372 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL, 
BY L. WETHER ELL. 
SCHOOLS “DOWN EAST” -CRITICISMS, &c. 
I read with no little interest, the article 
in the Rural, of Oct. 16, (No. 42,) on a 
“ Visit to a Massachusetts School.” It is 
not Massachusetts alone, that can claim pe¬ 
culiarities, such as those mentioned in that 
article. With a change of names, the re¬ 
marks would apply equally well to the 
“ Land of Steady Habits.” (?) “ Coi- 
yumes ,” and “ sums,” have almost entirely 
usurped the plan of columns ( kollums ) and 
examples; the business of examining school 
teachers is entrusted to officials who are 
not paid at all. 
But, says one, “ you say vol -yume, why 
not say c,o\-yume?” Answer. In “volume,” 
u has its first, or long sound, strengthened, 
if need be, by the final e; in “ column,” it 
has its second, or short, sound. But why 
object to the use of the word “sum,” as 
we use it in Arithmetic ? Answer. Sum is 
the result of an operation in Addition. We 
“ put together several numbers to find their 
sum.” More anon. 
But why object to “ Ministers, Lawyers, 
Physicians, &c., as proper authorities in the 
choice of school books ?” Answer. Would 
you apply to a merchant for instruction in 
farming? to a physician to determine a 
question of law ? or to a lawyer for a med¬ 
ical prescription ? Professional men may 
be skillful in what portions to their profes¬ 
sion ; but it is rare that they can either feel 
the necessary interest, or devote the time 
and attention required, to examine and to 
decide understandingly in questions that 
are the appropriate business of others. The 
general character of a text-book for schools 
may be learned from a cursory examination 
of its contents; but its adaptedness to the 
purposes of instruction must be determined 
by one who is at least somewhat familiar 
with the business of instruction. This is 
the appropriate business of teachers. 
“ Three times three are nine,” (3 times 3 
are 9,) says Mr. T-, in his arithmetical 
series;” and yet he says, “three from nine 
leaves six;” “nine is how many times 
three?” &c. In the latter case, however, 
he says, “ nine is a collective noun convey¬ 
ing the idea of unity, and hence requires a 
verb in the singular.” With all due defer¬ 
ence to Mr. T., I desire to be informed, why 
it is a collective noun in the latter case any 
more than in the two former. The truth 
is, all numbers so used, are abstract, defi¬ 
nite, numbers, and treated as such; and it 
is just as proper to say, “ 3 are a definite 
number,” “ 9 are how many times 3,” or 
“ 3 from 9 leave 6,” &c., or to say 3 times 
one definite number are another definite 
number, as to say 3 times 3 are nine.— 
Hence 3 times 3 is nine. 
In my school-boy days, we used to read 
in Mr. Webster’s Spelling Book “ naught,” 
had; “ nought,” none, nothing. In modern 
imes I find that our Arithmeticians write 
‘nought,” 0, or nothing. This may be 
right, but it is not in harmony with my views. 
On the whole I find the condition of the 
schools, so far as my observation has ex¬ 
tended, very different from what it is in 
Western New York. Arithmetic is scarcely 
taught as a science, even in many of the 
higher schools. And the teacher who at¬ 
tempts to teach the science of Arithmetic, 
is not unferquently met with the cool reply, 
“ That is not in the book, I don’t want to be 
troubled about that.” “That ain’t the 
Rule,” &c. Students of this class obsti¬ 
nately persist in saying “sum,” while others 
again seem both surprised and gratified to 
learn that a Rule is only an inference drawn 
from a practical example of ordinary busi¬ 
ness, and that the examples which follow are 
designed still further to illustrate the Rule, 
Grammar is also taught mechanically : i # 
e., it is a matter of memory, not an intel 
lectual exercise; and very few comparatively 
seem to think, or care, much about the mat¬ 
ter. Hence the great difficulty of building 
up, and sustaining a school. It is rare to 
find one who offers himself for examination 
as a teacher that will speak positively of 
what he has learned, one that can say “it 
is so, I know it,” or can even give a satis¬ 
factory reason for what he pretends to know. 
Teachers’ Associations are beginmng to ex¬ 
ert some influence, and perhaps the day is 
not far distant when the schools of Western 
C-> will hold a higher rank among the 
schools of our country. h. 
Down East, October, 1851. 
NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
Hand-Books of Natural Philosophy and As¬ 
tronomy. By Dyonysius Lardner, D. C. L., 
Formerly Professor of Natural Philosophy and 
Astronomy in University College, London.— 
First Course. Mechanics—Hydrostatics—Hy¬ 
draulics—Pneumatics—Sound—Optics. Illus¬ 
trated by Upwards of four hundred Engravings 
on wood. Philadelphia: Blanchard & Lea. 
1851. . 
We acknowledge .the receipt of this val¬ 
uable book from the Publishers. The 
design of the accomplished author in pre¬ 
paring this work is to meet the wants of 
such as desire to obtain a knowledge of the 
elements of physics without pursuing them 
through their mathematical consequences 
and detail. It may be studied and under¬ 
stood, and its principles applied by persons 
of ordinary education. We commend it to 
all who are desirous of obtaining knowledge 
of the kind which it contains, as a rare book. 
For sale at Dewey’s. 
The Gospel Harmony, Chronologically arranged 
in separate lessons for Sunday Schools and Bi¬ 
ble Classes. By Walter King, A. M. Fourth 
edition, revised and enlarged. New York; M. 
W. Dodd. 1851. 
This is a question book, prepared by an 
experienced teacher of a Bible Class, and 
should, says Rev. Albert Barnes, “ be adop¬ 
ted in every Bible Class, Sunday School, 
and family.” We think it will be found a 
useful aid to biblical students, and to such, 
we commend it. Sold at Darrow’s Main 
St. Bookstore. 
Coe’s New Drawing Cards for Schools. New 
York: Geo. P. Putnam. 
The series consists of ten sets of cards 
designed to aid the young in acquiring a 
knowledge of Form, which is an important 
branch of Art. 
The Christian Review. —The articles 
contained in the last number are, Grote’s 
Greece; Examination of Dr. Woods’s Ar¬ 
gument for Infant Baptism, from Ecclesi¬ 
astical History; Beneficence the Noblest 
Aim; Objections to this Life as the only 
Period of Probation Considered; Annexa¬ 
tion of Louisiana; The Ultimate Suprem¬ 
acy of the Kingdom of Redemption; The 
Temporal Power of the Popes—or Popery 
as a Politico-Ecclesiastical Institution; No¬ 
tices of New Publications; Intelligence.— 
We cordially commend the Christian Re¬ 
view to religious readers, as one taking high 
rank among the religious Quarterlies of our 
country. Rev. Sewall S. Cutting, is Ed¬ 
itor. The seventeenth volume commences 
with the next number, which will be issued 
on the first of January next. Alexander 
Grant, of Rochester, is Agent. The Re¬ 
view is published in New York. Terms, 
$3 a year. 
Harpers’ New Monthly Magazine:— 
The last number continues Abbott’s Sketch 
of Napoleon, and the usual variety of read¬ 
able matter. Dew f ey sells about 1,200 
numbers a month. 
WRITING FOR THE PRESS. 
The following rules on this subject, ex¬ 
tracted from the columns of a weekly co¬ 
temporary, deserve extensive diffusion: 
1. Use note-sized paper, because a large 
sheet covers the printer’s case, and hinders 
his work. 
2. Do not write on the back of the pa¬ 
per, as that doubles the time of printing 
the article; while one side is being “ set 
up,” what is written on the back cannot be 
“gone on with.” 
3. Write with black ink; for an editor 
will read with reluctance, what he sees with 
difficulty, and the compositor for the same 
reason will dislike to “ set it up.” 
4. Always write a plain, bold hand.— 
Some hands which are elegant, are too el¬ 
egant to be understood. If you send an 
indistinguishable scrawl, it will be thrown 
aside until the editor has leisure to make it 
out, which may not be until the “ interest 
of the article has passed away,” and it may 
be too late to print it. 
5. Remember, that whatever gives an 
editor trouble at his desk, doubles expense 
in the printing-office. The printers and 
readers waste time in deciphering bad MS., 
and out of any failure in interpretation, 
commonly grows a charge of “ misrepre¬ 
senting ” the writer. 
6. If you know that the editor will take 
any trouble to oblige you, why give him 
i ny trouble you please? You may scrib¬ 
ble with a pin on your butter paper, and 
the editor will try to make it out; but if 
the editor is under no obligatiou to you, if 
you are not so popular that anything must be 
printed that bears your name, why, cleave 
to good sense, good taste, correct expres¬ 
sion, and a plain hand. 
Moderation is commonly firm, and firm¬ 
ness is commonly successful. 
THE SCORPION. 
THE SCORPION. 
There are four principal parts distiguish- 
able in this animal; the head, the breast, 
the belly, and the tail. The scorpion’s head 
seems, as it were, joined to the breast; in 
the middle of which are seen two eyes; 
and a little more forward, two eyes more, 
placed in the fore part of the head; these 
eyes are so small, that they are scarcely 
perceivable; and it is probable the animal 
has but little occasion for seeing. The 
mouth is furnished with two jaws; the un¬ 
dermost is divided into two, and the parts 
notched into eachother, which serves the 
animal as teeth, and with which it breaks 
its food, and thrusts it into its mouth; these 
the scorpion can at pleasure pull back into 
its mouth, so that no part of them can be 
seen. On each side of the head are two 
arms, each composed of four joints; the 
last of which is large, with strong muscles, 
and made in the manner of a lobster’s claw. 
Below the breast are eight articulated legs, 
each divided into six joints; the two hind¬ 
most of which are each provided with two 
crooked claws, and here and there covered 
with hair. The belly is divided into seven 
little rings; from the lowest of which is ap¬ 
pended a tail, composed of six joints, which 
are bristly and formed like little globes, 
the last being armed with a crooked sting. 
This is that fatal instrument which renders 
the insect so formidable; it is long, pointed, 
hard, and hollow; it is pierced near the 
base by two small holes, through which, 
when the animal stings, it ejects a drop of 
poison, which is white, caustic, and fatal. 
The reservoir in which this poison is kept, 
is a small bladder near the tail, into which 
the venom is distilled by a peculiar appara¬ 
tus. If this bladder be gently pressed, the 
venom will be seen issuing out through the 
two holes above mentioned; so that it ap¬ 
pears, that when the animal stings, the 
bladder is pressed, and the venom issues 
through the two apertures into the wound. 
There are few animals more formidable, 
or more truly mischievous, than the scorpi¬ 
on. As it takes refuge in a small place, 
and is generally found sheltering in houses, 
so it cannot be otherwise than that it must 
frequently sting those among whom it re¬ 
sides. In some of the towns of Italy, and 
in France, in the province of Languedoc, 
it is one of the greatest pests that torment 
mankind; but its malignity in Europe is 
trifling, when compared to what the natives 
of Africa and the East are known to ex¬ 
perience. In Europe, the general size of 
this animal does not exceed two or three 
inches; and its sting is very seldom found 
to be fatal. The scorpion of the tropical 
climates being much larger than the former, 
is probably much more venomous.— Pano¬ 
rama of Natural History. 
THE COCOA-NUT PALM TREE. 
When the Cingalese villager has felled 
one of these trees after it has ceased bear¬ 
ing, (say in its seventieth year,) with its 
trunk he builds his hut, and his bullock 
stall, which he thatches with its leaves.— 
His bolts and bars are slips of the bark; by 
which he also suspends the small shelf 
which holds his stock of home-made uten¬ 
sils and vessels. He fences his little plot of 
chillies, tobacco, and fine grain, with the 
leaf stalks. The infant is swung to sleep 
in a rude net of coir-string, made from the 
husk of the fruit; its meal of rice and 
scraped cocoa-nut is boiled over a fire of 
cocoa-nut shells and husks, and is eaten 
ofl’ a dish formed of the plaited green leaves 
of the tree, with a spoon cut out of the 
nut-shell. 
When he goes a fishing by torch-light, 
his net is of cocoa-nut fibre; the torch or 
chule is a bundle of dried cocoa-nut leaves 
and flower stalks; the little canoe, is a trunk 
of the cocoa palm tree, hollowed by his 
own hands. He carries home his net and 
his string of fish on a yoke, or pingo, form¬ 
ed of a cocoa-nut stalk. When he is thirs¬ 
ty he drinks of the fresh juice of the young 
nut; when he is hungry, he eats its soft 
kernel. If he has a mind to be merry, he 
sips a glass of arrack, distilled from the 
fermented juice of the palm, and dances to 
the music of rude cocoa-nut castinets; if 
he be weary, he quaffs toddy of the unfer¬ 
mented juice, and flavors his curry with 
vinegar made from this toddy. 
Should he be sick, his body will be rub¬ 
bed with cocoa-nut oil; he sweetens his 
coffee with jaggery, or cocoa-nut sugar, and 
softens it with cocoa-nut milk; it is sipped 
by the light of a lamp,‘constructed from a 
cocoa-nut shell, and fed by cocoa-nut oil. 
His doors, his windows, his shelves, his 
chairs, the water gutter under the eaves, 
all are made from the wood of the tree.— 
His spoons, his forks, his basins, his mugs, 
salt-cellars, his jars, his child’s money-box, 
are all constructed from the shel^ of the 
nut. Over his couch when born, and over 
his grave when buried, a bunch of cocoa- 
nut blossoms is hung to charm away evil 
spirits.— Pickens' Household Words. 
A MONSTER PINE. 
I have worked in the forests among this 
timber sevdYal years, have cut many hun¬ 
dreds of trees, and seen many thousands, 
but have never found one larger than the 
one I felled on a little stream which emp¬ 
tied into Jackson Lake, near the head of 
Baskahegan stream, in the eastern part of 
Maine. This was a “ Pumpkin ” Pine; its 
trunk was as straight and handsomely 
grown as a moulded candle, and measured 
six feet in diameter four feet from the 
ground, without the aid of spur roots. It 
was about nine rods in length, or one hun¬ 
dred and forty-four feet, about sixty-five 
feet of which was free of limbs, and re¬ 
tained its diameter remarkably well. I was 
employed about one hour and a quarter in 
felling it. 
The afternoon was beautiful; everything 
was calm, and to me the circumstances 
were deeply interesting. After chopping 
an hour or so, the mighty giant, the growth 
of centuries, which had withstood the hur¬ 
ricane, and raised itself in peerless majesty 
above all around, began to tremble under 
the strokes of a mere insect, as I might ap¬ 
pear in comparison with it. My heart pal¬ 
pitated as I occasionally raised my eye to 
its pinnacle to catch the first indications of 
its fall. It came down at length, with a 
crash which seemed to shake a hundred 
acres, while the loud echo rang through 
the forest, dying away among the distant 
hills. It had a hollow in the butt about 
the size of a barrel, and the surface of 
the stump was sufficiently capacious to 
allow a yoke of oxen to stand upon it.— 
It made five logs, and loaded a six ox 
team three times. The butt log was so 
large that the stream did not float it in 
the spring, and when the drive was taken 
down we were obliged to leave it behind, 
much to our regret and loss. At the boom 
that log would have been worth fifty dol¬ 
lars.— Springer's Forest Life. 
ANTS IN PERU. 
LOVE AND BE KIND. 
DY P. P. COOKE. 
The forests of Peru swarm with ants. 
Every shrub is alive with them. The large 
yellow puca sisi is seen in myriads in 
the open air, and it even penetrates into 
dwellings. This insect does not bite, but 
its crawling creates great irritation to the 
skin. The small, black yah a sisi, on the 
contrary inflicts most painful punctures. A 
very mischievous species of stinging ant, is 
the black sunchiron. Its wound is painful, 
and even dangerous. “ C. Klee, my trav¬ 
eling companion,” says Dr. Tschudi, “ being 
stung by one of these ants, such severe 
pain and fever ensued, that he was for a 
while delirious.” The doctor himself was 
stung, and he states that the pain, was se^ 
verer for a few moments than any he had 
ever experienced. 
A most remarkable phenomenon is ex¬ 
hibited by the swarms of the species called 
“ the great wandering ant,” which appears 
suddenly in immense trains, ceaselessly 
marching forward in a straigt line. The 
large and strong flank the army, and look 
out for prey. These swarms sometimes 
enter a hut, and clear it of all disagreeable 
insects. The united force of these small 
creatures is so vast, that not only snakes, 
but also large animals such as the arma¬ 
dillo, on being surprised by them, are soon 
killed. 
One truth is the seed of other truth. 
How hotly men will wrangle— 
One furious with another! 
See how the strong hands mangle 
Some poo r down-trodden brother. 
Is this the lofty nature ? 
Is this the lordly mind? 
Can no poor human creature 
Love and be kind? 
But if such strife be common, 
There still are nobler spirits 
To rescue and illumine, 
The mould that man inherits. 
Such, with the lamp of goodness, 
A tranquil pathway find, 
Such, in the raging rudeness, 
Are gentle and kind. 
Strive boldly, human brother— 
Not with your fellow-creature 
But in self-war—to smother 
All growth of evil nature. 
Be of the noble spirits! 
Forgive, forget, be blind 
To others’ faults—not merits; 
Love and be kind. 
Then, if it chanco such yielding 
Invite the rude aggression— 
If patience gives no shielding 
Against a base oppression; 
Stand up, and dare the danger 
In armour manifold— 
Defender, not avenger; 
Be strong and bold! 
RESIGNATION UNDER AFFLICTION, 
He who has never had the experience 
may not know what it is to be confined to 
a bed of sickness. To the ardent, youth¬ 
ful spirit, or to the ambitious mind it may 
be truly irksome and fretting. 
Yet it is better not to allow such afflic¬ 
tions to weigh us down, for we know not 
what a store of good a benign Providence 
may design to give us thereby. We should 
endeavor to truly feel that all things are in¬ 
deed for the best. A spirit of equanimity 
and of resigned calmness is very much to 
be desired, inasmuch as it will of itself bless 
us with its holy influence. A fretful spirit 
never mended a breach. On the contrary 
it opens the gap wider, sets one upon thorns 
makes his pains more intense, gives to his 
throbbing pulse a greater heat, and stirs up 
all the bad humors to do unwonted violence 
to the system. 
So under all afflictions a calm and cheer¬ 
ful spirit buoys up the mind, and makes it 
to surmount great difficulties. It is a sort 
of Jacob’s ladder whereby we may climb 
beyond the things that annoy us. He who 
possesses it may truly count himself a hap¬ 
py man. t. e. w. 
HOW TO DO GOOD. 
Dr. Johnson wisely said, “ He who waits 
to do a great deal of good at once, will 
never do anything.” Life is made up of 
little things. It is but once in an age that 
occasion is offered for doing a great deed. 
True greatness consists in being great in 
little things. How are railroads built? 
By one shovelful of dirt after another; one 
shovelful'at a time. Thus drops make the 
ocean. Hence, we should be willing to do 
a little good at a time, and never “ wait to 
do a great deal of good at once.” 
If we would do much good in the world, 
we must be willing to do good in little 
things, little acts one after another, setting 
a good example all the time: we must do 
the first good thing we can, and then the 
next, and the next, and so keep on doing 
good. This is the way to accomplish any¬ 
thing. Thus only shall we do all the good 
in our power.— American Messenger. 
SINGING PSALMS. 
Archbishop Laud very quaintly ob¬ 
serves:—“The difference between singing 
and reading a psalm will easily be under¬ 
stood if you consider the difference between 
reading and singing a common song that 
you like. Whilst you only read it you only 
like it; but as soon as you sing it, then you 
enjoy it,—you feel the delight of it—it has 
got hold of you—your passion keeps pace 
with it; you feel the same spirit within you 
that seems to be in the words. If you were 
to tell a person who has such a song that 
he need not sing it, that it was sufficient to 
peruse it, he would wonder what you 
meant, and would think you as absurd as 
if you were to tell him that he should only 
look at his food, but need not eat it; for a 
song of praise not sung is very like any 
other good thing not made use of.” 
Reading and Thinking. —It is not hasty 
reading, but seriously meditating upon holy 
and heavenly truths, that makes them prove 
sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not 
the bee’s touching of the flowers that gath¬ 
er honey, but her abiding for a time upon 
them and drawing out the sweet. It is 
not he that reads most; but he that meditates 
most, that will prove the choicest, sweetest, 
wisest and strongest Christian. 
