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REVIEW OF REVIEWS. 



THE MASSACRE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW, 

 AUGUST _'4. 1572. 



Peace had been arranged between the 

 Protestants and Catholics in France, 

 after many years of fierce struggle. 

 Many of the Protestant leaders were in- 

 duced to come to Paris, where, on 

 August 24, a general massacre of the 



Huguenots took place. It was sanc- 

 tioned by Charles IX., but was no doubt 

 due to his mother, the fierce and fana- 

 tical Catherine de Medici. Over 40,000 

 Huguenots were slain, and Protestantism 

 was crushed in France. Many of the 

 persecuted families fled to England, 

 and had an immense influence in rais- 

 ing the general standard of life there. 



The English Education Act, August 9, 1870. 



The first real attempt at a system of 

 national education received the Queen's 

 assent on this day. When it was passed 

 only 1,000,000 children were receiving 

 education, in 1885 there were 3,000,000 ; 

 to-day there are 7,000,000. 



Dickens well describes in " Nicholas 

 Nickleby," the awful state of affairs be- 

 fore the Act. 



" This is the first class in English 

 spelling and philosophy, Nickleby," 

 said Squeers, beckoning Nicholas to 

 stand beside him. " We'll get up a 

 Latin one, and hand that over to you. 

 Now, then, where's the first boy?" 

 " Please, sir, he's cleaning the back par- 

 lour window," said the temporary head 

 of the philosophical class. "So he is, to 

 be sure," rejoined Squeers. "We go 

 upon the practical mode of teaching, 

 Nickleby ; the regular education system. 

 C-1-e-a-n, clean, verb, active, to make 

 bright, to scour. W-i-n, win, d-e-r, der, 

 winder, a casement. When the boy 

 knows this out of book he goes and 

 does it. It's just the same principle as 



the use of the globe. Wliere's the second 



boy ?" 



" Please, sir, he's weeding the garden," 

 replied a small voice. " To be sure," 

 said Squeers, by no means disconcerted. 

 " So he is. B-o-t, bot, t-i-n, tin, bottin, 

 n-e-y, ney, bottinney, noun, substantive, 

 a knowledge of plants. When he has 

 learned that bottinney means a know- 

 ledge of plants, he goes and knows 'em. 

 That's our system, Nickleby ; what do 

 you think of it ?" " It's a very useful one 

 at anyrate," answered Nicholas. " I be- 

 lieve you," rejoined Squeers, not re- 

 marking the emphasis of his usher. 

 "Third boy: What is a horse?" 



" A beast, sir," replied the boy. 



" So it is," said Squeers, " as you are 

 perfect in that, go and look after my 

 horse, and rub him down well, or I'll 

 rub you down ; the rest of the class go 

 and draw water up, till somebody tells 

 you to leave off, for it's washing day 

 to-morrow, and they want the coppers 

 filled." 



Battle of Crecy, August 26, 1 346. 



Edward III. laid claim to the throne 

 of France, and began the long struggle 

 known as the Hundred Years' War by in- 

 vading France. His small army was soon 

 retreating before the French, and finally 

 made a stand at Crecy. The battle re- 

 sulted in a great victory for the English 

 arms, and gave the over lordship of great 

 tracts of France to the British throne 

 for nearly a hundred years. Froissart 

 thus describes the fight in his chronicles. 



Early in the day some French, Ger- 

 mans and Savoyards had broken 



through the archers of the Prince's batta- 

 lion, and had engaged with the men-at- 

 arms ; upon this the second battalion 

 came to his aid, and it was time they 

 did so, for otherwise he would have 

 been hard pressed. The first division, 

 seeing the danger they were in, sent a 

 knight off in great haste to the king of 

 England, who was posted upon an 

 eminence near a windmill. On the 

 knight's arrival, he said : " Sir, the Earl 

 of Warwick, the Lord Stafford, the Lord 



