FEB. 27. 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
73 
Written for Moore's Rural New-Yorker 
OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 
In my last article (given in the Rural of Dec. 
19,) I omitted to state that the attendance at school 
was taken from the Superintendent’s Report of 
1855. Any one who will take the trouble to look 
over these annual reports, will have sufficient evi¬ 
dence that there is not much improvement in the 
general attendance at school. The report of 1857 
states that there were 205,507 that attended two 
months, and 204,668 less than two months, which 
is a most regretable exhibit of school attendance, 
considering the liberal appropriations that are 
made for their support. Nor is there any evidence 
of much improvement. 
The Hon. V. M..Rice, ia his Report of ’57, states 
“ that the school supervision involves an annual 
expenditure of nearly Four Millions of Dollars. It 
cannot be denied that the people have been liberal, 
if they have not always been wise, in the applica¬ 
tion of the moneys appropriated to the support of 
schoo s. The theory of our school system is, that 
provision is made for the instruction of all the 
children in the State, but the reports of school 
officers, from year to year, show that it is not car¬ 
ried out in practice. The bounty offered is ac¬ 
cepted to its full extent by very few, is only par¬ 
tially received by a majority, and is entirely neg- j 
lected by a large number.” These facts are cogent j 
evidence that there is something wrong" in the 
school organization, for it does not promote the 
general attendance at school, which the friends of 
education desired, and had reason to expect. 
It is the imperious duty of every one who finds 
fault with the settled usages of society to propose 
somethi' g that is practicable and more feasible._ 
I am equally conscious that changes ought not to 
be attempted on account of trifling errors, nor vis¬ 
ionary schemes of reform. Rut when anything of 
so great importance as the education of the chil¬ 
dren of the State has been in operation for forty 
years, without accomplishing the desired object, it 
is the imperious duty of every friend of education 
to candidly examine, to see if something more 
efficient cannot be adopted. In hopes of doing so, 
I propose the following organization of the com¬ 
mon schools, (for the Rural districts—the manage¬ 
ment of the city schools 1 am not acquainted with,) 
viz.: 
Appoint one trustee to each district,(unshackled 
by associates, which prevents promptness in action, 
and too often causes strife,) to have the manage¬ 
ment of the school, and appoints school inspector 
in each district, whose special duty it shall be to 
visit the school and ascertain that the scholars are 
constant in attendance; and, providing that there 
are any school children in the district who do not 
attend, to visit their parents and use his influence 
to have them sent to school—and he can do much 
towards having the children prompt and regular in 
their attendance. 
The trustee and inspector to make their annual 
reports to the Town Clerk, and he to apportion the 
public money to the districts in the town, to be paid 
by the Supervisor to the trustee of each district, 
and that portion of the Stale Tax for the benefit of 
schools that is assessed and collected in each town, ! 
have the collector pay it direct to the Supervisor, 
and it will save the trouble of taking to the County 
Treasurer—and one per cent., which is his fee, on 
$1,072,000 would pay the school bill of several in¬ 
digent scholars. 
Require each district to keep a school at least 
eight months in each year, to entitle them to their 
portion of the public money, and apportion the 
same to each district, in ratio of the number of 
children in said district between five and seven¬ 
teen years of age, that has attended school in said 
district at least four months during the past year, 
and it will be a powerful inducement to the oflb ers 
and parents to have a full and regular attendance 
at school in their district; for in proportion as they 
do so they will partake of the public bounty, and 
it will awaken a spirit of emulation in the district 
to have the honor of keeping a good school. 
Do away with the daily pay; require each one 
who enters school to pay for the term, attend or 
not, unless prevented by some necessary cause, and 
it will in a great measure prevent the irregular at¬ 
tendance at school, which is the most regretable 
feature in the common schools. 
It is with due respect for the opinions of the Hon. 
School Officials that I dissent from the beneficial 
influence that the Assistant District Superintendent 
will have on the schools. He being an elective 
officer, of course must be a political partizan, 
and it is notorious that nominating Conventions 
too generally value party power and self-aggran¬ 
dizement much more than fitness for office, and 
party strife does not always cease with the election. 
The disappointed often indulge in fault-finding, 
which has a very injurious effect on the schools. 
The School District Superintendent, being ac¬ 
quainted with the wants and wishes of the district, 
will have much more influence in promoting the 
interest of the school than any stranger can, and, 
what is of great importance, he will be the choice 
of those he has to serve; and why should they not 
be allowed the privilege, yes, the right, of choosing 
their own servants? The State Superintendency 
involves a heavy expenditure—the incumbents’ 
salaries, and the collectors’ and treasurers’ fees, 
would pay the tuition of many children. 
Do away with the Poor Tax, and that for repairs 
and contingencies. The trouble and vexation in 
making out and collecting these trifling taxes is 
annoying in the extreme; it creates vexation and 
strife, which annihilates the good feelings of com- 1 
munity towards the school. Compel a man by law 
to be liberal, and you will make him a miser.— 
Stern duty, nor Legislative enactments, never call 
forth that genial glow which stimulates the social 
improvement of society. w. g. 
Remarks. —The above able article would have 
appeared several weeks ago, had we not mislaid the 
original manuscript, which necessitated an appli¬ 
cation to the author for another copy. Its sugges¬ 
tions are eminently worthy the consideration and 
action of our legislators, and all interested in im¬ 
proving, elevating and increasing the usefulness 
of those indispensable People’s Colleges—our Com¬ 
mon Schools.— Ed. 
Written for Moore's Rural Now-Yorker 
HARVEST LAY. 
THE MAMMOTH STEAMSHIP GREAT EASTERN. 
The engraving given above is a faithful repre¬ 
sentation of the Great Eastern —more familiarly 
known of late as the “Leviathan”—in course of 
completion at Milwall, on the Thames, England.— 
This is the largest vessel ever constructed, and, if 
the principle adopted by the projectors and en¬ 
gineers succeeds, she will afford another example 
of progress in steam navigation. 
To give the dimensions of this monster craft iu 
figures would convey a very faint idea of her enor¬ 
mous size. The new American frigate Niagara — 
said to be the largest and most complete battle-ship 
afloat —is less than half her length and only <me- 
fifth her tonnage. Four times up and down the 
decks of the Leviathan puts the last yard on a mile. 
She is built wholly of iron plates. Each plate 
was separately designed by the builder, Mr. Brunei, 
as there are but a few amidships, out of the whole 
ten thousand, which resemble each other in shape. 
He made an exact pattern in wood of each; steam 
shears cut plates of iron to match, a steam roller 
curved them to suit, and a steam punch punched 
holes for the bolts. These were applied at a white 
heat, and riveted close; the contraction which 
occurred when they cooled drew the plates to¬ 
gether with irresistible force. She is built in six¬ 
teen water-tight compartments; ten walls of iron, at 
distances of sixty feet from each other, divide her 
transversely; and a longitudinal wall bisects her 
for about half her length. 
The Great Eastern has two wheels, 66 feet in 
diameter, driven by four engines with a nominal 
power of 1,000 horses, with cylinders six feet two 
inches in diameter, and stroke of 14 feet. She has 
a screw of 24 feet diameter, moved by engines 
equal in power to 1,600 horses. The fans of this 
screw are so gigantic that a spectator said he could 
compare them to nothing but the blade bones of 
some huge animal of the pre-Adamite world. And 
finally she has seven masts, two of which are square 
rigged; on the seven she can spread 6,500 square 
yards of canvas. The British engineers and ship¬ 
builders calculate that her screw and paddle-wheels 
will drive her through the water at the rate of 16 
knots or say 19 miles per hour; so that except 
with a very strong breeze from the right quarter, 
she will not gain anything by hoisting sail. 
For passenger purposes she is divided into three 
sections—the centre appropriated to first class,the 
after-part to second class, and the forward to the 
steerage. Of these she is calculated to carry 800 
first-class, 2,000 second-class, and 1,200 third-class 
passengers. The builders say that she could ac¬ 
commodate 10,000 troops, in addition to her crew 
of 400 men. Each of the classes will be as distinct 
as if they were on board different vessels. Each 
department has its own saloons for eating, read¬ 
ing-rooms, galley, Ac. 
Gas, made on board, is the material for illumina¬ 
tion, and, on dark nights, an electric light on the 
main-top is intended to shed a spurious moonlight 
upon the deck. The anchor is to be weighed and 
the sails to be hoisted by steam—the same power 
can be applied to all her pumps in case of accident. 
A system of telegraphs will enable the captain, 
standing amid-ships, to communicate instanta¬ 
neously, in any weather, with the man at the helm, 
the engineer, and the look-out man forward. Mod¬ 
ern science will indeed be exhausted iu all the 
paraphernalia of this admirable vessel. 
In order to provide against accidents, she is 
furnished with two fine steamers—in guise of pad¬ 
dle-box boats—each ninety feet long, and a large 
number of patent bellows life-boats. In these, 
should some unforeseen casualty destroy all the 
compartments, the entire complement of passen¬ 
gers and crew can be rescued. 
The Great Eastern was expected at Portland, 
Maine—the only port in our country capable of re¬ 
ceiving her—last September, but she refused to 
move from the launching ways until the latter part 
of the past month, and it was expected that she 
would be fully afloat on the 31st ult» If she is fair¬ 
ly upon the bosom of the waters, we doubt not she 
will, ere long, pay Uncle Sam a visit, and that in¬ 
quisitive gentleman can query with himself con¬ 
cerning the “supremacy of the seas.” The yacht 
“ America” surprised our cousins across the water, 
once upon a time—our steam marine did something 
at which Johnny opened his eyes—our “ Thunder¬ 
er,'' the “Niagara,” spoke loudly and well concern¬ 
ing the handiwork of American artizaus—and, as 
“never give up” is still on the books of the ship¬ 
yard, some morning, when the fogs have cleared 
away, who knows but the Leviathan may be play¬ 
ing jolly-boat to the “Universal Yankee Nation.” 
A WORKING MAN’S COLLEGE. 
TnE idea of establishing a college expressly for 
working men (not for their children, but for them¬ 
selves,) is certainly a bold and novel one, and will 
doubtless be pronounced impracticable and vision¬ 
ary by many minds. And yet such an institution 
has been in actual operation for two years past in 
London, and is meeting with a good share of suc¬ 
cess. The founder and b ading spirit of this Col¬ 
lege is the Rev. F. D. Maurice, “a man whose 
earnest and mystic mind might place him with the 
devout monks and preachers before the Reforma¬ 
tion, did not his practical humanity and deep sym¬ 
pathy with all who labor and suffer rank him as a 
man especially influenced by the spirit ol' our 
times.” Among the Council of Teachers, who 
preside over the College, are names of many prom¬ 
inent Oxford and Cambridge men, as well as one 
from the University of Paris. Ituskin, Westlake 
and Rosetti are on this Board, and it is the design 
of the Trustees to give as many opportunities of 
artistic training as the working men desire. One 
fellowship has already been founded in the College, 
and government has already directly manifested its 
interest in the enterprise, by opening posts of hon¬ 
or and profit to its graduates. 
It appears, from the second annual report of the 
College, that, during the two years of its opera¬ 
tion, 821 male pupils have joined it, and 117 females 
attended the womens’ classes which are connected 
with the institution. It is interesting to note the 
favorite studies of these working men. In the 
Men’s College, out of 214 the second term, the 
greatest number (58) attend the French classes; 
then follows English Composition, 51; then Eng¬ 
lish Grammar, 47; and then Drawing 38, and Latin 
30; Geometry has 16, Book-keeping 15, Algebra 16, 
Modeling 5, and Greek 3. The classes in the fe¬ 
male department were taught mostly by volunteer 
teachers, and the studies are not dissimilar from 
those of our common schools. 
The students of this College meet every evening 
at different hours, between 7 and 10 o’clock. On 
Sunday, Mr. Maurice gives familiar lectures on 
Biblical subjects; he also reads lectures in the week 
on politics and literature. The entrance fee to the 
College is only 02 £ cents, and the classes are from 
62 £ cents to $1,25 a term to each student A free 
library is connected with the institution for the use 
of the students and a coffee-room. 
The establishment of such an institution as this 
in London, where but lately the laborer and me¬ 
chanic were scarcely recognized as capable of en¬ 
joying a higher education, is a fact of much sig¬ 
nificance. But, as remarks the New York Inde¬ 
pendent, from which was gathered the foregoing 
facts:—“The best sign of all is, that the working 
men of London have taken vigorous hold in this 
new institution, and are not only training them¬ 
selves intellectually, after their day’s labor, but as¬ 
sisting gratuitously in teaching their companions. 
When a man, after a day of constant toil, with 
muscles aching and brain jaded, is willing and 
eager to put himself to a severe mathematical task, 
or a drilling in language, or under a dry intel¬ 
lectual lecture, and not only do this, but to help 
others who are striving in the same way, it shows 
that the thirst for knowledge is great, and a very 
different thing from the easy pursuit of it with 
students of a more favored class. * * * 
In the thousand industrial branches of England, 
there is a constant demand for educated, scientific 
labor; and now that the brand is taken off from 
the working man, and an opening is given him in 
such institutions as this, (we already bear of three 
in different cities,) what improvement may we not 
expect among the more intelligent of the English 
working classes? It is such wise movements that 
often give an impulse to the education and position 
of a whole class?” 
INFLUENCE OF THE NEWSPAPER. 
Thinking men often deplore the frivolous nature 
of the reading of our age, and the waste of time 
and intellect over the countless newspapers which 
find their way into the counting-room and parlor. 
But there is a bright as well as a dark side to the 
picture, and papers conducted with eminent ability 
are important educators of a nation. The poet 
Croly speaks in the following eulogistic strain of 
the daily and weekly papers. 
“The newspaper, the most influential of all hu¬ 
man works, is the creation of printing. It into the 
honor of England, that, iu this country, it approach¬ 
es nearest to excellence, in intellectual vigor, in 
variety of knowledge, iu extent of information and 
in patriotic principle. It has, like all the works of 
man, occasional imperfections, and, perhaps, the 
most prominent are its too minute details of offen¬ 
ces against public purity. But there is scarcely a 
newspaper in this age which would not have been 
regarded as a triumph of ability in the last In 
fact, the newspaper of England is the great practi¬ 
cal teacher of the people. Its constant and uni¬ 
versal teaching alone accounts for the superior in¬ 
telligence of the population. Schools, lecture- 
rooms and universities, important as they all are, 
altogether fall behind it in public effect, or find 
that, to retain their influence, they must follow in 
its steps. 
“Those steps may now and then turn from the 
right road, but their natural tendency is forward and 
upward. This intellectual giant always advances, 
and carries the country with him to a height which 
no other country, ancient or modern, ever attained, 
or, perhaps, ever hoped to attain. If, in an age of 
foreign convulsion, England has undergone no cat¬ 
astrophe— if, in the fall of monarchies, she has 
preserved her hereditary throne—if, in the mingled 
infidelity and superstition of the continent, which, 
like the mingled fetters and frenzy of a lunatic 
hospital, have, in our day, exhibited the lowest hu¬ 
miliation of our nature, she has preserved her free¬ 
dom and her religion—I attribute all, under God, 
to the vigor and intelligence of public investiga¬ 
tion, the incessant urgency of appeal to the public 
mind, the living organization of which the heart is 
the Press of England.”— Selected. 
Of all mankind we meet, nine parts in ten are 
what they are, good or bad, by education. —John 
Locke. 
Education is the cheap defense of nations.— 
Edmund Iiurke. 
Written lor Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
PARENTAL INFLUENCE. 
There are few subjects more worthy of attention 
than that ot Parental Influence with scholars.— 
Many give up their children to tho care of teachers 
apparently without realizing that their whole des¬ 
tiny depends upon their present culture, while 
thers, seemingly more interested in the welfare of 
their offspring, exert an influence much more des¬ 
picable than the indiflerence of the former. There 
are still others whose influence is heavenly, having 
a natural love and affection, and seeking to instil 
into their own little souls the same spirit, while 
others deem any indulgence of affectiouate feeling 
weakness; they cherish their own gift of God 
—affection. Yes, they love their little ones, and 
know to do them justice is to encourago them in 
their studies, and teach them to love and obey their 
teachers. Such training directs the youthful mind 
to honesty and wisdom. D. k. s. 
Ogden, N. Y., 3858. 
Pennsylvania Common Schools _The Superin¬ 
tendent of the Common Schools of the State, in 
his annual report to the Legislature, shows that 
there are 10,956 public schools in the State, exclu 
sive of the city of Philadelphia, which is under a 
different superintendence. They have been opened 
during the year on an average of five months and 
thirteen days. The pupils attending these schools 
number 641,247;. including Philadelphia, the num¬ 
ber is 596,008. This number is, however, believed 
to be considerably below the actual attendance.— 
In the State there are 9,060 waiting for admission 
into schools,, for want of adequate school accom¬ 
modations. In Philadelphia, numerous as the 
schools are, there are, besides, 3,369 applicants 
waiting for admission. Some townships have never 
put public schools in operation at all, and it is be 
lieved that there are now in the State 25,782 chil¬ 
dren not enjoying the privilege of common schools. 
Including the cost of buildings, the average cost 
of instruction is 65 conts for each pupil, or about 
$3,62.J for the 5^ months that the schools are open. 
The total costof the system, including all expenses, 
and including Philadelphia, is $2,232,570 or less 
than $4 per year to each pupil. The total number 
of teachers employed is 13,445. The average sal¬ 
aries of the male teachers per month is $24; female 
teachers, $16,60. 
Normal School. —Among those upon whom 
Diplomas were conferred at the closing exercises 
of the State Normal School, we observe:— Clara 
S. Hickox, of Rochester; Orwell E. Wheeleb, of 
North Clarkson, Monroe county; B. Franklin 
Johnson, of Arcade, Wyoming county; and Sam¬ 
uel Karslake, of Stafford, Genesee, Wyoming 
county. 
Place the son of a boor or a Laplander in cir 
cumstances favorable to the development of his 
mental powers, and afford him the requisite means 
for directing and increasing their activity, and he 
will display powers of intelligence equal to those 
which are found in the highest ranks of civilized 
life.— Thos. Dick. 
The golden grain is swaying 
Amid the summer breeze. 
Like waves upon the ocean, 
Or ripples on the seas; 
The luscious fruit is swaying 
From out the em'rald leaves, 
And rust c lads are playing 
Among the golden sheaves. 
Hot reapers to the harvest 
Spread over hill and glade, 
And wake the silent forest 
With th' ringing of your blade; 
Go, reapers of the harvest, 
With iron-sinew’d arms, 
And renp at early morning 
The treasure of your farm3. 
Then shout, yet lusty reapers, 
Ye lads and lasses fair, 
The harvest song is swelling 
On th' early morning air! 
The sun is brightly beaming 
O’er fields of flashing grain, 
On! reapers of the harvest, 
We love your welcome strain. 
When twilight hour is nearing, 
Behold the gathered spoil, 
Both sheaf and shock are telling 
Of well requited toil— 
And when our grain is gathered 
And all the reaping done, 
We’ll join the mighty chorus 
And shout the “ Harvest IIomr.” 
New York, Feb., 1868. Allen Minstrel. 
PRESERVATION OF INSECTS. 
Messrs. Eds. :—I heartily approve of your plan 
of publishing, in tho Young Ritualist column, di¬ 
rections for the collection and preservation of 
objects of Natural History. There is no man who 
has better facilities for collecting a cabinet of natu¬ 
ral history than the farmer. His labor is constant¬ 
ly among tho wonders of nature, for the wonders 
are not limited to waterfalls, mountains, or vol¬ 
canoes. 
There is scarcely a farm in which the leading 
departments of natural science are not, to a certain 
extent, illustrated by the natural objects which it 
contains. Botany, Geology, Mineralogy, Con- 
chology, Entomology and other departments of 
Zoology may all he, in some degree, practically 
studied on every farm. Hence I am pleased to see 
rules noticed for the preservation of Birds, In¬ 
sects, Ac. 
But in your issue of Jan. 16th, I notice some 
observations on the preservation of insects which 
demand a little criticism. In the first place the 
mode of killing insects, thero described, is un¬ 
necessarily tedious and painful. The only thing 
needed for the instantaneous destruction of nearly 
all classes of insects is » little sulphuric ether or 
chloroform—I prefer the latter. Having secured 
the insect as best you may, drop two or three drops 
of the ether or chloroform on the head and thorax, 
and that is the end of them. They are putto sleeu 
and they never awake. To this remark there aro 
partial exceptions, for some very large butterflies or 
moths and,some beetles, will be found, after an hour, 
with ability to move their antennae and wings, 
slightly, in which cases an additional drop or two 
of the chloroform will finish them. Having thus 
dispatched them, you proceed to mount them. For 
this, in the case of the beetles, it is only necessary 
to put a pin through the right-wing cover which 
then passes through the abdomen. The pin should 
be projected through so far that when the object is 
pinned on the board or bottom of the case the legs 
may not be broken by the pressure. If the pin is 
put through the thorax of the beetle there, is dan¬ 
ger of its being broken. Hence it should pass 
through one wing-cover—not between them—and 
so through the abdomen. The legs may be secur¬ 
ed in position as indicated by your correspondent. 
As to moths and butterflies, they are to be de¬ 
stroyed in the same manner as beetles—a single 
drop of chloroform put on the head being general¬ 
ly sufficient to kill them. You then run the pin 
through the thorax or cliest, and fasten it to the 
place where it is to remain until dried. If you 
take the insect in the field you may pin it to the 
inside of your hat and not spread its wings until 
yon get home. The pin which passes through the 
chest, being thrust into the board on which it is 
to dry, the outer wing on one side may be spread 
by putting a pin through it near its outer edge 
with which it may he carried out to the requisite 
extent and the pin fixed. The opposite wing is to 
be set in the same way, and-the inner wings are to 
bo left to themselves. 
It is not necessary to apply any preparation, ordi¬ 
narily, to the wings or bodies for their preservation 
in this climate—excepting perhaps to the abdomen 
in very ymmg and very large moths and butterflies. 
If the subject is finally put into an insect-tight case 
they will maintain thoir natural colors and shape 
an indefinite length of time. After the insect has 
been kept in position by means of pins for 3 or 5 
days, the wing pins may be taken out and the one 
passing through the thorax or abdomen may be 
cut off within an eighth of an inch of the body with 
cutting pliers, and with a pair of flat pliers the in¬ 
sect may be removed and fastened in its permanent 
case. In this way a very beautiful cabinet of in¬ 
sects can be collected in one or two seasons if a 
little attention is given to the matter. 
As to the style of cases, it will vary with the 
tastes and means of the collector. But cheap and 
yet tasteful cases may be made, and at the risk of 
tediousness I will mention one of the simplest.— 
Take a deal-box, say 16 by 22 inches in extent, 2 
inches or 2.J inches deep. Line it with good print¬ 
ing paper. The glass may be set in a plain frame, 
which may be attached to the box with butts and 
hooks, care being had to make a close fit so as to 
exclude dust and insects. c. 0 . 
Homer, N. Y., February, 1858. 
Discourse. —Speech of a man’s self ought to be 
seldom and well chosen. Discretion of speech is 
more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably to 
those with whom we have to do, is more than to 
speak fine words and in fine order. 
