314 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
almost anything else in this world. Re- 
member how the little " busy bee gathers 
honey all the day;" and don't forget 
what you all have read in the book of 
Proverbs, where the lazy man is told to 
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard." To do 
nothing is to go backwards; something 
that can not be tolerated in this world. 
All our wisest and greatest men and 
women were once industrious and active 
boys and giiis. 
Before these lines reach our readers, 
the public schools throughout the length 
and breadth of the United States will 
have been thrown open to receive their 
precious students, many of whom will be- 
come the history makers of the next half 
century. Every morning now, for many 
months, thousands of boys and girls will 
be seen, not as Shakespeare puts it, 
creeping unwillingly to school, but trip- 
ping thither in good heart and with 
cTieerful faces. In Shakespeare's day 
schools were not what they are now, or 
he would not have written so disparag- 
ingly of the schoolboy. In that age 
birches were used very extensively, and 
the pupil's head was cultivated at the ex- 
pense of their personal comfort. We 
have improved upon that. We have 
spoiled the rod and spared the child, and 
the consequence is that the discii)line of 
benevolence and intelligence has been 
found to be more effective than the 
flagellation practiced under the old 
regime. Our schools and teachers are 
improving, with occasional lapses, and 
so are our scholars. These things being 
so the beginning of the present term was 
hailed with pleasure, rather than dread 
and fear. 
— 
Base-Ball. 
New York vs. Staten Island.— The 
contest at Sfnten Islnnd September 5th 
between tlie New York i>rofessionals and 
the Staten Island nine proved to be a 
one-sided contest, in which the profes- 
sionals won with ease by a score of 10 
to 1. O'Neil and Humphries pitched and 
caught for the New Yorks, and not a run 
was earned off the former's delivery, the 
run obtained being scored by errors, the 
fielding on both sides in liie early part of 
the contest being interfered with by a 
gale of wind which blew across the field. 
The pitching and catching of Tyng and 
Shaw were very good in a majoril y of the 
innings. Walden bore off the palm in 
the field, he accepting eight out of nine 
chances at second base. 
The Metropolitans of New York have 
played 48 championship games on the 
Polo Grounds this season, of which they 
won 30, lost 17, and had one drawn. Of 
the defeats sustained on the liome-field, 
six were witli the St. Louis nine, four 
with the Eclipse, three with the Athletic, 
two with the Allegheny, and one each 
witli the Cincinnati and Columbus teams, 
the Baltimores not scoring a single vic- 
tory on the Polo Grounds. The Metro- 
politan victories were six each with the 
Cincinnati, Columbus and Baltimore 
teams, five with the Allegheny, four with 
the Athletics, two with the Eclipse, and 
one with the St. Louis, their drawn con- 
test being with the Eclipse. The Metro- 
politans left town for the West Sept. 7. 
Swimming and Yachting. 
— A sister of Captain Webb is reported 
by cable to have been found drowned in 
the river at Ladysmith, Natal. She be- 
came insane upon hearing of the death 
of her brother. 
— A movement is on foot to erect a mon- 
ument to Captain Webb, the swimmer, on 
the spot on the Severn Kiver where he 
once saved a life. 
— The contest for the amateur swimming 
championsliip of England at five hun- 
dred yards took place on the evening of 
Aug. 21 at the Lambeth Baths, London, 
under the auspices of the North London 
S. C. First heat : W. K. Itter, Torpedo S. 
C, first, in 8m. 8s. ; W. Henry second, by 
thirteen yards,; A. E. Fni.nce third. Sec- 
ond heat : E. C. Danels, North London 
S. C, first; J. BrogaR second, by two 
yards; G. Dunmore third, by a dozen 
yards. Final heat: Dnnels first, in 7m. 
484s. ; Itter second, by fifteen yards ; 
