AMIIL 18 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER, 
and well prepared for farther cultivation; so well 
trained in the rudiments, they will have vigor of 
mental capacity to cope with the farther difficul¬ 
ties of the advanced steps of knowledge, just as 
the well developed physical powers would enable 
them to grasp and sustain a greater weight. For 
want of this right training in the Primary Schools, 
it is that we fiud in the Grammar School, Acade¬ 
my and University those so puny in mental powers 
and so feeble in moral development, in a right di¬ 
rection, as to unfit them for the great business of 
life, for which, indeed, they might have been well 
fitted, while blest with moral instruction and right 
mental training, by oral instruction only, without 
the artificial advantages of books and the higher 
studies, consequently so little understood. On the 
contrary, with cheerful and gentle spirits, from 
moral influences and vigorous mental powers, from 
a right early training, they will still be found eager 
in pursuit, and sure of success; and the diligent 
and devoted teacher, the honored instrument of 
so good a work, with a right spirit of humility, 
may adopt the language of Mrs. Barbanld, and 
say:—‘The task is humble, but not mean; for, to 
lay the first stone of a noble building, and to plant 
the first idea in the human mind, can be no dis¬ 
honor to any hand.”’ 
For Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
USES OF SIN OUST G IN SCHOOL. 
For Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 
AN EVENING HYMN. 
In his efforts to so conduct his school as to con¬ 
fer the greatest benefit on his pupils, the teacher 
finds himself hindered by various short-comings 
on the part of those for whose advancement, he is 
laboring. One of the rnoBt annoying of these, is 
the very general fault of coming late to school.— 
Among the many expedients proposed to remedy 
this evil with the perplexities attending it, and to 
secure the punctual arrival of pupils, the opening 
of school with singing would seem to be one of 
the most promising. That it has in certaiu cases 
resulted less favorably than was expected, is not, 
perhaps, to be attributed so much to a lack of at- 
tiaction in the itself exercise, as in the teacher’s 
failure to condnetitthe way most certaiu to engage 
the interest of the entire school. 
The pleasure universally experienced in listen¬ 
ing to music, is, I believe, surpassed by the satis¬ 
faction of contributing to its production; for it is 
everywhere observable thatevenindillorentsingers 
are better content to lend their voices to the general 
entertainment, than to play the part of listeners 
to more accomplished vocalists. This idea has 
not had its due influence in the management of 
singing tn school. As usually carried on, this ex¬ 
ercise which should be so conducted ns to secure 
the participation of all, soon becomes the special 
office of some half dozen of the older, more ma¬ 
tured voices, to the exclusion of the younger and 
generally far the larger portion of the school.— 
Very naturally, those who find themselves so readi¬ 
ly excused from any active Bhaie in the entertain¬ 
ment, gradually lose whatever interest the novelty 
of the thing may have at first awakened, and final¬ 
ly fall back into the old habit of wandering into the 
school-room in time to be tacked on as a supple¬ 
ment to the reading class, or, perhaps, contrive to 
lose that lesson altogether. The invention of the 
teacher will of coarse be considerably taxed to 
'take the best advantage of this means of inducing 
an early attendance of his pupils; but the object 
is well worth repeated trial and patient experiment 
Again, children grow tired and restless from 
long sitting and interdiction from talk, and need 
something enlivening to rouse their spirits and 
attention. Borne well-chosen words of encourage¬ 
ment from the teacher, will generally produce an 
animating effect; but, lest sameness cause indiffer¬ 
ence, it is well to have at hand as many resources 
as possible. A lively song, or spirited piece of 
sacred music, introduced at a favorable moment, 
will often produce an immediate and decided 
change in the feeling of the school, by affording 
relaxation to the studious, causing the mischievous 
to forgot their mischief, and the depressed, their 
discouragements, and stimulating the ambition of 
the indolent. Indeed, the moralpowerof singingin 
school, both as a stimuloas to effort, and as a means 
of control, might, in judicious hands, be turned to 
excellent account, for the experience of every in¬ 
dividual susceptible to musical influences, (and 
who is not?) proves that more high aspirations aro 
excited and more good resolutions formed while 
listening to music, than under the orator's finest 
efforts at persuasion. 
But the introduction of vocal music as an estab¬ 
lished part of school exercises, has still other ad¬ 
vantages. Early youth is, for various reasons, the 
most fortunate time to commence the development 
of the voice in singing; not the least important of 
which is the fact, that children are comparatively 
unconscious of the difference in their musical 
gifts, and therefore, feel more confidence to under¬ 
take eingiug, than after they have grown older 
and learned their deficiencies. By commencing 
thus early, a great amount of musical talent may be 
brought out which is well worthy of cultivation, 
even though it never attain to high excellence.— 
Parents and teachers do not discourage a child 
from learning to write because he gives promise 
of acquiring scarcely respectable penaanship; so, 
the possession of an indifferent voice is no excuse 
for the neglect of all musical training; an inferior 
singer may often make his poor gift a source of 
entertainment to himself, if not to others. And 
if the adoption of the plan of making music an 
established part of the early training of children 
might aid in correcting the too prevalent error 
of valuing a musical education rather as a means 
of display than as u source of true enjoyment that 
would not be the least of its benefits. a. 
South Livonia, N. Y., 1S67. 
nr w. b. Kxowi.ES. 
Mr heart, 0 God, 5b full to-night, 
In view of all Thy love and might, 
And up through tears of gratitude 
I look, and eee Thy gifts renewed. 
And I can only now Pxptess 
A sense of my unworthinesa,— 
Unworthy even of the bread 
With which 1 day by day am fed. 
Morning and evening, still the same, 
Add to the treasure that I claim, 
So that I boast of life and health, 
And friends, and happiness, and wealth. 
Thus am I the recipient 
Of Thy benevolence unspent, 
Until my cup is filled, and more 
Than filled, from out Thy store. 
Aad yet I fear I do not feel. 
Within my heart, that love and zeal 
As naturally ought to spring 
From such a boundless offering. 
Quicken me by Thy spirit, Lord, 
To walk according to Thy word ; 
And still direct my erring feet 
On np to glory, I entreat. 
The Model Banking House above represented 
is one of the most elegant and beautifully finished 
structures in this city or section of the Union. It 
is located on the corner of Buffalo anrl South 
Fitzhugh streets, the lot being 99 feet in depth by 
82J in width. The walls are Connecticut free¬ 
stone. There are two stories—the first in the 
Grecian Ionian style, and the second in the Gre¬ 
cian Corinthian. The structure presents a fine 
appearance externally, and is really an ornament 
to the city. The interior of the building, however, 
is most attractive, being really splendid in finish, 
furniture and general appearance. Though there 
are more expensive banking houses in the country, 
we doubt whether any excel this iu the essential* 
enumerated. 
The general business room of the institution is 
some 40 by 50 feet in size, entered through double 
doors on the corner. Near the South side, some 
twenty feet from the wall, is a splendidly finished 
marble counter, 35 feet in length—which cost 
$1,000—surmounted by three rosewood desks, with 
railings surrounding the tops, finished in the most 
perfect manner. The desks tor clerks, Ac., are 
back of the counter, near the south wall; also doors 
leading to the three vaults. The space in front of 
the counter is paved with encaustic tiles, and tbe 
whole flooring of the room laid upon slabs of Me¬ 
dina stone, supported by columns of masonry 
resting upon solid rock—thus rendering the whole 
basement perfectly fire proof. 
West of the principal business office, are three 
elegantly furnished rooms—one each for the Secre¬ 
tary, the Trustees, and the Loan Committee. In 
this part of the building is a hall, with a staircase 
leading to the upper rooms in the back part, where, 
besides a large sleeping room for clerks, are a 
large water tank, supplied in part from the roof, 
and in part from another and larger tank in the 
basement, water closet, Ac., the whole finished off 
with great completeness and in the most substan¬ 
tial manner. 
The upper part of the main building is not yet 
finished. The design is, we understand, to finish 
it off whenever it may be wanted for such purposes 
as will be agreeable to the Trustees. There are 
two domes surmounting the main building, from 
which, together with windows on two sides, this 
part is lighted, and it Is the intention of the Trus¬ 
tees to finish it off into two large halls. These 
would make a splendid library and gallery of art, 
should such be organized. Theheightoftheopper 
rooms, from the floor to the base of tbe domes is 
24 feet, and the domes rise 12 feet further, making 
the whole height from the floor to the highest part 
of the domes 36 feet. (The height of the first 
story is 25 leet — making the whole height of the 
building, exclusive of basement, Cl feet) The 
entrance to these rooms is not yet finished; it will 
be on South Fitzhugh street, and the ascent will 
be by a marble staircase. 
The plans of this splendid edifice were furnish¬ 
ed by Mr. Henrt Sbarl, a Rochester architect, 
who superintended all the work. The building 
committee consisted of Wa. Pitkin, Wm. Brews¬ 
ter and Wm. A. Reynolds, Esqs. The cost of the 
building will be about $80,000, and the lot was pur¬ 
chased for $20,000—the whole of which sum is 
said to have been realized from the surplus earn¬ 
ings of the Bank since its first organization iu 1831. 
The Architect, Building Committee, and several 
contractors, &o» r interested in constructing and 
furnishing this elegant and substantial Banking 
House, are entitled to credit for the ability, taste 
and skill displayed. Most of the work was per¬ 
formed, and furniture supplied, by Rochester me¬ 
chanics. Our brief description is necessarily 
meagre, and does notinclude details. The building 
is well worthy an examination by those who ad¬ 
mire fine architectural taste, and beauty of comple¬ 
tion. It has been occupied since the 1st of March. 
The present Board of Officers of the Bank is con¬ 
stituted as follows:— President —E. F. Smith. Hm 
Pres't — Wit. Brbwstkr. Sec'y — E. Whalkn. — 
Treasurer — Human Loomis. Att'y — Isaac Hills. 
Ti'ustees — Jonathan Child, Wm. Brewster, Wm. 
Pitkin, George Byington, Wm. A. Reynolds, Wm. 
H. Cheney, Hamlin Stilwell, E. F. Smith, Isaac 
Hills, John Haywood, Lansing B. Swan, George 
Mumford, Rufus Keeler, W. Kidd. Thos. Ivempshall. 
water freezes. The solid mercury may then he 
treated as other metals, hammered into sheets, or 
made into spoons; such spoons would, however, 
melt, in water as warm as ice. 
It is pretty certain that every liquid and gas 
that we are acquainted with would become solid 
if exposed to tbe regions of space. The gas we light 
the streets with would appear like wax oil would 
be in reality as hard ns a rock, pare spirits which 
we have never yet solidified, would appear like a 
block of transparent crystal; hydrogen gas would 
become quite s»lid and resemble a metal; we 
should be able to turn butter iu a lathe like a 
piece of ivory; and the fragrant odors of flowers 
would have to be made Lot before they would 
yield their perfumes. These are a few of the as¬ 
tonishing effects of cold.— Septimus Piesse. 
We do not believe that any quicker progress is 
made in schools by patting heavy tasks upon the 
children. Yet from the numerous studies in 
schools, or some other cause, children are com¬ 
pelled to employ their evenings, or the time in 
which they should play, in learning their tasks for 
the next day. Short lessons would admit of a 
thorough understanding of them, and, if a show 
of proficiency is desired at the end of a year, a 
better exhibit would be made on examination day 
of real attainment than could he possible if the 
little heads were crammed with over measures of 
studies, revealing but a smattering of knowledge 
of any of them. We have been shown geography 
lessons and arithmetic lessons, given to a chihlfor 
a next-day exercise, that hoars of painful effort at 
home were required to master, and on being 
spoken with about it, tbe little thing said she must 
do it or he subjected to “ checks” for failure. The 
road to learning is a hard road to travel, at best, 
but fearfully so when the ones who travel it are 
compelled to carry such heavy loads. Teachers 
Bhould be considerate .—Boston Sal. Eve. Gaxette. 
For Moors’* Rural New-Yorker. 
FEAR OF DEATH. 
Why is it that Death is invested with such awful 
terrors? We shrink from the contemplation of 
our final conqueror with a singular indefinable 
dread. We may say with weakness,—as we know 
individually we must obey his imperative sum¬ 
mons,—there is no reprieve. We must yield our 
loved ones to his dread rapacity. Is it not weak¬ 
ness that forbids our calmly, nay even pleasantly 
contemplating Death as a friend coming to release 
us from life's woes and restless dreams? But it is 
far otherwise. Old age put3 the thought of the 
inevitable visitor far from him, and trembles at 
the mere mention of his coming. Proud man¬ 
hood, looking defiance on the ills of life, pales 
Qualifications of a Good Teacher. — No 
knowledge, however profound, can constitute a 
teacher. A teacher must have knowledge, as an 
orator must have knowledge, as a builder must 
have materials; hut as, in choosing tho builder of 
my house, I do not select the man who has the 
most materials in his yard, but I proceed to select 
him by reference to his skill, ingenuity and taste; 
so also in testing an orator or a teacher, I satisfy 
myself that they fulfill the comparatively easy con¬ 
dition of possessing suffmUnt materials of know¬ 
ledge with which to work; I look then to those 
high and noble qualities which are tho character¬ 
istics of their peculiar calling. There were hun¬ 
dreds at Athens who knew more than Demosthenes, 
many at Rome that knew more than Cicero, but 
there w^s but, one Demosthenes and oue Cicero.— 
Lord Ashburton’s Address to School-Masters. 
PENNSYLVANIA. 
The '' Keystone State’’ is known geographically 
as being one of the •• Middle” or “Central ” States 
of onr confederacy. Its position is between 39° 
43' and 42° north latitude, and between 74° and 
80° 40' west longitude. Its length is 307 miles, 
width 100, aud contains 47,000 square miles. The 
Alleghany mountains cross the State from the 
south-west to north-ea3t, aud there are also many 
smaller ranges on each side of the principal ridge 
running parallel with it The soil, throughout the 
State, is generally fertile aud much of it is of su¬ 
perior quality. Anthracite coal fields are of im¬ 
mense extent. Iron ore exists in nearly every 
county, and in the vicinity of Pittsburgh—*• the 
Smoky City ”—vast quantities are manufactured. 
Beds of copper and lead exist, and quarries of 
marble and superior building stone abound. 
At the time of the last census, in 1850, the num¬ 
ber of acres of improved farm land in Pennsylva¬ 
nia equalled 3,023,610; unimproved 6,294,728;—the 
cash value of these farms is placed at. $407,376,099; 
and the value of implements and machinery at 
$14,722,541. The value of live stock, at same pe¬ 
riod, was $41,500,053. The principal agricultural 
productions were wheat, of which 15,367,691 bush¬ 
els is reported; Corn 19,835,214; Oats 21,538,156; 
Potatoes 5,960,732. The Dairy supplied 39,878,418 
pounds of butter, and 2,505,034 cheese. The value 
of the products of the Orchard and Garden was 
$1,412,103. There was 2,320,525 pounds of maple 
sugar made in that year. The value of home-made 
manufactures was $749,132; oi slaughtered animals 
$8,219,348. 
The manufacturing interest of Penn., is exten¬ 
sive, the capital invested equalling $91,463,210; 
and the value of the articles manufactured $154,- 
944,098. Of the various manufactories, those of 
iron take the precedence as to cost and value of 
material turned out. There were 2,380 flouring 
and grist mills; 2,936 saw-mills; 254 factories of 
woolen, and 136 of cotton. 
The Educational establishments are numerous. 
The colleges in 1850 contained 3,286 students. Of 
Academies there were 524. with 23,751 pupils; 
schools 9,081, with 413,706 scholars. Libraries 
numbered 393, with 363,400 volumes. The State 
has asylums for the blind, deaf, dumb and insane. 
The Government is vested in a Governor, Senate, 
and House of Representatives. The Governor 
holds his office for three years. The Senate hold 
office for the same period, and is composed of 33 
members. Representatives are chosen annually, 
and the House consists of 100 members. All ju¬ 
dicial officers are chosen by the people. Judges 
of the Supreme Court are chosen for 15 years; of 
the Court of Common Fleas 10 years; associate 
Judges 5 years. The Legislature meets annually 
at Harrisburgh on the first Tuesday in January. 
Pennsylvania was first settled by Swedes and 
Finns. William Pm obtained a grant of it in 
1631. The Constitution of the United States was 
adopted in December, 1787. The first Constitution 
of the State was adopted in 1776, tho second ia 
1790; the third and present one in 1838—which 
latter was amended, by giving the elections of the 
judiciary to the people, iu 1850. 
These are four grand arguments for the truth 
of the Bible. The first is the miracles on record; 
the second, the prophecies; the third, the good¬ 
ness of the doctrine; the fourth, the moral charac¬ 
ter of the penmen. The miracles flew from Di¬ 
vine power: the prophecies, from divine under¬ 
standing; the excellence of the doctrine, from 
Divine goodness; the moral character of the pen¬ 
men, from Divine purity. Thus, Christianity is 
built upon these four immovable pillars, the pow¬ 
er, the understanding, the goodness, the purity of 
God. The Bible must be one of these things; 
either an invention of good men, or good angels; 
of bad men, or bad angels; or a revelation from 
God. But it could not be the invention of good 
men, or angels, for they neither would nor could 
make a book telling lies, at the same time saying, 
“Thus saith the Lord," when they knew it all to 
be their own invention. It could not be the in¬ 
vention of wicked men or devils, for they could 
not make a book which commands all duty, which 
forbids all sin, and which condemns their souls to 
all eternity. The conclusion is irresistible — the 
Bible must be given by Divine inspiration .—Bishop 
Simpson. 
Education in Louisiana.— From the report of 
the Superintendent of Public Education in Lou¬ 
isiana for the last year, we learn that tho number 
of children in the State between six and ten years 
of age, reported by the assessors of 1855, was 73,- 
112. Of these, 35,803 were reported as males, and 
34,123 as females. The sex was not mentioned in 
regard to the remaining number (3,906.) The in¬ 
crease from 1853 to 1855 was 10,674. The appro¬ 
priation of four dollars for each of tho children 
would require $293,283, showing the deficiency in 
the appropriation to make ont that rate of distri¬ 
bution for the year to he $13,288. The number of 
school children in the city of New Orleans is re¬ 
ported at 21,550, and th* appropriation at four 
dollars for each scholar is therefore $66,500. 
Education in Russia— According to a report 
from the minister of public instruction, there ex¬ 
ists in the empire of Russia 47 public libraries.— 
The total number of educational establishments is 
3,872, frequented by 194,490 pupils. The number 
of private schools is 614, having 21,863 pupils.— 
The number of persons of both sexes employed 
in education is 2,087. In the four governments 
aud the three territories of Siboria there are three 
colleges, 71 schools, and two private institutions, 
frequented by 4,346 pupils. 
Not only the flowers unfold their petals to re¬ 
ceive the light—the heart of man also has a power 
of expansion. It is love which opens it and ex¬ 
pands it, so that the rays of the spiritual sun may 
penetrate aud illume it The Christian, in the 
work of self-examination, need not direct his at¬ 
tention to many points; it is inclnded in the daily 
question—How is it with my love to Christ? That 
love to him is of great importance, we muss con¬ 
clude, sinee he, in truth, requires of us an affec¬ 
tion for his own person each as no one else ever 
claimed. O thou must be more than father and 
mother, than brother aad sister, else how eouldst 
thou, the lowliest among the children of men, lay 
claim to such superabundant love? Since I have 
believed in thy word, all my desire has been to 
love thee. I will not cease^to Jove thee, until thou 
art dearer to me than father, mother, and brother! 
If they deny thee, if they revile thee; what is so 
dreadful as to see one's father and mother reviled 
at our side! but more than when they reproach 
father and mother, shall thy reproaches, thy 
wrongs go to my heart.— Ttwluck. 
SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS, 
We have received the “Annual Report of the 
Superintendent of Schools of the city of New 
York, for the year ending, January 1st, 1857,” and 
make the following extract, relative to the exami¬ 
nations of scholars, therefrom. Though the 
course advocated, Is designed principally for the 
“Primary Departments,'’ and has been adopted by 
the Assistant Superintendent having charge of 
such portion, Mr. S. W. Sbton, there is much that 
might he made of practical benefit to those more 
advanced in study. Mr. B. says: 
“ In examining the classes and visits to schools, 
I desired that my vocation should not vainly he 
‘only asking questions of little children;’ but so 
to present tho various subjects, and so bending 
my attention to such methods of questioning, as 
should be tests, not of their knowledge of books 
only, bat of things and principles—testing their 
mental and moral development, not the depth of 
their memory, trusting that snch a course would 
sometimes, if not generally, prove suggestive to 
tho teacher of tho neoessity of a less mechanical 
system of instruction than has more generally pre¬ 
vailed and been adopted, and supplanting that 
roting system by books or otherwise, by oue of 
more intellectual character. It will readily bp 
coucedcd that a child thus taught and developed 
in mental and moral powers would show at onco 
its right training by intelligent answers, and a 
countenance evidencing delight in mental occupa¬ 
tion. Some such I occasionally find even among 
the Abecedarians, or rapidly advancing through 
the routiuo of the advanced studies ou the way to 
the Grammar School. So trained, they will not 
tail to do well, when there ' having been led with 
In cad, t'wfy will not bo put off with a stone.”— 
They will carry with them a soil already fruitful, 
Mbn in business who aro answerable with their 
fortunes for the consequences of their opinion, 
and are therefore accustomed to ascertain pretty 
accurately the grounds on which they act, before 
they commit themselves on the eve®*, and are often 
men of remarkably quick and sound judgement. 
Artiste in like manner must know tolerably well 
what they aro about, before they can bring tho re¬ 
sult of their observations to the test of ocular 
demonstration. 
Wk are always, in these days, trying to separate 
the two (intellect and work.) Wc want one man 
to be always thinking, and another to bo always 
working; and we call one a gentleman and the 
other an operative; whereas, tho workman ought 
to be often thinkiug, and the thinker often work¬ 
ing, and both should be gentlemen in the heat 
sense. It is only by thought that, labor can be 
made happy; aud the two cannot be separated with 
impunity. 
FACTS ABOUT COLD, 
For every mile that we leave the surface of our 
earth, the temperature falls five degrees. At forty- 
five miles distance from o*r globe we are beyond 
the atmosphere, and enter, strictly speaking into 
the regions of space, whose temperature is 225 de¬ 
grees below zero, and here cold reigns in all iu 
power. Some idea of this intense cold may bo 
formed by slating that the greatest cold observed 
from the Arctic Circle is from 40 to 60 degrees 
below zero, and here many surprising effects aro 
produced. In the chemical laboratory, the great¬ 
est cold that we can produce is about 150 degrees 
below zero. At this temperature, carbonic ga 3 be¬ 
comes a solid substance like snow. If touched it 
produces the same effect ou the skin as a hot cin¬ 
der; it blisters the finger like a burn. Quicksilver 
or mercury freezes at forty degrees below zero; 
that is 72 degrees below the temperature at which 
Noels Sentiments.— Condemn no man for not 
thinking os you think. Let every oue enjoy the 
full and free liberty of thinking for himself. Let 
every man use his own judgment, since every man 
must give an account of himself to God. Abhor 
every approach, in any kind of degree, to the spirit 
of persecution. If yon cannot reason, or persuade 
a man into the truth, never attempt to force him 
into it. If love will not compel him to come, 
leave him to God, the Judge of *1L —John Wesley . 
1 ivk W ords in Season. —About two centuries 
ago, the Legislature of Scotland enacted that “ a 
gova and sufficient school ” should be introduced 
and maintained in every parish. To these five 
words, “a good and sufficient school,” introduced 
into an act of Parliament not longer than a man’s 
thumb, is Scotland indebted at this day for nearly 
every solid glory she possesses. 
When Feneloa was almoner to Louis XIY., his 
Majesty was astonished to find one Sunday instead 
of a numerous congregation only him and the 
priest. “What is the reason of this?” asked the 
king. “ I caused it to be given out, sire,” returned 
Fenelon, “that your Majesty did not attend chapel 
to-day, that you might know who came to worship 
God, and who to flatter the king.” 
Thb California Official Reports, show that in 
1850, there were in the State 316 public schools 
attended by 26,160 children, and taught, by 411 
teachers. Tho number of boys iu the schools wa* 
12,455 in tho year 1855, and 14,923 in 1856; of girls 
there were 11,313 in 1855, and 12,435 in 1856. 
Simonides being asked of Hiero, what he tho’t 
of God, asked a week's time to consider of it; at 
the week’s end, he asked a fortnight’s time; at the 
fortnight’s end, a month. At which Hiero marvel¬ 
ling, Simonides answered, “that the longer he tho’t 
upon the matter the more difficult he found it.” 
