MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER; AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL 
NORMAL SCHOOL. 
ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE, 
The Lewisburg (Pa) Chronicle announ¬ 
ces the marriage on the 14th inst, of John 
Johnson and Mrs. Maria Miller, of Chillis- 
quaqtie township, and tells the following ro¬ 
mantic story respecting the happy pair: 
1 The groom, who now works at the boat¬ 
yard here, was formerly a sea-faring man. 
The bride is from South Carolina; and her 
father, and her former husband, both of 
whom have been dead many years, were 
w«althy planters. Some five years ago, the 
young widow made a visit, to England, in 
company with her brother, a Southern gen¬ 
tleman of fortune, and on the return voy¬ 
age they embarked in a vessel in which the 
groom was serving as a common sailon 
By some accident she was knocked over¬ 
board in the harbor of Liverpool, sank to 
the bottom, and was given up for lost. Our 
hero, however, did not abandon the search. 
A slight change in the position of the ves¬ 
sel discovered her, the water being remark¬ 
ably clear, lying on the ground, twenty feet 
below the surface, apparently dead. He in¬ 
stantly plunged to the bottom, seized her by 
the hair and brought her to the top; a 
large lock of hair being pulled out in the 
attempt and which is still preserved. Af¬ 
ter some hours of persevering exertion, she 
was finally brought to and perfectly restor¬ 
ed. She was deeply grateful to the pre¬ 
server of her life, and on the homeward 
voyage she formed a strong attachment for 
him and a union for life was resolved on. 
Their plans were, however, frustrated, 
and for several years they never met. In 
the meantime her fortune became impaired. 
Some three or four months ago she heard 
of his location here and immediately came 
on from Charleston to see him. Her uncle, 
however, overtook her and carried her back. 
She came on again, some three weeks ago, 
but was confined to bed for some time by 
sickness. Recovering, on last Sabbath eve¬ 
ning the long deferred nuptial knot was 
tied, and the rescuer and the rescued are 
now united in a life-partnership, for better 
or for worse. 
BY L. WETHERELL 
THE BELTED KINOFISHER. 
This is a general inhabitant of all our 
fresh water rivers from Hudson’s Bay to 
Mexico, and is the only species of its tribe 
found within the United States. This last 
circumstance, and its characteristic appear¬ 
ance, make it universally known here. Like 
the love-lorn swains, of whom poets tell us, 
he delights in murmuring streams and fal¬ 
ling waters; not however merely that they 
may soothe his ear, but for a gratification 
somewhat more substantial. Amidst the 
roar of a cataract, or over the foam of a 
POWER AND IMPORTANCE OF HABITS, 
The vast importance of correct training 
in early life is forcibly shown when we con¬ 
sider the power and permanence of the 
habits then acquired in their unceasing in¬ 
fluence over the thoughts and actions of af¬ 
ter life. We need not multiply arguments 
to prove the strength of the chains with 
which they bind human nature, for every 
one who has tried to break up an early, 
long continued habit will remember how 
arduous the task—how closely it clung to 
him, and it may be clings to him still, seem¬ 
ing interwoven with his very existence.— 
Few are they who have not reason to bless 
as well as to lament, the dominion of habits 
which hold and ever will hold sway over 
the body and the souL 
It is our present purpose more particular¬ 
ly, to speak of the habit of subordination— 
by which we mean obedience to parents, 
and those to whom their authority may be 
delegated, and to the laws which govern 
human society. 
Ho one of matured age and experience 
regrets that, as it is termed in common 
phrase, “his will was broken” when a child 
— that he was not left to act his own plea¬ 
sure, but taught to obey the dictation of 
wiser minds than his own. And solemn re¬ 
sponsibilities rest upon those whose right 
and whose duty it is to control their offspring, 
that they be prompt in forming this habit of 
subordination, without which neither fami¬ 
ly, social, or civil organizations can be sus¬ 
tained among men. Every one who has 
seen, must pity the petted, indulired. and in 
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 
This is emphatically a utilitarigji age: not 
exactly in Bentham’s or Hume's use of the 
word, but in a lower and more sensual im¬ 
port. And no cause has become more thor¬ 
oughly infused with this spirit of the times 
than that of education in all its different 
departments, from the primary school to the 
university. 
The inquiry of the parent who has sons 
and daughters to educate is not now as in 
times gone by, when he sought institutions 
whose object and purpose was to lay the 
foundation from which should rise a supe¬ 
rior education. The parent now seeks to 
make an artist of his son—hence the search 
is not for schools and colleges that make 
good, thorough and liberal scholars, but for 
such as have the reputation of making skil¬ 
ful handicraftsmen. This is just what we 
should expect when mammon is regarded as 
the chief object of devotion; and so long as 
it is deemed the chief end of man to accu¬ 
mulate riches for the sake of the ease, in¬ 
dulgence, luxury and distinction which they 
promise their possessor, few will be foimd 
pursuing the course that disciplines the men¬ 
tal powers and furnishes the mind with 
knowledge. When wealth is sought as a 
means to improve the condition of man the 
motive prompting to action is laudable; and 
hence the force of the remark of a member 
of Parliament, who, after listening to a fine 
speech in which the orator pictured the good 
time when every Englishman should be able 
to read Bacon, said. 
terests oi jn ew i ork have upon you, tor 
your co-operation in aiding, so far as you can 
consistently with your duties as common 
school teachers, in making known the true 
principles of Farming. The science of Ag¬ 
riculture is not only of great utility, but is 
the foundation of the wealth of all nations, 
and consequently should receive, to a cer¬ 
tain extent, the fostering care of government. 
It is believed that you, who have, in part 
been educated by the liberality of this State, 
win respond cheerfully to any reasonable 
demands which may be made for the ad¬ 
vancement of her interests in this respect. 
It is also believed, that your attention being 
once called to this subject, you will readily 
see that you have it in your power to do 
much good in this direction; and that you 
will not only feel a willingness, but a desire 
thus to extend the knowledge of this import¬ 
ant branch of education. 
Those who shall hereafter receive a Di¬ 
ploma of this Institution, will be required to 
understand to a certain extent, the elemen¬ 
tary principles ©f Agriculture, and for this 
reason they, as teachers, will be better pre¬ 
pared than yourselves to diffuse this knowl¬ 
edge through the community, by means of 
the common schools. To supply in part the 
deficiencies under which you will labor in 
the advancement of this knowledge, our Ex¬ 
ecutive Committee have directed me to 
transmit to each of you a copy of Professor 
Johnston’s Catechism of Agricultural Chem- 
[ istry and Geology, which work has been re¬ 
cently adopted as an elementary text book 
for the school. They are enabled to do this 
by the liberalitly of James S. Wadsworth, 
Esq., of Geneseo, acting as the representa¬ 
tive of his late father. 
The earnestness which your committee 
feel in this matter will be seen from the fol¬ 
lowing extract, taken from their last annual 
report made, through the Regents of the 
University, to the Legislature, Feb. 11, ’50. 
“ The committee appreciating the great 
and growing importance of agricultural sci¬ 
ence, and considering it, in its elementary 
principles, an appropriate subject for com¬ 
mon school instruction; and considering also, 
that with the aid of suitable text books now, 
or soon to be attainable, the subject, always 
appropriate, has at length become feasible 
for such instruction; have recently assigned 
it to a more prominent place than it had be¬ 
fore held in the Normal School, by making 
it a separate or independent branch and re¬ 
quiring it to be taught as an essential or 
constituent part of the course of study pur¬ 
sued in the schools. The committee im¬ 
pressed, as they themselves are, with the 
great importance of this new subject of 
study, hope to be able, through their Nor- 
inal graduates, acting under a like impres¬ 
sion, to cause it to be introduced into all the 
schools taught by such graduates, and thro’ 
their influence and that of such schools, to 
cause it to be finally adopted as part of the 
regular course of study in all the common 
schools, at least in the rural and agricultu¬ 
ral parts of the State. 
“ The committee have learned, with much 
satisfaction, from the proceedings of the 
State Agricultural Society at its last annual 
meeting, that a treatise on the subject above 
referred to, has been recently prepared by 
Prof. Norton and submitted to the Society, 
who, after due examination, have recom¬ 
mended it as a very valuable production, 
specially appropriate for the use of common 
schools, and have directed it to be published 
with a view, as is understood, to such a use. 
Such a treatise at this time, together with 
the text books already published and in 
practical use, will, in the opinion of the com¬ 
mittee, furnish all needful facilities for com¬ 
mon school instruction on the subject above 
referred to.” 
GEO. 11. PERKINS, Principal N. S. 
Normal School, Albany, March, 1850. 
The Executive Committee are happy to 
express their commendation of the above 
circular, prepared by Prof. Perkins; and 
would respectfully and earnestly urge upon 
the graduates of the Normal school the im¬ 
portance of introducing the study of Agri¬ 
cultural Chemistry into the schools under 
their charge. 
CHRISTOPHER MORGAN, 
Chairman of the Executive Committee. 
GIDEON HAWLEY, 
WM. H. CAMPELL, 
C. L. AUSTIN. 
Albany, March, 1850. 
torrent, he sits perched upon an overhang¬ 
ing bough, glancing his piercing eye in ev¬ 
ery direction below for his scaly prey, which, 
with a sudden circular plunge, he sweeps 
from their native element and swallows in 
an instant. His voice, which is not unlike 
the twirling of a watchman’s rattle, is nat¬ 
urally loud, and sudden, but is softened by 
the sound of the brawling streams, and cas¬ 
cades, among which he generally rambles.— 
He courses among the windings of the 
brook, or river, at a small height above the 
surface—sometimes suspending himself by 
the rapid action of his wings, ready to pounce 
on the prey below; now and then settling 
on an old dead overhanging limb to recon¬ 
noitre. Mill-dams are particularly visited 
by this feathered fisher; and the sound of 
his pipe is as well known to the miller, as 
the rattling of his own hopper. 
Rapid streams, with high perpendicular 
banks, particularly if they be of a hard 
clayey, or sandy nature, are also favorite 
places of resort for this bird; not only be¬ 
cause ill such places the fish are more ex¬ 
posed to view, but because these steep and 
high banks are the chosen situations for his 
nest Into these he digs with his bill hori¬ 
zontally, sometimes four or five feet The 
nest is built of few materials. They are 
very tenacious of their haunts, breeding for 
several successive years in the same hole, 
and do not readily forsake it, even though 
it be visited. Many fabulous stories have 
been related by the ancients, of the nest 
and manner of hatching of tlie kingfisher. 
This bird is twelve inches and a half long; 
the whole upper parts are a bluish slate col¬ 
or, round the neck is a collar of pure white; 
the head is large and crested; the feathers 
are long, and generally erect; the breast is 
blue and brown, the under parts white. 
I expect first to see 
the time when every Englishman shall be 
able to eat bacon.” 
This remark conveys an important truth; 
for no people or nation can become distin¬ 
guished in Science and Literature, unless 
there are men furnished with the means to 
supply themselves with food and raiment 
independent of their intellectual pursuits. 
Such can devote themselves entirely to the 
investigation of some favorite subjects and 
thus advance knowledge, which could not 
be done without the aid of wealth. It is 
not money, then, that is the root of all evil 
—it is the undue love of it, and this is the 
characteristic spirit of the age. 
Boys are sent to school, not to be made 
scholars, but to be made book-keepers, en¬ 
gineers, manufiicturers or an artisan of some 
other kind that shall constitue him a suc¬ 
cessful agent in money-getting. 
What we would urge, then, upon parents, 
is, that no matter what profession or busi¬ 
ness you design your son to pursue, give 
him as thorough and liberal intellectual cul¬ 
ture, as your means will allow: then let him 
study his profession or business as such and 
he will soon make himself acquainted with 
it. But, says the objector, there are many 
parents who cannot thus prepare their sons 
for the active duties of life, and it is unneces¬ 
sary if they are to be farmers. We claim 
that the course of training that we have 
urged is the shortest and surest way to a 
knowledge of the science of agriculture— 
the science, not the art: we do not doubt 
that the art, that is, the ability to work by 
prescribed rules, can be attained in less time, 
than the science. In the liberal course you 
make intelligent and active free-men—in 
the other, and by far the most common 
course, you suffer vour sons to o-rnw im 
CHEAP PLEASURES. 
Did you ever study the cheapness of 
some pleasures ? Do you know how little 
it takes to make a multitude happy ? Such 
trifles as a penny, a word or a smile, do the 
work. There are two or three boys passing 
along—give them each a chestnut, and how 
smiling they look! they will not be cross for 
some time. A poor widow lives in a neigh¬ 
borhood, who is the mother of half a dozen 
children; send them half a peck of sweet 
apples, and they will all be happy. A child 
has lost his arrow—the world to him—and 
he mourns sadly; .help him to find it, or 
make him another, and how quickly will 
the sunshine play upon his sober face, A 
boy has as much as he can do to pile up a 
load of wood; assist him a few moments, or 
speak a pleasant word to him, and he for¬ 
gets his toil or works away without minding 
it. Your apprentice has broken a mug, or 
cut the vest two large, or slightly injured a 
piece of work; say, “You scoundrel,” and 
he feels miserable; but remark, “Iam sor¬ 
ry,” and he will try to do better. You em¬ 
ploy a man—pay him cheerfully, and speak 
a pleasant word to him, and he leaves your 
house with a contented heart, to light up 
his own hearth with a smile of gladness.— 
As you pass along the street, you meet 
with a familiar face—say, “ Goodmorning,”’ 
as though you felt happy, and it will work 
admirably in the heart of your neighbor. 
Pleasure is cheap—who will not bestow 
it liberally ? If there are smiles, sunshine, 
and flowers all about us, let us not gra.sp 
them with a miser’s fist and lock them up 
in our heart. No! Rather let us take them 
and scatter them about us, in the cot of the 
widow, among the groups of children in the 
crowded mart, where men of business con¬ 
gregate, in our families, and everywhere.— 
We can make the wretched happy, the dis¬ 
contented cheerful, the afflicted resigned, 
at an exceedingly cheap rate. Who will 
refuse to do it? 
INSTINCT.-SNOW BIRDS. 
Several species of ^uter birds seem to 
have known that wii^L was likely to lin¬ 
ger into the lap of Map Within a few 
days, large flocl« of red polls have been 
flitting about our fields, and the white snow¬ 
bird has remained so late with us this sea¬ 
son, that it has moulted here and appeared 
in its summer plumage—an occurrence Ave 
never before observed. We have never 
known them to continue here after the 
ice has left the lake and snow entirely dis¬ 
appeared.— Hudson {Ohio) Observer. 
The red poll here mentioned is known by 
ornitholigists as the lesser red poll, [Hringil- 
la Unarm) It is of the snow-bird family. 
They appear here about theu time of the 
fall of snow and spend the winter, and 
when spring comes they go north to spend 
Ithe summer. They are common in the 
northern pailte of North America, Eiu-ope 
and Asia. They have been kiiowui to spend 
the summer in this State. They have been 
shot in Seneca county during the summer. 
The white snow-bird ( Plectrophanes 
nivalis) appears as the harbinger of, and re¬ 
turns with the red poll to the northern re¬ 
gions to breed. While spending the Avin- 
ter here they are usually seen in flocks and 
appear very cheerful and happy, doing all 
they can to cheer man during the inclement 
season. 
THE OLD FAMILY BIBLE. 
On the banks of the Wabash, some years 
since, the effects of a poor widow, Avho had 
been left comparatively destitute at the 
death of her husband, had been seized by 
the sheriff for debt, and were being sold at 
auction; and among these effects an old fam¬ 
ily Bible was put up for sale. She begged 
the constable to spare this memento of her 
dear and honored parents, but he was inex¬ 
orable. The Good Book was about going 
for a few shillings, when the widow sudden¬ 
ly snatched it, and, declaring that she would 
have some relic of those she loved, cut the 
slender thread that held the brown linen 
cover, Avith the intention of retaining it.— 
The cover fell into her hands, and Avith it 
two pieces of thin, dirty paper. Surprised 
at the circumstance she examined them, 
and what was her joy and delight to find 
that they each called for five hundred pounds 
on the Bank of England! On the back of 
one, in her mother’s handwriting, were the 
following words: “ When sorrows overtake 
ye, seek your Bible.” And on the other, 
in her father’s hand; “Your Father’s ears 
are never deaf.” The sale was immediate¬ 
ly stopped, and the Family Bible given to 
its faithful owner. 
Committee. 
Give us Facts. —Rhetoric Ave do not aji- 
preciate. Philosophy we do not fathom.— 
Facts we can comprehend. These God 
gives, and he gives no more—the facts of 
nature, of history, and of scripture. Give 
us these in their bold, solitary grandeur, or 
in their true religion ; give them to us in 
their variety, frequency, and impressiveness, 
with Avhich God gives them. Give us these, 
ye men of the school-room, of the press, 
and of the pulpit, and Ave Avill hear you; 
and our common sense and conscience Avill 
endorse, Avhile our memory Avill treasure up 
your testimony. 
The chamois and ibex, the goat of Cash- 
mere, and the Pamir sheep live at an ele¬ 
vation loftier than the granite peak of Mount 
Blanc. 
_ An author is as much honored in his en¬ 
emies as his friends. 
The high stations of the Avorld corrupt 
the soul; jioverty demeans it. 
I 
