.■ittt'u'I'uu.'I - C W 'I't. t. - t 'll Z Z 
Gchudbital. 
IMPROVEMENT OF TEE MIND. 
We should not sock for improvement 
merely for the sake of oxceliing, but for 
that development which is of lasting benefit, 
and to which ovory one may attain, if he 
will, in a greater or lessor degree. 
Whatever condition one may be placed in, 
ho may gain knowledge by observation.— 
The greatest truths have been discovered in 
this way. Newton, following up his obser¬ 
vation of the applo’s fall, by reflection and 
reasoning, discovered the truth of gravita¬ 
tion— the great yet simple law that governs 
the motion of the heavenly bodies. In the 
works of nature the field for observation is 
unlimited—there is a continual unfolding of 
something now. As tho verdure of spring 
deepens and waxes old. we meet the golden 
fields of grain, and tho rich autumnal fruits, 
rewarding tho husbandman’s care and toil 
and furnishing sustenance for man and 
beast, whilst the frosts follow and change 
the greenness to sero and yellow. Those, 
the skies, tho earth’s crust, the animal cre¬ 
ation and oven tho insects and creeping 
things, and the tiny creatures hardly large 
enough to be recognized, are, with a vast 
multitude of other objects, fruitful subjects 
for exercising and employing the mind. 
It can hardly be possible that there aro 
persons who cannot avail themselves of the 
help of observation, though it is true that 
somo are more fortunately situated in this 
respect than others, so far as regards the 
works of nature. Wo may all, however, ob¬ 
serve and learn of one another, by shunning 
each others vices and imitating the virtues. 
Every occurrence of life, the change of fam¬ 
ilies and tho mutability of nations, may 
teach us many a moral, and show us tho 
certainty of our own change, and the im¬ 
possibility of avoiding death. Again, we 
may observe and try to know ourselves — a 
knowledge which has been said to be the 
hardest to truly and well acquire, yet it is one 
of the most important kinds of knowledge. 
Another means of improving tho mind, 
and one which is mot at every turn, is by 
reading. By this means we become ac¬ 
quainted with tho manners, actions and 
thoughts of those who lived in remote ages. 
We learn the best sentiments of those au¬ 
thors, we gather tho results of much study 
and great experience. Thus we gain knowl¬ 
edge which could be acquired in no other 
way. And we may gather, likewise, knowl¬ 
edge of the present from every corner of the 
globe, and with books for our guide, fathom 
the most occult science. The world is full 
of books, and as there are so many useless 
and pernicious ones, it is necessary to be 
very circumspect, and make a wise selec¬ 
tion of the very best. 
As all knowledge is to bo treasured up in 
the memory, it is. therefore, of the utmost 
importance that this facility be rightly cul¬ 
tivated, also; for of what avail can be all 
wisdom if there be no memory to hold it in 
charge, for the times and occasions that 
shall call for it ? Without diligence, fixed¬ 
ness of purpose, and a thorough understand¬ 
ing of the subject wo investigate, there will 
be but little retained in the mind. 
Where there is a fondness for any partic¬ 
ular study, a knowledge of it is more easily 
acquired and retained. Truth cannot al¬ 
ways be seen at a glance; it is gained by a 
close and persevering attention. As the 
muscles of the body increase and are 
strengthened by vigorous exercise, so it is 
that the faculties of the mind are strength¬ 
ened by mental exercise. A mentaj sloth 
insures a docay of the mental faculties. 
Wherever it may bo, tho time spont in re¬ 
ceiving instruction from the living instruc¬ 
tor, from books, or from whatever source, 
will be worse than lost, unless a correspond¬ 
ing effort be made to retain it and assimilate 
it with our common stock. 
We should, therefore, strive for improve¬ 
ment, that our influence in the world shall 
be the greater for truth and right,—that our 
words and deeds may have tho more power 
to help along tho progressive elevation of 
our race. We aro endowed with reasonable 
faculties for somo higher purpose than the 
mere gratification of self, and it should bo 
our high endeavor to make tho best and 
most use of every moment, that we may live 
to fulfil tho purpose for which wo are called. 
So shall we grow better, and those in con¬ 
tact with us be imbued, in somo measuro, 
with tho same spirit. e. h. w. 
THE TEACHER. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY'NEWSPAPER. 
In this communication, I propose to of¬ 
fer a few suggestions relative to the literary 
qualifications of a teacher. Not a teacher 
for either our most backward, or most for¬ 
ward schools; not fora school in a rural 
district, or a large village or populous city, 
but an individual who shall not only be le¬ 
gally, but actually, positively weirqualifi- 
ed to teach thoroughly, and so far as a i 
knowledge of the several sciences to be 
taught is concerned, acceptably in any of 
common schools of the State. 
Allow me to say, before entering into 
| detail, that I consider thoroughness in ev- 
j ery thing taught, or attempted to bo taught, 
to bo of the ut most importance. The teach¬ 
er should know perfectly what ho is endeav¬ 
oring to communicate to others, and know 
j too, that his pupils understand the princi- 
| pie under consideration—that they have 
j something more than a vague, unintelligi- 
! ble, indefinite idea about some of the mat- 
! ters pertaining to the lesson. This super¬ 
ficial teaching—this smoothing over the rug- 
j ged asperities of science, and then adminis- 
I tering whole volumes at a dose—this ex¬ 
ternal show of learning for the sake of a 
j 'polite, genteel or an accomplished education, 
while the real principles of every suljoct 
studied, or swallowed undigested, are un¬ 
touched. and the mind is made averse to 
every thing solid, or that requires close 
thought or rigid investigation—I have no 
charity or sympathy for. The person who 
thus teaches, or attempts to teach, is, in my 
opinion, doing irreparable injury to his fel¬ 
low creatures. 
The teacher should above all things be a 
good speller and reader, and should be fa¬ 
miliar with the power of letters, the ele¬ 
ments. the very beginnig, not only of our 
language, but of all education. So self-ovi 
dent is this, that to present an argument in 
its favor, would appear like attempting to 
demonstrate an axiom. It long ago passed 
into a proverb “ that although it was no 
honor to spell well, it was a great disgrace 
to spell badly.” 
To be an easy and agreeable reader is a 
very rare, but at the same time a very de¬ 
sirable accomplishment—tho attainment of 
which requires long and patient application, 
together with continued practice, but the 
teacher should never relax his efforts to ob¬ 
tain so desirable and important a desidera¬ 
tum, until the object is accomplished. I 
regret that truth requires me to say, that 
these fundamental branches are shamefully 
neglected in our schools, of all grades, from 
tho primary school, to the academy; and 
what is still worse, the evil is constantly 
growing, and teachers aro becoming more 
and more lax in regard to the teaching of 
these branches. Other sciences, with high 
sounding names, are permitted to drive 
spelling and reading into the back ground, 
when in fact, they should occupy tho most 
prominent position in our schools. Bad 
spelling even among teachers is becoming 
common, and good reading very uncommon. 
It is important that our youth be at least 
fair pen-men, and as the common school 
affords the only opportunity that most of 
them have for learning to write, it is highly 
necessary that the teacher be able to write 
a plain, neat, business or copy hand. 
A knowledge of geography and history is 
absolutely essential to a good English edu¬ 
cation. No person can appear well in com¬ 
pany with educated individuals, or converse 
even for a short time intelligently without 
it. No person, therefore, should think of 
teaching a common school without an ac¬ 
curate knowledge of the geography of every 
part of the known world, together with the 
history of tho United States England and 
France. These branches aro both sadly 
neglected, at 1 oast in many of our schools, 
and very many of our youth are growing up 
to manhood ignorant of the geography and 
history of their own State even. Of the 
thirty-eight schools visited bv the writer 
during the year 1851,but a small proportion 
of the pupils were engaged in studying 
geography, and not one in studying history 
of any kind. This evil can bo remedied by 
tho teachers, and it becomes them to set 
themselves about the work. First by be¬ 
coming thoroughly acquainted with those 
interesting subjects themselves, and also the 
most approved methods of teaching them to 
others, and secondly by insisting that their 
pupils study them. 
Inasmuch as all of our business transac¬ 
tions are performed by the aid of arithme¬ 
tic; the teacher must of course bo thorough¬ 
ly acquainted with every thing pertaining 
to this important branch of mathematics.— 
Intellectual and written arithmetic should 
be perfectly familiar to him ; not merely the 
method of solving the problems in the book 
that he studied; but the principles of the 
science should be known, so that he could 
teach arithmetic if every work upon the 
subject now in existence were destroyed.— 
Not only should he understand tho abstract 
principles of the sciences, but he ought to 
bo able to point out to his classes, thoir ap¬ 
plication to the various departments of in¬ 
dustry. It is not good teaching, to teach 
the “ science of numbers ” by specific and 
written rules merely, or exclusively; the 
person who assumes to teach, must be able 
to make rules for himself, or to give tho 
“ ivhys” and “ wherefores'’ for those already 
made. lie must be qualified to explain, 
amplify, illustrate and demonstrate until 
each student, however dull, can and does 
understand. The elements of algebra, ge¬ 
ometry, and surveying should also bo famil¬ 
iar to tho teacher. It is true that these do 
not so immediately and directly enier into 
our daily business transactions as does arith¬ 
metic either intellectual, or written; still 
there is hardly any department of industry, 
the intelligent and successful prosecution 
of which, doos not involve at least a practi¬ 
cal application of one or more of the branch¬ 
es of mathematical science. 
Besides, a perfect knowledge ofartithmo- 
tic can never be acquired by the student 
who knows nothing of algebra, or goomo- 
try. Mensuration, or practical geometry, 
together with drawing and sketching, are 
also of much importance to men engaged 
in most of tho occupations of life.; it is 
therefore important that those who instruct 
our farmers, and mechanics, our engineers 
and artizans should have somo knowledge 
of these subjects.— JY. ¥. Teacher. I 
wmm 
THE HARVEST MOUSE AND NEST. 
The Harvest Mouso is a species of this 
little animal, of which wo find the following 
mention in “ Country Rambles in England.” 
Tho engraving is also copied from that 
work: 
Tho harvest mouso (mvs messorius ) in 
some seasons is common with us. but, like 
other species of mice, varies much in the 
numbers found. I have soon their nosts as 
late as the middle of September, containing 
eight young ones, entirely filling tho little 
interior cavity. These nests vary in shape, 
being round, oval, or pear-shaped, with a 
long neck, and are to bo distinguished from 
those of any other mouse, by being gener¬ 
ally suspended on some growing vegetable, 
a thistle, a bean-stalk, or some adjoining 
Written for the Rural New-Yorker. 
CULTIVATION : 
ITS POWER EXEMPLIFIED IN THE BRUTE CREATION. 
In a recent communication on tho instinct 
of tho lower animals, it was intimated that 
this innate gift seems, in somo instances, to 
bo improvable by observation and experi¬ 
ence. Example must recur to the mind of 
every reader. It is no uncommon thing for 
cats and dogs to learn to lift a latch, and 
thus open a door. I once knew one of the 
former animals, which would invariably 
and immediately start up when asleep be¬ 
hind the stove or on the window sill, on tho 
ringing of tho tea-bell in tho second story 
below, and would repair to tho door to be 
in readiness to go down stairs with tho fam¬ 
ily. Travellers mention that birds accus- 
tomod to build their nests in the cleft of 
rocks or on shrubbery, when there is no 
danger, will, in countries infested by mon¬ 
keys and other rapacious animals, build on 
slender and inaccessible twigs. Ravens, it 
is known, feed on muscles and other shell 
fish, and when unable otherwise to break 
their hard covering, will carry them up in 
the air and lot them fall upon^a rock, and 
thus accomplish their purpose. Naturalists 
state that wasps, in attempting to carry the 
corpse of a companion from tho nest, find¬ 
ing tho burden too great, will cut off its 
head, and make two loads instead of one.* 
The most striking example of the power 
of cultivation, aro witnessed in tho improve¬ 
ment in the quality of the breed of anijnals, 
and their habits and dispositions. Let the 
reader look into Mr. Lewis F. Allen’s work-- 
on “ Rural Architecture,” and observe the 
drawing of a sheep in its natural state, and 
then contrast it with tho appearance of one of 
the same animals in the highest state of im¬ 
provement, and ho will have an illustration 
of what culturo can do. This domestic an¬ 
imal is derived from a stock called tho 
Mouflon, which is comparatively large, very 
fleet, and covered with coarse hair. It has 
also largo horns, and strong hoofs, is fierce 
in combat, and will flee from or conquer the 
wolf, the terror of domestic sheep. “ In the 
warmest climates of Africa and Asia, tho 
mouflon, which is the common parent of 
the sheep, appears to be less degenerated 
than in any other region. Though reduced 
to a domestic state, he has preserved his 
stature and his hair, but tho size of his horns 
is diminished.” 
It is well known that tho domestic hog is 
derived from the wild boar, which for fero¬ 
city is excelled by few animals. Somo breeds 
of the bristly tribe, in the domestic state, 
are, it is evident, less civilized and tame 
than others. I rocolloct that, many years 
ago, my father had sovoral hogs of the 
speckled brood — docp black and white 
—which were of an ugly disposition, and 
seemingly untaineable. Efforts were made 
to subdue their ferocity, but they remained 
• Wide Smcllie’s Philosophy of Natural History, Boston 
edition, p. 114. 
so wild that shooting was the method re¬ 
sorted to for “butchering” them. No 
doubt, by extra attention, tho breed would 
have so improved in gentleness that the 
second or third generation might have been 
caught and slain in tho ordinary way; but 
bullots rnado clean work of the specklod- 
coated, and fiery-eyed family, leaving no 
opportunity to experiment on heirs. 
Tho dog, in a native state, says Mr. Knapp, 
tho English Naturalist, “is a wretched crea¬ 
ture, a common beast of tho wild, with no 
innate magnanimity, no acquired virtues ; 
has no elevation, no character to maintain 
but passes his days in contention and want; 
is base in disposition, meagre, in body, a fu¬ 
gitive and a coward.”* This description, 
save in tho quality of cowardice, answers 
very well for a couplo of dogs which I saw 
sovoral months ago, chained near tho walls 
of tho county jail at Geneva, Illinois, and 
which were kept thereto keep prisoners con¬ 
fined in tho basement, from escaping, in 
caso they should succeed in removing the 
underpinning—as they had done a short 
time before I was there. But tho portrait 
which Mr. Knapp has drawn above, doos 
not possess a feature recognizable in do¬ 
mestic, well educated dogs. Several breeds 
are capable ot being improved to a degree 
which is astonishing and almost irreconcila¬ 
ble with absence of mental endowment. 
Anecdotes of elephants and monkeys, illus¬ 
trating the marvellous change in their na¬ 
tures wrought by education, aro found in 
many of our text books, and must recur to 
every reader. Tho ourang-outang—which 
in its physical structure approaches nearest 
to man— can bo instructed so that it will 
act very much like a rational creature.— 
Speaking of this species of animal, M. jje la 
Brosse says that “ they have tho instinct of 
sitting at table like men. They eat every 
kind of food without distinction. They use 
a knife, a fork or a spoon to cut or lay hold 
of what is laid upon thoir plate. Thoy 
drink wine and other liquors. Wo carried 
them abroad. At table, when thoy wanted 
anything, they made thomselves understood 
by the cabin-boy, and when the boy refused 
to give them what they domandod, thoy 
sometimes became enraged, siezed him by 
tho arm, bit and throw him down. Tho 
male was siezed with sicknoss on the road. 
He made himself be attended liko a human 
being. He was oven twice bled in tho right 
arm, and, whenever ho found himsolfin tho 
same condition, ho held out his arm to bo 
bled, as it he knew that he had formerly re¬ 
ceived benefit from that operation.” There 
is a species of the same animal called tho 
Baris, which Francis Fyard says can be 
trained so as to work like a servant. It can 
be taught to walk on its hind foot, with 
much more grace than tho monkey. 
The Ape has boon educated to a degree 
equal to the ourang-outang. There was 
one at tho Island of Java, many years ago, 
•Journal of a Naturalist, Boston edition, p. 154. 
[Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker.] 
TO THE SLANDERER. 
stems of wheat, with which it rocks and 
waves in the wind ; but to prevent the young 
from being dislodged by any violent agita¬ 
tion of tho plant, the parent closes up the 
entrance so uniformly, with the whole fab¬ 
ric, that tho real opening is with difficulty 
found. 
Hast thou but heard the rumor’d tale 
That would thy brother man impeach, 
And did’st no pitying voice within 
Thy tender sympathies then reach ? 
If not, then of thy cold heart beware, 
For sin hath made a lodgerant there. 
Or hast thou given utterance 
To a malicious, cruel word, 
Design’d to stain thy brother’s fame, 
And blast him, ruin him unheard ? 
If so, of thy foul heart, beware, 
For sin and Satan dwilleth there. 
They aro tho most tamo and harmless of 
little creatures; and, taking shelter in the 
sheaves when in tho field, aro often brought 
homo with the crop, and found in little 
shallow burrows on the ground after the 
removal of a bean-rick. Those that remain 
in the field form stores for the winter sea¬ 
son, and congregate in small societies in 
holes under somo sheltered ditch-bank. An 
old one, which I weighed, was only one dram 
and five grains in weight. 
Or is there in thy secret soul 
A strong, a fiendish, fierce desire, 
A vengeful wish, a spiteful hope 
That fills it with tormenting ire ? 
If so, that strong, that fierce desire 
Is Satan’s hope,—beware, beware 1 
Beware, nor let thy poison'd ear 
To “Madam Rumor” longer list, 
Beware, nor let thy babbling tongue 
To spread her tales no more assist; 
And of thy cruel heart beware, 
NO more let slander harbor there. 
Know that thy God wilt deal with thee 
For every scand’lous word or thought, 
Each wicked act, each wary deed 
Will into judgment soon be brought. 
Then own thy fault, for pardon pray— 
And God’s rich grace—nor dare delay. 
A HIGHER GOOD. 
Every rank of creatures, as it ascends in 
the scale of creation, loaves death behind it 
or under it. The metal at its height of be¬ 
ing seems a mute prophecy of the coming 
vegetation, into a mimic semblance of which 
it crystalizes. Tho blossom and flower, the 
acme of vegetable life, dividos into corres¬ 
pondent organs with reciprocal functions, 
and by instinctive motions and approxima¬ 
tions seems impatient of that fixture, by 
which it is different in kind from tho flower¬ 
shaped Psycho, that flutters with free wing 
above it. And wonderfully in the insect 
realm doth tho irritability, tho proper seat 
of instinct, while yet tho nascent sensibility 
is subordinate thereto—most wonderfully, I 
say, doth the muscular life in tho insect, and 
the musculo-arterial in the bird, imitate and 
typically rehearse the adaptive understand- 
ing, yea, and the moral affections and char¬ 
ities, of man. Let us carry oursolves back, 
in spirit, to tho mysterious week, tho teem¬ 
ing work-days of the Creator : as they rose 
in vision before tho eye of tho inspired his¬ 
torian of the generations of the heaven and 
the earth, in the days that the Lord God made 
the earth and the heavens. And who that hath 
watched their ways with an understanding 
heart, could as tho vision evolving still ad¬ 
vanced towards him. contemplate tho filial 
and loyal boe; tho homo-building, wedded 
and divorceless swallow; and abovo all tho 
manifoldly intelligent* ant tribes, with their 
commonwealths and confodorecies. their 
warriors and miners, their husband-folk, 
that fold in thoir tiny flocks on tho honey¬ 
ed loaf, and tho virgin sisters with the holy 
instincts of maternal love, detached in self- 
loss purity—and not say to himself, Behold 
the shadow of approaching humanity, and 
the sun rising from behind, in tho kindling 
morn of creation ! Thus all lower natures 
find thoir highest good in semblances and 
seekings of that which is higher and better. 
All things strive to ascornl, and ascend in 
their sfriving. And shall man alono stoop? 
Shall his pursuits and desires, tho reflec¬ 
tions of his inward life, be like the reflected 
imago of a tree on the edge of a pool, that 
grows downward, and socks a mock heaven 
in tho unstable element beneath it, in tho 
neighborhood with tho slimy water-woods, 
and oozy bottom-grass that are yet bettor 
than itself and moro noble, is as far as sub¬ 
stances that appear as shadows are prefera¬ 
ble to shadows mistaken for substances ?— 
No ! it must bo a higher good to make you 
happy. While you labor for anything be¬ 
low your proper humanity, you seek a hap- 
pay life in tho region of death. Well saith 
the moral poet— 
Unless above himself he can 
Erect himself, how mean a thing is man ! 
*8ee Huber on Bees, and on Ants. 
He that cannot forgive others, breaks 
down the bridge over which ho must pass 
himself; for evory man hath need to be for¬ 
given. 
which daily made her bed with neatness.— 
When her head ached, says Guat, as quoit d 
by Smellie, “she bound it up with her 
handkerchief, and it was amusing to see her 
thus in bed.” 
Illustrations might bo added, ad infinitum 
showing what culturo can do in the way of 
taming, refining and improving tho breed of 
tho lowor animals : but it is needless to 
multiply them. It is an interesting subject 
to contemplate, and a profitable study to 
pursue. Tho more wo reflect on the in¬ 
stincts of animals—tho moro wo observe 
their gradual improvement, and watch tho 
operations of tho animals themselves, in 
their educated state, tho more, it appears to 
me, we shall adore Him who made all things, 
endowing each living creature with faculties 
exactly suited to its position in tho scale of 
being. j. c. 
Buffalo, Feb. 21., 1853. 
In Coleridge’s “ Aids to Reflection” we 
find the following aphorism and comment: 
Your blessedness is not,—no, believe it, it 
is not where most of you seek it, in things 
below you. How can that be? It must be 
a higher good to make you happy.— Leigh- 
