MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
I (Ibnurtional Ifpartnirai 
■ BY L. WETHERELL. 
I THE NEW SCHOOL LAW. 
I Mr. Editor: —I see that the subject of 
J Free Schools is occasionally discussed in 
J your columns, and though I have no partic- 
J ularly new arguments to urge, perhaps a 
[ statement of hoxo it is looked upon in this 
I vicinity may prove interesting. 
The most agitating question which has 
arisen since the last vote on the “ No Li¬ 
cense” system is that brought up by the 
passage of the “New School Law,” and 
here the land-holders are almost unanimous¬ 
ly among its opponents. Nor could half-a- 
dozen men of any class, meet without a dis¬ 
cussion upon the manner and result, if not 
upon the justness of its application. 
Its opponents urge against it that it im¬ 
poses taxes upon one cl^ for the benefit of 
another, to whom they owe notliing, and 
who are already as wealthy as themselves. 
Thus a man without childern, buys land on 
credit and not only pays interest and the 
usual taxes on what he owes, but must un¬ 
der the operation of this law, now pay a 
school tax for the benefit ‘of the mechanic 
who has a large family to educate, but is in 
good circumstances, and out of debt and 
worth perhaps ten times the real property 
of the other; but having no land or only a 
small building lot pays none, or only nom¬ 
inal taxes. 
In reply, it is said that this particular 
case is one of peculiar hardship, going to 
show that our present principles of assess¬ 
ment are wrong; but that they are so does 
not invalidate the justice or the expediency 
of this law. Also that the rights of prop¬ 
erty are founded upon the virtue and intel¬ 
ligence of the people, as also the stability 
and justice of the Government, and that uni¬ 
versal education is a better and wiser pre¬ 
ventive of crime, than the more costly one 
(which comes too late) of ciminal courts, 
prisons and the gallows. 
Arguments appealing only to the narrow¬ 
est principles of selfish interest are also ad¬ 
vanced on both sides, but they hardly merit 
notice. The conclusion generally arrived at 
by the majorities of the districts in this vi¬ 
cinity, is to vote no appropriations, leaving 
the Trustees to make the arrangements and 
lay the taxes for the four months school re¬ 
quired by law. 
There seems to be already considerable 
re-action in its favor, and many think if its 
operation had been delayed for a few months 
until the public mind became better prepar¬ 
ed for it—until the winter schools already 
commenced were concluded as contracted 
—until the county appropriations were rais¬ 
ed, and the law had been amended so as to 
require eight months school instead of four 
— there would have been much less oppo¬ 
sition and bickering in the districts than now. 
There can be no doubt, however, but that 
as its originators intended it should prove, 
it will yet be received by the public mind 
as a blessing to the State, adding vastly to 
its moral and political power—to its Avealth 
and intelligence. j. ii. b. 
Roi;alton, N. Y., March, 1850. 
COMMON SCHOOLS IN KENTUCKY. 
Dr. Humphrey, late President of Am¬ 
herst College, in a recent letter to the NeAv 
York Observer, (written from Louisville,) 
gives an interesting account of the Public 
Si;iu,)ols in Kentucky. We make the follow¬ 
ing extract:— 
The Annual Report of Dr. Robert Breck- 
enridge. Superintendent of Public Instruc¬ 
tion, to the General Assembly of Kentucky, 
has just been published in a pamphlet of 
62 pages. It is the most important docu¬ 
ment which has been submitted to that body 
during the present session, and reflects great 
credit upon the energy, fidelity, and com¬ 
prehensive aims of the Superintendent, in 
the discharge of his high duties. It is noAv 
but two years since Dr. Breckenridge ayrs 
appointed to the office, and the great ser¬ 
vice he hcis rendered to the cause of popu¬ 
lar education in the State, is strikingly ex¬ 
hibited in the contrast betAveen the present 
condition of the Common Schools, and that 
in which he found them Avhen he received his 
appointment from the Board of Education. 
'I'he number of children in the common- 
Avealth, as reported by the second Auditor, 
between the ages of 5 and 16, {leaving out 
the colored children of coxirse,) is 192,990. 
The n\nnber ])rovido(l Avith schools, as re¬ 
ported in 1847, Avas 20,775; in 1848, 83,- 
311; in 1849, 87,496: a clear advance of 
66,723, in Iaa-o years; leaving still 105,492 
Avho derive, as yet, no practical benefit from 
the Public School system. It is cheering 
to sec that the increa.se has been more rap¬ 
id in the rural districts than in the tOAvns. 
Thus in 1847, 27 counties reported 12,330 
scholars; the next year, 44 counties report¬ 
ed 24,026, and in 1849, 7l counties 77,782. 
Increasing at this rate, the whole State vdll 
soon be organized under the system, to which 
the enerw and influence of the present Su- 
■ perintendent, promptly seconded by others, 
has given such an extraordinary impulse. 
That the people and Legislature of Ken¬ 
tucky feel a deep interest in the support of 
Free Schools throughout the State, is prov¬ 
ed by the ample permanent fund of $J,- 
299,268 42, which has already been estab¬ 
lished, and the annual income of which is 
appropriated by Irav to the payment of com¬ 
petent teachers, in addition to Avhat is called 
the “ two cent tax fund,” Avhich it is estima¬ 
ted will this year produce $54,407 92. 
If the whole State Avas fully organized, 
and convenient school houses Avere built 
where they are needed, and the people 
would act as decidedly in filling up and pro¬ 
longing the schools, as they have done in 
laying the foundation for their liberal sup¬ 
port, the benign influence of the system 
would soon be seen and felt eA'erywhere. 
The beginning is certainly auspicious, 
but much remains to be done. Nowhere, 
perhaps, is a permanent School Fund more 
needed to insure the education of all the 
children, than in Kentucky. The folloAving 
classification, taken from the Auditor’s Re¬ 
port for 1849, shows the pecuniary condi¬ 
tion of the parents. 
“ 1. The number of children whose pa¬ 
rents have no property listed for taxation, 
19,467. 
“ 2. Number whose parents’ list is less 
than $100 worth of property, 36,764. 
“ 3. Number whose parents’ list is from 
$100 to $400, 35,035. 
“4. Number whose parents’ list is from 
$400 to $600, 16,409. 
“ Total number of children Avhose parents 
must be considered as indigent, 107,675. 
“ 5. Number of children Avhose parents’ 
list is OA^er $600, 85,315.” 
The State is divided into 100 counties, 
29 of which made no returns, last year, to 
the Superintendent, as the laAv requires, 
and thus voluntarily forfeited their share in 
the annual dividend from the fund. This 
neglect indicates a deplorable indifference 
in those counties, to the cause of education. 
In some of them there may be a feiv Com¬ 
mon Schools, in the advantages of Avhich 
the poor children are allowed to share, but 
I fear there are very feAv, if any, and far be¬ 
tween. One of the oldest and most influ¬ 
ential members of the Convention, last win¬ 
ter, thanked God, in debate (Avhat a mock¬ 
ery !) that there never Avas a Free School 
in his county, and he hoped there never 
would be! At the same time he boasted 
of having educated some half dozen chil¬ 
dren himself, and thi.s, forsooth, ought to 
satisfy the hundreds or thousands Avhom he 
must know Avill be left Avithout education, 
if not aided by the public fund. Happily 
he found but little sympathy from any quar¬ 
ter. Indeed, I believe he Avent home alone 
in his glory (Phil. 3. 19) to witness the 
spectacle of a generation groAving up in 
heathenism at his very door. 
A glance at the hibles before me, shows 
how inadequate, as yet, are the Common 
School privileges even in the counties Avhere 
the system has gone into operation. In 
the great majority of the districts, more 
than nine-tenths of the schools are taught 
but three months in the year. For exam¬ 
ple: Wayne county reports 41 schools, 34 
of which are kept three months, four are 
kept four months, one six months, and one 
seven and a half. On pp. 24 and 25, four 
counties, as they stand together on tlie ta¬ 
bles, report 44 schools, not one of Avhich is 
kept over three months. Another county, 
taken almost at random, returns 25 schools, 
17 of which are kept three months, 2 four 
months, 4 five months, and 1 six. These 
are fair specimens of the whole table of 7l 
coimties. The average number of children 
at school in the districts reported, is less 
than half the Avhole number. For exam¬ 
ple: taking the first three coimties that 
strike my eye; Marshall, —number of chil¬ 
dren in the districts, 1,211; aA’erage at 
school, 720. Mason, —1,184 in the dis¬ 
tricts; at school, 627. Muhlenburgh, —1,- 
902 in the districts reported; at school, 852. 
^The Schoolmaster Abroad. — This 
phrase originated with Lord Brougham, 
whose eloquence is as notorious as is his ec¬ 
centricity. In his speech on the elevation 
of Wellington, “ a mere military chieftan,” 
to the Premiership, after the death of Can¬ 
ning, Brougham said: 
“ J’ield Marshal the Duke of Wellington 
may take the army— he may take the na¬ 
vy—he may take the great seal—he may 
bike the mitre. I make him a present of 
them all. Let him come on Avith his whole 
force, SAvord in hand, against the constitu¬ 
tion, and the English people Avill not only 
beat him back, but laugh at his assaults.— 
In other times the country may have heard 
Avith dismay that ‘ the soldier ‘avrs abroad.’ 
It Avill not be so uoav. Let the sol(li<“r he 
abroad if he Avill; he can do nothing in this 
age. There is another personage abroad— 
a pei-sonage less imposing in the eyes of 
some, perhaps insignificant The school¬ 
master is abroad; and I trust to him, arm¬ 
ed Avith his primer, against the soldier in 
full military array.” 
Natural liistori]. 
TH E PI KE. 
The pike, commonly called the jack when 
under three or four pounds in Aveight, is a 
well known fish; like many of us, better 
known than trusted. He is a greedy, un¬ 
sociable, tyrannical savage, and is hated like 
a Bluebeard. Everybody girds at him Avith 
spear, gaff, hook, net, snare, and even Avith 
poAvder and shot. He has not a friend in 
the world. The horrible gorge hook is es¬ 
pecially invented for the torment of his maAV, 
notwithstanding, he fights his Avay vigorous¬ 
ly* grows into immense strength, despite his 
many enemies, and lives longer than his 
greatest foe, man. His voracity is unbound¬ 
ed, and, like the most accomplished corpo¬ 
rate officer, he is nearly oraniverous, his pal¬ 
ate giving the preference, however, to fish, 
flesh, and fowl. Dyspepsia never interferes 
with his digestion; and he possesses a qual¬ 
ity that would haA^ been valuable at La 
Trappe—he can fast Avithout inconvenience 
for a sen’night. He can gorge himself then 
to beyond the gills without the slightest de¬ 
rangement of the stomach. He is shark 
and ostrich combined. His body is comely 
to look at; and if he could hide his head 
— by no means a diminished one—his 
green and silver vesture would attract many 
admirers. His intemperate habits, howev¬ 
er, render him an object of disgust and 
dread. He devours his own children; but, 
strange to say, likes better (for eating) the 
children of his neighbors. 
ADVENTURE WITH A WOLF. 
I HAVE said that the mountain Avolves, 
and, still more so, the coyote of the plains, 
are less frightened at the sight of man than 
any other beast. One night, Avhen encamp¬ 
ed on an affluent of the Platte, a heavy 
snoAV-storm falling at the time, I lay doAvn 
in my blanket, after first heaping on the fire 
a vast pile of Avood, to burn till morning.— 
In the middle of the night I Avas aAvaken- 
ed by the severe cold, and, turning towards 
the fire, which Avas burning bright and 
cheerfully, what was my astonishment to 
see a large grey wolf sitting quietly before 
it, his eyes closed, and his head nodding in 
sheer drowsiness! Although I had fre¬ 
quently seen Avolves evince their disregard 
of fires by coming within a fcAv feet of them 
to seize upon any scrap of meat which might 
be left exposed, I had never seen or heard 
of one approaching to Avarm his body, and 
for that purpose alone. HoAvever, I looked 
at him for some moments Avithout disturb¬ 
ing the beast; and closed my eyes and Avent 
to sleep, leaving him to the quiet enjoyment 
of the blaze. This is not veiy wonderful 
when I mention, that it is a verv common 
thing for these animals to gnaw the straps 
of the saddle on Avhich your head is repos¬ 
ing for a pilloAAA —Adventures in Mexico. 
CURIOUS FACT I N NA TURAL HISTORY. 
At High Aslies, Barlow, near Chester¬ 
field, the family of Mr. Joshua Turner had 
killed a pig, and the pig-cote, beside a foot 
path, and Avithin a feAv feet of the kitchen 
door, was standing empty, Avhen Mrs. Tur¬ 
ner looking in one day, observed what she 
supposed to be a litter of young hedgehogs, 
but to her surprise found them to be two 
young hares, about three Aveeks old. The 
circumstance of a hare depositing her young, 
and suckling them in a building close to a 
thoroughfare, is, we believe, quite unprece¬ 
dented, and in this case led to something al¬ 
most as rare in the habits of that timid 
creature. Mrs. Tiu-ner took them into the 
house, and continues, with the utmost care, 
regularly to feed them on neAv milk, Avhich 
they lap up with great apparent satisfaction, 
and run about the house Avith all the frolic 
and familiarity of young kittens. 
The sense of hearing in the hare has 
often excited the attention of naturalists, 
and these little creatures manifest it in tlie 
most singular manner, appearing by their 
motions almost to listen to the conversation 
Avhich goes on around Haam.—Foreign pa. 
THE PALM TREE. 
The Palms haA'e been universally regar¬ 
ded as the loftiest, noblest, and most beau¬ 
tiful of all vegetable forms. Their gigantic 
slender, ringed, and occasionally prickly 
stems, sometimes one hundred and ninety- 
two feet high, terminate in an aspiring and 
shining foliage, either fan-like or pinnated, 
with leaves frequently curled like some of 
the grasses. In receding from the equator 
they diminish in height and beauty. The 
true climate of palms is under a mean an¬ 
nual temperature. of from seventy-eight to 
eighty-one and a-half degrees. The date 
variety lives, but does not thrive in a mean 
temperature of from fifty-nine to sixty-tAvo 
and a-half degrees. In some species of the 
floAver, the sheath opens suddenly Avith an 
audible sound. The Palms are everywhere. 
accompanied by Plantains or Bananas, gToves 
of Avhich form the ornaments of moist local¬ 
ities in the regions of tlie Equator. Their 
stems are Ioav, succulent, and almost herba¬ 
ceous, and are surmounted by long and 
bright green silky leaves, of a texture thin 
and loose. Noble and beautiful in shape, 
they adorn the habitation of man, Avhile they 
form the principal article of his subsistence 
under the torrid zone. 
MistEllamj. 
For the Rural New-Yorker 
RURAL RHAPSODIES.—NO 2. 
BY WILL WICKLIKKE. 
THE SNOW STORM. 
Down, down they ride, each little feather 
flake, like so many particles of life, chasing 
each other and dodging by as if upon a 
strife to leave its foot-prints upon the light¬ 
er winged one that has yet scarcely settled 
in its earthen nest 
See Avhat shapes they have assumed. 
Here comes one whirling, wheeling through 
the air, that is a miniature star, and there 
goes one playing its antics like a clown in a 
pantomime—they come swinging and tot¬ 
tering, some resembling fern leaves, others, 
clusters of feathers and of nearly every 
shape imaginable; all not unlike the various 
characters of a masquerade. 
Now the dead old earth is completely en¬ 
veloped in its Avinding sheet The gay, 
pretty flowers of summer have long since 
passed aAvay—but they shall live again, up¬ 
on the ressurrection morn of some bright 
spring day Ave shall see their graceful forms, 
clothed in the velvet texture of nattu-e’s 
handiwork, peeping from beneath the cold 
tenement of earth, to gladden us once more 
Avith the stimulating perfumes, and the beau¬ 
tiful colors of a Master Artist. 
The great trees appear to be groaning 
under the oppressive weight of their blanch¬ 
ed mantles—although they have borne up 
under tempests for centuries gone by, yet 
each kind breeze that bloAvs, apparently be- 
stOAvs a faA'or in shaking off the cumbrous 
Aveiglit, allowing each drooping branch to 
extend its arms as if to invoke a blessing. 
So should it be with us amid the duties and 
cares of life; although borne doAvn and feel¬ 
ing oiu-selves ill prepared to Avithstand the 
oppressive load, yet will there some gentle 
breeze surely come and fan our. feverish 
broAvs and shake off the deadening Aveight 
The gray old fences begin to shake their 
shaggy sides, and doAvn come tumbling 
■groat blocks of snoAv tliat dive headlong in¬ 
to the yielding element beloAv, Avhere they 
lie half hidden as if ashamed to sliow their 
feeble forms, after being thus unmercifully 
thrown from the fractious bearer that noAV 
Avill support them no longer. 
The beautiful song-birds all have left us; 
still, here is the ^iretty little snoAv bunting, 
chippering about as if to beg something to 
eat, of Avhich she is almost persuaded to 
partake from your hand, upon some of those 
biting cold days that lead the inferior por¬ 
tion of animate nature to look up to power¬ 
ful man for protection. And the shy crow, 
black as ebony, comes shouting and halloo¬ 
ing about Avith its coarse voice, ready to 
pounce and glut his appetite upon the vic¬ 
tim of some miserable creature’s careless¬ 
ness and inattention—the poor animal re¬ 
lieved of its tortures by death. Ali ! cruel 
man, hoAv dare you neglet the innocent ob¬ 
jects given to you for your oAvn happiness 
and necessities. 
Murmur not at the Avinter of the year.— 
Although its appearance may be dreary, 
yet there is much to contemplate and ad¬ 
mire. Nature requires rest and tliis is the 
time that she sleeps. Soon will her lethar¬ 
gy be aAvakened; then Avill she put on a 
smiling face and breathe out soft Avords in 
touching songs, and all things become en¬ 
thusiastic in the balmy morning of Spring. 
Glen Cole, 3d mo., 1850. 
'I'liK Man ok the Times— We like an 
active man, one Avho has the impulse of the 
age— of the steam engine in him. A lazy, 
plodding, snail-paced chap might have got 
into the Avorld fifty years ago, but he AA'on’t 
do for these times. We live in an age of 
quick ideas; men think quick, speak quick 
— eat, sleep, court, marry and die quick — 
and sloAv coaclies ain’t tolerated. “ Go a- 
head, if you burst your boiler,” is the motto 
of the age; and he succeeds best in every 
line of business, Avho has the snapping tur¬ 
tle in him. Strive readei-s, to catch this 
spirit of the times; be “up and dressed” al- 
Avays, not gaping and rubbing yoiu* eyes as 
if you Avere half asleep, but Avide aAviike for 
Avhatever may turn up—and" you may be 
“somebody” before you die. Think, man, 
reflect as much as you please, before you 
act; but think quick and closely, and Avhen 
you have fixed youi eye upon an object, 
spring to the mark at once. 
When hearts are filled Avith holy aflections 
and home is happy, then do the young dAvell 
in a charmed circle, Avhich only the naturally 
depraved would seek to quit, and across 
Avhich boundary temptations to error shine 
out but feebly. 
HERALDRY. 
[For the Rural New-Yorker.] 
Heraldry is a system of conventional 
distinctions impressed or painted on shields, 
banners, crowns, swords, and other military 
accoutrements: it is divided into personal 
and national,—that which is called personal 
treats of bearings belonging to individuals, ^ 
either of their own or hereditary right. De¬ 
vices borne on the shields and banners of 
heroes and champions, have come down to 
us from early ages as antiquities. The shield 
of Hercules, and that made by Vulcan, for 
Achilles, were embossed with a great num¬ 
ber of armorial and mythological devices, 
but were rather ornamental than heraldic 
in design. 
Arschylus states that the seven chiefs 
that marched against Tliebes, each had their 
badges of distinction emblazoned on the 
shield after the manner of the middle-age 
knights. The Romans had no armorial in¬ 
signia, except distinctive crowns for particu¬ 
lar services. 
Early in the middle age.s, we find heraldic 
cognisances borne by knights, and especial¬ 
ly at the tournaments, Avhen they appeared 
in full armour: these were blazoned upon 
the shields or banners; and it is probable 
that the tournament gave origin to system¬ 
atic heraldry. This fanciful system seems 
to have been to a great extent derived from 
the allegory and symbols of the east. The 
Germans Avere the first to cultivate it to any 
extent, but the Normans and French redu¬ 
ced it to its present systematic form. The 
English terms of heraldry are derived from 
the French almost entirely. 
Hereditary coats of arms cannot be tra¬ 
ced Avith certainty farther back than the 13th 
century. National heraldry, or the use of 
distinguishing emblems by civil commimi- 
ties, is more ancient than personal. Badges 
were borne on the standards of some ancient 
nations; thus, Persia and Rome had the ea¬ 
gle, and Athens the owl. Arms are divid¬ 
ed into national, family and personal,— and 
become hereditary. Arms of alliance show 
the imion of families, and have certain marks 
in common, and various devices termed dif¬ 
ferences. Arms of assumption are often 
taken up by individuals from vanity or ca¬ 
price, and also by various societies and or¬ 
ganizations ; but they are borne in total vio¬ 
lation of all heraldic laws. In times of 
chivalry, armorial bearing's were displayed 
on the shield, or escutcheon, and often, on 
the pennon or banner; and later, on the 
sword hilt and mantle; hence, the term coat- 
of-arms. In modem times heraldic devices 
and coats-of-arms, are often seen on carriages, 
furniture and other implements. 
Heraldry' was once a favorite study among 
the higher ranks of several countries: it has 
been enriched by mythology, fable and le¬ 
gend, as well as antiquarian knowledge. It 
is a curious combination of imaginary prin¬ 
ciples, woven into a most beautiful system. 
_ _ _ _r. 
A HINT TO TEACHERS. 
Some twelve or thirteen years ago, there 
was in Franklin school an exceedingly dull 
boy. One day the teacher wishing to look 
out a word, took up the lad’s dictionary, and 
on opening it found the blank leaves cover¬ 
ed with drawhigs. He called the boy to 
him. 
“ Did you draw these,” said the teacher. 
“ Yes, Sir,” said the boy, with a down¬ 
cast look. 
“ I don’t think it well for boys to draw 
in their books,” said the teacher, “and I 
would rub these out if I were you; but 
they are well done. Did you ever take 
lessons ? ” 
“ No, Sir,” said the boy, his eyes spark- 
ling. 
“ "Well, I think you have a talent for this 
thing; I should like to have you draw me 
something when you are at leisure at home 
and bring it to me. In the meantime see 
how well you can recite your lessons.” 
The boy felt he was understood. He be¬ 
came animated and fond of his books. He 
took delight in gratifying his teacher by his 
faithfulness to his studies; while the teach¬ 
er took every opportunity to encourage him 
in his natural desires. The boy became 
one of his first scholars, and gained the 
medal before he had left the school. After 
this he became an engraver, laid up money 
enough to go to Europe, studied the works 
of the old masters, sent home productions 
from his own pencil, which found a place in 
some of the best collections of paintings, 
and is now one of the most promising ar¬ 
tists of his years, in the country. After 
the boy gained the medal, he sent the 
teacher a beautiful picture, as a token of re¬ 
spect ; and I doubt not, to this day, he feels 
that the teiwher, by the judicious encour¬ 
agement he gave to the natm'al turn of his 
mind, has had a great moral and spiritual 
effect on his character. 
