adult life, certain qalifications or actions, which it deprived him of the means of preparing for in youth. This point admits of no successful deuial; and it is timo to come directly up to it, and to do our duty iu the momentous premises. But, finally, what is this christian ele ment ? In tlic first place, it is that knowledge of the great facts of the christian system of religion, which are alouo set forth in the Scriptures of the Old and New Tes tamOi.ts. Ileuce, the use in the schools, in such form and manner as iho discre tion of Directors and Teachers shall se lect, of the ISiblo becomes imperative; for this iudispensible knowledge is deriva ble from no other source. Hence, also, the llible is not merely admissible into the schools as a history, or the only extant work which contains an account of tho facts it narrates. JS'or is it even merely admissible as tho source of information on those principles of christian morality, which all agree to be indispensable in ov- NUMBER 36. ory correct course of youthful instruction, than that and higher thau that, it is admissible and is to be admitted and used, as the word of God, —the fountain head of our State faith and praetico, the source whence proceed ourJawß, the bond of our social institutions, the origin of tho whole body of our liberties, and the very cause and stay of our civilization. 'lherc arc it is true, parts and passa ges in tho Scripturo about the meaning of which men ajid bodies of men—all earnest and conscientious in their bolief, have differed,and willdiffer. There aro different modes of worship, there are va rious practices in life, growing out of these differences. And herein it is that the Stato guarantees to each tho, liberty to differ; and, therefore, herein it is that the limit of school authority in religious matters is found. None of these is to bo interfered with ; nor is tho peculiarity of the parent s creed to bo stricken at through the imprcssiblo mind of tho child. All such interference is to bo sedulously avoided by the teacher in his christian teaching. Here it may be said that not all teach ers are sufficiently catholic in spirit to discharge this delicate trust. But this is an objection to the present generation of teachers, if it be well founded, and not to tho principle above asserted. As well might it be contended that reading or algebra should not be taught in tho schools bccouse all teachers are not good readers algobraists, as that tho general principles of Christianity must not bo taught in the schools, because all teachers are not prepared fur the task. In ascer taining the true theory of a perfect school system and in attempting to put it into operation, we aro always to regard *it in its state of perfection, and thus carry it into operation, or as nearly thereto as pos sible j and not to lot it down or dwindle it into a stato of inefficiency, or worse, to suit present admintrative deficiencies. There in enough—thank God there is enough—of common christian ground in the JJible, for all sects to meeton and cul tivate the spirit of christian truth, lovo and brotherhood, without impaling them selves on sectarian points or irrevocably diverging into sectarian by-paths. Why, the Sermon on the Mount of itself is an exhaustions text, whence the pure niind of youth may be supplied with instruc tion of the best and most desirable kind, and which may be studied and explained without trespassing on tho ground of tho mos jealous sectary. Other portions there are, —parables, stories and sayings,—full of wisdom and truth, which all denomin ations accept in the samo meaning, and which no child can comprehend without profit. * The other great portion of tho chris tian element in Education is fouud in the instructions of tho christian teacher—the true christian teacher; —imbued with tho spirit of charity and love, —looking to Heaven alone as the end, and not merely striving to lead off into any of the vari ous ways by which men seek to get there. Realizing his duty to the child, to tho pa rent, to the State and to God, —he will never belittle himself or betray the great trust committed to him, by making of him self a propagandist, or of his office a mere church-trap. 110 will continually feel that, in laying in the child's heart and soul a 112 olid foundation of the general facts and principles of the religion of the Sa viour, he is doing his whole duty in this respect,—leaving lijruis of worship and sectarian creeds, —since they must exist, —to the control and selection of tho pa rent ; —feeling, however, that if the found ation be sound, the superstructure, what ever it be, will bo all the better for that soundness. In few words, we would say that tho christian element of education in a com mon school is to be found in the Holy Scriptures and in the catholic teachings of the christian instructor; —avoiding in tho use of both, all sectarian dogmas, but insisting on tho leading principles of Chris tianity, as the great rule of life for tho citizen of a republican State. And herein wo apprehend there is no violation of the constitutional or legal rights of any. Where there are unbe lievers in the christian or believers in any other system, all they can rightfully uiuim, is, that nothing save what they boliovo shall bo directly imparted to their chil dren in the public schools. Ilenee, tlieso children are to be exempted from all stud ies of this class distasteful to their parents. But that all such studies and exercises shall be excluded from tho schools, be cause distasteful to them, is a demand about as reasonable as would be that of having the christian Element wholly ex punged from our social system, because a Mahomedan or a Mormon or an Infidel is displeased thereat.— Pa. School Journal. ' Jte#" Where the laugh comes in.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers