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MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER 
have been employed for a portion of the past year 
as teachers; the actual number at any one time 
may be stated at about 13,000. 
“This single fact, if duly weighed, should im¬ 
press upon the legislature, the expediency of se¬ 
curing to the position of teachers more perma¬ 
nency, by providing more adequate compensation. 
“Happily, the legislature of 1860, in lieu of the 
fixed annual sum of $800,000 which, by the law of 
1851, was apportioned to the Common School 
For Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
For Moore's Rural Now-Yorker. 
SCHOOL LEGISLATION. — COMMISSIONERS. 
TnE Legislative enactment establishing Bchool 
Commissioners, is probably the heat step towards 
advancing the interests of the Schools, that has 
been taken for many years. But still, the law is 
defective. The election of Commissioners should 
not have been given to the people. That course 
would have been less objectionable, were the 
people free from the shameful influence of wire¬ 
pulling for office, that envelopes the whole country. 
It seems to me that the Department of Public 
Instruction, Bhouhl have been constituted the 
appointing power—and that the Commissioners 
should emanate principally from the State Normal 
School, or at least from that, portion of community 
who know what school-teaching is. None but 
those who have made school-teaching a business 
and a study, are qualified for that important office. 
There is a great reform needed in the manner of 
teaching in our public schools. There are hun¬ 
dreds of teachers in the country who have yet to 
learn the first principles of thorough teaching; 
having been blindly accustomed to believe, if the 
pupils can answer the questions, and repeat the 
rules as laid down in the book, that they know 
enough about it The truth is, they may do all 
this from the aid of memory alone, and at the 
same time not understand what they have learned. 
Such teachers have yet to learn, that- the mind is 
not a storehouse, to be filled with detached facte, 
bmthatitneeds training, to think and to understand 
whatever is presented for its investigation. 
The instruction of teachers in the science and the 
art of teaching, is the bu siness of School Commis¬ 
sioners, which they ought to perform by means of 
Teacher's Institutes. InstL ues ought to be formed 
in every Assembly District, and if these fail to 
reach every teacher in said District, let them be 
formed in every town. 
A School Commissioner ought to make all day 
visits in the schools, and get the people out in the 
to an instructive lecture. But are they 
Hope in the young heart apringeth, 
As (lowers ip the infant year ; 
Hope in the youDg heart singeth, 
As birds when the flowers appear. 
Hope in the old heart dioth. 
As wither those early flowers ; 
Hope from tire old heart llieth, 
As the birds from wintry bowers. 
But Spring will revive the flower, 
And the birds return to sing ; 
And Death will renew Hope’s power 
In the old heart withering. 
Attica, N. Y., Feb., 1857. 
was 
Fund, imposed a tax of three-fourths of a mill 
upon each dollar of valuation. The valuation of 
the State having increased, the proceeds of this 
tax for this year will be proportionubly larger, al¬ 
though sufficient returns have not been received 
to determine the amount precisely. It is estima¬ 
ted that the increase of the Common School Fund, 
the contribution of $165,000 from the revenue of 
the United States Deposit Fund, and the avails of 
the State tax. will amount to nearly $1,400,000.— 
Such liberal pecuniary contribution to the expense 
of public education, should secure to educators 
adequate renumeration; and this is only to be ac¬ 
complished by a wise administration of the sclfool 
revenues, so that they shall be productive of the 
desired results. The same legislature which in¬ 
augurated the policy of raising the tax from year 
to year in proportion to our growing means, sought 
also to organize a more efficient system for the in¬ 
spection of schools and teachers. It provides for 
the election of school commissioners iu the several 
assembly districts, and has thus furnished a body 
For Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
THE EIKST SABBATH. 
’Twas Sabbath in Eden. The six days’ work 
were fiaished and the Almighty ceased from His 
labors. Rest was proclaimed in Paradise, and the 
first Sabbath dawned in a lovely repose. Soft, 
fleecy clouds adorned the East, alternately varying 
in hue from palest gold to deepest crimson, thro’ 
which, at bis appointed time, the San, proud, new- 
made “king of day,” slowly emerged and majes¬ 
tically wound his way to his throne in the canopy 
of blue; displaying in a wondrous manner his 
Creator's skill divine. The tiny floweret, robed 
in fairest colors, painted by Con's all-powerful 
I band, meekly raised its head, sending forth its 
balmy fragrance, which was borne upon the wings 
of the morning wind—sweet incense to a Father’s 
praise. The little songsters at the first dawn of 
that holy morn, soared high above tbe lofty bills, 
pouring aloft their grateful lays, until the listening 
echoes, entranced, caught up the joyful strain, and 
filled the earth with melody. The fishes; as they 
merrily danced in the pebbly brooks, the lowing 
of the cattle, and the gentle murmurs of the pass¬ 
ing breeze, the humming of the insects and the 
music of the fountains joined in one harmonious 
song, the burden of which was, “Glory to God in 
the highest.” 
Two there were on that morning of sacred rest, 
that bowed low the knee, aud tuned their hearts 
and voices to hymns of gratitude and love. Adam 
and Eve, pure, sinless, holy beings, welcomed in 
that first Sabbath with thanksgiving. Jehovah 
descended from His glorious throne on high, and 
trod the flowery paths of the Paradise below, with 
the guileless oues who inhabited the Garden of 
Eden. They took sweet counsel together with 
their God, and the white-robed angels ceased to 
strike their golden harps, auu paused amidst their 
‘ song of love, to gaze upon the holy sight. The 
: silver moon, and tbe stars that so thickly studded 
the deep, blue sky, looked down that night upon a 
5 I scene of wondrous beauty. The last note of praise 
= I was sounded, the last anthem chanted, and in the 
• profoundness of that peaceful stillness, the first 
J I Sabbath passed away. Many, many Sabbaths have 
• I come aud gone since then, and have been kept 
• with strictness and religious ceremonies, yet never 
has, or never, until the dawning of that eternal 
e I Sabbath of everlasting rest, will that first Sabbath 
;1 be equalled in holiness, beauty and repose. 
0 Rochester, Feb., 1857. Wix.vik Willi an. 
THREE-POINTED COTTON PLANT 
evening, 
doing a tenth part of what actually belongs to 
them and what they ought to do? There are a few 
who are making some spasmodic efforts, but many 
arc making themselves merely ridiculous and the 
law that created them a nuisance. One, with 
whose operations I am acquainted, performs his 
inspections in a very careless manner,—tells the 
applicant that he has the best learning of any one 
that he has examined, gives him a long certificate 
and passes on to the next—goes over with the same 
gives auother long 
Cotton, with which our readers are all familiar, 
is a soft down, contained iu the seed vessels, and 
envelops the seed of the cotton plant. There are 
almost an endless number of varieties of the cot¬ 
ton plant known to naturalists, some of them 
forming large shrubs or trees. We give an en¬ 
graving of one of these varieties. The annual 
herbaceous kinds, however, are alone cultivated in 
the United States. The average height of tbe plant 
in land of fair quality is about five feet; in very 
fertile soil it grows much higher, and in poor soils 
it becomes quite dwarfish. The branches are long 
ordeal and tells him the same- 
certificate which precludes the recipient from the | 
necessity of making any more effort to qualify 
himself to tcacli so long as bis certificate lasts.— 
But ibis is not all, said CommLsioner visits the 
Schools, stays iu the first, one and a half hours, 
makes a long speech, tells the pupils that they have 
a first rate teacher—could not have done better— 
be knew they had a good school as soon as he 
opened the door, and finally winds up by paying 
them tbe compliment of being tbe best school iu 
Tow ,t. Goes on to the next, gets there just as it is 
comuieu'iing iu U<>: ivfwruoan, stays ten nnnutes ) 
makes a speech, tells the pupils that they have a 
first rate school, most excellent teacher, haa not 
time to hear any classes recite, so far to go—gives 
them the compliment of being the best school in 
town—says if he gets time, be will call and stay 
half a day. Off he goes to auother school and 
here we have a repetition of his remarks. Oh! 
humbug, how long must we wait for our Schools to 
be benefited by Legislation and expenditure. 
Empire State, Jan., 1857. Ax Observer. 
An Earnest Ghtrch —Is one that is iu such a 
state of activity as to be denominated a thoroughly 
working Church. Its members will appear to be 
animated by one spirit, like the bees of a hive, all 
busy, each in his own department, and all adding 
to the common stock. Iu a community of this de¬ 
scription, there will be a place for everybody, and 
everybody will know and keep his place. Care 
should of course be taken by the pastor in receiv¬ 
ing members to impress upon them the noble idea 
that a desire and an effort to be useful is a part of 
religion; and he should also endeavor to ascertain 
value of live stock, $12,643,228. At this pertod 
there were invested in Manufactures $5,000,377. 
Its Educational facilities ar& as follows:—Uni¬ 
versity of Vermont at Burlington, Middleburg Col¬ 
lege at Middlcbnry, Norwich University at Nor¬ 
wich, Castleton Medical College at Castleton, and 
Vermont Medical College at Woodstock. The 
whole having in 1850, 464 students. There were 
also 116 academies, with 6,864 pupils; 2,731 schools, 
93,457 scholars; 90 libraries, with an aggregate 
number of 64,041 vols. Provision for the support 
aud education of the deaf, dumb and blind, to 
about 2.300 annually. There is a Lunatic Asylum 
at Brattleboro’. 
TnE following figures are from tbe Annual 
School Statistics of this State for 1856, to which 
we append the remarks of Gov. King— in bis First 
Annual Message, Jam, 1857—upon our State School 
policy: 
Common School Fund. 
Tbe capital of the Common Fund is.$2,491,016 17 
Showing an increase dunnr the fiscal year of 34,395 25 
The income of the fund for tho 
year is_....—.....—. $159,549 17 
the talents, capabilities, and tastes for usefulness, 
of all of whom bo admits, and then assign to each 
his proper place and appropriate labor. Over the 
portals of every church should be this inscription, 
“ Let no one enter here who is not determined to 
be holy and usefuL” 
COPLEY, THE PAINTER. 
Watson, in his “Mon and Times of the Revolu¬ 
tion,” (abeautiful edition of which has just been 
issued by Dana & Co., of New York,) thus speaks 
of Copi ey, the American painter and father of 
Lord LtndbbrSt: 
Soon after my arrival in England, haring won at 
the insurance office one hundred guineas, on the 
event of Lord Howe’s relieving Gibraltar, and 
The Bible. —It lives in the ear like a music that 
can never be forgotten, like the sound of church 
bells which the convert hardly knows how he can 
forego. Its felicities seem to be almost things 
rather than mere words. It is part of the nation¬ 
al mind, and the anchor of national seriousness.— 
The memory of the dead passes into it. The po¬ 
tent traditions of childhood are stereotyped in its 
verses. The power of all the griefs and trials of a 
man 13 hidden beneath its words. It is the rep¬ 
resentative of bis best moments, and all that there 
has been about him of soft and gentle, and pure, 
and penitent, and good, speaks to him out of his 
Bible. It is bis sacred thing, which doubt has 
never dimmed and controversy never soiled. In 
VERMONT. 
The geographical position of Vermont is be¬ 
tween latitude 42° 44 aud 45° 00' 30 N., and 73° 
20' W. longitude. The area of the State is 8,000 
square miles. 
This State presents a very considerable variety 
of surface. It is traversed from north to south by 
the Green Mountain range,some summits of which 
i ise to a height of 7,279 feet above the sea. About 
the centre of the State they divide into iwo ridges, 
the principal of which passes in a north east di¬ 
rection into Canada. The Green Mountains are 
Miscellaneous 
$310,638 98 
Literature Fund. 
The capital of the Literature Fund is. $269,452 12 
The income of this turn! tor the 
year is.... $16,986 56 
And the ain't appropriated from 
tbe income ol the United States 
Deposit Fund is. 28,000 00 
- 44,986 56 
The payment from the fund for dividends to 
the academics. &C_...-- 42,701 93 
United States Deposit Fund. 
Capital. $4,014,520 71 
Rcvenne this year. 25i>,549 03 
Amount paid from tho revouue of the fund. 260,401 40 
The whole number of children of legal school 
age iu tbe State, is 1,211,113. The number attend¬ 
ing school for any portion of the term during the 
year, 945,087. The number of teachers employed 
is, 25,751. 
“When it is considered that few children go to 
school before six, and that between sixteen aud 
twenty-one large proportions cease to attend school 
and go to active work, this discrepancy between 
the whole number of children in the State and 
that of those who attend school is seen to be more 
apparent than real, and it may be safely concluded 
that there ate very few children in the State who 
do not spend a portion of their time in school. 
“ The large number of teachers above reported, 
may seem to indicate that the whole number is 
needed aud employed at. tho sanu time. Unfor¬ 
tunately the truth is uot so—but rather the reverse, 
for the number is thus swelled by the frequency of 
change—one of the greatest evils in a school sys¬ 
tem—occasioned by the inadequate compensation 
to school teachers. Hence, though teaching is 
resorted to by many as a temporary resource, it is 
relinquished whenever better prospects of support 
preseut themselves, and the necessity Is thus pro¬ 
duced of new appointments. The number given 
above truly represents that of the persons who 
Influence. —The teacher, whether of science, 
morals, or religiou, is exerting an untold influence. 
The mind comes under his care in that plastic 
state that makes it susceptible of beiug moulded 
into almost any form, anil turned in almost any 
direction. “ As the twig is beat, the tree's inclin¬ 
ed.” So the mind takes the direction given by its 
teachers in youth; aud in its maturity, can no 
Christian Industry is jnst the outlet of a fer¬ 
vent spirit, a Christ-devoted heart. The iudustry 
which is not fervent is not Christian, and ou the 
other hand, the love which does not come forth in 
action, the fervor which does not lead to diligence 
will soon die down. Ho who has an eye to Christ 
iu all he does, and whose spirit is full of that ener¬ 
gy, that love to his work and his brethren and his 
master in heaven, which the Holy Spirit gives, will 
not soon weary in well-doing. 
Every man is the builder of a temple, called bis 
body, to tbe god he. worships, after a style purely 
his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble 
instead. We are all sculptors aud painters,uid our 
material is our own flesh, and blood, aud bones.— 
Any nobleness begins to once a refine a man’s fea¬ 
tures; any meanness or sensuality to imbrnte them. 
TnE Secret of great Acquisitions. — “The 
chief art of learning,” says Locke, “is to attempt 
but little at a time. The wildest excursions of the 
mind are made by short flights frequently repeated; 
the most lofty fabrics of science are formed by 
the continued accumulations of single proposi¬ 
tions.” 
Tub Object of Education. — Tho true object 
of education is to give children resources that will 
endure as long as life endures; habits that time 
will ameliorate, not destroy; occupation that will 
render sickness tolerable, solitude pleasant, age 
venerable; Ufa more dignified and useful, and 
death less terrible .—Sydney Smith. 
Family Prayer. — Happy the domestic circle 
united by this bond of sympathy and love. Hap¬ 
py those who daily and nightly, according to an 
expressive, though quaint and homely phrase, tlius 
«hem the mornings and evenings of the house¬ 
hold, and so prevent them from ravelling out.” 
that evil 
Dark blue eyes are most common in persons 
of delicate, refined, or effeminate nature; light 
blue, and much more gray eyes, in the hardy and 
active. Grceuish eyes have generally the same 
meaning as the gray. Hazel eyes are the more 
usual indications of a mind masculine, vigorous, 
and profound. 
Fate must trouble itself about a number ot tool 
ialt people; for no sooner does a tool get into 
trouble of his own making, than he puts it all 
down to iate! 
The uuivevsal law of divine economy is, 
shall react upon itself for its own correction, 
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