144 



&l)c -farmer's ittontl)lu Visitor. 



School Architecture up lo tlie time of its publi- 

 cation. Jt was prepared by a gentleman emi- 

 nently qualified for the business; by one who 

 has devoted his life to the subject of common 

 school education. It treats of the school house 

 and its appendages; its location, St) le, construc- 

 tion, size, light^ ventilation, temperature, seats, 

 desks, apparatus, library, external ornaments and 

 accommodations, in a word, it contains all the 

 information necessary for the building of a 

 school house according to the most approved 

 plan. It contains numerous plans and models of 

 houses already built. It presents, in an intelligi- 

 ble manner, the inestimable advantages of a good 

 school house and the remediless inconvenience 

 of a bad one. The resolution proposes to place 

 a copy of this book in the office of every town 

 clerk in the State. I have heard but two objec- 

 tions to this plan. 



1. "The people will not approve of the ex- 

 pense." 



2. " But few persons will read the book." 



Mr. Speaker, there may be danger of practis- 

 ing an unwise economy in regard to education. 

 No subject is presented to this House of greater 

 importance and none is treated with greater parsi- 

 mony. The book is offered to ns at one dollar 

 per copy, a price barely covering the expense of 

 publication. I paid two dollars for the copy I 

 hold in my hand. The sum required to place a 

 copy of it in every town is about $200. 



1 do not believe that our constituents will ob- 

 ject to the appropriation, when they understand 

 the object of it. Jt is true, the people of New 

 Hampshire are comparatively poor, but they are 

 industrious and thrifty; and, as I trust, "rich in 

 good works." 



But it said, "only a few persons will read the 

 book." Grant it: those few may be the active 

 thinking minds of the community, and through 

 them the whole body of the people will be 

 reached. I have had in my possession for some 

 years a prize essay published, I think, by the 

 Americau Institute of Instruction, on the subject 

 of school houses. 1 have often had occasion to 

 lend it to persons who have been appointed 

 committees to build school houses. This little 

 messenger has sometimes travelled ten or fifteen 

 miles to plead, with its mute eloquence, the 

 cause of the rising generation. The book we 

 propose to distribute contains the substahi e 61 

 this essay with other valuable information, in- 

 creasing Its size ten fold. What if all our con- 

 stituents do not read the hook? Do we expect 

 every voter in the State to be benefited by a new 

 bank or railroad? If we place information 

 within the reach of the whole community, it is 

 their own fault if they neglect it — some men 

 will read and he benefited. There is much wis- 

 dom as well as benevolence in the remark of an 

 old lady who manifested a deep solicitude for a 

 poor lad who was thrown from a horse in trout 

 of her dwelling, in one of our cities. A hy- 

 sounler observing her distress and her unwearied 

 efforts to restore the boy to consciousness, coollj 

 asked, " Is he your son, madam r" " No, indeed." 

 '• Why then, do you feel so anxious about him ?" 

 " Why, he's somebody's son," was the reply. If 

 our legislation fails to benefit our own constitu- 

 ents it may benefit' somebody's constituents. If 

 the book be read it cannot fail lo do good. II 

 it be read only by a few, somebody will derive ad- 

 vantage from it. Hon. Horace Mann, who is es- 

 teemed good authority on such matters, says in 

 his last report: "If a copy of Mr. Barnard's 

 hook could be placed by the Slate in the office 

 of every town clerk of every town, to be there 

 kept for general reference, it would greatly im- 

 prove the school houses to be hereafter erected, 

 and would save in the expense of subsequent 

 alterations, a hundred times more than il would 

 cost." 



The Schoolmaster wasted. — The following 

 note was picked up near the Boston Custom 

 House the other day : 



"Dear bob. Eve have two in form u that wee 

 shall dead eye Gate our knew haul next fry day 

 the 22d ultimo al won o klock. Due be on 

 band hearly. 



Yourn til for bid. 



GliFfJS KLARK. 



p. S.. iff ruth has done them air stockings 

 bring uin with u." — Worcester Transcript. 



Geology for Schools and Families— No^ 3. 



BV JOSIAH HOLEROOK. 



Quartz, feldspar, and mica are the first and 

 the most important letters in the geological al- 

 phabet. They are the elements of all granite 

 formations, which occupy the highest points on 

 all the highest mountains in the world. These 

 formations, though composed of the same mate- 

 rials, vary much in their internal structure, and 

 still more in their external appearance. Their 

 elements differ greatly in the proportions, also 

 in the compactness in which they are combined ; 

 in their color also. The older formations are 

 generally coarser than the more recent, and not 

 so well fitted for purposes of architecture, but 

 better for some of the arts. For glass, quartz 

 must be pure; as must feldspar for china. For 

 the doors of stoves, and other purposes in the 

 arts, the plates of mica must be large, transpa- 

 rent, at least translucent, and readily divided. 



The granite formations are classed in three 

 divisions, under the names of granite, gneiss, 

 and mica slate. The first appears to be without 

 stratification, the materials being thrown together 

 with the greatest possible irregularity and con- 

 fusion. The other two are stratified or slaty, be- 

 ing readily divided into slabs, and thus fitted for 

 floors, bridges, side-walks — indeed, many pur- 

 poses in architecture and the other arts. Granite, 

 though always unstratified, still differs greatly in 

 its structure and appearance. It may especially 

 be divided into coarse and fine; the latter much 

 used lor building in all the Atlantic cities and 

 many other places. The "Halls of Justice," 

 (Tombs,) in New York, present a good specimen 

 of fine granite, procured from Hallowed, Maine. 

 The color of the rock depends, of course, upon 

 that of its materials. If the quartz, mica, and 

 feldspar are white, or nearly so, as they some- 

 times are, the rock composed of them, of course, 

 exhibits a light complexion. Mica is sometimes 

 black, the quartz brown or smoky, and the feld- 

 spar red or reddish, when the appearance of the 

 mass is modified accordingly. In some instances 

 one of the ingredients is nearly or wholly want- 

 ing, the rock still bearing the name of granite. 



Gneiss is slaty granite. The mica has one 

 uniform direction, and thus gives a stratified or 

 slaty character to the whole mass, which is thus 

 readily divided into slabs of any desirable thick- 

 ness needed for floors or other purposes. By a 

 few wedges slabs of gneiss, twenty feel or more 

 in diameter, are sometimes quarried, admirably 

 titled for moderate sized bridges; indeed many 

 purposes. As granite is unstratified, it is divided 

 first by drills, used a few inches apart, followed 

 by wedges, by which thousands of tons, in one 

 mass, are frequently separated from the main 

 rock, afterwards broken by a similar process 

 into such blocks, both in size and shape, as are 

 called For. 



Mica slate differs from gneiss in wanting the 

 feldspar, being composed of quartz and mica so 

 finely embodied as not to be easily distinguished 

 in their separate state. This rock is less hard 

 than either of the other granite formations, and, 

 though smoother, is less even or plane in general 

 surface than either. It has frequently, not al 

 ways, a waving or undulating surface. Though 

 less strong and durable than gneiss, it is used 

 for the same purposes, viz., floors, bridges, &c. 



Upon these three rocks, constituting the gran- 

 ite formation, and composed of the three letters 

 of ihe geological alphabet, already several times 

 named, depend in a great measure the business 

 of a country: indeed greatly modify the charac- 

 ter of its population. Granite rocks, as already 

 said, compose the very highest points of the 

 earth. They also render the general surface of 

 a country rough or precipitous, and give a sili- 

 ciotlS character to soils formed from them. 

 Si reams are hence rapid, possessing of course, 

 " mill power," leading to rnafiufaelories of various 

 descriptions. Climbing ringed hills ami subdu- 

 ing and fertilizing rugged and perhaps barren 

 soils, give strength, hardihood, and boldness of 

 character; also independence of mind and love 

 of liberty, with ability and determination to sus- 

 tain mind. 



Hence the Scotch, Swiss, Welsh, and inhabit- 

 ants of other granite or hilly countries have 

 stood, and now stand, first among nations for 

 their mural, manly \ii lues, which constitute the 

 true dignity of man. They are industrious, eco- 



nomical, enterprising, brave, independent, hon- 

 est, virtuous, religious. Under such results and 

 relations, commercial, physical, intellectual, mor- 

 al, and religious, who would not know the first 

 three letters of the geological alphabet, with the 

 three rocks formed from them, and occupying 

 the highest peaks of the highest points all over 

 the globe; especially as they can all be learned 

 in three minutes or thereabouts? 



The N. H. Conference Seminary has a large 

 attendance of scholars the present fall term. No 

 academic institution in the State has so lame a 

 portion of adult, full grown young men — those 

 who are determined to be useful citizens, as this 

 Seminary. There are two flourishing literary 

 Societies sustained by them, the United Pano- 

 plean and the V. A. S., both of which have a 

 reading room and library. 



Tubbs' Union Academy. — We are informed 

 that the fall term of this institution commenced 

 with over one hundred scholars. We have no 

 doubt that it will become one of the most popu- 

 lar academies in the Slate. Professor Sanborn 

 is a " gentleman and a scholar," and his pupils 

 are apt to imbibe his amiable qualities. — New- 

 port Argus. 



HIGGINS' NURSERIES, 



FLUSHING, NEAR NEW YORK. 



THE proprietor offers for sale an extensive assortment 

 of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, comprising 

 10,000 Fear Trees. Irom one to three years growth: 

 Irom Ihe crafts ; 12,000 Apples; 10,000 Cherries; 

 15 000 Peach ; 6,000 Nectarines ; 3,000 Apricots; 

 6,000 Quince ; 8,000 Plums; 4,000 Grape Vines; 

 all the new varieties ol Strawberries, Has berries, Goose- 

 berries, Currants. &.C. Also, 20,000 assorted Orna- 

 mental Trees, for s'reets. avenues and pleasure grounds, 

 and cemeteries; 10,000 Evergieens and fifty varieties 

 «>f Flowering Shrubs; all the leading kind* of perpetual 

 Roses. Herbaceons plants, running Tines, Honeysuckles, 

 Wistarias, &c, and dwarf box for garden edgings, Ever- 

 green fvy for ornamenting the walls of churches, stone 

 buildings. &e, &c 



Trees packed carefully and sent to all parts of the 

 Union, as ordered. 



It is the desire of Ihe proprietor, that all persons wish- 

 ing lo purchase any of the above named, will do him the 

 favor of visiting his extensive nurseries, and judge for 

 themselves. Address the undersigned. Proprietor of the 

 above jNorseries, Flushing, near New York. 



DANIEL HIGGINS. 



Flushing, Sept. IS. 1C 19 



FARM FOR SALE. 



rilHE subscribers offer for sale their FARM in Ensnm, 

 _1_ well-known as the Cilley place, lying on the Turn- 

 pike road, and near the centre of the town, and close to 

 the line of the contemplated railroad from Hooksrtl to 

 Pit'sfield. The home place contains upward of 200 

 acres; a large proportion of which is mowirig.and tillage; 

 the buildings are two good DWELLING HOUSES two 

 Barns with Sheds, and all other Out buildings suitable for 

 Iwo families. Also, a large Pasture about two miles 

 from the home place, containing about 90 acres, well 

 watered, lyinu by the side of Odiorne's pond (so called.) 

 Also, a Wood and Timber lot, containing about 90 

 iert_s. about oi:e and a halt miles from the home place, 

 and very handy to Long Falls Saw Mill. They also offer 

 the crops now growing, and the hay in the barns, being 

 sufficient lo winter Bfly head of caltle ; the greater part 

 cut on the home place the present season 



If not disposed of at private sale the present season, it 

 will be offered at public auction the '20lh day of February, 

 1850. 



Conditions of sale for the whole or such parts as may 

 be agreed upon, will be liberal. 



W. P. CILLEY, 

 J. L. CILLEY. 



Epsom, August 31, 1849. 3ms. 



FARM FOR SALE. 



THE subscriber offers for sile his Farm, situated in 

 the southwest part of Bedford, six nines frem Man- 

 chester. Said farm consists of 140 acres, divided into 

 mowing, pasturing, tillage and woodland, with a good va- 

 riety of FRUIT TREES thereon in a bearing state, con- 

 sisting of Apple. Peach. Plum, Cherries, Grape, Currants, 

 Gooseberries, &.c. The above fruit has been selected 

 from Ihe choicest kinds with a view to the market. Also 

 one other Younu Orchard of Baldwin Apples, three years 

 frem the bud, consisting of eighty trees. 



On the premises are two COTTAGE HOUSES, Shed 

 and 15 ii n— 90 by 30. The above farm has been improved 

 fur the last four years as a milk and vegetable farm. 



Anv one wishing to engage in either or both of Ihe 

 above branches or farming, will do well to call anil ex- 

 amine the premises, as the crops will be a butter recom- 

 mendation than any thing the subscriber mi) say. 



Reference may be m >de to Hon. Isaac Hill, Concord, 

 or to BROOKS SHATTUCK, on Ihe premises. 



Also— One oilier Faun in said town, of 110 acres, 

 in n guod condition, with buddings newly fitted up. 



Fur further particulars enquire as above. 



Bedford, Aug. 31, 1849, 3ms 



