272 INSECT LIFE 



XX 



Morning and evening, at the sound of a bell, 

 there tumbled in some fifty young rascals, who, 

 having failed to master De viris and the Epitome, 

 were devoting themselves, as one said then, to " some 

 good years of French." The failures at " Rosa, a 

 Rose," came to me to learn a little spelling. Children 

 were mingled with tall lads at various stages of 

 education, and all distressingly agreed in playing 

 tricks on the master — no older, even younger, than 

 some of themselves. 



I taught the little ones to read syllables, the 

 middle ones to hold a pen in the right way while 

 writing a few words of dictation on their knees ; for 

 the eldest I unveiled the secrets of fractions, and 

 even the mysteries of the hypothenuse. And the 

 only means I had to keep this restless crowd in 

 order, give each mind appropriate food, arouse 

 attention, expel dulness from the gloomy room 

 whose very walls dripped melancholy, were my 

 tongue and a bit of chalk. 



For that matter there was equal disdain in the 

 other classes for all which was not Latin or Greek. 

 One instance will suffice to show the style in which 

 physical science was treated, now so large a part of 

 education. The principal of this college was an 

 excellent man — the worthy Abb6 X, who, not anxious 

 himself to grow green peas and bacon, turned 

 over such matters to some relation of his, and 

 undertook to teach physical science. 



Let us attend one of his lessons, which happens 

 to be on the barometer. By good luck the college 

 owned one. It was an old article, very dusty, hung 

 high out of reach of profane hands, and bearing on 



