1. Our tasks are said, out work is done, Our things are in their places 
2. Our parents dear shall know how well Our les - sons we’ve re - peated 
Now to our homes we’ll quickly run, 
For all to them we’ll surely tell, 
With cheerful hearts and faces. 
As round the hearth we’re seated, 
Written for Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
THE ART OF TEACHING. 
Much has been said and written upon this 
subject, yet how few of our educators seem to 
understand anything of the real and proper method 
of imparting instruction. Generally speaking, 
some youth, just emanicipated from the confine¬ 
ment of the district school, where he has, perhaps, 
“ been through the Arithmetic ,” and obtained a 
3. Then to our God who reigns above, We’ll raise our thoughts and voices 
For well we know that in his love, Our teacher’s heart re - joices, 
4. So now we part in right good cheer, Nor feel a touch of sorrow 
We’ll gladly go; but, teacher dear, We’ll all come bad? to - morrow 
is less frankness an its avowal. 
The confinement 
of children at so early an age must be prejudicial 
to the proper development of their physical pow¬ 
ers. Action is as necessary to the health of a 
little child, a3 the atmosphere is to life. To keep 
a child still and unoccupied, is doing violence to 
its physical nature. In its very sports and plays, 
a child may be learning what are, for its age, the 
most important and practical lessons. 
It is true, a precocious development may be 
secured, by a premature stimulus of the mind, 
carried on in advance, and to the neglect of physi¬ 
cal and moral training. Dr. Johnson’s suggestive 
question, “What becomes of all the clever chil- 
behind and beneath it the formations resemble a 
pulpit and desks. Strangely out of keeping with 
the rest of the room is a mass of rock called 
“ Niagara Falls.” So perfect is the resemblance 
to a cataract that we can almost fancy a time when 
some magic wand touched the plunging waters 
and foaming spray and changed them into stone. 
Just above the cataract a stalagmite, somewhat 
similar in form to a man in the act of leaping, is 
called “ Sam Patch.” 
Next in order in the guide-book, though not 
in order as we visited the rooms, is the “ Shell 
Room.” 
Another patent is for a machine that counts 
passengers in an omnibus and takes their fare. 
When a very fat gentleman gets in, it counts two 
and charges double. 
There are a variety of guns patented that load 
themselves; a fishing line that adjusts its own 
bait, and a rat trap which throws away the rat, 
and then baits itself, and stands in the corner for 
another. 
There is a machine, also, by which a man prints 
instead of writes his thoughts. It is played like 
a piano forte. And speaking of pianos, it is esti¬ 
mated that nine thousand are made every year in 
the United States, giving constant employment to 
one thousand nine hundred persons, and costing 
over two millions of dollars. 
THE ODORS WE ENJOY, — CAMPHOR. 
That solid, concrete substance called Camphor, 
is known to all Young Ruralists, for we doubt if 
there is any one thing more generally found in the 
houses throughout the country, not even excepting 
our National Narcotic—tobacco. Some one has 
said, “concerning the simplest and mo3t familiar 
objects men are too apt to be the least informed,” 
and as this may be the case with Camphor, we 
take an illustration of its source, together with a 
description of varieties and mode of manufacture, 
from Johnston’s Chemistry of Common Life, 
hoping our young readers will be gratified there¬ 
with. Seale, one inch to twenty feet. Scale for 
flower and leaf, one inch to four inches. 
This, formerly called the “ Radish Room,” 
is remarkable for the beautiful formations which 
adorn its roof. Thousands of small stalactites, 
various in color and form, depend from the ceil¬ 
ing, and as the guide lifted his light among them, 
the pendant crystals, with drops of lime-water 
sparkling among them, assumed a brilliancy 
which recalled to the mind the wonders of Alad- 
in’s palace. 
Passing through the “ Porter’s Lodge,” a long, 
narrow room of no special attraction, we enter 
the “Pantheon,” and leaving the direct route, 
gain access to the “ Lawyer’s Office,” a room fitted 
up with strange imitations of boxes, benches, 
rolls of parchment and other legal paraphernalia. 
In the floor is a reservoir of delicious water, cool, 
and clear as crystal, from which visitors are accus¬ 
tomed to refresh themselves. Still keeping out of 
the main way we visit “ Weyer’s Hall,” where a 
couple of stone figures are pointed out, which the 
imagination, with considerable effort transforms 
into the fortunate hunter a^;d his dog. The t A i i'd 
and most interesting of tljose side rooms is called 
the “ Armory.” It contain!; ma*i:y magnificent 
stalactites, numbers of which bear a strange re¬ 
semblance to the various implements of war. One I 
of these, the “ Shield of Ajax,” is surrounded 
with armorial accompaniments, and in a hall dedi- \ 
cated to Mars, seems well placed and appropriately 
named. Bertha Mortimer. 
ARTESIAN WELLS. 
The Columbus (Ohio) Gazette gives the follow¬ 
ing account of the boring of an artesian well in the 
State Capital grounds of that city: 
At the depth of 123 feet below the surface, the 
auger first struck a hard limestone rock, and at 
149 feet limestone water appeared; at 180 feet, sul¬ 
phur ; and at 675 feet salt water veins were struck. 
At 684 feet slate or shale rock was reached, thro’ 
which the auger penetrated to the depth of 1,974 
feet. At the depth of 1,445 feet, iron tubing was 
inserted for 225 feet in length, which prevents the 
brittle, soft, shelly rock from filling up the cavity. 
On Monday morning last, the borings indicated 
the'presence of sand rock, giving the most flatten¬ 
ing prospects of a near approach to w ater. On 
Wednesday last the auger reached a depth of 1,990 
feet, sinking from four to five feet every twenty- 
four hours. The workmen are more encouraged 
at this time than they have ever been heretofore, 
and we shall not be at all surprised to hear of the 
entire success of the experiment. 
The strata perforated by the auger may be set 
dow r n as follows:—Loam, sand and gravel, 125 
feet; and sand rocks 14 feet. The bore of the well 
to the depth of 1,700 feet is4^inches in diameter; 
below that 3)^ inches. The cost of the work thus 
far is about §9,000. 
There is an Artesian well at Louisville, Ivy., of 
three inch bore, and 2,086 feet deep. The water 
rises by its owm pressure, when confined in tubes, 
170 feet above the surface, and it is said discharges 
260 gallons per minute. The St. Louis Artesian 
well at Belcher’s sugar refinery, is 2,199 feet deep, 
and the water rises 75 feet above the surface of the 
ground. Some of the salt w'ells near the Ohio, 
Muskingum and Hocking rivers, are from 1,500 to 
2,000 feet deep. 
School Libraries. — The benefits of a well- 
selected school library in every school-room in the 
State surpass computation. The good books in 
them would be useful for reference not only during 
the sessions of school, but would keep many from 
idleness and vice, from sorrow and despair, when 
no other but these silent and impressive monitors 
and teachers were present. They would admonish 
and teach our youth and bless our homes the 
whole year. They would banish from among us 
the hurtful literature so cheaply and abundantly 
furnished, with tempting pictures, at every corner. 
If our youth are taught to read they will read 
something. If parents do not see that reading, in 
cheap form, is thrown in their way, bad men will. 
These good books would form a correct taste for 
reading, which could not afterwards well be per¬ 
verted, leading to habits of inquiry which must 
result in better citizenship, wealth and a happier 
state of society. The quickening, conservative 
and elevating influence of such a library in every 
town can require no argument.— Eon. Jonathan 
Tenney. 
goes far toward showing the vast responsibility 
"which rests upon the school-teacher. Upon him 
not only rests the duty of instructing the young, 
but of diverting the public mind from its false 
position and pointing it to that which is true,— 
tearing off the veil which ignorance and prejudice 
has placed upon their eyes, and holding truth 
up to their view in all its fair proportions. And 
as be comes in contact with error in its thousand 
forws, and prejudices and biases as peculiar and 
va/ious as the individuals who possess them, he 
-/lust be a man of great originality and invention,— 
one whose head is well stored with useful knowl¬ 
edge, whose reading has been varied and extensive, 
and whose eye is ever open to the true interests 
of society, both old and young. This is a subject 
worthy of the deep and earnest attention of every 
one interested in our National and individual 
prosperity, and one which presents itself not only 
to the teacher but to every one in any way con¬ 
nected with our Educational System. 
Harlem, Del. Co., O., 1859. L. Dueling. 
A LIST OF WONDERS. 
Among the thousands of marvelous inventions 
which American genius has produced within the 
last few years, are the following, compiled from 
the Patent Office Report: 
The report explains the principles of the cele¬ 
brated Hobbs Lock. Its “unpickability” depends 
upon a secondary or false set of tumblers, which 
touches the real ones. Moreover, th^ lock is pow¬ 
der-proof, and may be loaded through the key hole 
and fired off till the burglar is tired of his fruitless 
work, or fears that the explosions will bring to 
view his experiments more witnesses than he 
desires. 
A harpoon is described which makes the whale 
kill himself. The more he pulls the line, the 
deeper goes the harpoon. 
An ice-making machine has been patented, 
which is worked by a steam engine. In an experi¬ 
mental trial, it froze several bottles of sherry and 
produced blocks of ice the size of a cubic foot, 
when the thermometer was up to eighty degrees. 
It is calculated that for every tun of coal put into 
the furnace, it will make a tun of ice. 
From Dr. Dale’s examiner’s report, we gather 
some idea of the value of patents. A man who 
had made a slight improvement in straw-cutters, 
took a model of his machine through the Western 
States, and after a tour of eight months, returned 
Another man had a 
CAMPHOR TREE AND LEAP. 
“ There are several known varieties of camphor. 
The two most familiar in commerce, are the cam¬ 
phor of Japan, called also Dutch camphor, because 
it is usually brought to Europe by the Dutch, and 
the China or Formosa camphor. Every part of the 
camphor tree ( Laurus camphora ) is impregnated 
with the perfume. It is extracted by chopping the 
branches and boiling them in water; the camphor 
rises to the surface, and becomes solid, when the 
water is afterwards allowed to cool. 
The odor of the camphors is powerful, very 
characteristic, and to many persons very agrees- 
able. It is used for scenting soaps, tooth-powders, 
and numerous other preparations for the toilet. 
What is called Borneo eamphoris obtained from 
a different tree ( Dryobalanops ), but by the actioa 
of nitric acid is converted into common camphor. 
An artificial camphor also is prepared from oil of 
turpentine; but it does not possess the composi¬ 
tion or fragrance of the laurel camphor, and can¬ 
not be used as a substitute for it.” 
Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
PHYSIOLOGY IN SCHOOLS. 
How greatly this important branch is neglected 
in our common schools. Even teachers them¬ 
selves are ignorant of this sttfdy. I think the 
assertion can be sustained, that one-half of the 
District School Teachers of this State do not 
understand Physiology. They do not know the 
number of bones in the human system, nor the 
number of pulsations of the heart, unless they 
have learned by observation. 
Now, it is my belief that every teacher should 
be able to pass an examination in Physiology, as 
much as Grammar. Although it is not taught by 
means of text books, it can be taken up as a lecture 
during the time of general exercise. This is 
accomplished very easily in the country wliene you 
have everything at hand. You can easily procure 
the different parts of an animal, and dissect and 
explain the functions of different parts in a plain 
and convincing manner. You cannot imagine what 
an interest this will create, and the auxiety with 
which the scholars will await the return of the 
general exercise, for they know something good is 
coming. 
It will not only excite the children, but it will 
put some new ideas in the heads of the parents, 
giving them a good impression of the teacher. 
When we see the benefit that is derived from a few 
minutes’ labor, and observe how much difference 
such lectures have caused, then will we witness 
and feel the teacher’s true reward. Fellow Teach¬ 
ers, try this, and if my views are right, you will 
succeed. e. l. h. 
Prospect, Oneida Co., N. Y., 1859. 
Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
WEYER’S CAVE .—No. L 
This celebrated Cave is situated in the Valley of 
Virginia, seventeen miles north of Staunton, and 
near the western base of the Blue Ridge. It was 
discovered in the year 1S04, by Bernard Weyer, 
a fox-hunter, who, while searching for a lost trap, 
thus stumbled upon immortality. 
The entire length of the Cave, in a direct line, 
is about sixteen hundred feet, but this distance is 
nearly doubled by the numerous branchings and 
windings of its passages. In height it varies from 
four to ninety feet. The floor is dry and hard, but 
the walls are constantly wet with the lime-water 
which trickles from above. 
For Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
GEOGRAPHICAL ENIGMA.—ACROSTICAL. 
NOBLE SENTIMENTS. 
I am composed of 15 letters. 
My 1, 5, 3, 7,14, 7, 9,10, S, 5 is a county in Virginia. 
My 2,10, 9, 9 is a county in Kentucky. 
My 3, 8, 2,10, 7 is a county in Michigan. 
My 4, 3, 7, 9,13, 6, 2,10, 7 is a county in Kentucky. 
My 5,14,13,13 is a county in Georgia. 
My 6,13, 4, S, 15,10 is a county in Texas. 
My 7,14,1, 5 is a county in North Carolina. 
My 8, 2, 5, 3, 7,15 is a county in Ohio. 
My 9,14, 9, 8 is a county in Georgia. 
My 10,15, 8,12, 6 is a county in Missouri. 
My 11, 4,15,10, 7 is a county in Georgia. 
My 12, C, 7, 8,1, 6, 8 is a county in Michigan. 
My 13,10,12, 8, 7 is a county in Illinois. 
My 14,11,12,11,15, 2, 3 is a county in Virginia. 
My 15, 2, 6, 4, 5, 3, 7,15,10, 7 is a county in Illinois. 
My whole is a distinguished Statesman. 
Iosco, Michigan, 1S59. A. O. Have: 
Answer in two weeks. 
This is an agreeable world, after all. If we would 
only bring ourselves to look at the subjects that 
surround us in their true light, we should see 
beauty where we behold deformity, and look and 
listen to harmony where we heard nothing but 
discord. To be sure, there is a great deal of vexa¬ 
tion and anxiety to meet—we cannot sail on a 
summer sea forever, yet, if we preserve a calm 
eye and a steady hand, we can so trim our sails 
and manage our helm, as to avoid the quicksands 
and weather storms that threaten shipwreck. We 
are members of one great family; t ,we are travel¬ 
ing the same road and shall arrive at the same 
goal. We breath the same' air, are subject to the 
same duty, and shall lie down upon the bosom of 
our common mother. It is unbecoming, then, 
that brother should hate brother; it is not proper 
that friend should deceive friend; it is not right 
that neighbor should deceive neighbor. 
We pity that man who can harbor enmity 
against his fellows; he loses half the enjoyment of 
life; he embitters his own existence. Let us tear 
from your eyes the colored medium that invests 
with the green hue of jealousy and suspicion; turn 
a deaf ear to scandal; breathe a spirit of charity 
from your hearts; let the rich gushings of human 
kindness swell up as a fountain, so that “the 
golden age” will become mo fiction, and the islands 
of the blessed bloom in more than Hyperian 
beauty. 
with forty thousand dollars, 
machine to thresh and clean grain, which in fifteen 
months, he sold for sixty thousand dollars. These 
are ordinary cases—while such inventions as the 
telegraph, the planing machine and India rubber 
patents, are worth millions each. 
Examiner Lane’s report describes new electrical 
inventions. Among these is an electrical whaling 
apparatus by which the whale is literally “ shocked 
to death.” Another is an electro-magnetic alarm, 
which rings bells and displays signals in case of 
fire and burglars. Another is an electric clock, 
which wakes you up, tells you what time it is, and 
lights a lamp for you at any hour you please. 
There is a “ sound gatherer,” a sort of huge ear- 
trumpet, to be placed in front of a locomotive, 
bringing to the engineer’s ears all the noise ahead, 
perfectly distinct, notwithstanding the noise of the 
train. 
There is an invention that picks up pins from a 
confused heap, turns them around with their 
heads up, and then sticks them in papers in regu¬ 
lar rows. 
Another goes through the whole process of 
cigar making, taking in leaves and turning out 
finished cigars. 
One machine cuts cheese; another one scours 
the knives and forks; and another rocks the 
cradle; and seven or eight take in washing and 
ironing. 
There 
These dripp; 
ai rue time or its discovery the entrance was so 
small as to make the Cave somewhat difficult of 
access, but the present owner has removed the 
rocks by blasting, so that a man may enter stand¬ 
ing nearly erect. Passing for some distance 
through a narrow and irregular passage, the ceil¬ 
ing suddenly lifts, the walls expand, and the 
“Guard Room” is before us. Around the walls 
are ranged rows of pale images, resembling, by 
the dim light of the candles, groups of statuary, 
and appropriately called the “ Guards.” In the 
center of the arched roof is an opening bordered 
with brilliant stalactites, which reveals to us a 
lofty dome, surrouuded with columns and hung 
with gorgeous drapery. 
From this room a passage sixty feet in length, 
and terminating with a descent of thirteen feet, 
brings us into “ Solomon’s Temple.” Here we 
find an elevated seat, glittering with snowy stalac¬ 
tites and hung with elaborately wrought drapery, 
which is called the “ Throne.” In a corner of the 
same room a beautiful stalactite depends from the 
roof, exactly resembling a chandelier, while just 
For Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
ALGEBRAICAL PROBLEM. 
A farmer has four flocks of sheep. In the second 
are four more than nine times the square root of one- 
fourth the number in the first. The third contains 
double the number in the first and second, and the 
fourth ten more than one-eighth the number in the third. 
The whole number in the four flocks is 34S; how many 
are there in each flock ? A. O. P. 
Genoa, N. Y., 1859. 
537“ Answer in two weeks. 
VERY YOUNG CHILDREN AT SCHOOL. 
The statistics show that a large number of chil¬ 
dren are sent to school at too early an age. We 
sometimes hear parents object to the rule adopted 
by Committees, excluding all under four, and, in 
some towns, five years of age. It is a question 
whether the limit should not be higher than lower. 
In some cases it is frankly acknowledged that 
“they are sent to school to get them out of the 
way,” and, as this educational fever is intermittent 
and hebdomadal, uniformly most prevalent on 
Mondays, the motive maybe no better where there 
ANSWERS TO ENIGMAS, &c., IN No. 508, 
is a parlor chair patented that cannot be 
tipped back on two legs—and a railway chair 
that can be tipped back in any position without 
any legs at all. 
There are many who say more than the truth 
on some occasions, and balance the account with 
their consciences by saying less than the truth on 
others. 
Answer to Miscellaneous Enigma:—Knavery is the 
worst trade. 
Answer to Problem:—They can. Length 1C8, and 
width 160 rods. 
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