398 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



fair degree of rapidity. It is, however, a wearisome matter to 

 be always copying the same copy-slips over and over again. 

 There is nothing, indeed, that is more calculated to destroy the 

 learner's interest in what he is doing than to be, as it were, 

 always "harping upon one string;" and to prevent this, as well 

 as to save him the trouble of ruling lines for his copies, we 

 have prepared a series of cheap ruled copy-books, based on the 

 method which has been taught in our lessons on Penmanship, 

 and furnished with suitable head-lines, which will answer the 

 double purpose of providing the reader with a variety of subjects 

 for copying, and save him the trouble of ruling his paper. 



In " Cassell's New Copy-books for the Million," the learner 

 will find everything that can be required for practice. The 

 eeries, the contents of which we append, comprises thirteen 

 books, price 2d. each, or the thirteen for 2s., and may be pro- 

 cured direct from the publishers of the POPULAR EDUCATOR, 

 and from all booksellers. 



1. Initiatory Exercises. 



2. Letters and Combinations 



3. Short Words. 



4. Capitals. 



5. Text Hand. 



6. Text and Bound. 



7. Bound Hand. 



8. Bound and Small Hands. 



9. Small Hand. 



10. Text, Bound, and Small Hand. 



11. Introduction to Ladies' Hand. 



12. Ladies' Hand. 



13. Commercial Sentences. 



ESSAYS ON LIFE AND DUTY. IY. 



TEMPERANCE. 



THE success of life and the happiness of life, as well as the 

 usefulness of life, depend to a very large extent upon the 

 cultivation of the spirit of temperance. Men of intemperate 

 speech and judgment, of intemperate likes and dislikes, are 

 apt to risk alike reputation and influence. The counsel to be 

 temperate does not, indeed, suit those whose passions predomi- 

 nate over their judgment, but all wise and thoughtful persons 

 will see at once that there is no virtue which has so much to do 

 with the force and excellency of character as temperance. It is 

 a word difficult strictly to define, but it is evidently a holding 

 of the mean between extremes in lawful things. Temperance 

 implies the right in the thing itself, as there are some things 

 which it would be wrong, under all circumstances, to be in any 

 way connected with. To be temperate in swearing, stealing, or 

 lying, would be manifestly a caricature of the word ; there can 

 be no temperance in that which is essentially evil. Can it then, 

 the reader may say, be possible to be temperate in right ? is it 

 not counselling us to stop short in that course of duty which 

 must get more right as we go on ? Strange as it may seem at 

 first sight to the student, there is a temperateness needed even 

 in the virtues themselves, without which their very existence as 

 virtues must be endangered. Amiability is ' one of the most 

 beautiful excellences of character; and yet, if amiability is 

 pushed to the extreme, there may be no righteous indignation 

 at wrong, no earnest hatred of oppression, and no practical 

 effort to remove it. Contentment is another praiseworthy grace 

 of character ; but content may run into indifference and sloth, 

 and the God-given powers of the mind may be suffered to lie 

 fallow, and even to rot. 



These instances are only adduced as illustrations of a law 

 which applies to all the virtues ; push any one of them, how- 

 ever honourable in itself, to an extreme, and it becomes a 

 vice. It will thus be seen what a careful nurseryman each 

 man ought to be of the vineyard of his own nature ; and also 

 what the Scriptures mean when they say, "Drunken, but not 

 with wine." It is easy to be intoxicated with pride and am- 

 bition : either of these two powers has, indeed, its proper 

 sphere, and their elimination from human life cannot take 

 place without serious detriment to character. In all ages of 

 the world men have been found to love and advocate extremes ; 

 some have been Epicureans, denying themselves no pleasure, and 

 some Stoics, denying themselves all ; and, doubtless, the disciples 

 of extremes attract more notice, and are often credited with 

 greater earnestness ; whereas it should be remembered that, as 

 it is more difficult to preserve the just balance, so is it more 

 honourable and worthy of praise. 



One of the clearest American thinkers says, " Men under- 

 take to be spiritual, and they become ascetic ; or, endeavouring 

 to hold a liberal view of the comforts and pleasures of society, 

 they are soon buried in the world and become slaves to its 

 fashion; or, holding a scrupulous watch to keep out every 



particular sin, they become legal, and fall out of liberty; or, 

 charmed with the noble and heavenly liberty, they run to 

 negligence and irresponsible living. So the earnest become 

 violent, the fervent fanatical and censorious, the gentle waver, 

 the firm turn bigots, the liberal grow lax, the benevolent osten- 

 tatious. Poor human infirmity can hold nothing steady." 



The more true we feel this to be, the more necessary will be 

 seen to be the exercise of a spirit of temperance, and how diffi- 

 cult its application to the manifold aypccts of human life and 

 duty. In no respect is mankind more in danger of becoming 

 intemperate than in speech ; for to lay an embargo upon the 

 tongue is among the most trying efforts of the spirit of temper- 

 ance. It is difficult to deny ourselves what often gratifies our 

 own pride, and, at the same time, damages the prestige of 

 another. From this propensity have sprung family feuds, pro- 

 longed law-suits, and party divisions innumerable. It would be 

 out of the province of this essay to specify all the evils which 

 have resulted to society from intemperance in other provinces 

 of character, but it must surely be admitted that no moral code 

 can be perfect which does not inculcate temperance as well as 

 justice. True, indeed, it is, that there is nothing high-sounding 

 in it, and it is not likely to enlist in its advocacy those who are 

 nothing, if not extreme. But it had of old amidst its advocates 

 the wisest and most illustrious of the philosophers ; and it is 

 made more authoritative on us by its enforcement on the page 

 of Inspiration. The pleasures of temperance are steady in their 

 development, but they are very lasting and real. When nature 

 is kept in proper equipoise of action, there is freedom from those 

 nervous depressions which are incident to excitements of any 

 and every kind. Instead of keen sensational measures, succeeded 

 by times of leaden indifference and dulnerr-, there is a quiet 

 glow of interest and energy in the exercises of the mind, which 

 bring with them a cheerful sense of healthful recreation. As 

 experienced travellers prefer, after all, the temperate zone 

 neither the frigid cold of the far North, nor the glaring light and 

 heat of the tropics so the most experienced student of life will 

 prefer the temperate zone of character as the one most con- 

 ducive to the health and longevity of the virtues. 



Temperance keeps the body cool and the mind clear, and is 

 thus related to the other virtues in a vast variety of ways, 

 presenting to us that which is of inestimable value a sane 

 mind in a sound body. There is an insanity which results not 

 only from the excessive use of ardent spirits, but from the 

 intemperate exercises of pride and passion, and multitudes 

 would have been preserved in health and reason if they had 

 received and acted on the maxim, " Be temperate !" It must 

 be seen that the exercise of this virtue is related to varieties 

 and differences of temperament. Some are in little danger of 

 excess of anger ; others need fear no excess of pride. Solon's 

 celebrated maxim, " Know thyself ," should be well pondered ; 

 for then, when the danger is clearly apprehended, the remedy 

 can be best applied, according to the specific difficulties of each 

 separate constitution. As the subject becomes clearly under- 

 stood, 1 ' it will be seen that, instead of temperance being the 

 mere negation of things, it is rather the right enjoyment of 

 them. The dangers incidental to human character do not come 

 in one direction only ; and in the multitudinous aspects of life 

 and duty it is as wise as it is right to be temperate in all things. 



OUR HOLIDAY. 



CBICKET. II. 



THE following are the Laws of the game of Cricket, including the 

 latest revisions by the Marylebone Club, which is the recognised 

 authority on the subject. Besides forming the standard of 

 appeal in disputed cases, they will be found by the learner to 

 throw light on points which were but briefly touched upon in 

 our previous paper : 



THE LAWS OF DOUBLE-WICKET. 



1. The Ball must weigh not less than five ounces and a half, nor 

 more than five ounces and three quarters. It must measure not less 

 than nine inches, nor more than nine inches and one quarter in cir- 

 cumference. At the beginning of each innings either party may call 

 for a new ball. 



2. The Bat must not exceed four inches and one quarter in the 

 widest part. It must not be more than thirty-eight inches in length. 



3. The Stumps must be three in number, twenty-seven inches out of 

 the ground ; the bails eight inches in length ; the stumps of equal and 

 of sufficient thickness to prevent the ball from passing through. 



