SSISfe 
THE EDUCATION MOST NEEDED. 
Msillil! 
Written for Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
ACQUIREMENT OF TRUE PKINCIPLES. 
When we place our estimate upon individuals, 
Written for Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
WEYER’S CAVE.-NO. IV. 
At the entrance of Jefferson’s Room is an oval 
Tiib ( l ues ^ on * 3 oPten asked why it is that so ii ill i| jj 
q . »j h?* few people are successful in business, and why <gv_Jjjjjl 
P r °P ert ^ finds 8ucb an unequal distribution? jij WW 
J VW| 1 L Th's man, they say, received tbe advantages of a ' 
y)f good English Education, and that man was educa- - 
_Z’_ ' ' ~ industrious, honestand economical, and yet neither " 1-1 — - — 
~~~ ~7 f Ar , _ , M ”““7~ of them has been successful in business. Why is Written for Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
Written for Moore s Rural New-Yorker. it? asks the New York Express, and that journal ^ ' 
ACQUIREMENT OF TRUE PRINCIPLES. proceeds to point out the cause, and, in the course ’ IV ’ 
Wmifwo nioM i-i ...... of its remarks, observes: At tbe entrance of Jefferson’s Room is an oval 
When we place our estimate upon individuals, uiru „ . , „ , 
the first thing to be considered is moral principle , ^ ldea t0 ° C0mm0nly prevads that a stalagmite.of enormous size, gradually dimm.sh- 
All other possessions sink into insignificance when k ° 0W ed Z e of books is tbe ^ginning and end mg toward the top and having the appearance of 
taken in connection with this It is the real ° education. The sons and daughters, espe- being left in an unfinished state. It )s thirty-six 
genuine stamp which characterizes ind.viduals’ Clal ' 7 ° f th * nch ’ gWW Up with tbis notion in feet m lenglb ’ by about thirty in breadth, and the 
keeping their memory sacred in the hearts of the ' r headS ’ m idleness ’ a3 »* were > with ^tle same 10 he ’ 8 ht - “ Tde peculiarity and beauty of 
others. No person can be truly educated without ,dCa ° f tbe res P onsib ilities that await them. tbl8 stalagmite consist in its being composed of 
it. He may have all the knowledge of books which Their DatureS reVOlt at tbe mention of <la bor,’ several stories or stages, which are separated by 
one mind can contain, aud still without correct DOt dreamin S that their P arents before them several horizontal layers of crystal spar, and from 
principles—a keen and just perception of ri 2 ht obta,ned tbe wealth the 7 are 30 P™ ad of by layer to layer tbe space is filled up with perpen- 
and a desire to do that right-there is a great industry and econom 7- -How many young men, dicular (lutings, formed by the dropping stalactites 
mental deformity marking such a person iust as college - bred th ough tbe 7 ma 7 be, are prepared descending from stage to stage. This is most 
perceptibly as outward deformity to manage the estates which their fathers pos- happily denominated the Tower of Babel, for tho* 
When, if ever, are these principles to be obtain- 3eS3 ’ a ° d Which U may have ret P ,ired a lifetime not 8trictl 7 resembling the mass that yet remains 
ed? May we, after years spent in vice and wicked to ac 1 uire? How many young women, though of this stupendous edifice on the plains of Shinar, 
ness, hope to reform aud entirely undo those habits haV ‘ Dg ac( l uired al1 the knowledge and graces it is nevertheless very like the popular represen- 
which were formed in childhood? There is an ° f tbe best schools » know bow to do what their tations of the Tower of Babel accompanying the 
old saying, and a true one, though couched in mothers ha7e done before them > and which the old editions of the Bible.” Behind this Tower we 
simple language:—“As the twig unbent the tree’s daugbters may be compelled to do at some period b nd Sir Walter Scott’s Hall, and Sir Walter’s 
inclined.” These principles, then must be in of tbeir lives? The children of the poor have Library. In the center of the former is an eleva- 
stilled into our being from our earliest years- or t0 lab ° r ° r atarve > and as far as that g° es tb ey tion called the Tomb, and fancy has not failed to 
when that little twig shall have become a tree we educated to be Poetical. The education find, in the numerous incrustations which adorn 
will behold a knotted aud gnarled oak Fellow ^ SC ° ffs at labor ’ and eDC 0 Ura g es idleness, tb ese rooms, many imitations of the armor and 
teachers, upon you and me devolves a part of this 18 ^ W ° rSt enemy f ° r a gir1 ’ man ’ 0r womaD ' baronial Sophies which filled the classic Hall and 
great work,—how are we to accomplish it best?- °* ennob!ing ’ U degrades; it opens up Library of Abbotsford. 
The stamping of the foot, and the throwing of the tbe r ° ad t0 ruiD ' Tbe education which directs Snow Hill resembles in form and size the Tower 
ruler, may frighten the child into obedience, yet 7. t0 d ° wba1 ! We are fiUed to d °— tb at respects of Babel, but its top is crowned with a mass of 
they will not give anything real when the princi- abor ~ tbat inculcates industry, honesty, and dazzhngly white spar, suggesting tbe name it 
pies come to be tried and refined, and tbe dross ^ dea,1Dg ’ aud that stn P 3 us of selfishness, is bears. Near the Hill is a formation bearing the 
thrown aside. We want something sterling, then U ' e educatl0n we need, aDd that which must names of Oyster Shell and Fly Trap. “Both of 
— something that will withstand the tests to which bebome tbe P revadl °g system of the country these names,” says Miss Caret, “are in some 
we are obliged to submit before we are pronounced before can be a P eo P le either happy or pros- sort descriptive, but neither in poetical keeping 
ready to take apart in the “great concerns” of perous ” with the object designated. Toe stalactites of 
life. For one, I do not want that obedience which rttdttvtfwtat ' anrtnl rv tw which is f ° rmcd are tw ° thin layers ’ nearl 7 cif - 
only moves the hand subservient to my will and MENTAL ACCURACY IN EDUCATION, cular in shape, and from five to six feet in diame- 
leaves the hear! ill entire rebellion. I want to Ar tbo distribution of certificates to the success- ,er -„ Thes * toiler sheets .re joined at tb.tr 
reason wttb the ch.ld, snd convince him that a fnl candidates at .be late Oxford Local Ex.mina- ’ P "T.a , o ’ ° f “ 0J *“ r ’ 
certain conrse ts r„jU, and he most pursue it be- tion, at Exeter, a fetv d.ja ago, tbe Bight Uon Tu ,P * ^ e ” d "“ tl1 
s^sr 8 r e 'T d *r ;esM “ ,L ““' 3e 
««ned" B hb d rt ° f aC ‘ i0 "’ Wl “ iCh bC ”*• 0t «“* » P f r Srt 'adSTo' * h *‘ r ^ " “T* "f *" f 
i ° ,k * r .wr 1 , of ” ,,or peraons: 
wrong in earl, life boc.nse the ev jLlds „Te. s ITT T^° S “? or .be foil lace frimntings of a lad,", cap, depend: 
ure. Children err n„„, times from » inabi ‘ty l„d ru^ZS^aTl* 'iog edgewise, and so translucent^ » to admit „f 
to determ,ne what 15 rtght, and if left coatinue had a class before bitn-.he first class in ari.hml 1, « 1 *** 0,1B a- S “ m8 ° f ‘ hMe 
tn a wrong course, tht.k there is no other way; , lc . They were able to aoswer go.sttons; they ° f ‘ he P “ r ,? S ‘ " b ;‘ e ' ° lb ° r! are of 
fi d , r 7 ,° *T J '"" d '"*“8 Pt uotices, and had gone through all the higher branches o aritb i aDd « lhe ' s » f a hr ““'" »>or. 
til 1 „ of 88 ' ye i* ue, “ ,be rt > lt at * toetic, and were prepared to answer anything Na ' 1 “ r , ,i 'T T s » ”<>" «;»» »»>- 
t ng when .he ,s more/e.rt«e, 'earn,dove Bat be said, • I will give you a sum in sirnpto ‘ he 'O 0 *'"” 1 ”°‘f'» whtohthey 
.t*d h,.and byw, I act from a natural desire to addition.- He accordingly dictated a sum and 0 » ■>»“““">«f»w limp.” 
do right which has taken possession of the heart, (cautiously interspersed a good many ciphers,- A litt,e be 7 ond tbes f > starless in the wall leads 
Talking to children about the necessity of hav- suppose, for instance, he said, ‘a thousand aud to the termination chi| 8 ful|^a rooui situated two 
ing good principles, will not suffice to teach them, forty-nine.’ He found there was not one in the thousand five bundr eci feet from the entrance of 
—we must ever live and act them ourselves, and class who was able to put down that sum in simple tbe cave - Nereis a l^-jejspring of water covered 
let them be adorned with perfect kindness, that addition; they could not makecountof the ciphers. over with a very thin, yet strong lid of rock. This 
they may seem more beautiful and inviting. Ever That showed him the boys had been suffered to is tbe last P ° int t0 wbich visitors Penetrate, and 
p’ace a proper estimate upon every childish act in P ass far too quickly over the elementary parts of as ^ ' S somew b at ' difficult of entrance, the name 
which tbe least principle is involved, thus teach- arithmetic. The examiner took them in grammar, tbe trave ‘ er > Hruce, has been given to the 
ing the just appreciation which those acts deserve, and quoted a few lines from Cowper: stalagmite at the entrance, and the fountain has 
—ever he truthful, as truth lies at the foundation ** a,n monarc h of all I survey, been appropriately named the Source of the Nile, 
of all other principles. But I need not enumerate rigllt tbero is nonc to di 8 P u le.’ The return may be made much the most inter- 
5rous '” with the object designated. Toe stalactites of 
___ _ which it is formed are two thin layers, nearlv cir- 
MENTAL ACCURACY IN EDUCATION, cular in shape, and from five to six feet in diame- 
A, the distribatiee of certificates to the tmccaas- *“• h » U »' f <“ *be,r 
I candidat™ a. the l.t. Ovto.d I ‘ w ” 3m “ IIer e ” d P™ 15 ' 1 ? Uke lb " shells » f *» »J»W. 
are exposed, they do not in the least grow limp.” 
A little beyond thesl, akr^ess in the wall leads 
he termination cluliridipia 
to the termination cbJatCdRa room situated two 
thousand five hundred feet from the entrance of 
—ever he truthful, as truth lies at the foundation 
of all other principles. But I need not enumerate 
the little links which, when united, form the great 
chain of true principles. Emily Ellis. 
Now Lebanon, Col. Co., N. Y., 1859. 
Written for Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
THE OLD SCHOOL-HOUSE. 
been appropriately named the Source of the Nile. 
The return may be made much the most inter- 
‘ What governs right?’ There was not a boy could esting part of the route, since many of the rooms 
say, till it was put to them ‘none to dispute my present a very different appearance when viewed 
riolif , Thon • _,11 T>.. L _v 
right.’ Then: 
‘The beasts that roam over the plain, 
My form with indifference see.’ 
None could tell what governed ‘see’ or what ‘see’ 
from different points. But many become too much 
fatigued, and too anxious to look again upon the 
smiling earth and the o’erarching heaven, to lin¬ 
ger long in these subterranean'caverns. Miracles 
- ---V* ly Liav occ »vu b iu uuvovouwivwuucttU bavetua. JUXU UCiCS 
governed after it. These are instances that I think of beauty and wondrous freaks of fancy were hur- 
it not useless to mention, for the purpose of draw- riedly noticed, and at midnight our party emerged 
How many pleasant memories, how many en- ^ not use ^ ess to m ention, for the purpose of draw- riedly noticed, and at midnight our party emerged 
dearing recollections, come thronging to my brain ing tbc attcntion of intelligent schoolmasters to from the mouth of the cave, and with glad hearts 
as I look back to boyhood’s sunny hours when tbe ncces8it 7 of attending—not merely once in the entered the grove through whose leafy arches the 
with my books under my arm, I went whistling beginning, but going back from time to time—to blue sky and the silver stars looked down with a 
with gay, light-hearted companions towards the tbe elements -”—English paper. gentle radiance, never before so beautiful. 
with gay, light-hearted companions towards the 
old school house, by the big pine tree. IIow joy¬ 
ous and full of gladness were those days, when, 
after reciting our lessons, (which we sometimes 
thought outrageously loDg,) we were let out upon 
the elements .”—English paper. gentle radiance, never before so beautiful. 
— ; --- There is much to awaken poetic fancy in the 
THE TEACHINGS OF ARITHMETIC. darkness and silence of this strange palace —in 
- the patient toil of Nature through unknown ages— 
When the pupil does not understand the ques- in the strange creations which start up like pale 
tioa or proposition, he should beallow-ed to reason ghosts at almost every wave of the torch, and in 
upon it in his own wav. and asreeablv to his mvn the solemn victl of “ the Guards ” •Krntrhinrr 
the grassy lawn to make things “hum” for awhile tion or P ro P osition » be should beallow-ed to reason ghosts at almost every wave of the torch, and in 
with our noisy glee. How we tumbled, wrestled lipon ik in bis ° wn way ’ and a g reeab, y to his own the solemn vigil of “the Guards ” watchiDg out 
and played the thousand games and sports known a8SociatioDS - Whether his way is the best or not, the long procession of centuries, but neither poet’s 
only to the school-boy, and then, when we heard the on the whole, it is the best way for him at first, pen nor artist’s pencil can convey ah adequate 
tinkling of the good old master’s bell with what and be ought by no means to be interrupted in it, impression of the wonders which fill this cele- 
a happy shout would we disperse, each trying to 01 ^ orced ou ^ H. The judicious teacher will brated cave. Bertha Mortimer. 
outstrip the others in the race for the school-room leave him to mana S e i<; entirely by himself, and in Newark, N. Y., 1S59. 
outstrip the others in the race for the school-room ^ eave b * m to mana g e H entirely by himself, and in 
door. How we loved that old master, and how b * s own wa 7> H be can - ^ r > H be meets with a 
patiently would we sit, and with the strictest at- ^Hle difficulty, but is still in a way that will lead 
teotion, listen to him, while he recounted anec- a proper result, he will apply his aid so as to 
irated cave. 
Newark, N. Y., 1S59. 
Bertha Mortimer. 
ECONOMIES OF MODERN SOCIETY. 
teotion, listen to him, while he recounted anec- a proper result, he will apply his aid so as to - 
dotes without number, of terrible deeds performed keep him in his own way. When the scholar has We seem to be approaching a time, says Dr. 
in battle,—of men who crossed the sea to find new been through the process in his own way, he should Potter, when valuable use will be found for every- 
worids — all of which we, with big eyes, and wide be made to explain how he has done it; and if he thiDg, however vile and apparently worthless, 
open mouths, would swallow with heart-felt admi- bas n0 * P roceed ed in the best way, he should be Take lags, for example; when tbey have ceased 
ration. Ah ! those were happy days— but they ^ cd by degrees into the best way. Many teachers to be fit covering even for a beggar, and are cast 
have passed never to return. seem not to know that there is more than one way out, loaded with filth, they are carefully collected 
—U . axxxxov, av.fi uaya—UUl tney - J °-- - •> "“*V ----auu ifiie uasi, 
have passed never to return. seem not to know that there is more than one way out, loaded with filth, they are carefully collected, 
Where now are the boys that thronged that to do a thing, or think of a thing; and if they find transported as precious freight from one country to 
grassy lawn?—where now is the old master?— a scholar pursuing a method different from their another, aud, after being washed and bleached, and 
where the old school-house? The boys are gone; own or tbat tb e text book, they suppose of subjected to the operation of cutters and presses, 
some of them to take an active part in business course be must be wrong, and they check him come forth a beautiful white fabric, ready to 
life; some to hold the reins of government; some at once ’ and end eavor to force him into their way, receive and transmit to distant places or ages the 
are great and famous; others are lowly and ob- whether he understands it or not. If such teach- records of wisdom, or the messages of business, 
scure; while some, alas, ers would have patience to listen to their scholars, or the confidential breathings of friendship. So 
“Life’s fitful fever over, sleep well.” and examine their operations, they would frequent- bones and offal, which have been thrown into the 
The kind old master, who labored so hard to make ly di * c ° 4 Ve ^ very good ways that have never oc- streets, are picked up and carried to the tai¬ 
ns useful and prominent members of society was CUn ' ed t0 th ®“ betoi ; e ’ Nothln g is “ore discour- ammoniac factory, where, after being boiled, 
long since gathered to the graves of his fathers — T ” 8 t0 8cho,a ™’ than to interru P t them > when distilled, &c., they yield grease for soap; and oil 
The old, time-worn school-house has given wav to *7 P [ 0Ceedmg by a metbod wb ich they know which, on being burned in close apartments, de- 
a more costly edifice, which looks too cold and t0 be V ®, 5 1 a° endeavor to force them into posits the black soot called lamp-black, and affords 
formal to me, as I think of the little brown build- ° U f " they^ do not understand, and which is at the same time the carbonate of ammonia, or 
ing of jears ago. But the old tree stands there H ° ugteea u b ieir ways of thinking. And hartshorn; the sulphate ot soda, or glauber salt, 
more beautiful and majestic than ever-other nothing glves 8 ® ho, " s so much confidence in their and lastly, sal-ammoniac. Horns, which are 
bojs play beneath its broad-spreading branches ^ po ' ver ^’ aad s imu ates tbem 80 much ta use attached to hides when purchased by the tanner, 
making the welkin ring with their thoughtless ° W ? orts ’ as to allovv them to pursae tbeir ar e separated, sold to the makers of combs and 
gaiety, while it looks down as smilingly upon them °_^ n metbods ’ and to encourage them in them.— lanterns, who make combs of one part; knife- 
as it did upon us, in the years lono-since gone o urn. handles, tops of whips, Ac., from another; glue 
Geo. H. Worden. rp TT ^ T* -77- again from another; fat for soap from another; 
___ ilIB Mind. —How vast, how marvellous the transparent part of lanterns from another; and 
It is not wisdom, but ignorance, which teaches ^ amplitude the human understanding !- a finally, by grinding down the bony substance 
men presumption. Genius may be sometimes ? nnclple 7° nearl 7 alhed to tbe 1 )lvin e, that, l.ke which remains after all these operations, they 
arrogant, but nothing is so diffident as knowledge ‘““T ^ reaplbnde u nt worlds above ’ impra88ad ha ™ a ™ a uure which they sell to the farmer. The 
T on a tranquil sea, the thoughts of God glance upon prussiate of potash, a beautiful mineral, by which 
thinhfn 6 \Z S 6 aecessariI y the Peaceful, meditative soul, and the Infinite is we obtain prussian blue, is produced from tbe 
his attainnTT ’ ^ 18 knOW edge enlarges wlth reflected through the finite, for the improvement hoofs of horses and cattle; a black dye, for the use 
ainmeu s. an( j e l eva tion of the whole race of men. 0 f calico printers, is extracted from old tin kettles 
gaiety, while it looks down as smilingly upon them 
as it did upon us, in the years long since gone. 
Geo. H. Worden. 
and worn out coal scuttles; bread, which, though 
not very palatable is still nutritious (?) and diges¬ 
tible, has been ob'ained from sawdust! and linen 
rags, mixed with a common acid, have been made 
by chemists to yield more than tbeir own weight 
of sugar .—Scientific Artisan. 
DAMASCUS. 
Damascus is the oldest city in the world. Tyre 
and Sidon have crumbled on the shore; Baa'bec 
is a ruin ; Palmyra is buried in the sands of the 
desert; Nineveh and Babylon have disappeared 
■ from the Tigris and Euphrates; Damascus remains 
what it was before the days of Abraham—a centre 
of trade and travel—an island of verdure in a 
desert—“a predestinated capital,” with martial 
and sacred associations extending through more 
than thirty centuries. It was “ Dear Damascus” 
that Saul Qf Tarsus saw the “light from heaven 
above the brightness of the sun;” the street which 
is called Strait, in which it was said “ he prayeth,” 
still runs through the city. The caravan come 3 
and goes as it did a thousand years ago; there are 
still the sheik, the ass, and the water-wheel, the 
merchants of Euphrates and of the Mediterranean 
still “ occupy” these “ with the multitude of their 
waters.” The cuy which Mahomet surveyed from 
a neighboring height, and was afraid to enter, 
“ because it is given to man to have but one para¬ 
dise, and for his part, he resolved not to have it in 
this world,” is to this day what Julian called “ the 
eje of the East,” as it was in the time of Isaiah, 
“ the head of Syria.” From Damascus came the 
damson, our blue plum, and the delicious apricot 
of Portugal, called damaso; damask, our beautiful 
fabric of cotton and silk, with vines and flowers 
raised upon a smooth, bright ground; the damask 
rose, introduced into Eogiaud in the time of Henry 
VIII; the Damascus blade, so famous the world 
over for its keen edge and wonderful elasticity, 
the secret of whose manufacture was lost when 
Tamerlane carried off’ the artists into Persia; and 
that beautiful art of inlaying wood and steel with 
silver and gold, a kind of Mosaic, engraving and 
sculpture united, called Damas-keening—with 
which boxes, bureaus, swords and guns are orna¬ 
mented. It is still a city of flowers and bright 
waters; the streams from Lebanon, the “rivers 
of Damascus,” the “rivers of gold,” still murmur 
and sparkle in the wilderness of “ Syrian gardens.” 
WANT OF AIR. 
A late writer thinks that the “ old fashioned fire¬ 
place” was one great source of health. We quote: ] 
“Nowit is remarkable to observe how simulta- j 
neously the gradual introduction and use of stoves, 1 
and the diminution of life, aud the increase of 
mortality in the United States, have advanced 
together. Fifty or sixty years ago, stoves were ‘ 
not much in use. In all the old houses, which ‘ 
have been built for that length of time, and in \ 
many built long since, we find the old, open fire¬ 
place —but now no longer in u 3 e ; being either ' 
permanently or temporarily closed up, and re¬ 
placed by a close iron stove, or at best by a small j 
grate, or else by a furnace. Aod correspondingly i 
we find, wherever we have the records from wnich < 
to determine, a deterioration of life and health 1 
regularly progressing with tbe change in our 
domestic habits and arrangements. Thus we i 
have seen the average age at which death takes I 
place bas, within the last half century, diminished i 
from six to nine years; that in Philadelphia and I 
New York, the age at which half the deaths occur, 
has receded within the same period, from twenty- 
four years to less than five years. And that the , 
rate per cent, of infant mortality in Boston nearly j 
doubled in twenty years, and in New York city f 
actually trebled in forty-seven years; the deaths l 
of children under five years of age in 100,000 f 
inhabitants of all ages, having regularly increased < 
from 688, in the year 1816, to 2,094 in an equal 
population in the year 1857.” ] 
These facts are worthy of consideration. With- t 
out proving that stoves are unwholesome, they do 
prove, we thins, that our houses should be prop¬ 
erly ventilated, and our rooms better supplied 
with oxygen. The old-fashioned fire-place venti- . 
lated the room in which a fire was kindled. The 
part formerly played by the open fire-place should 
now be performed by some other opening. t 
THE RIVER JORDAN. 
A correspondent of the Utica Herald thus de- 1 
scribes the River Jordan:—A line of low green 
forest trees betrayed the course of the sacred y 
river through the plain. So deep is its channel, i 
and so thick is the forest that skirts its banks, that j 
I rode within twenty yards of it before I caught i 
the'first gleam of its waters. I was agreeably dis- * 
appointed. I had heard the Jordan described as 1 
an iDsipid, muddy stream. Whether it was the 1 
contrast with the desolation around, or my fancy ] 
had made its green banks so beautiful, I know not, 
but it did seem at the moment of its revelation to a 
my longing eyes, the perfection of calm and loveli- v 
ness. It is hardly as wide as the Mohawk at Utica, c 
but far more rapid and impassioned in its flow. s 
Indeed, of all the rivers I have ever seen, the a 
Jordan has the fiercest current. Its water is by * 
no means clear, but it as little deserves the name r 
of muddy. At the place where I first saw it, traai- ’ 
tion assigns the baptism of our Savior, and also 1 
the miraculous crossing of the children of Israel ^ 
on their entrance to the promised land. Like a 1 
true pilgrim, I bathed in its waters and picked c 
a few pebbles from its banks as tokens of remem- 1 
brance of the most familiar river in the world. s 
Three miles below the spot where I now stand, the * 
noble river—itself the very emblem of life—sud¬ 
denly throws itself on the putrid bosom of the 
Dead Sea. 8 
- i 
Temperance.— Sully, the great French states- i 
man, always kept up at the table the frugality to ^ 
which he had been accustomed in early life in the t 
army. His meal consisted of a few dishes dressed £ 
in the plainest manner. The courtiers often re- ( 
proached him with the simplicity of his table; and c 
he would reply, in the words of an ancient:—“ If 
the guests are men of sense, there is sufficient for s 
them; if they are not, I can very well dispense l 
with their company.” 1 
Wa devote the whole of the Young Ruralist’s 
column the present week to answering a number 
of inquiries from our young friends, and have 
others still on hand that will receive attention in 
a week or two. 
Making Picture Frames.— Will some Young Eu- 
raliet Inform me how to make picture frames from pine 
burrs, acorns, beech nuts, &c. ? Wbat bind of frames 
should be used, in what order should they be placed, 
and how fastened to the frames ? Any information on 
the subject will be kindly appreciated by - G. B. W., 
Penn Yan, N. K, 1859. 
Artesian Wells. —I seo occasional notices in papers 
of what are called artesian wells, which aro sunk from 
900 to 2,000 feet What is tbe object of boriog so deep 
in the earth for water, when it can be found almost 
anywhere, from 20 to 50 feet from the surface? And 
what kind of machinery is used to do the work?—J. 
II., Glens Falls, if. ¥, 1S59. 
Artesian Wells are bored through rocks by a 
heavy steel borer, moved by a spring, as common 
drills are by hand. They are only 3 to 5 inches in 
diameter, and bored so deep because water enough 
is not found at 30, or 300, or 2,000 feet deep. 
These wells raise the water above the surface of 
the well 50 to 150 feet deep, so that the power of 
the water is easily applied to desired purposes. J. 
H. should read the account of the well at Louis¬ 
ville, Ky., 2,080 feet deep, in this paper half a 
year since. 
Sun-Dog.—W ill some one please explain the philos¬ 
ophy of what is called a sun-dog, supposed to be an 
indicator of storms ?-C. II. T., West Northfield , Mass., 
1859. 
A sun-dog, or mock-sun, is caused by the reflec¬ 
tion or refraction of light from a cloud or hazy 
atmosphere, so as to give light like a far inferior 
suu. It is one of tbe common halos or parhelia, 
and seems to occur when the state of the atmos¬ 
phere is fitted for storm or change. 
Freezing Boiled Water.— Seeing tbat you reserved 
one column of your paper for the children, I thought 
perhaps I might gain somo information respecting a 
question which I am unable to answer. Why does 
water that has been boiled freeze sooner that that which 
has not? I have not the means to flod the true answer, 
as I reside in the country, but I hope you will not deem 
it too simple to respond to.— P. S., Furcellmlle. Va., 
1859. 
Let P. S. expose two equal portions of water in 
similar vessels, in a cold day or evening, one 
having been boiled and the other not, and see what 
the trial will show; a good experiment for him. 
Then let him repoTt to us the result, and offer his 
1 question. He will receive tbe due answer. 
Electricity Impondkrable.— If the theory, as taught 
in chemistry and philosophy, that electricity is impon¬ 
derable is correct, how is it that a flash of lightning 
can penetrate the air, a ponderable body, and what 
causes the report? -E. S., Crum Creek, if. Y., 1359 . 
Electricity is said to be imponderable because 
it cannot be weighed ; this does not prevent its 
being being very elastic and powerful. The 
explosion (thunder) is caused by the air, separated 
by the passage of lightning, closing again with 
great force. 
Pressure on a Mill-Dam. — Please inform me, 
through the columns of the Rural, whether there will 
be more pressure on a mill-dam in which the water 
stands back from the dam ten miles, than there would 
be in the same dam if the water stood back only ten 
feet, provided that in each case the water is of the same 
depth ? — J. B., Kinsman, 1S59. 
Any common school philosophy will show J. 
B. that the pressure of water is proportional to 
the depth. 
Mineral Eod.— Will you, or some of your able assis¬ 
tants, please give me through tbe columns of your paper 
information as to a mineral rod—whether there be such 
a tbiog-if so, where I can get one, and also the price ? 
- S. C., Pembroke, if. Y., 1S59. 
Mineral rods have gone out of use, because 
they are good for nothing. If S. C. wished one, 
he can make one out of a forked limb of the apple 
tree, or of witch-hazel, which will work admirably, 
if he knows how to use it—all depends on this. 
Water-Proof Cement. — I have a favor to ask of 
you. Can you, or some of your numerous readers, 
inform me how to make a cement that will adhere to 
glass, wood, or stone, and harden under water, and not 
Injure animal or vegetable life? I have tried several 
kinds, but do not succeed, and presume I do not use 
the right material. By giving me tho desired informa¬ 
tion, you will confer a favor on one of your— Constant 
Leaders, Phelps, if. Y., 1S59. 
Putty and litharge, well mixed together, makes 
a good cement, but it must be well dried before 
water is applied. Want of patience in this respect 
causes failure. Let it dry three weeks. We pre¬ 
sume “ Constant Reader” is endeavoring to make 
an aquarium. Rosendale cement is good for the 
bottom, but will not adhere well to glass, and does 
not make a neat job for the corners. The English 
use what is called Roman cement, but we have 
not been able to obtain it in this country. Geo. 
Frauenberger, of this city, the artist who makes 
most of the engravings for the Rural, prepares 
cloth, with a water-proof composition, which 
makes a very neat job, and never fails. Strips 
sufficient to make an aquarium about eighteen 
inches square, would cost about fifty cents. 
Genesee Model School for Boys.— Will you, or 
some of your numerous correspondents, please 
inform me if the “GeneseeModel School for Boys,” 
is in operation now or not. If it is I would like to 
know the address necessary to send for a circular 
to that institution. As I have no other means of 
ascertaining whether the above school keeps now 
or no, an answer through the Rural will greatly 
oblige— Joseph, Geneva , N. Y., 1859. 
The building of the Model School was burned 
several years since, and the school in consequence 
broken up. Prof. Seagar, the Principal, we be¬ 
lieve is now the Principal of a school in Dansville. 
iffc — 
