FEB. 6 
MOOSE'S BUBAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER, 
49 
Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
IRREGULAR ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL 
The cause of irregular attendance is generally 
charged to the indifference of parents and guar¬ 
dians to the advantages of knowledge. But why? 
unless, from a mistaken idea of education. It is a 
common idea that education begins at school and 
ends at school, whereas it is a life-long business. 
Schools are purposely to furnish the means only 
for that education which begins and ends with life 
and sense. The process of education is altogether 
too slow for the mind to note the progress, and the 
results too far in the future for this fast age —an 
age that wants a quick return for every outlay. In 
my opinion, the chief cause of irregularity is the 
reluctance of pupils to attend. Parents do not 
like to drive their children to school from profita¬ 
ble labor, with no prospect of immediate, or, of ulti¬ 
mate advantages, especially if against tho child’s 
desires; and, on the other hand, but few parents 
would prohibit going to school against an earnest 
desire of the child to attend. But why is this re¬ 
pugnance to the school, when knowledge is mental 
nourishment, and mind has instinctive, resistless de¬ 
sires for it? Why? because schools are not what 
they should be—fountains of knowledge for all. 
The kind they supply is not adapted to the wants 
and needs of the reluctant pupils at least. Children 
think like children and act like children, and if 
“thought is the parent of action,” it is also the 
offspring of action. Confine or prohibit action, 
thought becomes dull, the mind diseased and the 
system deformed. Room and opportunity for ac¬ 
tion and expansion must be had, or else the 
demands of nature are denied, and then nature 
revolts. 
The common school is a compound of all the 
degrees of mind, from lisping infancy to tho full¬ 
blown “Young American,”—a peculiar institution 
to instil theories of science for far-off future use, so 
uncertain that positive benefit is doubtful — so ab¬ 
stract that no pleasure is given to tho mind that 
asks for simple facts only, to understand and amuse 
as well as to instruct. 
Pleasure in the pursuit and delight in the pos¬ 
session are natural guides to useful knowledge; 
and it is not satisfactory evidence to the young, 
that such pursuits will not prove useful to them, 
because adults doubt the utility, and advise or in¬ 
sist on higher aims and pursuits, that afford no de¬ 
light. But it is satisfactory evidence, if the knowl¬ 
edge obtained in the pursuit is adapted to the ca¬ 
pacity to understand sufficient to exercise and 
discipline the mental and physical powers, to 
qualify the candidate to find pleasure and profit in 
pursuing the positively useful. 
Blind guides are mistaken in supposing the natu¬ 
ral guides are all wrong, and if followed, will sure¬ 
ly lead to evil results. They forget they themselves 
were once young, and the many difficulties thrown 
before them, purposely, to hedge the only practical 
way to that kind of knowledge compatible with 
the powers of the mind to enjoy, to assimilate and 
to nourish. They mistake natural desires for 
knowledge as natural propensities for folly, and 
prefer, however difficult, to prevent the pursuit 
rather than to follow and assist reason, however 
easy, to draw just conclusions from the experience 
thus obtained. 8. Gbaves. 
Marcellus, N. Y., Jan., 1858. 
A THOUGHT FOR YOUNG MEN. 
Moke may be learned by devoting a few moments 
daily to reading, than is commonly supposed.— 
Five pages may be read in fifteen minutes; at 
which rate one may peruse twenty-six volumes of 
two hundred pages each in a year. You say you 
have none to guide you. The best scholars and 
men of science will tell you that by far the most 
valuable part of their education is that which they 
have given themselves. Volumes have been filled 
with the auto-biography of self-taught men. Think 
of Franklin, the printer; of Linne, the shoemaker; 
of John Hunter, the cabinet-maker; of llerschel, 
the musician; of Holland, the weaver; of Turner, 
the printer; of Burritt, the blacksmith. Love 
learning and you will be learned. Where there is 
a will there will be a way. 
Begin at once, take time by the forelock, and 
remember that it is only the first step that costs, 
and having begun, resolve to learn something every 
day. Strike the blow, and avoid the weakness of 
those who spend half of life in thinking what they 
shall do next Always have a volume near you, 
which you may catch up at such odd minutes as 
are your own. It is incredible, until trial has been 
made, how much real knowledge may be acquired 
in these broken fragments of time, which are like 
the dust of gold and diamonds.—Hr. Alexander. 
Correct Speaking. —We advise all young peo¬ 
ple to acquire in early life the habit of using good 
language, both in speaking and writing, and to 
abandon as early as possible any use of slang words 
and phrases. The longer they live the more diffi¬ 
cult the acquisition of such language will be; and 
if the golden age of youth, the proper season for 
the acquisition of language be past in its abuse, the 
unfortunate victim of neglected education is very 
probably doomed to talk slang for life. Money is 
not necessary to procure this education. Every 
man has it in his power. He has merely to use the 
language which he reads instead of the slang which 
he hears; to form his taste from the best speakers, 
and poets of the country; to treasure up choice 
phrases in his memory, and habituate himself to 
their use—avoiding at the same time that pedantic 
precision and bombast, which show rather the 
weakness of a vain ambition than the polish of an 
educated mind. 
Fictions are revelations not of truth, for they are 
most unreal, but of that which tho soul longs to be 
true; they are mirrors not of actual human expe¬ 
rience, but of human dreams and aspirations of the 
eternal desires of the heart 
Hospitality is commanded to bo exercised even 
towards an enemy when he cometh to thy house. 
The tree doth not withdraw its shade even from 
the wood-cutter. 
MORAL QUALIFICATIONS OF TEACHERS. 
The moral qualifications of teachers should be 
of the highest order. The most extensive learn¬ 
ing does not always make the best teacher. Great 
intellect can never compensate for deficient morals. 
The most distinguished teachers have ever been 
the best, as well as the wisest men. It should be 
borne in mind, in estimating the dignity of teach¬ 
ing, that the Savior, to whose unsullied moral 
purity naught human can be compared, came to 
the earth in the character of a teacher. Great and 
good teachers have left impressions upon whole 
nations, and, during thousands of years, lived in 
their annals. Thus was it with Confucius, Socra¬ 
tes, Plato and Aristotle — men whose names will 
always be revered, not because they taught with 
skill, but because they endeavored to teach, by ex¬ 
ample as well as precept, the lessons of virtue and 
philanthropy. They, however, were teachers of 
men; and if upon these they could exert so pow¬ 
erful and permanent an influence, how much more 
may we not hope to effect, with the impressible 
minds of children, awake to every moral influence, 
good or evil, and imbibing, as if by instinct, the 
impressions of virtue and vice! 
Let not the teacher, then, who would shine in 
his profession, neglect this important qualification. 
Let him not neglect it, unless he would incur, by so 
doing, a mountain of responsibility more fearful 
than that placed upon the rebellious giants of an¬ 
cient fable. Patience, forbearance, mercy, justice, 
kindness, conscientiousness, all have their appro¬ 
priate sphere in the school-room; and when they 
are wanting, and instead of them irritability, injus¬ 
tice and passion reign, to none is the true condition 
of the teacher’s mind and character so apparent as 
to the seemingly heedless youth, who sits a silent 
but vigilant spectator of all that transpires around. 
Nor is the impression of to-day merely. It endures 
as an ineffaceable memorial of the teacher as long 
as life lasts, the only change being, that the distrust 
and aversion of childhood become the disgust and 
contempt of maturer years. Every teacher should 
bear in mind, that he will inevitably be accounta¬ 
ble to the mature judgment and reflection of his 
pupils in after years, for the manner in which he 
discharged the duties of an instructor. Who would 
wish, for instance, to receive such a sentence as 
Dr. Johnson pronounced upon the teacher of his 
youth, in the following terse expression? “The 
master was severe, and wrong-headedly severe.— 
He used to beat us unmercifully; and he did not 
distinguish between ignorance and negligence; for 
he would beat a boy equally for not knowing a 
thing as for neglecting to know it For instance, 
he would call a boy up, and ask him the Latin for 
candle-stick, which the boy could not expect to be 
asked. Now, sir, if a boy could answer every 
question, there would be no need of a master to 
teach him.” 
A teacher requires the firm discrimination of a 
master mechanician. As tho latter, by a single 
rude touch, may utterly spoil the delicate machine 
which he is employed to repair or construct, so the 
teacher, by a single harsh reproof or untimely 
chastisement, may leave a blot upon the delicate 
texture of his pupil’s moral nature, never to be 
effaced. Reproof and castigation are indeed neces¬ 
sary; but to make every communication to the 
pupil, as is often done, in terms and tones of 
reproof and severity, is to blunt the pupil’s moral 
sensibility, and destroy the teacher’s influence at 
the same time. If the words of a teacher are ordi¬ 
narily those of kindness and gentleness, reproof 
when necessary will come with ten-fold effect, and 
the pupil will receive the impression that the 
teacher has his good in view, and not the gratifica¬ 
tion of his own passion and spleen. — If. K., in the 
Neu> York Teacher. 
THE CHEERFUL TEACHER 
Cultivate a cheerful affectionate and dignified 
maimer in your intercourse with your pupils. Man, 
said Aristotle, is an imitative animal, and the teach¬ 
er who cultivates a cheerfulness of disposition 
himself, and speaks kindly to his pupils, will by his 
example diffuse the same spirit among them, and 
make both himself and them happy. The feelings 
of human hearts in general, and of all the little 
hearts within the walls of your school-house, are 
linked together by strong and unmistakeable bonds 
of sympathy; and cheerfulness in the teacher will 
spread like an electric current over his whole 
school, and be felt by every heart within his little 
kingdom. The teacher who treats his pupils with 
kindness and affection, will receive far more love 
and obedience from them, than he who never 
greets his scholars with a smile, and sometimes un¬ 
necessarily wounds their feelings. 
A cheerful, kind-hearted teacher will always be 
welcome to his pupils. They will rejoice to see 
him approach the school-house, even if the hour 
for study has not yet arrived; because they know 
he rejoices in seeing them happy, and will not in¬ 
terrupt their amusements before the regular time. 
But the morose and ill-natured teacher is ever un¬ 
welcome, and hated by his scholars. He is regarded 
as the enemy of their happiness, and rarely enjoys 
the confidence of his school. On the other hand, 
the teacher, especially of larger boys, should not 
forget the dignity of his profession, nor place him¬ 
self entirely on a level with his pupils. They 
should be taught to respect as well as love and 
confide in him. Whilst it is proper that he should 
witness, approve and control their recreations, we 
think it in general unadvisable for him to partici¬ 
pate in them.— Penn. School Journal. 
Every Word True. —It is a great and prevalent 
error, that children may be left to run wild in every 
sort of company and temptations for several years 
and then it will be time enough to break them in. 
This mistake makes half our spendthrifts, gamblers, 
thieves and drunkards. No man would deal so 
with his garden or lot; no man would raise a colt 
or puppy on such a principle. Take notice, pa¬ 
rents—unless you till the new soil and throw in the 
good seed, the devil will have a crop of poison 
weeds before you know what is taking place. Look 
at your dear children, and think whether you will 
leave thoir safety or ruin at hazard, and whether 
you should not train them up in the way they 
should go. 
Reading. —Read not to contradict and confute, 
nor to believe and take for granted; but to weigh I 
and consider. 
Few statesmen have had more sincere friends 
and admirers, and more inveterate enemies, than 
William II. Seward. Yet his worst enemies be¬ 
lieve him to be conscientious in the pursuit of 
truth, and bold in the defence of what he believes 
will promote the interests and happiness of the 
great human family. 
Wm. II. Seward was born in Warwick, Orange 
county, in this State, on the lGth of May, 1801, and 
is now nearly 57 years of age. He entered Union 
College in 1816, and graduated with the highest 
honors; studied law and was admitted to the bar 
in 1822, and removed to Auburn in 1823. This 
was an important period in the history of the 
young statesman, for here he soon attracted the 
attention of Judge Miller, and became associated 
with him as a law partner. In 1826 he married the 
youngest daughter of his associate. In 1830 Mr. 
Seward, although not 30 years of age, was elected 
to the Senate of New York, in 1834 was a candi¬ 
date for Governor, and defeated, but in 1838 he was 
again a candidate and elected by about 10,000 ma¬ 
jority, and re-elected in 1840, an honor that has 
been conferred on none of his successors. In 1848 
Mr. Seward was elected to represent the State in 
THE MIND AND THE NERVES. 
The mind in the brain employs the nervous sys¬ 
tem as so many instruments of communication 
with the outer world. The eye is necessary to 
sight, but it does not see; for if the nerve which 
forms a communication between it and the brain is 
divided, the vision will be destroyed; and so with 
all the other organs of sense. Some have believed 
that the heart is the seat of the mind, and it is 
quite common to consider it the source of the af¬ 
fections. It is perfectly easy, however, to trace all 
the passions and mental phenomena to their great 
lodging place in the brain. Vision has been de¬ 
stroyed in some persons, and yet by pressure on 
the optic nerve they have been haunted by illu¬ 
sions, believing that they saw objects which did 
not exist. After a person’s leg or arm is amputa¬ 
ted he feels for a long time afterwards, as if his 
fingers or toes still belonged to him. 
The spinal cord generates nervous energy for 
muscular actions, influences the secretions, regu¬ 
lates the motion of the heart, and maintains the 
actions of the different organs in harmony to per¬ 
form their several functions, but it has no relation 
whatever to the faculties of perception and thought. 
It is composed of the same material as the brain, 
but its fibres and vesicles are a constant repetition 
of the same structure, while in the brain there is 
an endless variety in their arrangements; this is 
the reason why the brain is considered to be a 
congerio of organs. A large extravasation o 
blood within the head, by the pressure which it 
causes on the brain, produces total insensibility to 
external impressions, and suspends volition. The 
effect of a similar injury to the spinal cord is very 
different The parts below the injury are deprived of 
their sensibility, at the same time those parts of the 
body which are above the injury maintain their 
sensibility and power of motion unimpaired. A 
person who has received a mortal injury of the 
spinal cord in the neck may live for five or six 
days, nothing living but the head. A case of this 
kind occurred in the city of Brooklyn during the 
past summer. A young man in the very prime of 
manhood, injured the spinal cord in his neck by 
striking the bottom of the river when diving; and 
while the body below the head is said to have been 
dead from the period of the accident, the head 
lived for several days afterwards, and the mind, du¬ 
ring part of that period, evinced its eonsciousness. 
—Scientific American. 
By painting the rails, it has been found that 
trains of ordinary express speed, have jumped 
over depressions of two feet in length on the rail. 
If an engine, going 60 miles an hour could be run 
up an angle of 45° for its own length, and then 
allowed to jump off, it would jump GO feet high, 
and 240 feet forward. The distance jumped would 
be as the square of the speed. 
Happiness is a perfume that one cannot shed 
over another without drops falling on one’s self. 
the Senate of the United States, and in 1854 was 
re-elected to the same office, which he now fills 
with honor to himself and the State which he rep¬ 
resents. 
We have not space for an analysis of Seward’s 
character. Few that see him for the first time after 
reading his master pieces of eloquence, but feel 
disappointed at his appearance. He has a dreamy 
look, and is so modest and quiet in his manners 
that we see no indication of more than an ordina¬ 
ry man. Never were we more disappointed than 
when, as a witness, we had to attend a long trial at 
which Mr. Seward was the principal counsel of 
the defence. So dull had ho appeared during’the 
whole trial, that we had lost a good deal of confi. 
donee in his energy, if not his ability; but at last 
the sleeping giant awoke, the dull, almost expres¬ 
sionless face was changed, and became the index 
of an active, powerful mind,—the dreamy eyes 
grew bright and fiery, the harsh voice became mel¬ 
low and fascinating, and all felt that they were 
in the presence of one of nature’s noblemen. The 
position Seward now occupies he has earned by a 
life of severe labor, and the fruits of that toil re¬ 
main an imperishable monument to his memory. 
MANUFACTURE OF THIMBLES. 
Notwithstanding the facility with which the 
manufacture of these small but essential imple¬ 
ments is carried on by means of moulds in the 
stamping machine, few processes can compare, in 
ingenuity and effective adaptation, with the con¬ 
trivance originated by M. M. Rouy A Berthier, of 
Paris. Sheet iron, one-twenty-fourth of an inch 
thick, is cut into strips of dimensions suited to the 
intended size of the’thimbles. These strips are 
passed under a punch press, whereby they are cut 
into disks of about two inches diameter, tugged 
together by a tail. Each strip contains one dozen 
of these blanks, and these are made red hot, and 
laid upon a mandrel nicely fitted to their size. The 
workman now strikes the middle of each with a 
round-faced punch, about the thickness of his fin¬ 
ger, and thus sinks into the cavity of the first man¬ 
drel. It is then transferred successively to another 
mandrel, which has five hollows of successively 
increasing depth, and, by striking it into them, it 
is brought to the proper shape. This rude thimble 
is then stuck into the chuck of a lathe, in order to 
polish it within; it is then turned outside, the cir¬ 
cles marked for the gold ornament, and the pits 
indented with a kind of milling tool. They are 
next annealed, brightened, and gilded inside, with 
a very thin cone of gold leaf, which is firmly uni¬ 
ted to the surface of the iron by the strong pres¬ 
sure of a smooth steel mandrel. A gold fillet is 
applied to the outside, in an annular space turned 
to receive it, being fixed, by pressure at the edges, 
into a minute groove formed on the lathe.— North 
American. 
THE OLD CITY OF DELHI 
The rich and splendid city of Delhi, was founded 
by the Mogul Shah Jehan, in 1631, on the west side 
of the river Jamma, in the midst of a fertile plain. 
The palace, surrounded by a wall thirty feet high, 
of reddish stone, is built along the banks of the 
river, with gardens planted with orange groves 
and apricot trees surrounding it The Dewan- 
ikhass, or hall of audience, was the chief pride of 
the palace, and an inscription proclaimed, “If 
there be an elysium on earth, it is this—this is it!” 
In its palmy days, it contained the famous throne 
which stood on six legs of massy gold, set with 
rubies, emeralds and diamonds, while golden pea¬ 
cocks, covered with precious stones and pearls, 
formed its canopy. The ceiling of this superb 
hall consisted of satin canopies, and the walls were 
hung with silk tapestries, embroidered with gold. 
Here the Great Mogul, surrounded by omras, in 
gorgeous dresses, gave an audience to governors 
and embassadors. On these state occasions, he 
was attired in white satin, covered with gold em¬ 
broidery, a turban, or cloth of gold, surmounted 
with a heron, whose feet were covered with large 
diamonds, and a collar of enormous pearls. The 
other chambers of the palac». were not less mag¬ 
nificent, and the vaults were filled with countless 
treasure. The houses of the rich and luxurious 
omras beautified the two principal streets of the 
city, but the houses of the poorer classes were 
mean and thatched with straw.— Dickens' Household 
Words. 
NOTES FROM OUR YOUNG FRIENDS. 
Our “pigeon hole,” devoted to the reception of 
communications from Yotmg Ruralisls, is now 
crowded, but we are sorry that these articles aro 
almost all too long for publication without a good 
deal of condensation. To be able to express our 
meaning clearly, in a few words, is a great art, and 
for its acquisition we should all labor. Many of 
our young correspondents, perhaps, are not aware 
how much room their articles would occupy.— 
Four pages of letter paper, as people generally 
write, fill about a column of the Rural. Please 
to say all you possibly can in a page or so, and 
keep the rest for another time. But we must com¬ 
mence our labors on this interesting pile of papers, 
of every color and description—yellow, pink, blue 
and white—some written in a neat, delicate hand, 
and while we sit in our arm chair and read these, a 
whole army of rosy-cheeked girls rise up before 
us, with their happy, smiling countenances, and as 
we take up each new paper, one of this group of 
laughing girls exclaims, “ that’s mine—put that in 
the Rural,” and so we learn that these are our 
young lady correspondents, and were just thinking 
of having a daguerreotype taken of the group, 
when they all vanish, and we discover that for the 
last fifteen minutes we have been thinking or 
dreaming, instead of working. Others aro written 
"in a bold, manly style, and still others appear as if 
their writers had forgotten the pen, and had writ¬ 
ten with the holder. First, we have an article from 
a very young girl on unprofitable conversation. 
IDLE CONVERSATION. 
Why is it that the conversation of the young 
is usually so insipid — so void of all those 
pure, noble sentiments which tend to elevate 
and expand our minds? Those whose conversa¬ 
tional powers are really good, spend hours in 
useless trifling that can never benefit themselves 
nor those around them. Why not spend tho pre¬ 
cious moments that are given us here with our 
friends in such a manner that we may all feel that 
we have been made bettor and wiser by our inter¬ 
course with each other? Were we to remember 
that we are constantly exerting an influence upon 
those in whose society we are thrown, what a differ¬ 
ence there would be in our conversations, and were 
we brought to feel that “there are eyes to detect 
our slightest movement and ears to catch our 
wariest whisper,” what a dread restraint would be 
upon us. We would almost fear to live—wo would 
feel that life was too real, too earnest—that the re¬ 
sponsibility resting upon us would be more than 
we could bear. Yet it is even so, and more,—there 
is an eye watching our movements which is more 
to be feared than the eye of man. Cannot He who 
created sight and hearing—cannot lie see and hoar 
our faults? Surely He can, and by our fruits wo 
shall be known. Young ladies, we have a work to 
do. The laborers may be few, or many, but the 
harvest, with God’s help, will be glorious. The 
fault is said to rest heavily upon us; then let ours 
be the work of reform.— Mary Erwin. 
“Will,” of Springfield, Illinois, gives a method 
of transferring engravings to glass, so as to make 
them appear like work in pearl. He gave five dol¬ 
lars to learn the art, and is well paid for the invest¬ 
ment 
CRYSTAL TRANSFER. 
Clear glass, without flaws; engraving; Demarr 
varnish; Grecian varnish; small varnish brush; 
pallett knife and copper tinsel, or tinfoil, are the 
articles needed. After cleaning the glass, which 
should be of the size of the engraving, give it a 
thick coat of Demarr varnish, and let it stand about 
two hours, so that it will be hard and smootlu— 
Then varnish the engraving on the face with tho 
same varnish and lay it on the glass, so that the 
varnished side of the picture will be upon tho var¬ 
nished side of the glass; then with the pallett 
knife work out the blisters of air, by placing tho 
knife in the centre of the picture, and slowly draw¬ 
ing it to the edge. A little practice will soon ena¬ 
ble the operator to accomjdish this, the most diffi¬ 
cult part, with ease. After the blisters aro removed 
and all parts of the engraving are firmly fixed to 
the glass, lay it away for several days until it Ls 
perfectly dry, and then thoroughly saturate tho 
engraving with the Grecian varnish, and let it dry. 
It will then be ready to place in a frame. If it is 
a colored picture, place behind it tin foil, by fasten¬ 
ing it to the back of the frame, so as not to touch 
the. picture. If it is a plain engraving, use tinseL 
The color of the tinsel will depend upon the kind 
of a picture used, and this may be determined by 
holding different colors behind it, and selecting the 
one most appropriate. If it is desired, I will here¬ 
after give the instructions for the Oriental painting 
on glass.— Will, Jan., 1858. 
The next is from a young friend in Brantford, 
Canada West, who wishes a mutual interchange of 
opinions between the Young Ruralists of Canada 
and the States. We have traveled over this part 
of Canada, and nowhere have we found a better 
soil or a more hospitable people. 
A YOUNG CANADIAN RURALIST. 
In perusing your valuable paper I constantly see 
very creditable communications from “Young 
Americans,” but seldom, if ever, any from Young 
Canadians, which I am somewhat surprised at, con¬ 
sidering the deservedly large circulation which the 
Rural has in Canada, and the kindly feeling and 
want of prejudice which characterize its pages. I 
have often thought that were the ice once broken a 
friendly exchange of ideas might be kept up be¬ 
tween your youthful readers in Canada and the 
States. 
As to our fanning operations here, I may men¬ 
tion that from If acres we raised upwards of 1,200 
bushels of Swedish Turnips. It was on warm, 
light gravelly soil, on which, early in spring, wc 
spread about 20 loads manure to the acre. Wo 
covered with common plow from 9 to 10 inches 
deep; harrowed fine; then made the drills 28 inches 
apart These we harrowed lengthwise till nearly 
level; then following the practice of one of your 
correspondents, we made a compost of hen manure, 
leached ashes and plaster, which we sowed between 
the rows, drilled the ground again, covering the 
guano from 2 to 3 inches deep, and harrowed once; 
then sowed on the 24th of June. 
Brantford, C. W., Jan., 1858. A You.no Canadian. 
